Cardiovascular exercise is important to any workout regimen as well. The problem is that women think that doing cardio is the key to becoming looking and feeling leaner. Wrong! I highly recommend cardio, but it should be used for putting the final touches on your physique. After you master the diet and the weight training program then your cardio should be tweaked.
Start off with only about 3-4 days a week worth of cardio. Some of us may need more and some of us less. A good rule of thumb to go by is no longer than 30-45 minutes at the most. Anything longer than that is actually hindering your progress because then you start releasing too much cortisol (an adrenal gland hormone that is released in the precense of too much stress and whose purpose is to store fat and use muscle for fuel!).
Obviously choose the activity that is most enjoyable to you. By picking a cardiovascular activity that you don’t absolutely dread, you will find it easier to stick to your program. Choose some good music too or a good partner.
I have found the most effective butt-blasting cardio activities to be the:
- Stairmill: This machine hits just about every single muscle in your lower body; even after continued use, you will feel the benefit of this equipment. Focus on squeezing your glutes and hamstrings with each step. You can also alter body positions in order to target certain areas. Step facing forward, sideways, and also change stride length and foot positioning.
Notes:
Not recommended for someone with knee problems.
- Treadmill set at an incline: Walking alone is a great cardiovascular exercise; however when you set the treadmill at an incline, you are going to get more bang for your buck. By doing this, you are forcing your lower body to work much harder. Set the machine as high as you can tolerate and at a speed that you can maintain without holding on. When first starting out, this might seem awfully difficult, but work towards a goal in small steps. Walk for as long as you can without holding on and then you can grasp the top of the treadmill in order to gain your composure and repeat for as long as necessary. Concentrate on tightening your lower body each time you take a step; by doing this, your glutes will become lifted and your legs will become more lean and defined.
- Elliptical: This piece of equipment is definitely going to make you work hard. It is much easier on the joints than running and will help you to reach your physique goals by constantly challenging almost every inch of your body. You can use this machine and stay at a steady state pace or even throw some intervals into your routine.
If you have stopped progressing and stopped seeing bodybuilding results, it is time to take a risk and change things up. How many times have you seen someone consistently go to the gym, yet look the same month after month? A lot! It might even be happening to you, but you can easily change that. I fully understand the mindset of thinking that certain exercises are bad for you or won’t work for your body type, but how do you really know for sure until you give them a fair chance?
I usually suggest changing your routine every 4-6 weeks depending on your progress. The body adapts to its environment very quickly and constantly needs change. Choose some exercises that you have never done and see how your body reacts; if you don’t like how you are looking or feeling, you can always go back to exercises that are more beneficial to you. The beauty of taking that risk is that you might find certain exercises that take your physique to the next level. You might not benefit from some exercises, but you always have the freedom to stop something if you don’t like it.
I recommend not only taking a risk with your weight training routine, but with cardio as well. Far too often gym goers stick to the same machine day after day because of fear that they won’t see results from another piece of equipment. Hop on another machine and it is almost guaranteed that you will see some results. The human body loves a good challenge and usually rewards you with a changing figure.
