cardio

Interval training is the ultimate fitness mashup, blending the speeds of both the tortoise and the hare. The benefits of this workout — pushing your pace, then slowing down to recover just so you can push your pace again — will certainly motivate you to play with your speed. If you haven't already added them to your cardio workouts, here are seven benefits of interval training.

While cardio exercise is necessary to losing fat all over your body, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity, interval training targets your waistline. Adding bursts of speed can help you lose stubborn abdominal fat, which is a boon for your skinny jeans and your overall health. Having a waist size over 35 inches if you're a woman puts you at a higher risk for heart disease and some cancers.

Got a Need For Speed?
The most obvious benefit, but still worth noting, is that interval training will make you faster. Picking up your pace when training with intervals helps to increase your speed, whether you run, bike, or swim. If you're working toward a personal record for an upcoming race, then don't skip your speed work. Here are interval workouts for biking, swimming, and running. Triathlon, anyone?

Keep reading to learn five more reasons to kick it up a notch.

Weekends might mean two days off from work, but with weddings, errands, house projects, and visits with friends and family, they can be more busy than your weekdays. If you don't have the luxury of being able to fit in a long weekend workout, shoot for one of these quickie 20-minute workouts instead.

Research shows that 20 minutes of exercise can boost your metabolism, so even though it might not feel like an amazing workout, you're still doing your body good. And aside from keeping your metabolism going, check out how many calories you'll burn.

Continue reading to find out how many calories you burn biking and swimming.

A super-effective weight-loss strategy is incorporating intervals into your cardio workouts. Aside from burning calories and saving you time, interval training has been proven to reduce belly fat as well as increase your post-workout calorie burn. If you're looking to get more out of your interval workouts, follow these tips.

1. Move faster: The faster you run, the more calories you'll burn. Step it up during the sprinting intervals and push yourself to the point of huffing and puffing, because remember: the interval will be over after a minute or two, and then you can slow down and have time to recover.
2. Mix up the equation: If you always move at a moderate pace for three minutes and then sprint for one minute, your body will quickly adapt to these demands and you'll wonder why you're not seeing the results you're after. Keep your muscles guessing by varying the interval times both from workout to workout and during the workout itself.

Continue reading for other ways to get more out of your interval training.

Which cardio machine is right for you? FitSugar reader JessicaSmithTV asks an expert for the answers. She shared what she found in our 10 Pounds Down! community group.

The stair master, the stationary bike, and the elliptical — we all have our favorite cardio machine at the gym, but which one is the best one for your body? We asked Dr. Yoav Suprun, DPT, a McKenzie physical therapist at Canyon Ranch in Miami Beach to weigh in on the pros and cons of some of your favorite gym staples.

The Stationary Bike
Pros: Low impact, easy on the joints, offers a wide range of intensity options
Cons: The riding position can bring on back pain, or aggravate sciatica for some. “We flex our spine all day and sit for hours - why sit for a cardio session?” asks Dr. Suprun.

The Elliptical
Pros: Low impact, upright position of the body, also easy on the joints and offers a wide range of intensity options
Cons: If you have a small structure or small frame, using an elliptical with handles would be pulling your body out of alignment. “People suffer from holding the handles as it pulls on the lower back and neck once the handle is moved forward,” explains Dr. Suprun.

Keep reading for more pros and cons of your favorite cardio machines.

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

By Jenna Bergen, Prevention

With so many people offering advice on weight loss, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. All too often I’ve overheard a hardworking gym-goer sharing a well-meaning but ill-informed tip with another exerciser. And I’m not the only one who’s heard fitness folklore being swapped on the training room floor. I spoke to top experts in the field to find out the common fitness myths they hear from clients. From the pseudo miracles of the "fat-burning" zone to the misguided magic of working out on an empty stomach, these fitness falsehoods should never be followed.

Nine Exercise Moves You're Doing Wrong

Myth No. One: Keep your heart rate in the fat-burning zone

If you've been exercising at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate in order to shed flab faster, you could be slowing your slim down. "The fat-burning zone is a complete myth," says Wayne Westcott, PhD, Prevention advisory board member and fitness research director at Quincy College. "While it's true that you burn a higher percentage of fat calories when exercising at a moderate pace, you burn fewer calories overall." For instance, if you get on a treadmill and walk at a 3.5 mph pace for 30 minutes, you might burn 250 calories. If you raise the speed to seven miles per hour, you’d burn 500. Bottom line? "It’s much better to go at the faster speed." Prefer the elliptical trainer? Make sure you're not making one of the top 10 elliptical trainer mistakes.

