Those who work out..

kkchisholm

What do you think works best for flab melting?
I run for 25ish minutes-but at the same speed. I'm pretty sure it doesn't work.
Any cardio/weight lifting tips? I heard alternating speed can help burn fat. Any one had luck with that?

maggyruth

HIIT (high intenisty interval training) can really get things going.  Go fast for a minute, recover, repeat.  Great way to shake up the cardio.

Mrs.B6302007

I set the "fat burner" mode on the elliptical.

AlexiaANDRobert

I'm getting back into working out and I agree with maggyruth.

My best trainers and the times I had the best results were with these types of workouts.

TheSaltyPeanut

ditto maggy...

I'll run for 1/4 mile than walk 1/4 mile and alternate like that for 3 miles. 

OR I'll run for 15 minutes, elliptical for 15 minutes, bike, then stair stepper.

It mixes things up, keeps my heart rate up and gives me a great workout!

Mrs.B6302007

Salty - where've you been?

Stackeye210

Muscles helps increase fat burning.  So cardio will only work so much, you also need to build some muscle by lifting weights. 

ac_in_dc

I always recommend Harley Pasternak's "5 factor fitness". It's a 5-day a week workout that (on top of 5 minute cardio warmup and at least 5 minutes of cardio at the end) has 15 minutes of weight lifting. It works different muscle groups every day and switches up the repetition week to week.

10 minutes working major muscle groups and 5 minutes working a set of core/abdominal muscles every day.

I think it's a super-efficient way to burn fat and build muscle.

Any weight lifting is great for fat burning, though.

kkchisholm

So there's truth to the interval idea. Maybe I'll start that today!

and no matter how many crunches I do, I'll have have nice flatt abs.

TheSaltyPeanut

Hello MrsB!

I've had a really rough/busy few weeks at work and some health issues

FutureMrsTR

Yeah, the fastest answer is intervals because it's harder for your body to raise your heartrate than to keep it the same.  But you should add some weight training too as muscle burns more calories than fat.  Plus, you can be thin and flabby if you don't have any muscle tone.

Mrs.B6302007

Are you feeling better?  It's nice to see you today. =-)

*BeachBride0410*

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_those-work-out?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:9bb70d8c-a818-4f3d-ba88-f0c5bdaa7d01Post:c5f27a7a-3d12-4129-b35e-9093c2783bf7">Re: Those who work out..</a>:
[QUOTE]HIIT (high intenisty interval training) can really get things going.  Go fast for a minute, recover, repeat.  Great way to shake up the cardio.
Posted by maggyruth[/QUOTE]

Exactly this....Intervals work really good!  For that 25min that you run, figure out what speed you are giving 50% and figure out what speed you would be giving 80-100%.

For 2 min, run 50% speed then bump it up to your 80-100% speed for 1 min, then kick it back down.  Do that for the 25 min.

TheSaltyPeanut

Thank you, I missed your face! ... er, siggy pic?   Some more tests, but I'm optimistic.

mocha beans

I went and had a cardio fitness test done at my gym.  It told me at what different heart rate ranges my body burns fat calories and then when it switches over to sugar calories.  So, for me to burn fat fastest I have to have my heart around 170-185.  Above that and I'm burning sugar, not fat.  My trainer set me up with an interval training routine that is basically as described above.  A minute at low intensity, a minute at medium intensity, a minute at high intensity (burning the most fat), and then a minute at kill-me-now intensity (into sugar burning zone, going full speed on the treadmill).  I've been doing it for about a month, along with a bootcamp 3x/week, and I'm seeing results already.  My calf muscles have actual definition, tummy flab is decreasing a bit, overall strength is up.  I'm sore most everyday now, though that's probably because I'm pushing muscles that haven't ever really had to be pushed.  It's good, I think.

If you can swing the expense, a good personal trainer has been the best money I've spent.