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Paradigm (n.) One that serves as a pattern or model

When it comes to fitness, cardio especially, I feel too many people operate in old paradigms, follow the crowd, get stuck in a rut or anything that causes them to do the same old boring routines that aren’t producing the results they desire. It’s a new day and that means a new opportunity to start fresh, after reading this article, will have a more exciting, time efficient cardio workout that is guaranteed to get results. In other words it’s time to break through any “pattern” or “model” that you’ve been following from years past. Remember, you have a New Years Resolution coming up.

Get into HIIT

What we are about to explore is something that has been researched for years and is now really coming to the forefront of fitness and being accepted by many experts in the field. Short duration, high intensity cardio workouts or HIIT, high intensity interval training. To gain a better understanding of what this looks like in a real life situation we need to first take a look at the different metabolic pathways that produce energy – there is the aerobic system ("with oxygen") and the anaerobic system ("without oxygen"). Most often when someone is attempting to get leaner we choose the “aerobic” protocol and do these long, boring 30-60 minute treadmill workouts that often times are not efficient at all simply because we are not training at our THR (target heart rate) so we render the workout useless when it comes to losing body fat.

Lets give you a visual

To give you an image to work with in your mind lets look at two different types of athletes and how they train in relation to how they look and you be the judge. Marathon runners have highly trained aerobic systems while sprinters have highly trained anaerobic systems. The misconception between the differing training protocols has been this, sports and activities are either aerobic or anaerobic in nature so you have to do one or the other. This is not the case however; all activities from running a marathon to sprinting have contributions from both systems. The bottom line is this, there is a carry over from one to the other, in other words if sprinting had no aerobic benefit then sprinters would have lousy cardio and we know that isn’t true at all.

Need an Explanation?

So, let me explain a very simple cardio workout that you can accomplish in as little as fifteen minutes or less.

1). Get on the elliptical machine, the one with the arm movement and warm up for one or two minutes ....then simply perform this short duration/high intensity workout.

2). Go at a normal pace for ten to fifteen seconds(depending on your current level of fitness) and then do a ten to fifteen second all out sprint. Slow down to a normal pace again

3). Repeat this process for up to fifteen minutes and that’s it. The beauty of this program is that it is scalable and you can easily measure your results by keeping simple records of how many seconds you could do when you started to how many you could do, say six to eight weeks later. In addition, by doing this simple, quick yet effective cardio routine you will see amazing results. However another important element of attaining a leaner physique would be to incorporate a proper nutritional regimen into your overall plan. I've personally found that most people who simply rely on someone "telling" them what to do, opposed to someone actually learning "how and why" they need to eat properly don't maintain their results.

People talk

We've all heard the statement "knowledge is power" well that's partly true, the proper application of that knowledge is what is most important. I personally like to educate my clients as to why I am asking them to eat certain foods at certain times, Why I ask them to drink so much water, why some carbs are good and the others aren't. This exchange of knowledge empowers my client to help others as well. It's a natural occurrence that when someone gets in shape the people that are closest to them will ask what they did. I personally prefer having an educated client over one who just does what I say for that very reason. So do yourself a favor and really make an attempt to understand the "how's and why's" of what you are doing.

The Perfect Website and solution

This web site is a perfect destination for everything you need from workouts to supplementation. Another great question people ask is "what should I take"? That is a loaded question but for the purposes of this subject matter (getting leaner/losing weight) a good Protein Powder and gentle Thermogenic would be in order. I highly suggest Sci-Fit, so at least investigate what Theromgen II and a good Whey Protein Isolate can do to assist you in your weight loss efforts. In closing, If you apply the information if my 15 Minute Cardio Solution along with some basic knowledge in nutrition, good healthy supplementation and positive thoughts... before you know it, you'll be dropping faster than a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon.

The Cardio Stack