10 Tips To Improve Your Cardio Workout

Making cardio workouts part of your exercise regimen is a surefire way to improve fitness and health. But you don't have to spend hours on the treadmill or trail to achieve results. Instead, use these tips for effective cardio workouts that burn calories and fat.

1. Increase the Incline

Instead of running on a flat road or treadmill, head for the hills or bump up the incline. Running uphill will send the heart rate through the roof and increase the calorie burn. Some added benefits include improved leg strength, running form and spring speed.

2. Hands Free

When using a piece of cardio equipment don't hold onto the handrail. Just let go and pump the arms forward and back, not across the body (which will reduce the effectiveness of a workout).

3. The Great Outdoors

If possible, take to the outdoors to add variety and new challenges to a boring running routine. Mountain biking and trail running on uneven surfaces improves athleticism and balance while working smaller, but equally important, stabilizer muscles.

4. Stop and Go

Use interval training to increase workout intensity and maximize results. Alternate periods of all-out effort with periods of low effort or rest. Try sprinting 100 meters and then walking or jogging back to the start line before repeating the sprint. Eight to 10 sprints is all it will take to get a great workout.

5. Swing It

Try kettlebell training for a workout that provides both cardio and strength benefits. Use the two-hand kettlebell swing to improve lung efficiency and maximum heart rate in a fraction of the time of traditional training methods.

6. More Work, Less Rest

Select six to eight body weight exercises, resistance training and cardio-based movements to use as part of an up-tempo circuit-based workout. Perform the first exercise, and then move onto the next without working. Repeat for each exercise before resting for one to two minutes at the end of the circuit.

7. Keep Pace

Use a smart phone app (like FitDay), heart rate monitor or GPS to record distance, pace and calories burned. Tracking all of these variables helps increase motivation and promote progress to avoid a performance plateau.

8. Turn it Up

The music that is. Listening to music during a workout improves performance by increasing motivation and reducing fatigue. Pick something up-beat and fast-paced to keep energy levels high throughout the workout.

9. The Buddy System

Workout with a training partner or group of friends to make the entire gym experience more enjoyable. Being accountable to another person will also serve as motivation and prevent missed workouts.

10. Be Consistent

The best way to get results from a cardio workout is to create a routine and stick to it. Whether it's first thing in the morning, at lunch or after work, the body will adapt to training any time during the day. Be consistent and exercise on a consistent basis and your fitness goals are within reach.

The Beginners Workout Guide For Building Muscle

You’re an eternal beginner. You get on a program and fall off just as fast. You skip the gym if it’s raining.

Sound familiar? Don't blame yourself. Your problem probably isn't a weakness of character (although you need some steel in your spine too)—it's probably that you're not following the right strategy. Pry the snooze button off your alarm clock, because with a little effort, you can adopt good exercise and diet habits, thanks to this plan from Brian Grasso, a trainer and life coach in Montreal. (Photographs by Marius Bagge)

The Beginner's Guide to Interval Training >>>

The Beginner's Profile: If any of these points sound familiar, this workout's for you.

Mantra: “I’m just not consistent.”

Longest streak of consistent gym-going: 6 weeks

Best lifts: 225-pound bench press; “What’s a squat?”

Typical dinner: Anything/everything

You tell yourself: “If Carrot Top can get ripped, so can I.”

THREE THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START

Start Slow: “The body and mind are terribly homeostatic machines,” Grasso says. “They constantly search for comfort and consistency,” so deciding to make a slew of changes at once often leads to failure.

“Making minor amendments to your daily routine will fl y under the radar of your conscious thought and become positive habits.” In other words, if you start so gradually that you barely notice the change, you’ll be more apt to continue it and make more changes without them ever seeming daunting.

