Whats the best Cardio?

It’s really good question I get asked a lot!

First thing first I have for you is a question.

What’s your goal?

Before I ever give advice to anyone I always ask this question.  Because IF you don’t know your immediate goal then you don’t know which direction you should be heading!

When it comes to cardio what type SHOULD YOU DO?

HIT Vs. Slow Steady State?

I’d recommend both and here is why!

(Quick Summary of Cardio Types)

Steady State Cardio -The longer cardio sessions, IE Stair Master, Bike, Elliptical etc, IE 20 min – 60 min

HIT Cardio – Short intense interval training.  Sprinting, Circuits, Intervals etc.

I know there are tons of debates out there now with Steady State vs HIT that seems never ending but I think both cardio has benefits and negatives!

IE Goods and Bads

Steady State Cardio
The Good :
Low Intensity
Easy on the joints
Easy when your sore or tired
Feel Great Afterwards!

The Bad :
Takes A Lot of time (20 min to 60 min)
Pretty Boring
Low Calorie Expenditure Demand

HIT (High Intensity Cardio)
The Good :
High Calorie Expenditure
Very Little Time ( 5 min to 20 min)
Fun (But Demanding)

The Bad :
Intense (Hard Workout If Sore or Achy)
Demanding (takes more toll on recovery system)
Hard after a intense weight workout (especially LEGS!!)

I would recommend alternating BOTH cardio methods depending on your TIME and your WEIGHT PROGRAM.

If your short on time hit the HIT, if your focused on HeavyLifting hit the slow steady state (in the AM if you can not after weights).

Another cardio method I am digging is “Cardio Strength Training” from Coach Dos. I just read it last weekend when I was in Halifax and its a great blend of Weights & Cardio. Using Circuits & Complexes for Fat Loss. I am doing a FULL blog post and video review on my blog soon so keep an eye out for it.

So there is no right or wrong. Use all the methods depending on your time, weights and factors in your life.

Either way hit SOME cardio just mix it up!

The BEST Cardio is the ONE YOU ARE NOT DOING!!!

I would love you to post your feedback here on cardio types that you like (or hate lol).  Thanks!

I love to bench!!  Well I “used” to love to bench.  I don’t bench much anymore.  I have nothing against the bench press (Except it is a ego lift more so than a productive lift), nevertheless I love benching.

However benching can get boring!!  It also can reek havoc on your pec tendons, rotator cuff muscles and isn’s a great lift for developing the pecs, its actually more of a shoulder & tricep exercise.  Hard to believe but true!

I have a lot of my clients (espicially those doing MMA & Jiu Jitsu) do other exercises besides just standard bar or dumbell press, and here’s why!

Answer this question for me.  When EVER have you laid on your back, on a bench, with your body elevated and done a bench press motion in real life?  Just think about it for a second?

My guess would be NEVER.

Now IF you are lying on your back and pressing up (IE underneath something pressing up) more than likely your back is ON the floor, not 2 feet above it on a bench!

Which is why I recommend a few “Alternatives” to just the normal bar or dumbell press!

Give these a try your next workout!  You won’t be disappointed!

As well while on the topic of benching be sure to check out my past blog post

5 Tips For A Better Bench Press Here

http://robkingfitness.com/2009/12/03/5-tips-to-a-better-bench-press/

So Saturday past was the 1/2 way point of my 6 week Warrior Built challenge.  Andy informed me Saturday that  everyone is making awesome gaines and that few of the guys are really taking things to another level so it’s time I try to step things up a notch!

Things are going great so far but with 3 weeks left I am really need to step things up to get under 180 lb (which was my goal).

Saturday i was in Halifax and couldn’t make the workout but even while in Halifax i ate clean 90% of the time (not an easy task), and hit the gym for 2 awesome workouts hitting cardio, circuit weight training & stretching so I could keep on pace. (One thing i noticed is it’s amazing how airport food is CRAP and eating good healthy food is hard to do!) Tim Hortons Fruit Explosion dounuts are not “HEALTHY” LOL.

