Recommended Aerobic Exercises for Fat Loss and Building Lean Muscles

Last Updated on Sunday, 25 July 2010 08:28 Written by Yasar Shahzad Wednesday, 07 July 2010 20:52

Running - Jogging Outdoors

Running or jogging is an outstanding cardiovascular workout and the fat burning potential is extremely high. An obvious advantage of running is that it can be done outdoors and doesn't require any equipment.

The only drawback is that running isn’t appropriate for everyone and overdoing it can lead to injuries. Also, depending on where you live and what the climate is like, running outdoors may not be a viable or safe option.

If you’re a beginner, starting off with running may be too intense. Walking or using a cardio machine may be more appropriate until you become more fit. If you’re extremely overweight or you have orthopedic injuries to the lower body, running is also not advisable.

Although running is an excellent calorie-burner, if your goal includes becoming more muscular, then running may not be your best choice. Running tends to have a reducing effect on the entire body, including on muscle size. If you examine the physiques of long distance runners, you'll find that they’re all extremely thin, some almost to the point of looking emaciated. If you want to look like a runner, then train like a runner. If you want to look lean and muscular, then jogging or running should be used in moderation. Your best bet is that if you enjoy running, then do so, but cross training helps to avoid injury. By using a variety of different types of aerobic exercises, you can lose body fat and develop cardiovascular fitness without losing precious muscle or incurring orthopedic injuries to the lower body.

Walking

Walking is an ideal exercise to start a fat burning program if you’re a beginner or if you’ve previously been sedentary. Walking is also excellent if you are overweight, older, or pregnant. Walking is natural. Anyone can walk. And anyone can walk for 30-60 minutes.

One problem with walking is that the fat burning potential is low to moderate unless you really push your pace and walk quickly. A casual stroll in the park or walking around downtown between errands or shopping doesn't count as your "real workout." Walking to burn fat should be done at a brisk pace for a period of 30-60 minutes continuously.

Treadmill

Walking, jogging or running on a treadmill offers several distinct advantages over doing it outdoors. Advances in treadmill deck design now offer less impact because the decks flex and have more "give" to them, which lowers the injury potential. Treadmills offer continuous feedback on the electronic consoles including such features as time, speed, distance and even heart rate.

You can increase the fat burning potential by putting the treadmill on an incline. Most commercial treadmills elevate to 15%, which is a fairly steep uphill climb. Walking goes from a moderate fat burner to an excellent fat burner by walking uphill at a brisk pace. Using a treadmill also allows you to continue training despite poor weather or environmental conditions.

Stationary Upright Bicycle

Stationary cycling on an upright bike is an excellent mode of aerobic training for just about anyone. Because it’s a no-impact activity, the potential for injury is low. Cycling doesn’t require any special skills or coordination. Most stationary bikes offer several pre-programmed courses allowing you to remain on an even keel, ride uphill, or do interval training. You can increase the intensity by pedaling faster or by increasing the pedal resistance. Most bikes, such as the Lifecycle, offer a dozen levels of difficulty and they even have built-in heart rate monitors.

The fat burning potential for bikes is moderate to high. Because the exercise is non-weight bearing, you have to pedal quite vigorously to make cycling a good fat burner. Generally speaking, you'll have to get the rpms up to 70-90 and increase the resistance to maximize the fat burning effects.
One of the drawbacks of stationary cycling is that it can be somewhat boring. If you get bored easily, then bike somewhere where you can watch TV or read. (But keep in mind that it's not easy to read if you're pedaling at the proper intensity level). Using the interval programs can also make cycling more of a challenge and help you maintain your interest.

Stationary Recumbent Bicycle

Recumbent bicycling provides all the advantages of upright cycling with a few minor differences. Recumbent cycling is a more comfortable alternative to riding an upright bicycle because your lower back is supported. The ergonomically designed seat of a recumbent bike is sized and shaped perfectly to provide more comfort and support and reduce fatigue without interfering with your range of motion. This makes recumbent cycling the perfect choice if you have lower back problems, high blood pressure, if you’re pregnant or overweight. The recumbent bike also targets the gluteal and hamstring muscles more than the upright bicycle because your feet are in front of you and you push the pedals forward instead of up and down.

Outdoor Cycling

In terms of fat burning potential, stationary bikes have one distinct advantage over outdoor cycling - you can't coast. On most battery-powered electronic bikes such as the Lifecycle, if you stop, the machine shuts off. With the immense popularity of mountain biking and cross-country cycling, many people prefer to be outdoors doing their cardio whenever possible. That’s fine, but if you ride outside, remember - you must maintain a steady pace for this to count as a fat burner - otherwise it is more “recreation" than training. Push yourself continuously and outdoor cycling can be an incredible fat burner and an immensely enjoyable experience (no coasting!)