Train two days per week:This isn’t asking a lot, so try to go at the same times every week. Get used to making appointments with yourself and keeping them. But if you don’t feel like working out, don’t. Just go to the gym, walk in, and leave if you want. The important thing is that you establish the habit of going. At the very least, change into your workout clothes when you get there—you can change back out of them and leave right away. In no time, you’ll be going to the gym and staying to train, and regular exercise will be a part of your life.

Stand up straight: Want an easy way to tell if you’re performing your exercises correctly? Check your posture. The correct starting position for most exercises is shoulders back, chest out, standing (or sitting) tall, with your abs tight. Good posture, good form.

The Beginner's Guide to Weight Training >>>

THE BEGINNER'S MEAL PLAN

Your goal should be to eat at least one healthy meal per week. “I believe in making modest changes to the diet that don’t leave people feeling trapped and anxious to return to their old habits,” Grasso says. Choose just one meal to eat that you’re sure is healthy. Don’t psyche yourself out here—use common sense. Lean meat and fish, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and raw nuts and seeds are all fine. Eat what you like the rest of the day. Do this for two weeks and then up it to two healthy meals per day. Continue in that fashion and you’ll find you’re eating healthy most of the time. Get the full beginner's meal plan >>

HOW TO DO THIS WORKOUT ROUTINE

Frequency: Perform the two workouts (Day 1 and 2) once per week, resting at least a day between each.

Time Needed: 35 min

How to Do It: Perform the exercises marked with letters as a group. Do one set of A, rest, then one set of B, then rest (note that some groups have an exercise “C”), and repeat until all sets are complete. Then go on to the next group. Perform three sets of 8–10 reps for each exercise.

After 1 Month: By this point, working out has become part of your routine, and you look forward to it. If not, continue to at least show up at the gym (even if you don’t have the desire to go through with the workouts) until the habit sticks. Remember to continue adding healthy meals to your diet—you should be at two per day by now.

DAY 1

1A) Dumbbell Squat

Rest: 30 sec.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Squat down as low as you can while keeping an arch in your lower back.

1B) Push-Up

Rest: 60 sec.

Place your hands on the floor outside shoulder width and tighten your abs. Keeping your body straight, lower yourself until your chest is about an inch off the floor.

2A) Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Rest: 30 sec.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and step back with one leg. Lower your body until your rear knee nearly touches, and your front thigh is parallel to, the floor.

2B) Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Rest: 30 sec.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and step back with one leg. Lower your body until your rear knee nearly touches, and your front thigh is parallel to, the floor.

2B) Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Rest: 60 sec.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Brace your abs and press the weights straight overhead.

3A) Bulgarian Split Squat

Rest: 30 sec.

Rest the top of one foot behind you on a bench or chair. Lower yourself using your support leg until your rear knee nearly touches the floor.

3B) Dip

Rest: 30 sec.

Grab onto the parallel bars of a dip station and lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. If you can’t do dips, do a lying triceps extension with an EZ-curl bar

3C) Russian Twist

Rest: 60 sec.

Sit on the floor with a dumbbell or weight plate in both hands and recline your torso to a 45-degree angle. Hold your arms out straight and twist as far as you can in one direction and then to the other side.

4) Stationary Bike

Pedal at a moderately hard pace for 12–20 minutes.

DAY 2

1A) Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Rest: 60 sec.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand with the weights against your thighs. Bend your hips back and lower your torso, allowing your knees to bend as needed, until you feel your lower back is beginning to lose its arch. Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to come back up.

1B) One-arm Dumbbell Row

Rest: 60 sec.

Grab a dumbbell in one hand, and rest the other hand and knee on a bench. Let your arm hang straight down. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, row the weight until it touches your side. Perform all your reps with one arm first, and then switch arms and repeat.

2A) Straight-leg Glute Bridge

Rest: 60 sec.

Lie on your back on the floor and rest your heels on a bench or chair. Brace your abs and push onto your heels to raise your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line.

2B) Lat Pull-down

Rest: 60 sec.

