There is More to Exercise Than Just Cardio!
As an exercise professional in the fitness industry for almost 30 years, I have seen a lot of fads, trends, and crazes regarding classes, programs, and equipment. From high-impact to low-impact to step to spin; the constant focus on “cardio” has been and still is a very important component in the movement plan of many people. What’s easier than throwing on a pair of sneakers and going for a jog or a brisk walk? The gratification of cardio exercise is almost instant as you work your heart and lungs, challenge your breathing, endurance, break a sweat, and build detoxifying heat. Plus, the activity helps you to reduce your stress and relax.
If you are one who craves a group class rather than the lonely road there are the ever-popular spin classes where you ride a bike with a small group of other determined spinners to see who can go the fastest, ride the hardest, breathe the heaviest, sweat the most, and do it in a club-type setting with great music and atmosphere. Plus, even the most uncoordinated, tight-hamstring, slightly soft male can get on a bike and compete. The ladies are happy because now they can get their guys to accompany them to an event both social and physical: A spin class.
As a teacher who has worked with thousands of students who are on a mission to change their bodies and lives, I can honestly tell you that there is more to fitness than cardio workouts.
Almost like the media scares us into thinking we need flu shots, the public is also greatly misinformed when it comes to types and styles of exercise.
Is there any real need to work our heart muscles to an extreme over a 45-minute period? Does the heart muscle get stronger with such challenge? What are the systemic benefits of regular heart-muscle and cardio challenges like this? Am I healthier? Leaner? More fit? More flexible? Will I have a better chance of living longer because I do regular cardio exercise?
In most cases, the answer to all of these questions is either no, or not necessarily so.
Let’s take a look at what cardio exercise means:
Cardio is short for cardiovascular, which refers to the heart. Cardiovascular exercise, or “aerobics” as it was referred to in the ‘70s, is exercise that raises your heart rate and keeps it elevated for a period of time. The kinds of exercises that are associated with cardiovascular workouts are things like jogging, fast walking, spinning, and swimming, where there is no break in the routine. Exercises that emphasize stretch and strength, like pilates or yoga, are generally not considered cardio exercises, although both of these exercise systems can be performed with a “cardio effect” with the right pace and flow, and can certainly be combined with cardio workouts to great effect. There are more and more hybrid-style classes these days. At Exhale we teach our award-winning Core Fusion Cardio and Core Fusion Boot Camp classes, which combine cardio-type pace and flow with light weights and strengthening moves.
The benefits of cardio workouts
There is a hefty list of health benefits associated with doing cardio exercise. Here are some top reasons to include cardio in your workout routine:
- It strengthens the heart
- It strengthens the lungs and increases lung capacity
- It boosts the metabolism for the hour and helps you burns calories and lose weight
- It helps reduce stress
- It increases energy
- It promotes restful sleep
A true cardio workout is when you are working at around 60 to 75 percent of your maximum heart rate for a minimum of 20 minutes. Simply stated, you should be able to talk while you are working out. If you are too winded to speak comfortably, your heart rate is probably too high and you need to slow down. The fat-burning cycle needs a very specific heart-rate zone, otherwise you won’t burn fat calories and will switch to an anaerobic energy cycle, which is more intramuscular energy supply and results in a different effect.
For the average American, walking is the exercise of choice, and if the walk is brisk and purposeful over time, a person can get the required cardio benefits needed to maximize his or her health. The need to push to extremes with intense cardio does not necessarily give you proportionately greater cardiovascular results in the end. It is the spirit of fun and competition that drives the hard-core runner, spinner, cardio junkie. They love the cardio high from exploring and challenging their limits, but in the end, their net results are no greater than the purposeful power walker who is choosing an activity that is much less stressful on the joints than running or jogging. Eventually, the knee, hip, and ankle joints of the runner could suffer from the pounding effect of the activity. Other forms of cardio exercise, like swimming, begin to make more sense.
What’s important to remember when choosing a movement plan is that the single most important component in fitness to maximize results and create life-enhancing changes is strength training. With a resistance-training program, such as weight lifting, pilates, some forms of yoga, our Core Fusion® classes at Exhale, and other techniques, a person has the potential to increase lean muscle mass. As one ages, the three deficits that grow annually are muscle density, bone density, and muscle elasticity, which reduce our range of motion.
