Are You STILL Doing Useless Workouts On Elliptical Machines And Treadmills? Part II: Good Alternatives To Elliptical Machine And Treadmill Workouts

Part II: Excellent alternatives to elliptical machine and treadmill workouts

This post is Part II  of an article by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer and author of The Truth About Six Pack Abs. He explains why workouts on elliptical machines and treadmills are worthless (Part I) and then presents alternative workouts (Part II).

Mike’s alternative workouts to those on elliptical machines and treadmills are as follows:

Outdoor wind sprints are the ultimate workout for a rock hard lean body. Look at the powerful yet super-lean and ripped bodies of world class sprinters, and compare that to the withering weakling physiques of typical marathoners. What would you rather look like?

Jumping rope creates incredible mind/body connection and is actually fun (you can try speed jumping, crossover jumps, and double jumps once you get good at it).

Kettlebell workoutsNothing will get your heart pounding and sweat pouring like high rep kettlebell swings and/or snatches (or clean and presses)! These can be done with dumbbells too, but I prefer kettlebells as they have a better "feel" to them and the unbalanced nature of KBs makes you work harder.

Bodyweight exercisesMountain climbers, bodyweight squats, push-ups, jumping drills, lunges, bear crawls, plank holds, and so on.

Rowing machineDon't lump this in as a "cardio" machine per se like elliptical machines and treadmills. Rather, the rowing machine is actually a great full body workout that uses real resistance.

Hill sprintingThis is running as hard up a hill as possible, followed by walking down and repeating as many times as you can for a full workout (yet another classic drill for a rock hard lean body).

Shadow boxing is a killer workout, but if you are shy, this is best done at home since you will get some crazy looks doing this at a typical gym!

Swimming sprints are a more muscle toning workout compared with steady pace distance swimming. You get an upper body pump from sprint swimming (instead of swimming slow and steady, with sprint swimming, you swim as fast as you can exerting as much force as you can for 1 lap. Then rest for 15-20 seconds before doing another swim sprint).

Heavy bag punching/kicking workouts, speed bag, rebounding bagAll are tremendous workouts and much more fun than boring cardio machines (requires an very intense mind/body connection which increases results). 

I hope this article gives you plenty of ideas you can use to bring more variety into your workouts instead of relying on the same dull elliptical machine and treadmill workout routines. 

Have fun!

valmillsy

P.S. Learn more about The Truth About Six Pack Abs by clicking HERE.

Are You STILL Doing Useless Workouts On Elliptical Machines And Treadmills? Part I: Why These Workouts Are Useless and Ineffective

I found this article by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer and author of TheTruth About Six Pack Abs. He explains why workouts on elliptical machines and treadmills are worthless (Part I) and then presents alternative workouts (Part II – future post).

Part I: Why Workouts On Elliptical Machines and Treadmills Are Worthless

The fact is, ellipticals and treadmills are one of the least effective methods of working out in existence. In this article, I'll show you how to get a much more effective fat-burning workout without wasting time mindlessly exercising on a boring elliptical machine or treadmill.

If you really honestly enjoy your elliptical machine workouts and treadmill exercise routines, then I give you my blessing to keep doing what you love. The reason is that even though ellipticals and treadmills are relatively ineffective compared to other types of exercises, whatever you actually enjoy doing the most is going to benefit you most in the long run because you will be more likely to stick with it more consistently.

However, don't say that I didn't warn you that you might be wasting your time with all these boring mindless cardio machine workouts.

I actually do not believe in cardio machines as a good form of working out at all. This might surprise you coming from a fitness nut such as myself, but I don't think I've personally used an exercise bike, treadmill, elliptical, or any other cardio machine for at least 8 years or more.

In fact, I don't even use cardio machines anymore for warm-ups before my workouts. I actually think it's a much more effective warm-up to do dumbbell and/or kettlebell swings, snatches, clean and presses, etc, mixed with bodyweight exercises as a great full-body warm-up.