Sit at a lat pulldown station and hold the bar with an outsideshoulder- width grip. Pull the bar down to your collarbone

3A) Dumbbell Single-leg Deadlift

Rest: 60 sec.

Hold a dumbbellwith one hand and stand on the opposite leg. Keeping your lower back arched, bend forward at the hips as far as you can and then extend your hips to come back up. Complete all your reps on one side and then switch sides.

3B) Dumbbell Biceps Curl

Rest: 60 sec.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and, keeping your upper arms against your sides, curl the weights up to shoulder level.

3C) Plank

Rest: 60 sec.

Get on the floor in push-up position, then lower your weight onto your forearms. Brace your abs and hold the position—body completely straight—for 60 seconds, or as long as you can.

4) Stationary Bike

Pedal at a moderately hard pace for 12–20 minutes.

originally posted by mensfitness.com

WNY MMA: Check yo-self before you Wreck yo-self.

The first time you start sparring can be extremely intimidating if you don’t know what to expect. Most beginners think of sparring as one step away from being in an actual fight. The better you are at sparring, the more success you will have in preparing for a fight. If you are only training muay thai to burn calories and get a cardio workout then sparring is optional and you should continue to have fun and enjoy the sport of muay thai.

However, if you actually want to get better at muay thai, sparring should be added to your training regimen. Sparring is designed to practice new techniques and reinforce the basics. It is used to help develop timing and recognition, both of which help you use your weapons in a fight. When an opponent recognizes how to win, those win’s will keep on coming. In order to get the most out of your sparring and training, be sure to follow these tips.

Tip # 1

Don’t Go 100% – I do not think it is a good idea for beginners to spar very hard. If you have a fight coming up, hard sparring can be advantageous; however, as a beginner start slow. Usually it takes one person to kick or punch really hard, then both parties start elevating the pace. The easiest way to tell if someone is new is usually when the person is going 100% trying to KO their sparring partner. Remembering that you are sparring to improve your technique, not to KO your partner. Sparring is teamwork and neither should be going 100%.

Tip # 2

Lose the Ego – You will hit and get hit. Accept it and be ready for it. Get over your ego. People who feel that they are too good to get kicked or punched are not in touch with reality. You are training in a full contact sport and if you are new to sparring and worried about looking bad then you are in the wrong sport. The only way to get better at muay thai is to get your hands dirty. The only way you will learn to block and punch and kick is if you get kicked and punched. Eventually you will learn to block those kicks and protect yourself from those punches. Having an ego will only get in the way of becoming a better fighter. You don’t want to be “that guy” in the gym that everyone is talking about after training and at the end of the day no one even wants to spar and train with you. You can only get better with the help of others. Be sure to respect everyone at the gym and be humble.

Tip #3

Look for Openings/Timing is everything– Don’t kick for the sake of kicking! Look for an opening in your opponents guard and try to exploit it. Throw a right kick and see how your opponent responds. You need to test the waters to see if you can find any weaknesses. After all, everyone has a weakness and it is up to the opponent to identify it and maximize this to his/her advantage. The more you spar, the easier it becomes to identify weaknesses and different styles.

Tip #4

Use Combinations – Once you get used to sparring you should start to try and put together combinations. Instead of throwing a low kick, why not throw a jab-jab-low kick? Remember that putting combinations together is much more effective at landing shots than throwing single attacks. Use as many combinations as you can in order to be more effective. Focusing on using your hands and feet together in the combinations. For example, you might try a jab-jab-left hook-low kick. It is always good to try and end a combination with a kick as it scores more points.

Tip #5

Create a Game Plan – Before every sparing session you should have specific things that you want to improve on. “My goal this session is to…” Try and select a few key things that you will focus on during a sparring session. For example, you might want to enter a sparring session to try and work on setting up your low kicks. During the session, focus on throwing that low kick after every punch. This is a great way to improve your kicks. Realistically, in a fight, you’re not going to throw that low kick after every punch but at least your body is use to certain combinations and there is no hesitation when you want to execute it.

