Get Fit & Stay in Shape

I’m not neglecting weight training, I just want to lose some weight before doing it. I’m looking for an effective, high intensity cardiovascular/aerobic exercise routine that will yield excellent results: cardiovascular strength and endurance AND weight loss. I want a routine that I can do AT LEAST 5 days each week. Thanks!

Any weight bearing exercises like walking/ jogging or if you go to the gym. Weight bearing exercises can also improve muscle strength and bone density too. Try and stick to a healthy diet as well. You don’t have to make your body ache every day or starve yourself to get results.

This article is going to explain a way to build muscle massively without having to follow crazy diet plans etc. This is not about some new deceiving supplements. This is about core scientific facts on what a muscle really is and how it is created. Do any of you hard gainers recognize this question?

“I do every thing you ought to do: workout, nutrition, rest…etc. Then why am I not gaining muscle?”

Yes, I am sure most of you can relate to it; its power strikes every man in any life situation and often it is our final challenge coming forth testing our willpower and determination to succeed. It is the last obstacle that lies at the border of the slim line between good and excellence.

This situation, where effort is exerted and there is no gain, is referred to as the “plateau”. In other words, it is when progress stops and where the workout, the job and the motivation lose its purpose. Some pass this phase despite their willingness, others do not. In this article, you will learn not only how to overcome this stage when bodybuilding but you will soon discover that it applies to other regions in your life as well.

Those extraordinary men and women who pass the “death rattle” of the “plateau” become those who we call excellent and outstanding. There are two categories, represented by the quotes below, that sum up these individuals.

1. “If you keep doing the same thing you’ve always done, you’ll end up with what you’ve always gotten.”

2. “The significant problems you face today can never be solved at the same level of thinking you were at when you created them.”

In other words, you cannot do the same things again and again and expect to get different results. This is very typical for the people who follow the same diet, same exercise regime and the same lifestyle, barking and putting other people down because they think differently.

This is not about being right, nor is it about which fitness guro says you are right. It is about being honest to yourself and asking questions such as the following: “Is what I’m doing working?”, “Is this behavior getting me where I want to go?” If your answer is “no” to any of these, then the only way out is to change the way you react and do things.

To say out loud: “Stay committed, but be flexible in your approach.”

Whatever you do that is not working, is a sign to do something else, anything else. Because what you are doing right now is not working.

So here is how it works. Most people who do exercise think they know everything about nutrition, diet, restitution etc, but if you ask them how a muscle is built on a biological basis, they will not know what to say. Some may attempt by saying things like “Muscle is built from protein”, you’d be better staying away from those people. Don’t buy their products either.

A muscle is not built only on proteins; it is built with muscle blood cells. So, keep this in mind – muscle is built up from muscle cells. Make sure to repeat it until it goes in your head.

If you have been following the same workout regime for months, rested well and ate right without results, it might be because you are not having the compounds the body needs for building muscle. This specific compound is called blood.

The average person has between 4-6 liters of blood circulating in their system. Blood is critical for your muscles because of its function as a supplier of its nutrients. Nutrients to sustain and develop are all carried through the blood. Hormones, nutrients, enzymes and so forth are all carried by the bloodstream to the muscle.

One of the major reasons why people stop gaining muscle is simply because the body does not have enough blood to sustain it, so as a consequence it doesn’t develop any. When you start to workout harder, which produces a catabolic response in your body, the body then uses more of its blood just to sustain the muscles.

When you work your muscles, they grow. But have you ever wondered why? The answer is easy: because blood is being pumped into it. When you workout your biceps it creates something called piezoelectricity which then converts a red blood cell into a muscle cell. Something in science called “pleomorphisme”. Therefore if you are lacking blood you will neither build nor maintain any muscle in your body. So what is the secret in this?

The answer is simple: When gaining stops, build blood.

How do you do it?

In a period of six weeks the average man can increase his blood supply by up to 25 percent extra. That is like having 25 percent more energy being added to you in just 6 weeks. Suddenly you function not only on a 100 percent but on 125 percent efficiency.

The method is simply…

The blood’s major purpose is to carry oxygen around your body. If you demand it to carry more, it will produce more blood. This is done with aerobic exercise – 6 weeks of aerobic exercise 4-5 times a week, with a 12 min warm up, 30 min run and 12 min warm down will produce just that extra demand for your body to carry more oxygen resulting in a need for more blood. You can of course combine this with you normal workout routine if desired.

How you know if you are doing aerobic exercise? You must be able to carry out a normal conversation; otherwise it is not aerobic, but anaerobic.

