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A woman asked me last week why she wasn’t making any progress on her fat loss and weight loss…..after asking her a few questions, I found two main problems with her fitness program…..

1) she wasn’t eating right and 2) she was working out TOO LONG (2 hours per workout) and TOO SLOW (workout included 1 hour of machine cardio)!

I don’t know who has time to workout for 2 hours….alot of you have this mindset: longer workouts are better…..this couldn’t be further from the truth….

The truth is that no weight training workout (including bodyweight training) needs to exceed 50 minutes….and interval cardio workouts should be about 20 minutes….shorter, more intense workouts will give you more calorie-burn, more fat-burn, more weight loss and fewer repetitive stress injuries! And, you will have more time to do the things you want to do in life.

One more tip: You don’t need to workout everyday……5-6 days of working out is enough! Some weeks, you might need 2 days off…..listen to your body!

Workout smarter and harder, not longer!

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Remember those “bookend workouts” you were going to do on Saturday and Monday? I know you did your Saturday workout, so here’s a good fat-burning workout for today…

1. Bodyweight Y Squats, 15 repetitions, moderate pace
2. Pullups, 8-10 repetitions, moderate pace
3. Pushups, 15 repetitions, moderate pace
4. Dumbbell Step Ups, 10 each leg, moderate pace
5. Medicine Ball Diagonal Chops, 10 each side, Fast
6. Plank, 15 second hold, 12 repetitions
7. Bodyweight Side Lunges, 10 each leg, moderate pace
8. Rest 2-3 minutes and repeat circuit

Do this circuit 3 times. Try not to rest between exercises. I did this workout on Saturday and I will do a variation of it today.

Happy fat-burning!

“Get the permanent fat loss and weight loss results you want with My Fitness Hut’s Fat Blaster Athletic Training System!”

Need more exercise and nutrition tips? Subscribe to my weekly Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get the FREE Special Report: “10 ‘Must Know’ Fat Loss Tips,” and FREE 4-week Fat Blaster Workout Book!

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health field! Afterall, health is number one for everybody—including athletes!

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook!

Cardio. Of course, it has to be that, right? Let me start with this: there is evidence to suggest that slow, long, steady-state cardio shifts weight in women from the upper body to the lower body! I know you don’t want that!

Second, all calorie burning is good. Stay active even if it is walking 30 minutes a day. But, if you want to really burn the fat and sculpt your body, high intensity interval cardio training (HIIT) or high intensity cardio training (HIC) is the way to go. It only takes 20 minutes per session of this type of interval cardio exercise so you will save time and get the maximum benefit from your workout.

Traditional lower-intensity aerobic exercise on treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, etc. are good for beginners or those who have been inactive. Aerobic exercise is an activity that is done continuously for more than 2 straight minutes. But, research has proven that the heart-health benefits of anaerobic exercise is superior to aerobic exercise. The progression of exercise should be low-intensity aerobics to moderate-intensity aerobics to high-intensity anaerobic exercise. An example of anaerobic exercise is sprinting or repeated squat jumps.

You should combine your cardio exercise (3-4 days a week) with 2-3 days a week of strength training to tone your body, speed up your metabolism and give you good bone health. Only doing cardio will not tone your body the way you want! And, don’t worry about “bulking up” too much. You would have to lift weights like a “mad woman” for that to happen!

Here is an example of 2 great interval cardio workouts!

Be positive and stay strong!

“Get the permanent fat loss and weight loss results you want with Her Fitness Hut’s Fat Blaster Athletic Training System!”

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Many of you are pretty much on vacation after today so here’s a few tips to navigate through the “food minefield” until January! I always say, “don’t skip your workouts!” If you skip too many workouts, your “downslide” starts to happen fast and the weight can pile on in a hurry! Don’t let a good year of workouts “go to pot” during this 2 week holiday stretch! You can easily put on 20 pounds if you’re not careful…..or, you could maintain the weight loss and fat loss you’ve worked so hard to attain. Good workouts can cover alot of eating mishaps!

You might need to be creative but there are many things you can do to keep yourself fit during the next 2 weeks:

1. First, keep your normal workout schedule as much as possible. There’s no substitute for doing your workouts.

2. Take advantage of every opportunity to walk instead of ride. This one tip should be used all the time. It makes a huge difference in your fitness. When I used to work on The University of Texas campus, it was not unusual for me to walk up to 2 hours in a day going to different departments….and, there are alot of hills here, so that made the exercise that much better. I didn’t think of it as exercise until I stopped working on campus. I soon realized that I had to take more time for “exercise”…..walk, walk, walk every chance you get.

