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“ATTACK” the New Year with Cardiovascular Training
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Last issue, we focused
on Mind Body classes and how participation in programs that incorporate
mind and body in one workout are a perfect choice for building core
strength, improving balance, rejuvenating and relaxing - especially
during stressful times in your life like the holidays.
Well, we made it! The stressful days of November and December are over
and 2008 has arrived. So what now? For many of us the New Year means a
rededication to our body; a promise to commit to a structured exercise
regimen and a better way of eating. The New Year is about losing those
unwanted pounds gained during the holidays and “trimming the fat” down
to an acceptable and desirable level!
But where do we start? And what do we do?
If your goal is to lose weight and burn fat, group fitness classes that
focus on cardiovascular training are the perfect choice!
What are Cardiovascular Classes?
Cardiovascular training classes (or cardio classes for short) come in
many varieties, but the goal is always the same:
- To get rid of fat
- To strengthen the heart
- To increase endurance
Some basic cardiovascular classes you might have heard of include Step, Cycling and Hip Hop. From these basic programs, a host of mixed-discipline or specialty programs have been born. One in particular, a Les Mills International program called BODYATTACK™, has taken off in clubs all over the world. Let’s take a quick look at what classes like these can do for you in the New Year.
The Basics
Cardiovascular fitness can be defined simply as your body's ability to get oxygen and blood to the muscles.
- When you do physical activity and your pulse quickens and your breathing gets deeper, you are using your cardiovascular system.
- You can improve your cardiovascular system's efficiency and health through regular training.
Cardiovascular training is not only important, but essential for maintaining fitness, and must be included in your exercise program. There’s no denying it - if you want a healthy heart and want to get rid of that ugly fat you are going to have to do some moving around!
It is not necessary though to do that moving around in a gym. There are literally hundreds of day-to-day activities that can serve as our “cardiovascular workout.” Things like mowing the lawn, walking the dog, playing with the kids, and walking up stairs instead of taking the elevator are all simple ways to get your daily dose of cardio training.
The Benefits of Cardio Exercise
No matter what the type, cardio training always has the same goals in mind: losing fat and improving heart health. Let’s take a more in depth look at the benefits you can expect to see if you commit to a regular schedule of cardio work.
Fat Loss
Burning excess fat is likely the primary reason many people take up some
type of cardiovascular training, and is certainly a very good reason.
Many people simply have too much fat on their bodies to look the way
that they want to or to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The amount of
calories and fat you burn during a cardio session depends on your
current body weight and the intensity of the cardio exercise you are
doing.
High Intensity v. Low Intensity.
The basic idea when you're trying to lose fat is to create a caloric
deficit. The type of cardiovascular training doesn’t matter so much as
creating that deficit. High
Intensity training just creates the deficit more efficiently than
Low Intensity training,
so you can lose fat more quickly.
Interval training for example is a very effective means of burning fat
in a short period of time. During interval training you perform quick
bouts of high intensity work followed by short periods of recovery. This
type of work-recovery training usually burns fat more quickly than long
bouts of low to moderate intensity exercise.
SIDE BAR
Myth or Fact? Low intensity exercise is best for fat loss
because more fat is burned for fuel as a percentage of the total
calories burned.
Myth. Although Low Intensity exercise burns a higher
percentage of fat, the total fat burned is still higher with
High Intensity work. This is because the total calories burned
in high intensity work are almost always greater than in Low
Intensity work.
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A Stronger Heart
In addition to burning calories and lowering your body fat,
cardiovascular exercise will strengthen your heart and lungs. Since
heart disease is the leading cause of premature death for both men and
women, cardiovascular fitness is a very important.
Target Heart Rate.
Your Target Heart Rate is an important concept when you think about the
benefits of cardiovascular exercise. In order for an exercise to be
considered "cardiovascular," it needs to elevate your heart rate to 60
to 85 percent of its maximum rate (the fastest it could possibly beat).
In this range, you will best be able to achieve cardiovascular fitness.