Why do I think cardio machines are so awful?

Here’s 5 reasons why . . .

1. Treadmills and ellipticals are just an ineffective way to work out compared to other options. Why should you do treadmill or elliptical workouts when you can get better results by doing more interesting forms of training that actually stimulate a fat-burning hormonal response and stimulate your metabolism to a greater extent.
2. Elliptical machines and treadmills are insanely expensive and a waste of money for people who work out at home There are so many better things for home workouts you could have spent your money on rather than wasting it on an elliptical machine, treadmill, or exercise bike. You'll see plenty of ideas below for better home workouts if you don't like going to a gym to work out.
3. I have seen several studies that indicated results that treadmill running may be less effective than outdoor running for various reasons such as stride abnormalities on treadmills vs natural running, slightly less caloric burn compared to outdoor running, and so on. Note:  I never recommend just "jogging" anyway. Variable intensity walking/running or sprinting are much more effective, training your heart rate in a much wider range instead of the same heart rate range the whole time.
4. Steady state exercise (that doesn't require concentration on what you're doing) while watching tv or reading a newspaper or magazine creates a mind/body disconnect resulting in extremely poor results compared to exercise that requires focused attention.
5. Elliptical and treadmill workouts are just mind-numbingly boring!

Next Post: Part II: Good alternatives to elliptical machine and treadmill workouts

 valmillsy

P.S. Learn more about The Truth About Six Pack Abs by clicking HERE.

The Answer To A Popular Fat Loss Question - What Exercise Will Reduce My Belly Fat?

What Exercise Will Reduce My Belly Fat?

The answer to this question is a little discouraging . . . 

When you try to isolate muscles, you are actually creating a body that is non-functional and will be prone to injury. Essentially, you are creating a body that is a compilation of body parts, instead of a powerful, functional unit that works together. 

Now if you really want to end up hobbling around in a body bandaged up with joint problems, tendonitis, and excess body fat, then by all means, continue trying to ‘isolate’ body parts. 

This answer is discouraging, BUT the solution to reducing belly fat is simple . . . 

On the other hand, if you would rather have a lean, muscular, injury-free, functional body that works as a complete powerful unit to perform complex movements (in athletics or even everyday tasks), then you need to shift your focus away from muscle isolation. 

Another benefit to moving away from the muscle isolation mindset in weight training to a more ‘complex movement’ mindset is that you will find it much easier to lose body fat. 

The reason is that by focusing more on multi-joint complex movements as opposed to single-joint muscle isolation lifts, you not only burn a lot more calories during each workout, but you also increase your metabolic rate, and stimulate production of more fat burning and muscle building hormones such as growth hormone and testosterone.

Let’s look at an example. 

The machine leg extension is a single joint exercise that works mainly the quadriceps, can potentially cause knee joint instability in the long run, and doesn’t even burn that many calories.  

On the other hand, exercises like squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts are all multi-joint complex movements that work hundreds of muscles in the body (including the quadriceps) as a functional unit, create more stable and strong joints in the long run (when done properly), and also burn massive quantities of calories compared to the single-joint exercises. 

Now although multi-joint exercises should comprise the majority of your weight training workouts, there can be some benefits with just minor inclusions of single-joint exercises for variety, etc.  Build your training programs with about 90-95% multi-joint exercises and about 5-10% single-joint exercises at most.

Interested in discovering more ways to create a body that looks as good as it functions?

Pick up a copy of Certified Personal Trainer Mike Geary's innovative book The Truth About Six Pack Abs.

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White Foods (Carbs) Aren't Always The Enemy

If you've read that white carbs are the enemy, you will be surprised to discover that certain white carbs are actually healthy nutrients. For example, potatoes have a bad rep, but should they be avoided in all forms? 

And if you are on a low sugar/low carb eating plan like the one described in my ebook (sign up for it at the top of the column to your right), you wonder what carbs you can eat and still hit your weight loss targets.