3. Walk for 30 minutes after meals….another great tip to practice year-round.

4. Bike instead of driving your car. See numbers #2 and #3.

5. Exergaming works just fine. Wii fit games are fun and you can go on for hours without realizing how much time you can spend on these games. I’m sure you know someone with a Wii console!

6. Stick to your normal nutrition plan as much as possible during this 2 week Christmas-New Year’s stretch.

7. You have heard this before: alcohol has calories too—7 calories per gram to be exact. Don’t tank it too much!

8. Don’t spend all of your time eating! Walk around the mall for a couple of hours, walk the pets everyday, play flag football, rake all those leaves in your yard, etc.

9. Drink lots of water and unsweetened tea. No sugary drinks! Sample desserts instead of eating first and second helpings.

Do you need help with meal planning? Don’t wait until January to do something about your eating habits! Start taking steps now!

Take advantage of a FREE Nutrition Assessment and FREE 7-Day Meal Plan to help you reach your fitness goals!

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You can use cardio to blast the butt fat and overall body fat—-just do the right type and intensity…top cardio exercises to blast butt, hips and thighs fat are:

1. Sprint Intervals: Sprinting activates the bulkier fast-twitch fibers. Just check out the lady sprinters at the next track meet you attend. You may not go to that extreme, but you get the idea!

–on grass (incline)
–on grass (flat surface)
–on sand
–on astroplay
–DO NOT RUN ON CONCRETE, ASPHALT OR OTHER HARD SURFACES

If you play soccer, it is a great change-of-pace exercise activity…..basically, all you do is sprint and jog the whole game.

2. Leg Circuits (also a strength and/or power exercise)

3. Intervals on Stepmill

4. Intervals on Treadmill

5. Intervals on Bike (preferably outside)

6. Forget about doing cardio on elliptical machines. There’s just not enough benefit when it comes to burning fat—especially butt, hips and thighs fat.

When you have a choice, choose non-machine cardio. That way, you won’t have a machine generating momentum for you. Don’t go beyond 30 minutes on a cardio session—20 minutes is better because you can push yourself harder.

Leg circuit cardio is great because you can incorporate exercises like squats, lunges, step ups and jumps. And, to get even more fat burn, do some of these exercises as full speed power exercises. Make sure you have mastered proper jumping and landing techniques before incorporating power exercises into your cardio routine. Again, all it takes is 20 minutes per session.

Its pretty simple. Just do 3-4 days per week of intense cardio and you’ll be fine (hot)! I’ll talk about strength training in the next articles.

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Okay ladies, this week’s articles are related to helping you “sculpt” your butt and hips (thighs and legs also)! I’m not going to cover the body fat issues related to women…..if you want that information, just subscribe to my Fat Blaster eNewsletter and you will get a free copy of “Her Fitness Hut’s Fat Blaster Guide For Women.”

Every woman I know is concerned about:

–the size and shape of her butt,

–”saddle bags” forming on the hips and

–”jiggling jelly” thighs (including cellulite).

As for cellulite, it is actually collections of fat just underneath (subcutaneous fat) the skin which causes it to dimple, pucker up or lump up. There are many factors that determine whether you have cellulite—your genes, gender, skin thickness and amount of body fat all play a part. What you need to know is that there are no quick fixes for cellulite (despite what some commercials promote)! Some treatments such as liposuction and mesotherapy may give you some TEMPORARY relief from your cellulite. Liposuction is actually meant to remove deep fat tissue (visceral fat) and not cellulite. In my opinion, your best bet would be to reduce overall body fat through weight training and high intensity interval cardio.

Some exercises that you are wasting your valuable time (very little benefit) when it comes to toning your butt, hips and thighs:

1. Seated hip abductor machine (skip this machine),

2. Seated adductor machine (skip this also),

3. Slow, long cardio sessions (there is evidence to suggest that this type of cardio shifts a woman’s weight from the upper body to lower body),

4. Any fitness gadget that supposedly “tones” your butt and thighs,

5. Elliptical machine cardio sessions,

6. Seated hamstring machine (there are better alternatives),

7. Seated leg extension machine (there are better alternatives) and

8. Leg exercises done on BOSU balls, balance discs, etc. (overrated).

In the next articles in this series, I will tell you what you need to do to “blast the fat” from your butt, hips and thighs.