Other critical compounds in building blood and building muscle are these primary nutrients:

Water: makes up 78% of the red blood cell. If you want 25 percent extra, drink 25 percent extra…

Iron: The core atom of hemoglobin is an iron core. Get your iron percent RDV.

Chlorophyll: The green stuff in plants is totally identical to hemoglobin (the substance of red blood cells), only one difference; the center is a magnesium atom, but the body can convert it to hemoglobin. You need to eat more greens in order to build more blood so make sure to get your 7 daily portions (eat veggies, not fruit, since they often do not contain chlorophyll).

You do this for six weeks. Then return to your workout routine and build muscle massively.

Copyright 2008, Masszymes Inc. All rights reserved.

Masszymes
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/build-muscle-by-producing-more-blood-cells-414376.html

How many net molecules of ATP are produced in one cycle of aerobic cellular respiration (i know this is 36). I need help with the second part of the question..
In practice, the number is somewhat less. Suggest a reason for this.

There is an energy cost in actively transporting ADP, pyruvate, phosphate etc. into the mitochondria.
These substrates are transported through a proton electrochemical gradient which means more hydrogen ions are used to produce ATP than would have been used in the theorized 36 ATP cycle.
Good luck.

Stairmasters or stair climbers are wonderful pieces of exercise equipment. They offer the same amount of exercise convenience as a treadmill, but they have the added muscle builder of climbing stairs.

Walking or running up and down your own stairs can be loud, noisy, annoying and even dangerous. Using a Stairmaster isn’t as noisy and not as dangerous. It’s a much more convenient and better, overall, than climbing stairs.

1) Benefits of using a stairmaster

Using a stairmaster is a great addition to your current aerobic exercise and/or cardio training. It’s also smaller than most other cardio and aerobic machines and equipment, which makes for easier storing. Stairmasters will help your heart and lungs, as well as helping to build your leg, butt and abdominal muscles.

2) Are stairmasters better than other cardio exercise equipment?

Treadmills, elliptical and stationary bikes are big pieces of exercise equipment. You will get about as many benefits and advantages with a stairmaster that you would with a treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike. Stairmasters also have the added benefit of creating more muscle because of the climbing effect and will in turn help you build muscle a little faster than the other larger pieces of exercise equipment.

If you are looking for a great aerobic exercise and/or cardio training component, a stairmaster might be just what you are looking for to add to your workout routine. You can also bring your stairmaster along with you when you have to take a business or pleasure trip.

It should fit right into your trunk. That leaves you with no excuses for not working out even on trips and vacations! You just don’t get that kind of portability and convenience with any other type of exercise equipment. This can be a great aerobic investment for you if you travel a lot or are away from home a lot of the time.

But some words of caution are in order before you head out to the first store to buy one of these. If you want to find a great deal take your time. You can find a good quality machine at an affordable price. Once you have made up your mind remember to start off slow, as always, with any new equipment. Sometimes it can take a little time to get used to using the machine. Once you are used to using the machine, you can step it up a little to help you lose weight, gain muscle and stay healthy.

Mike Singh
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/how-do-i-lose-weight-using-stairmaster-96271.html

I’m thinking about getting an eliptical or a treadmill. I figure running on a treadmill is a better aerobic workout, but it doesn’t work as many muscle groups as an eliptical. I’m torn between the two.

And are there other types of machines I should consider?
I don’t need to lose weight. I want something that is more for performance.

Elliptical will not mess up your joints. Will work your legs really nicely. IT is a nice workout if you make yourself sweat.

It is easier to sweat in a treadmill – and you can walk watching TV…

I’d go for the elliptical if you are worried about join problems, and for the treadmill if you are 100% healthy and don’t have injuries.

When most women think about losing weight they usually attempt one of two options. The first is to go on a diet which involves eating fewer calories over the course of the day. The second option normally involves some form of aerobic exercise, whether it be jogging, bike riding or an aerobics class. The more intrepid losers of weight will combine the two approaches and will have some success getting rid of the extra weight. But more often then not the results are short lived and the weight comes right back on when they fall off the fat loss bandwagon and return to their more normal way of life.

But why is this? Isn’t the latest infomercial exercise guru exclaiming loudly the benefits of this diet or that piece of cardio exercise equipment? Unfortunately the ability to lose weight and keep it off is controlled by your body’s calorie burning engine. That engine is referred to as your metabolism. It’s simple really, the higher your metabolism the more calories you burn, even when doing nothing. That’s right, burn away that unwanted fat even when doing nothing.