This post contains about a discussion about white carbs by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer, and author of best-sellers The Fat-Burning Kitchen and The Truth About Six Pack Abs.

I'd like to start a discussion today about carbohydrates... and in particular, "white foods" as well as potatoes. One reason I wanted to mention this is because so many health and fitness professionals trash talk potatoes. They call potatoes a bad carbohydrate choice because of its high glycemic index.

Some even say such ridiculous things as "avoid any and all white carbohydrates." 

Ok, while I agree that white bread and refined white sugar are two of the worst things we can feed our bodies, I definitely don't agree with avoiding any and all "white carbohydrates". Now I know all of the buzz lately has been about colorful foods and the protective antioxidants that they contain. They tell you to focus on colors and stay away from white.

"White Foods" aren't necessarily always the enemy 

It's true that colorful foods are great, but it is a big mistake to specifically avoid white foods! There are plenty of white foods that have specific nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere. Let's look at a few examples:

Onions and Garlic 

What about onions and garlic? They are both white and they are chock full of protective phytonutrients, vitamins, and trace minerals that aren't easy to find elsewhere in a normal diet. These nutrients as allicin, quercetin (an important flavonoid), chromium, and other unique anti-inflammatory nutrients.

In fact, onions are so powerful for our health, that one study of centenarians (people that live to over 100 years old) identified that a common thread of these amazingly healthy individuals was that they ate a lot of onions throughout their lives.   And we also know that garlic is one of the most powerful substances for a strong immune system, among other qualities. 

Cauliflower 

Another example of something white that is great for you is cauliflower. Cauliflower is loaded with vitamin C, fiber, minerals, and special compounds such as glucosinolates and thiocyanates, which are specifically abundant in broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.  

And a little-known fact is that some of the compounds in cruciferous vegetables help to combat other estrogenic compounds in our food supply and environment and can help prevent excess belly fat.  So eat up on that cauliflower!

Mushrooms 

Not many people realize this, but surprisingly, even white mushrooms have high levels of unique nutrients and antioxidants. White mushrooms are high in a couple types of antioxidants called polyphenols and ergothioneine.  And some types of mushrooms, such as portobella mushrooms, are surprisingly good sources of Vitamin D. 

Potatoes 

Now that also leads us to another example - white potatoes (which by the way, can also be found in red, yellow, purple varieties, etc). Many health professionals claim that potatoes are a bad carbohydrate because they are thought to have a high glycemic index.  

First of all, if you've read my The Truth About Six Pack Abs ebook, then you understand that glycemic index is not necessarily the most important factor in choosing your carbohydrates. 

While a generalization can be made that most LOW glycemic index carbohydrate choices will help you lose body fat easier than HIGH glycemic index choices, it is not all that it's cracked up to be.

There are many other factors that determine how your body will react-to and process the carbohydrates you ingest, such as glycemic load and also how you combine the high GI food with other foods such as protein, fiber, and fats, which all slow down absorption of the ingested carbs.

Also, food combinations are important in how your body processes the carbohydrates and the associated blood sugar and insulin response you receive. For example, if you mix a high glycemic index carbohydrate with an extra source of fiber, healthy fats, or even certain proteins, many times the blood sugar and glycemic response will be slowed down considerably by the way you combined the food.

Again, I talk in detail about this entire topic in my The Truth About Six Pack Abs book.

So back to my point that white potatoes are actually a healthy carb as long as you eat them in the right form. Please don't ruin them by deep frying them into french fries either! French fries are one of the most evil things ever invented for your health, but only because we ruin them by soaking them in a scorching bath of trans fats in the deep fryer from the hydrogenated oils that are typically used.

Keep in mind that potatoes contain so many vitamins and minerals that the list is way too long to even try to list them all.

One Warning About Potatoes 

Please note that potatoes do contain low level toxins called glycoalkaloids (it's the plant's protection mechanism) that are concentrated in the skin, so it is a good idea to always peel potatoes before making any dishes with them. 