Tip #6

Knowledge is Power – Ask for advice! After sparring with someone, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Think of it as a partnership. Your sparring partner is your teammate and you will grow if you work together to improve your game. This goes both ways, so don’t hesitate to offer tips and advice if you see something that the person can improve on. The more knowledge you have during training, the closer you are to becoming a better fighter.

Tip #7

Change your Sparring Partners – Don’t be afraid to spar different people. Variety is essential! Everybody has their favorite combinations and their own style. Sparring with different people will enable you to react and respond faster and easier the more you do it. As a beginner you want to go outside your comfort zone. Practice and train your weaknesses. Whatever you feel least comfortable doing…train it, so that it becomes second nature!  Make your weaknesses your strengths. Don’t be afraid to spar someone that is better than you. Often you will learn the most from people who are at a higher level. It’s easier to pin point your weaknesses when your game is elevated. Those old habits your trainer was knit picky about will come out during uncomfortable sparring sessions. A good fighter is able to adapt and respond quickly in a fight to different styles and use it in a way that will win.

Tip #8

Look for Trends– When you begin sparring with someone you should try and look for specific patterns you notice about their style. If they are a southpaw you will want to adjust your game plan. If they have heavy hands, you will want to make sure your guard is strong and look for the leg kick opening. Use that first minute of sparring to your advantage and see what combinations they keep on throwing. Knowing their strengths and favourite combos will help you better prepare for it the next time they throw it.

Tip #9

Relax – In Thailand you’ll often here the trainers say “Sabai Sabai!” This is a tip useful to anyone and is often the most difficult  when you start sparring. Try to focus on slowing down your pace with calming breaths. The biggest challenge is when people aren’t relaxed the body tenses up. All of a sudden your punches and kicks are slower and it is easier for your opponent to hit you. Before you know it, you feel as if all technique and training is forgotten. You’re not alone! If you’re mindful and conscientious of being relaxed you can practice and train your body to do what you want.

Tip #10

Stay Balanced – Hold your ground! Balance is an essential component of muay thai. One thing that you will notice with muay thai compared to other martial arts is that after every punch or kick you are back to your neutral defensive stance. This will ensure that you will always be in a good position to block and counter any attacks that you might receive when you are sparring. It is important to focus on always trying to maintain strong balance to put you in a position to counter or attack. 

Tip #11

Imagine Sparring is a Game – When you spar, pretend you are playing a game. You want to score as many points as you can without your opponent scoring points on you. You should also remember that in traditional muay thai body kicks score the most points, then knees, low kicks and punches. When you pretend you are playing a game when you spar, it will help you relax and focus on trying to do the right things. Sometimes we need to “trick” our brain or breakdown a task, so that the mountain only looks like a small hill. It’s easy for one to say “relax”, but it is more difficult to understand how to get the mind and body there. 

Tip #12

Have Fun – Sparring should be fun. There is no winning or losing. Sparring is a great opportunity to learn and improve your muay thai game. Chalk it up to experience! No matter how hard you spar with someone, you should always respect them at the end of the round. Don’t ever forget that you are sparring to get better.

Remember that sparring is about improving your timing, technique and footwork to prepare you for a real fight. It is the best way to simulate a fight in muay thai. The more you can practice these tips, the more success you will have in becoming a better fighter.

Womens Fitness at WNY MMA & Fitness: Beyond the Treadmill

Womens fitness at WNY MMA & Fitness: Beyond the Treadmill

Have you been staring at that scale in the morning, constantly wondering why you see the same numbers there from last week, and the week before that. I bet you've been running for hours, hoping to lose those extra pounds. Well, you're in luck because your friendly neighborhood WNY MMA and Fitness has the scoop on how to reach that goal of summer bikini body year 'round. 