So how do you increase your metabolism to the point that it is a constant fat burning machine?

It will come down to your dedication to do the things required to permanently lose the weight and keep it off because the rate at which your metabolism runs is based on the diet you eat and how active you are. It takes calories to burn calories, that’s the way your body’s metabolism works. But it is the type of calories that determines this. The healthier your diet the more calories you can eat without adding any additional fat.

But diet is only one part of the equation. The other is your level of fitness. There are two parts to any good exercise program, aerobic conditioning and weight training. Aerobic conditioning does burn calories, but once you are done with your workout your metabolism gradually slows down. You burn calories only during the time you are exercising. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do aerobic exercise because strong cardiovascular health is very important in this day and age.

But if you are truly looking for the ultimate in metabolism boosting fat burning exercises then you need to weight train.

And here’s why.

Weight training forces your body to build muscle. This muscle building process does not happen while you are lifting weights, it occurs for hours after your workout is over. Lifting weights actually breaks down muscle fibers, which react by getting stronger during the time after your workout is over when you are resting. It takes energy to rebuild these muscles. Calories, lots and lots of calories. Not only that, but the more lean muscle mass you posses the more calories are needed just to maintain that muscle. And we’re not talking about getting huge massive muscles. When you weight train you can adjust the amount of weight you use and sculpt your body anyway you see fit. Just firming up your overall musculature will tone and shape your body while at the same time making it possible to keep the weight off. It’s a win-win situation for anyone who is serious about losing weight and then keeping it off.

Weight training is the best way to boost your metabolism to its fat burning heights. Not only does it strengthen your body it burns calories while you are sleeping, turning your metabolism into a fat wasting machine.

If you have tried the diets and the aerobic machines but have little to show for it try combining them with actual weight training. You may be surprised by the changes you see.

Andrew Bicknell
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/women-weight-training-and-metabolism-109040.html

I want to increase my aerobic endurance, but I dont have time to really exercise during the week.
For example, today I shoveled snow for an hour. Curiously, I looked up on the internet how many calories I burned, and to my surprise it was 300! I was wondering if there were any other activities like that that burn lots of calories?
I didnt mean I want pills or teas or some other thing that I’ll waste money on.
I mean different exercises.

Aerobic exercise is any activity that forces the heart and lungs to work harder to enable the heart and lungs to pump more oxygen to the body. Aerobic exercise facilitates the circulation of oxygen in the blood.

When you talk about "everyday" exercises, you can turn many household chores into aerobic activities. You mentioned shoveling snow as one. Another could be vacuuming. If you move your arms and legs quickly while doing so–avoiding any sleeping dogs or cats–you will be turning a chore into an aerobic exercise, as long as you do it for at least twenty minutes. You could also try walking briskly up and down your stairs to get the same effect.

The most effective aerobic activities are the ones which increase your heart rate enough to move you into your "target zone." I have included a site below which will show you how to calculate that zone for you. It depends on your age and fitness level. By the way, be sure to consult a physician before undertaking an aerobic program if you have any health problems.

Stair climbing, swimming, cross-country skiing, running, bicycling, even walking, will do the trick for you. The best ones are the ones which utilize your whole body, such as swimming and cross-country skiing.

I love long-distance unicycling, but this is not for everybody. You use your legs for propulsion, your arms for balance, your mid-section for balance.

The best one for you will be the one you enjoy and can stick with. All the best to you. Aerobic exercise brings oxygen to the brain too, so you will find that regular participation will help you think more clearly too.

A surefire way to increase stamina and fitness is with aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise can be any sort of activity that uses large muscle groups. It is usually done at a moderately high level of intensity over a long period of time, and is rhythmic in nature. This type of exercise overloads the heart and lungs and makes them work harder than when they are at rest.

The general idea behind aerobic exercises is to get up and get moving. There are so many different types of aerobic activities to choose from and the key to success is finding one that you know you are interested in and would enjoy doing. Most people do not carry out their course of exercise because they either get bored or find the exercise too strenuous, so be sure to weigh the pros and cons before you decide on which exercise you really, really would enjoy doing.

If you really want to increase stamina and fitness you should try doing rhythmic exercise by using muscle of the legs, back and arms. When performing this exercise the heart pumps blood with oxygen all over the body while burning fat at the same time. Depending on the rhythm of the muscle movement the more fat is burnt. Also steady aerobic exercise strengthens the heart muscle and improves its ability to deliver oxygen throughout the body with less effort. When using the muscles of the arms and legs in this exercise your should exercise moderately because this strengthens the body and builds endurance which makes it possible for you to exercise longer than you normally would.