But now I need to take things to another level and here is how I plan on doing this.

• Bump up my steady state cardio adding in 45min min for 6 days a week (it’s boring but it helps and doesn’t cause soreness, if anything it helps me recover)
• Adding in Tabata Cardio 3 days a week (A blog post coming on this soon) basic premise is HIT cardio like this Sprint for 20 seconds, rest for 10, repeat 8-10 times.
• Cut carbs back even lower.  I will try to have them only every 2nd to 3rd morning and only post workout.  My carbs will be mixed berries & banana post workout.
• Bump my fish oils to about 30g a day.
• Bump my general energy expenditure (more walks, more movement, just generally move more…sounds funny but it works)
• Miss NO WORKOUTS

So I have less than 3 weeks and my goal is going to get done!  When I finish this I am going to enjoy 1 day of food and get my junk and cheating done and go right back to clean eating as to be honest I am loving it!  Energy is better, mood is better, my recovery & strength is down but low carbohydrates will do that.  The good thing is once I reach the leanness I want I can ADD more good carbohydrates back into my diet and I can maintain the level of bodyfat without as much “work”.

Ill have another update next week.  We have pro MMA fighter & UFC competitor Jeff Joslin in for 3 days for training & seminars so I will get some crazy workouts in for next week and post it up!

I deal with a lot of people any given week in my business.  It is my goal to try to help YOU as much as possible!

But to do this I NEED to hear what YOUR GOALS ARE.  I need to know what information you want here so I can do my best to provide YOU with the best information!

So if you can fill out this poll real quick I would appreciate it!

If you can do 1 better and POST A COMMENT with your Training & Fitness goals I will do my best to help YOU in the future!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

For more info (and some awesome books he has published), check out

http://www.jonnybowden.com/

1. Don’t be fooled by “healthy sugar” disguises. Brown sugar, turbinado sugar, raw sugar … it’s all pretty much the same thing as far as your body is concerned.
   
2. Make a real effort to reduce or eliminate processed carbohydrates.Most processed carbs — breads, bagels, most pastas and snacks — are loaded with flour and other ingredients that convert to sugar in the body almost as fast as pure glucose. That sugar gets stored as triglycerides, which is a fancy way of saying fat.
3. Watch out for “fat-free” snacks. One of the biggest myths is that if a food is fat-free it doesn’t make you fat. Fat-free doesn’t mean calorie-free, and most fat-free snacks are loaded with sugar.
4. Shop for color. The more your grocery basket looks like a cornucopia of color, the better. It usually means you’re getting more fresh vegetables and low-glycemic fruits such as berries and cherries.
5. Become a food detective. This tip is from the wonderful author and nutritionist Anne Louise Gittleman, who adds, “To reduce sugar, you have to know where it is first.” Start reading labels.
6. Beware of artificial sweeteners. Unfortunately, they can increase cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. They can also deplete the body’s stores of chromium, a nutrient crucial for blood-sugar metabolism.
7. Do the math. Look at the label where it says “total sugars” and divide the number of grams by four. That’s the number of teaspoons of sugar you are ingesting. This exercise alone should scare the pants off you.
8. Limit fruit. (Notice I didn’t say “eliminate.”) Fruit has sugar, but it also has fiber and good nutrients. Just don’t overdo it. For weight-loss purposes, keep it to two servings a day and try to make most of them low-glycemic (grapefruit, apples, berries)
9. Eliminate fruit juice. It’s a pure sugar hit with none of the fiber and less of the nutrients that are found in the fruit itself.

I am a huge fan of this product!  Great for mood, energy, focus.  I can’t say if its great for strength as my current program I am doing more circuits and speed work more than anything heavy so anyone with feedback on this please feel free to contribute.

This isn’t the strongest pre workout, there are better products out there, this is just the one that i like and am currently using.