Elliptical machine

Elliptical machines first hit the gym scene in 1995, when the Precor EFX machine made its debut. Since then numerous other companies including Lifefitness, Stairmaster and Reebok have come out with their own versions of the elliptical machine in commercial and home models. In the brief time it’s been on the market, the elliptical machine has become one of the most popular machines in the history of the fitness industry. The reason is because elliptical machines give you a fat-burning, aerobic conditioning, muscle-developing workout that’s easy to learn, fun and entertaining. The no-impact elliptical striding motion removes stress on the knees and lower extremities, making it ideal for rehabilitating injuries and safer than aerobics classes or running outdoors.

On an elliptical machine you stride smoothly in a forward or reverse motion while holding the handrails or swinging your arms at your sides. The Precor model features a patented Cross ramp letting you vary the angle of the elliptical stride with the touch of a key, so you can target the muscles you want to emphasize during your workout. The cross-training benefits of an elliptical machine with an adjustable ramp are unattainable on any other machine. As the stride changes, the motion targets different lower body muscles, simulating activities such as hiking, cycling, running, walking and cross-country skiing. Depending on the angle of the cross ramp and the direction of the striding motion, you can put slightly greater emphasis on your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves or glutes.

The fat burning potential of the elliptical machine is high to very high, but because it’s self-paced, you must make a constant effort to maintain your speed (rpm's). Interestingly, many people report that their level of perceived exertion on the elliptical machine is lower than on other machines at the same heart rate. In other words, the elliptical machine feels easier at a heart rate of 150 than the Stairmaster feels at 150.

Rowing machine

Rowing is regarded by many fitness experts to be the most complete exercise ever. One advantage of rowing is that it works all the major muscle groups in the body, including the legs, buttocks, back, abdominals and arms. In addition, all the muscles involved are worked through a wider range of motion than most other exercises, allowing your muscles to stretch, and thereby increasing flexibility and joint mobility. Rowing is a safe, non-jarring impact-free activity and is ideal for rehabilitative exercise, although it’s not a good choice if you have low back problems.

In addition to providing a muscular endurance and strength conditioning workout, rowing is also a superb aerobic workout and an excellent fat-burner. Because it involves the entire body, rowing burns more calories than almost any other type of aerobic exercise, making it an extremely effective fat burning and weight loss exercise if it’s maintained for a long enough duration.

The only major drawback of rowing is that because it involves the whole body, it tends to be extremely exhausting, and many people can’t maintain a long enough workout on the rower to achieve maximum fat burning. One way around this problem is to incorporate the rower into a circuit of cardio machines. For example, you could do fifteen minutes of rowing, followed immediately by fifteen minutes of jogging, followed immediately by fifteen minutes of cycling for a total of 45 minutes.

Stair-climbers

Stairmasters and other stair-climbing machines provide an aerobic conditioning workout and they’re also excellent calorie-burners, making them ideal for weight loss. Newer models such as the Stairmaster 4400 offer an upright rail-less design with handles in front to encourage an improved exercise posture for the best lower body workout of any stair-climbing machine. Leaning on the handlebars excessively lowers your heart rate and reduces that fat-burning potential of the exercise. Stair-climbers also effectively target the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves.

Speed control buttons allow you to increase and decrease the intensity at any time during your workout. With over a dozen levels of difficulty, anyone from beginner to expert can use a stair-climber. There are several different workout programs, from a basic manual program to challenging hill and interval courses. The user-friendly console provides feedback and motivates you by displaying workout statistics including time, calories burned, miles traveled, floors climbed, step rate, relative intensity (METs) and power output (watts). In addition, many stair-climbers provide Polar-Heart Rate monitor compatibility. Stair-climbing is a very safe non-impact workout, although it may aggravate knee pain in those with pre-existing problems. The elliptical machine would be a better choice if you’re nursing a knee injury.

Cross Country skiing

Like rowing, cross-country ski machines have a very high calorie and fat burning potential due to the fact that they involve the entire body. Another advantage is that because it is a no impact activity, the injury risk is low. One disadvantage is that using the cross country ski machine does involve a certain degree of skill and coordination. Because the learning curve is longer, many people get on once, feel clumsy and awkward and never get back on. This is unfortunate, because it’s truly an outstanding aerobic exercise and a terrific fat burner.