The bottom end of the scale is best for low intensity training while the
top end is best for high intensity training. If you don't hit your
"Target Heart Rate Range" you will likely be doing little to help
improve your heart or shed that fat. You should stay within your Target
Heart Rate Range and never exceed your Maximum Heart Rate. This will
keep from overstressing your cardiovascular system while giving you the
benefits you are looking for.
Other Benefits
Other positive results of cardio training include improved endurance and
increased bone mass and muscle tone.
How often should I do cardio exercise?
Cardiovascular exercise should be done 3 to 6 times per week. Working
out less than three times per week will likely not produce the results
you want. On the other hand, if you training more than six times a week
you might be overtraining which can actually decrease the effectiveness
of your exercise. For best results, cardiovascular workouts should last
between 30 and 45 minutes.
So, what are you waiting for?
There is no better time then right now to start attacking the effects of
the holiday season and getting your body into shape. Commit to a regimen
of cardio exercise and begin burning fat and improving your heart health
today!
Take a walk, ride your bike, or come join us at Lifestyle Family Fitness
for one of our cardio classes like BODYATTACK™. Remember getting
in shape is always more fun in numbers! We promise to leave you feeling
strong, energetic, healthy and fit. There is no time like the present to
commit to a change and keep your New Year’s promise to yourself!
POWER INTO BODYATTACK™ and kick those holidays goodbye!
FOCUS on BODYATTACK™
During the month of February, we will be highlighting BODYATTACK™
as our program of the month. All month, members and non-members alike
are invited to try out one of our BODYATTACK™ classes, free of
charge. Improve your cardiovascular endurance, burn fat and build long,
lean muscles – ATTACK the New Year with a vengeance!
What will BODYATTACK™ do for me?
- Burn lots of calories for a leaner body
Tone and shape your body
- Raise your overall fitness and stamina for high energy sports like
football or tennis
- Improve your co-ordination and agility
- Make you stronger through core conditioning work
- Improve your bone health and density
- Increase your heart and lung capacity through a full-body cardio
workout
What is a typical class like?
BODYATTACK™ is designed around a 55-minute two-peak format with 11 music
tracks. Each track has a different exercise focus to challenge your
cardio fitness and stamina.
- Warm-up
- The focus in the opening track is on big, simple aerobic moves to get
the body warm.
- Mixed impact
- This track will take you through an increasing range of moves and
footstrikes, preparing the body for the aerobic action ahead.
- Aerobic
- Step up the intensity and range of movement and get into your personal
training ‘zone’ ahead of the peak track to follow.
- Plyometric
- This is where the class hits its first intensity peak, putting the body
under load through quick-fire plyometric exercises often used in sports
training.
- Upper body conditioning
- Time to bring the heart rate down and recover, as well as building
strength. The focus here is on shoulders, chest, triceps and core
conditioning work for toning and shaping the upper body.
- Running
- Loosen up again with some free and patterned running and get the legs
ready to fire again.
- Agility
- It’s now time to test your speed and agility with a big mix of moves and
have fun with some class interaction.
- Interval
- Challenge your cardio systems with a series of work-recovery blocks.
- Power
- The final peak where you dig deep and push through powerful moves for
maximum effort. Enjoy the group dynamic at the heart of BODYATTACK™.
- Lower body conditioning
- Time to recover the heart rate while conditioning the lower body for
great shape, condition and tone.
- Cool Down
- Congratulations, you made it. Time to recover and stretch.
What do I need to bring to class?
Make sure you have a good pair of shoes for foot stability. Dress in
comfortable clothes and bring along a towel and water bottle.
How fit do I need to be?
BODYATTACK™ is for everyone with moderate fitness levels. Because the
moves are simple you don’t need to be especially well coordinated.
How often should I take a class?
Classes are best done with a rest day between them. For best results try
and attend three BODYATTACK™ classes a week.
For further informatio
nIf you’d like to know more, talk to us or visit our website
www.lff.com. Here you’ll find a list of all of our Group Fitness classes
and a link to a site called Learn the Moves where you can try some of
the key BODYATTACK™ moves in the comfort of your own home!
BODYATTACK™ It leaves you on a high.
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