I found it really easy on the stomach, tasted pretty good, and made my workouts intense.  Hardly anyone has heard of it compared to the bigger pre workouts like NO Shotgun & NO Xplode, but I really like it and it gets a top review from me!

Click here to view the embedded video.

*(I made a small mistake it doesn’t contain Nitric Oxide but does contain Arginine & Beta Alanine)

Because I am such a huge fan of this product for this week only

I am dropping the price to $49.99!!

The stock I have in store will sell out ASAP at this price!

To order within the US Click

If you found this helpful or useful please post some comments or pass it on to your friends!

My Physique Goal

So week 1 is in the books!

I will be doing a weekly update every Saturday about the program, my progress, my training, and what I am doing to maximize my fat loss!  Hopefully as I explain what I am doing you will learn from this!  Also by writing this down it causes me to be strict and really be on target with this!

Last week I weighed on Andy’s scales 197 (they are heavy scales I am sure lol), today I weighed in at 192.

That’s 5lbs lost in 1 week and I am very happy with that!

Keep in mind it is NOT 5lbs of FAT LOSS In one week as this is virtually impossible to do!

However my guess is that its about 2lbs of fat (which is great), and 3 lbs of glycogen & water.

Here’s the deal.  Usually for every 1lb of fat you lose you will lose 2-3 lbs of “other” weight.  This is not a science but it is how it works.  Basically your body holds a LOT of water and stored glycogen (pretty much stored carbohydrates in the muscles).  So when you lose weight you lose water and glycogen.

This is how someone can lose 7-10 lbs sometimes in a week on an atkins type low carbohydrate diet.  The big thing to always remember is that it isn’t all fat loss!  But in the big picture it adds up!

My training this week has been excellent.  Got in a lot of good classes at Bushido, the nights I couldn’t make class i did Warrior Built DVD at home.  I also hit in some extra light 30-45 min easy pace cardio sessions as i do enough HIT type cardio already.

My Nutrition (notice i will not use the word DIET), has been really sound all week and after the first 2 days virtually all cravings are gone!! Which is great!  My energy has been improved, concentration has improved, and overall just feel much better with the diet being really clean!

Even though I own Heavyweights I am not loading up on a ton of supplements.  Here is what I am using

• Myofusion
• NutraSea Fish Oil (And lots of it..bumping it to 20g a day soon)
• Opti Men Multi Vitamin
• Greens & Phytoberry
• Xtend (Can’t diet without Xtend)
• Jack3d (Amazing Pre Workout)

The biggest issue for me is usually late night eating.  I am a night person and love to eat!  However my nights have been reduced to the following

• Protein Pudding
• Jello (Fat free) with some low cal whip cream
• Steak/chicken with veggies
• Cottage Cheese (low fat), with some protein powder and a bit of yougurt (sounds nasty but tastes pretty good).

I am not a great cook so I will have to start getting more creative lol.

Overall the workouts are awesome, i feel great, I am Motivated like crazy to make some solid changes in the next 5 weeks!

We have a great group of people doing this and there is a real team effort.  It makes it a lot easier to stick to it knowing there are others doing this with me! Always get a partner or group to help with YOUR GOALS!

My goal for next Saturday is to be under 190 lb (Drop 2 lb).  Ifi can drop 2lb a week the next 5lb weeks I get to 180 lb which is my goal.

I have posted a older picture when I competed at a bodybuilding show and a picture of one of my idol’s Sean Sherk as both motivation and to have a TARGET for my Goal!  Without a goal or a set target you can’t move forward with the same intensity!

I would LOVE for anyone to post questions, feedback or anything here!  If you have fat loss questions, training, whatever they are post em here and I will do my best to help!!!

Keep an eye out Tuesday for a review of my favorite pre workout supplement JACK3d!

So it has started!!

The 6 week challenge for 20 people! (ME being one of them!)

Today is the first true day for The Challenge! I started eating clean today (i refuse to use the word diet as that word implies temporary change).