Be sure and visit my site, Your Fitness University, to see my exercise and nutrition program specials, including:

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Got saddlebags, jigglin’ jelly, extra large buns, etc.? There are some things you can do to shape up your butt!

Client Q: I’m tired of my butt being fat and ugly! Help me tone it up!

Mark’s A: You should take the approach that you will sculpt your total body, not just your rear-end. Total body fat reduction (especially abdominal fat) is the goal! Full body circuit weight training (including bodyweight exercises) and interval cardio is ideal for sculpting your body.

Some top cardio exercises for shaping your glutes (and legs) are: sprinting (including uphill), walking uphill, stair climbing and jogging. You don’t need any gimmicks or fancy gadgets!

As for strength training? You can’t leave out squats! Do your squats—bodyweight squats, dumbbell squats, barbell squats, split squats, lateral squats, one-legged squats, etc. Mix it up but do them. The benefits of the squat exercise extend beyond your legs. The same can be said for deadlifts (traditional, stiff-legged or other variations). Other top glute exercises are:

1) Step ups (front, lateral, transverse)
2) Lunges (front, reverse, walking, lateral, transverse)
3) Standing cable hip abductors
4) Standing, prone or floor hip extensions
5) Floor lateral thigh raises
6) Glute bridges and marching glute bridges
7) Pelvic raises and posterior pelvic tilts

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The other day, I met a man in the health club who had lost about 80 pounds through calorie restriction dieting. The 80 lost pounds is great but he had a problem—he had lots of loose skin hanging on his body. Why? He did no resistance training! That left him with high body fat and embarrassing loose skin (skinny-fat)!

Commercialized weight loss programs lead people to focus too much on weight loss and not enough on fat loss! Health should be priority numero uno for you! A healthy body is one that is “lean and toned.” You can achieve the “lean and toned” body with regular weight training (including bodyweight training) and interval cardio. It may take a little longer but you will love the results! And, the results will be permanent if you continue to exercise regularly.

This man has now begun to lift weights and hopefully he can shed the loose skin (body fat). If you’re trying to get in shape, take a three-pronged approach—good nutrition, weight training (3 days a week) and interval cardio (3-4 times a week). This approach will give you the hard body you want. And, you will be healthy!

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Are you having trouble finishing your workouts because you run out of energy? There could be several reasons:

1) The timing of your exercise selection is important. High intensity exercise such as speed work, interval training (high intensity to low intensity rotation), one-legged exercises, etc. should be performed at the beginning of your workouts when you are fresh. Your body’s neuromuscular system is highly fatigue-prone at high intensities. Performing these exercises in a fatigued state will compromise what you are trying to accomplish. 2) Perform compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, bench press and bentover rows early in your workout. Compound exercises work multiple joints and major muscle areas. You need to be fresh to do them properly. Single joint, less demanding exercises such as bicep curls and calf raises should be done later in your workout.

3) Eat properly during the day and at least 1-2 hours before your workout so you’re not running on fumes.

4) Get enough sleep. If you are sleep-deprived, you won’t be able to adequately complete a demanding workout.

5) Keep your workout time at 1 hour or less. You don’t need marathon training sessions to have effective workouts.

6) If you are diabetic, you may need to bring a snack to eat during and after your workout.

7) Don’t take on an advanced exercise before you are ready for it. For instance, you may have to “work up” to being able to do high intensity interval cardio sessions.

Ever heard this saying? Everything I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten! In many cases this is true. One favorite kindergarten game (exercise) is woefully underutilized by exercisers: JUMPING ROPE! It is one of the best exercises to use for warming up because it engages the total body. Jumping rope will strengthen and condition your calves, legs, torso and arms.

You can use jump roping to do interval cardio training. Jump for 1 minute as fast as you can and rest or walk for 2 minutes. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. You can burn up to 800 calories per hour with the jump rope! By using intervals when jumping rope, you are increasing your aerobic and anaerobic conditioning and burning fat like crazy!

Instead of warming up on the treadmill, warm up using the jump rope. It will improve your balance, coordination, power, speed and strength. Jump with two feet, one-foot-at-a-time, alternating feet, skier’s slalom jumps and straddle jumps. If nothing else, your exercise will never become boring by using these jump rope moves!

You can also use the jump rope to play games with friends and family. Fun exercise is the best exercise!

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