Stay tuned for my next post for a tasty potato recipe that takes into account Mike's advice.

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Which Is Better For Fat Loss - Cardio Workouts or Weight Training?

In this post, Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer and author of The Truth About Six Pack Abs Program, discusses cardio workouts. His intent is to get you thinking differently and trying new things.

Here's Mike . . .

You may know I've been called the anti-cardio guy before, but now I'm back posing the question to you . . . 

Do you really need cardio training to get lean and in great shape? 

By the way, you'll see in a minute that I'm not really "anti-cardio", just "anti traditional cardio".

Most fitness buffs, weekend warriors, or anyone trying to get in shape or lose body fat, believe they need "cardio" exercise to accomplish these goals. They would never even question it.

However, I'm not only questioning it, I'm going to refute it! In fact, you may be surprised to know that some of the leanest and meanest people I know (men and women), NEVER do any type of normal or traditional cardio. And I've spent over 15 years working out in various gyms, and hanging out with athletes of all sorts, so I've seen it all.

I will say that there can be a place for low-moderate level cardio for really overweight or deconditioned people, but even in those cases, there can be more effective methods.

But what exactly is "cardio"?

Most people would consider cardio to be pumping away mindlessly on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or coasting on an elliptical machine, while watching the TV screen at their state of the art gym. This is what I call "traditional cardio". 

Hmmm, no wonder the majority of people get bored with their workouts and give up after a couple months without seeing results.

But if you look closer, "cardio" exercise can be considered any type of exercise or activity that strengthens the cardiovascular system. I'm not going to get into anything technical like increasing your VO2 max or anything like that. To keep it simple, if it gets your heart pumpin, and gets you huffin and puffin, it's cardio. I don't care if you're holding dumbbells or a barbell and everyone calls it a weight training exercise . . . it's still conditioning your heart.

Examples

Let's take a look at a couple examples. Take a barbell (or dumbbell, or kettlebell) clean and press which involves lifting a barbell from the floor up to shoulders, then push pressing overhead. 

And listen up ladies, because even though this is usually seen as a manly exercise, it doesn't matter if you're not lifting 250 lbs; if 45 lbs is challenging to you, then you will still benefit just as much.

At first glance, most people think of the barbell Clean and Press only as a weight training exercise or strength exercise. However, I challenge you to do a hard set of around 10-15 reps on the Clean and Press. If you used a challenging enough weight, what you'll find is that your heart rate is probably up to about 80-90% of your recommended max, and you are huffing and puffing like you just ran a 100-meter sprint (which by the way, sprinting kicks the crap out of jogging any day if you want the easiest way to lose the flab).

Try the same thing for a set of 20 reps of one-arm snatches or swings with each arm with a kettlebell or dumbbell, and tell me your legs aren't burning, heart racing, and you're gasping for breath. How about trying 5 minutes straight of bodyweight squats, lunges, and pushups with very little rest. Again, notice your heart pounding, sweat pouring off of you, and chest heaving for breaths!

Try and tell me you're not conditioning your heart with this style of training! Conventional thinking says that these are weight training or strength training exercises. However, they are fullfilling your cardio workout needs as well (and saving you time!).

Not only do you save time, but you strengthen and condition almost every muscle in your entire body with these full body exercises if you do them with enough intensity...something that can't be said for that boring stationary bike ride or treadmill jaunt while reading or watching TV.

Reading or watching TV while you workout is a joke! Seriously, if you can read or watch TV while doing any exercise, you're not concentrating enough on what you're doing, plus you're probably not working out hard enough to see any real results.

I challenge you to give the "traditional cardio" a rest for a month or two, and start training the way I explain in my internationally-selling 

The Truth About Six Pack Abs, and see how you start getting leaner, more defined, and your six pack starting to show through what used to be stubborn stomach fat deposits.



P.S,   How To Lose 20 lbs In 1 Month 
on a safe, healthy, cost-free eating plan . . . 

Get my FREE ebook by clicking HERE 

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