The first workout today at Bushido was freakin awesome!  Great Energy and we have a SOLID Group of people!  Most are friends & customers so it should make for an interesting 6 weeks!

On the flip side of the great workout, I was NOT impressed with my starting stats!
37″ Measured Waist
197 Lbs (Andy’s Scales have to be heavy lol)
and my before pic (which I will show very soon)

I will be 36 In Feb 26 and I want to be LEAN LEAN LEAN for then!  I want to be in better shape at 36 than I was at 30!

The goal is simple. 6 Weeks to bust my ass and get under 180lbs!

I haven’t been under 180 in 6 years (when i did a bodybuilding show). But I plan to give this challenge my all! I can post very little details or post a LOT depending on feedback.

For me the biggest factors are usually consistency with training, making poor food choices (I know what i “should” eat”). So for 6 weeks Im making no excuses! I am going to train as much as I can, eat clean (Not diet) and hit as many workouts as possible!

Should be good and I’m excited!  Ill post up some tips & tricks I learn from Andy along the way to help everyone out!  The more I can learn and pass on the more YOU can learn!

Xtend - Scivation

I have been using it primarily as a recovery drink more so than muscle building.  However it is a solid product for both recovery AND Building Muscle!

Some benefits of Xtend are

• Improved Muscle Recovery
• Decrease in DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)
• Building Lean Muscle
• Improving muscle retention on low cal diets.

I have used all flavors but my personal favorites are Blue Raspberry & WaterMelon.

At Heavyweights we have been supplying Runners, Hockey Players, Rugby Players, Rowers, MMA Fighters and more!

Click here to view the embedded video.

We are offering a solid deal on 2 great products for 3 days only!

If you live in the USA click here

So it’s 7am on Jan 31 (yes the morning & I hate mornings) and I haven’t slept yet!  I spent the night hanging with a close friend that I only get to see once a year.  It’s a time I really enjoy as we play catch up on everything from the past year in a few hours, it really puts a lot of things in perspective!!

This year has been a good year for me, I have done many things differently and have met some fantastic people that have helped me get re-motivated and improve myself & my business(s) even more!

But this isn’t about me.  It’s about YOU!  The people who read this blog!  The people I chat with at Heavyweights, at Bushido, via EMAIL.  You that is reading this right NOW.

I will share with you my 10 goals for 2010 but I want to HEAR YOUR GOALS!  Before you leave this page or click off to go surf somewhere take a few minutes and put down on paper YOUR GOALS!  I WANT TO READ THEM!  I want to know what is important to everyone that reads this blog!

Maybe your goals can be helped by me, or maybe someone else who reads this blog!  The world is a small place and sometimes to improve we need help from others and you never know who may be the person to help you get to that next goal!

SO WRITE THEM DOWN HERE!  PLEASE! It will make for some fantastic reading, and also by writing goals down you make them REAL.  So take a few minutes and write them here!

My top 10 Goals For 2010

1. Help more people attain THEIR goals!  I know this sounds cliché but my #1 goal this year is to HELP MORE PEOPLE.
2. Get hired by St. John’s Regional Fire Dept.  I want that job so I can help other people in need.
3. Have a PRO MMA Fight!  I was suppose to have one in August that got cancelled,  time to get that going again!
4. Get my Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!!
5. Make ME a priority!  I spend a lot of time helping others with their fitness and training, I want to refocus on my own training and goals and make this a awesome year!
6. Make a huge impact on someone I barely know.  This may sound stupid but I think of ALL the people that have impacted me over the years, and I want to be one of those people that makes an impact on someone!
7. Work Less but Work SMARTER.  Less hours but more productivity!
8. Take a vacation for me and Danielle for at least 2 weeks.
9. Write & Publish 2 Books (this is in the works)
10. Get Crossfit Certified

So Come ON! Let’s Hear Em!  Id love to hear form at LEAST 10 people here!!