What you may not have known:

According to a study to compare steady state exercise (SEE) and high intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE); HIIE was shown to be more effective in reduction of total body mass, fat mass, trunk fat, and fasting blood insulin levels. Okay, so what does this mean for the non-science people. When you workout using the interval training protocol, you will burn more calories and fat. This will reduce that ever hated tummy fat, also known as the dreaded muffin top. Plus, that ideal body weight that you wanted, yup this is the way to get it. 

Steady State Exercise: Don't worry, it's not as bad as you think

Now don't misunderstand me, if you are just starting to exercise and need to build a strong base; then steady state exercise is the way to go. SEE builds cardiovascular health, a strong heart will do wonders for the body especially when working towards interval training. Its equally as important as interval training when you are on the heavier side of the scale. I know what you're thinking, well what are some examples of steady state exercise; running at a steady pace for the duration of a session, aerobic dancing with the same rhythm, exercise biking without changing the pedal resistance or speed. What is the one thing that all of these things and many more have in common, its working out at a steady state. Keeping your elevated heart rate at a steady level during the duration of your workout.

High Intensity Intermittent Exercise: Interval training

The women's fitness and coed fitness program here at WNY MMA and Fitness follows this particular protocol when it comes to fitness. Why is it that HIIE, or interval training as it is most commonly known, has such a strong following from the fitness community. It's because it works, and it works well. Here's the rundown; interval training in the most basic of terms, is burst training. Alternating between intense activity with intervals of lighter, less strenuous activity. An example of this would be sprinting for a short duration of time, like a minute; while alternating with walking or jogging. There are no limits to how beneficial this protocol is for the public; increase in resting metabolism, reduction of total body fat, increase in muscle, less time consuming, and the effects last.

One Last Thing:

Compare the body of fighters, sprinters, etc with those of marathon runners. Which body would you want, strong and powerful or slow and steady. Stop by WNY MMA and Fitness to get the body of your dreams.

WNY MMA: Up and Coming BJJ Tournaments

WNY MMA: Up and Coming BJJ Tournaments

So, you guys already know about the MMA fights and who is competing where. But maybe, just maybe, you are a member of the grappling community and don't really care too much about mma. Well, I got something for you too, so sorry if i made you feel left out. There will be a number of Bjj tournaments coming up in the next few months that will definitely be worth your time and effort, so why not start training up for them. Ill give you a run down of the tournaments, the dates, and the locations. Remember who your information center is, wny mma and fitness that's right.

First up is the 2015 Ontario Open International Jiu Jitsu Championship will take place on May 2nd and 3rd at Brampton Soccor Centre, located at 1495 Sandalwood Pkwy. East Dixie Rd & Sandalwood Pkwy, L6R 0K2, Brampton, Ontario. It will be filled with Gi and Nogi matches over two days. There are competitors between the ages of 5 and 50 coming from all over Canada and the US, so why not make this a stop on your yearly tournament calender, wny bjj certainly will.

Also on May 2nd, the Hayastan Grappling Championship will be in full effect in Fredonia, NY. The venue of this gi gripping, arm wrenching tournament will be Fredonia High School 425 East Main St, Fredonia, NY 14063. Early registration and weigh ins will be that Friday, May 1st from 7:30pm to 8:30pm. There will also be event day registration for those who will be too busy living up their friday nights, Saturday from 8:30am to 12pm. For more information please click here for registration and prices. The question is, will you be gripping?

Last, but definitely not least. We have our very own Buffalo Classic BJJ Tournament on May 23rd, it will be located in downtown Buffalo's inner harbor at 359 Ganson St. Buffalo, NY 14203. Near the First Niagara Center where the Sabres play, just off the 190. All belt levels in the Kids, Youth, Teen, Junior, Adult and Master categories. Registration opens this month and will close several days prior. If you want to support your hometown, then you can either compete or support. All proceeds will go to benefit Vector BJJ, which is a nonprofit community youth development program. Last year Buffalo Classic raised $950.00 for the cause.