30.3.15
Aerobic Fitness for Champions
8:19 AM
Olympic champions have their own scientific training methods these days and with the amount of competition from all over the world they need to have even the slightest edge in order to beat out their opponents. For most people that are looking for an effective workout the object is the same and that is getting fit. It can be just as challenging for a regular person to achieve a standard level of fitness as it is for an Olympic competitor to shape up and win a gold medal.
Aerobic fitness is the key to any sustainable workout regimen and can lead to fantastic results if done properly. One of the key elements to a great aerobic fitness routine is that it not be routine. You need to change up your workout in order to keep yourself interested and also to confuse your muscle memory.
One of the most common complaints about going to the gym that fitness gurus hear is it is so boring. There is no reason that a person should limit themselves to using the treadmill or exercise bike at the gym for their aerobic exercises. Unless you live at the North Pole, you should have decent enough weather to get out and walk or jog a few miles each day, at least three days per week. Getting outdoors is a great way to get your aerobic fitness in and not get totally bored to death. Find a big hill or wooded area near your home or office and climb that bad boy, or start riding your bike to work instead of driving. You will burn calories, get in shape and help the environment at the same time.
Fitness trainers tell us that muscles have memory. If you do the same exercises all the time you will get some results but not as great as if you changed up the exercises. This is because muscles have a type of memory and will start to get used to any exercise. That is why the first time you do something it hurts the next day, but if you do it again it hurts less until eventually it stops hurting at all. You need to keep the muscles burning and hurting. If they are not hurting then your aerobic fitness routine is too predictable. You should run one day, bike the next, climb the next day, and so on. It is alright to go to the gym a couple of times per week but try something new each time. One day it could be the reclining bike, the next day try the step machine. This will confuse the muscle memory and lead to much more evident results.
Situps and pushups are also great aerobic fitness routines. These will get your heart rate moving and yet give you great results. Just be careful when you do situps to keep your lower back as flat as possible. Crunches and leg lifts are best when done from the bench (reclining) or from an exercise ball. Putting weights in your hands as you crunch can be effective too. Pushups can be kind of difficult if you dont have a lot of upper body strength but anyone can do them if they dont get flat on the ground but rather lean into the side of the exercise bench a few feet off the floor.