Another good and easy way to develop stamina and your overall fitness level is running which is a cardio exercise. Anyone can run, anywhere, at any time. You can take jogging shoes with you to work and go running on your lunch break, you can go running in your house if you buy a treadmill. It’s inexpensive, requires no training, you can build up at your own rate, and of course it increases your lung capacity and heart rate exponentially. Another good way to develop stamina is by cycling, while this may not be as easy or convenient (except with a home exercise bike) as running, it is an excellent way to increase your overall fitness levels that don’t require training as most people know how to ride a bike and stationary bikes take care of those who don’t. Swimming, weight-lifting and roller blading or ice skating are easy exercises that don’t cost a lot nor require much training. So as you can see the possibilities are out there, you just need to find one that appeals to you.

Sarah H
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/increase-stamina-and-fitness-the-guaranteed-way-94823.html

Most of us think that aerobic activity primarily consists of walking, running, dancing and maybe swimming. These are all fantastic forms of aerobic exercise and are very beneficial to both our health and fitness. However the latest craze in the world aerobic exercise that has taken the world of fitness by storm is water aerobics, also called aqua aerobics. Perhaps more people do other forms of aerobics but only due to the fact that you need access to a swimming pool or the sea for water aerobics. However if you are blessed with your own pool or maybe local access to a public one then water aerobics is a hugely beneficial exercise and should not be considered as a form of exercise only for the old or infirm.

The greatest thing about water aerobics is that it makes it vey easy to exercise nearly every part of your body with the added bonus of putting less strain on your your bones, muscles nad body in general. Depending on the water aerobics exercise you prefer, the water should be from waist deep to chest level. You can actually do just about any aerobic activity routine in water that you might do out of water. As mentioned probably the biggest advantage is that water aerobics is very low impact and so any normal exercises you might normally do, you can do in the pool and will benefit you just as much with much less risk to your body. This is especially helpful to people that have injuries or for the older generation that sometimes struggle with aches and pains.

If you live in a hot part of the country in summer then water aerobics is definitely the type of fitness training you should choose. You not only get a good work out but the water keeps you cool. At the same time you can also have fun and maybe even get a sun tan!. Don’t restrict yourself to strict exercises, if you have some friends in the pool then use a ball, play volleyball or water polo or even good old fashioned piggy in the middle, these are all good forms of aerobic exercise.

Of course the normal exercise routines will benfit you too in Water Aerobics. Things like knee bends, resistance exercise, jumping, kicking, to be honest any kind of movement will be beneficial. They all feel good and without really noticing it, you will be getting a healthy workout. If you really want to take it to the next level there is all knids of water aerobics equipment available, especially online, all of which will increase the benefits of this aerobic exercise. And of course there is always the obligatory water aerobics videos too.

In conclusion water aerobics is a first class form of exercise which can benefit you in terms of fitness and health just as much as normal land based exercise and has the added benefit that is less likely to cause you injury or stress to your body. So get out there and find yourself a pool!

Richard Henderson
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/the-major-benefits-of-water-aerobics-90808.html

I’ve gone over it a few times, and still need just a short, easy to remember run-down explanation if possible.

Question:

Can someone explain aerobic respiration and ATP formation in better terms?

Aerobic respiration has four stages

Glycolysis – A six-carbon glucose molecule is converted to two, 3-carbon molecules of pyruvate. This process occurs in the cytoplasm. In order to initiate the process, 2 molecules of ATP are consumed. Four molecules of ATP and 2 molecules of NADH are produced;

Formation of acetyl coenzyme A – Each pyruvate molecules is oxidized to carbon dioxide and a 2-carbon acetyl group. The carbon dioxide is released as a waste product, and the 2-carbon acetyl group is bound to coenzyme A and brought into the mitochondrion;

The citric acid cycle – Each of the 2-carbon acetyl groups produced from the original glucose molecule is bonded to a pre-existing molecule of oxaloacetate to form citrate (i.e. citric acid). These two citric acid molecules are gradually oxidized, and the hydrogen ions are bound to NAD to form NADH and to FAD to form FADH2. Oxaloacetate is produced when the last carbon atom is released in the form of carbon dioxide;

Electron transport chain and chemiosmosis – The electrons removed from the molecules in glycolysis and citric acid follow a series of cytochromes on the mitochondrial membrane, while the hydrogen ions (protons) are pumped across the inner membrane of the mitochondrion. These protons flow through ATP synthase enzyme molecules, and thereby release energy which drives the formation of ATP molecules.