Myth No. Two: Boosting cardio is the best way to bypass a plateau

"The most effective way to lose weight is to include both cardio and weights in your routine," says Jari Love, star of the Get Extremely Ripped: 1000 Hardcore DVD. "One study found that when individuals cycled for 30 minutes a day, they lost three pounds of fat and gained a half pound of muscle in eight weeks. But individuals who cycled for 15 minutes and weight trained for 15 minutes a day lost 10 pounds of fat and gained two pounds of calorie-burning muscle."

Try This Workout to Drop Two Sizes by Summer!

Keep reading! We bust three more myths after the break.

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

There are the run-of-the-mill, hop-on-the-elliptical-machine-for-20-minutes cardio workouts, then there are the kick-butt, leave-you-breathless cardio workouts that practically melt fat off the body. Which would you prefer to do?

Trainer Jeff Halevy, CEO of Halevy Life in New York City, is an expert at helping clients shed unwanted layers of fat fast. To make sure you're maximizing the fat-burning effect of your workout, it might be time to give your cardio routine a makeover. (Bonus: head over to Self.com to get more of Jeff's fat-loss tips — he dishes on the scientific cheats to a sexy, healthy body in record time. Grab your copy now!)

"The biggest takeaway about using any type of cardio machine is that it will be most beneficial to fat loss if high-intensity intervals are utilized, and if either weight lifting or lighter, steady-state cardio is done immediately after — yes, after. This is not a recipe for maximal muscle growth but is the recipe for maximal fat loss," Jeff says.

Check out these top three cardio machines that will give you the most fat-loss bang for your buck at the gym, and cheats on how to make sure you're using them properly, after the break.

Cardio workouts are important for heart health and are also a must do if you're trying to slim down. Whether you're running, swimming, hopping on a bike, or taking a cardio class, incorporate these six tips to get more out of your heart-pumping sessions.

1. Include sprinting intervals: By alternating between a few minutes at a moderate pace and throwing in bursts at a faster pace, you'll burn more calories, build endurance, and become faster and stronger. Not to mention, intervals are also proven to reduce belly fat.
2. Use those arms: Many forms of cardio are all about the legs, so when possible, maximize your cardio time by focusing on working your arms as well. Swing them while running (don't hold on to the treadmill or elliptical handles), get creative with your arm strokes while in the pool, and don't forget to use them while in your Zumba or other cardio class instead of resting them by your sides.
3. Lengthen the duration of your workout: Most cardio workouts last between 30 or 45 minutes, so burn more calories by pushing yourself a little longer. Check out how many extra calories five minutes of cardio burns.

Keep reading to hear the rest of the cardio tips.

Cardio is a must for a whole slew of health reasons: it's good for your heart, increases energy, helps reduce your risk of certain conditions like osteoporosis and diabetes, helps you sleep better, and boosts your immune system, to name a few! Of course, cardio is also essential if you're trying to fit into the jeans you wore in college. If weight loss is your main reason for doing cardio, make your exercise count; check out the chart below to find out which type of cardio burns the most calories in 30 minutes.

*All calculations are based on a 130-pound woman.

Keep reading to see how many calories other types of cardio burn.

If 30 minutes of continuous cardio activity is too strenuous for you or you can't commit to the time frame, researchers in Canada have found that a 20-minute workout consisting of one-minute intervals followed by one minute of recovery is an effective method for improving your overall health and fitness level.

To experiment with the concept yourself, complete a one-minute interval at 90 percent of your maximum heart rate (calculate your max heart rate here) and then follow with a minute of recovery. Complete 10 one-minute intervals with one-minute breaks in between.
The whole workout will take you only 20 minutes, yet researchers have found that even this small amount of exercise will help increase your energy and oxygen production as well as regulate your blood sugar. From jump rope to battle ropes, we've gathered seven ways you can try out the one-minute intervals yourself. Do each exercise at your maximum for one minute, then follow with one minute of recovery; repeat ten times. Click here to see our interval ideas.