A program that incorporates resistance training will increase muscle density, lean muscle mass, and, most importantly, it will raise your resting metabolic rate, or RMR. This is the rate at which you burn calories round the clock, 24/7, not just the one hour that you are on the bike or going for a run.
By having a body with a high percentage of lean muscle mass, all of your other exercise choices including cardio will be more effective and safer. Muscles support joints, so if muscles are stronger, the joints have more integrity. By incorporating flexibility exercises into your strengthening work, you are promoting suppleness in the body, which is especially important for the muscles that line the spine. As Joseph Pilates once said, “A supple spine is a youthful body,” and in the end, isn’t that why we exercise, to stay youthful, energetic, and vibrant?
You would be wise to make exercise choices that will enhance your lifestyle and make these exercises a part of your lifestyle. Do the exercises that you need to do that will pay off a year from now and should be looked at as an investment. I am talking about the exercises that you know that you need, not necessarily the exercises that you look good doing.
I have trouble getting the competitive male to sometimes take Core Fusion® classes simply because he cannot get into the positions. Hamstrings are too tight, stomach a little too soft, back too tight, but the biggest problem is usually the ego being too big. If there is a will, and humility, a person can start building a physical foundation that simply improves over time. There is not much instant gratification sometimes, but with patience, perseverance, and consistency, it is possible to be in better shape in your 50s than you were in your 20s.
Lifestyle exercise that reduces stress, shapes your muscles, and builds strength and flexibility, all while simultaneously giving you the needed cardio benefits, will go a long way in enhancing your life.
 |
 |
Fred DeVito, Health & Fitness Contributing Editor For over 30 years, Fred DeVito has taught New Yorkers to live healthier, leading fitness classes at the acclaimed Lotte Berk Method Studios, and more recently, at Exhale Spa, where he serves as Executive Vice President of Mind Body Training. With his wife and partner, Elisabeth Halfpapp . . . Read more about Fred DeVito |
Amazing Exercise Classes in NYC and Tips from Fitness Gurus
There are so many workouts to choose from these days so how do you pick the best one for you? If working out feels like a huge chore, then you have not found the right one. Exercise should be fun and exhilarating and the endorphin release is a natural high (I always joke that it keeps me out of therapy). My associate Caitlin and I recently tried four new workouts in NYC that we think are worth sharing. Try them all one time for FREE and see what works for you! If you don’t live in NY, read below for great tips from some of the best fitness experts and ideas of how you can do some of these exercises at home.
xx Melissa
As One: Group Workout to Accelerate your Metabolism and Burn Fat
As One Fitness is probably one of the toughest workouts I have experienced–it pushed me to reach my physical potential through a variety of group exercises that use a combination of external resistance apparatus such as sand bags, ropes, and the AK27 bench (this is a bench with a heavy weight at the end where you hold it in your hands on one side and then do a series of killer squats). After a series of warm-up exercises and stretches, we began the routine followed by a run up and down several flights of steps which reminded me of my Radu days. The workout was founded by two of the best personal trainers and triathlon coaches, Mark Merchant and George Vafiades. Clients of As One include top media personalities, professional athletes, and Fortune 500 executives.
Our co-ed group consisted of about ten people who were all different fitness levels from beginner to triathlete. Although the workout was extremely challenging, I found that Mark and George push you to be YOUR personal best. Here’s the skinny:
• The intense workout is 75 minutes and scalable to any level
• It is only recommended that you do this routine 2x weekly so muscles can repair
• The systematic and unique class regimen guarantees results while utilizing the intimate and energizing team support system from which tri-athletes benefit
• As One promises that with regular work-outs, you create lean muscle, increase your metabolism and lose weight!
As One
1841 Broadway (at Columbus Circle)
Suite 713
New York, NY 10023
(917) 362-3909
For pricing and class schedule, visit www.as1effect.com
Mention PageDaily for one complimentary class!
If you don’t live in NYC and unable to try the classes, we asked George to give us his tips and suggestions to make sure you are putting intensity into your training:
1. Use a timer – pick four exercises and a full body movement (jumping jacks, burpees, etc.) and do one after another for a set time. Start with 10 minutes and build up to 30 minutes. This way the progression is built in and it is very clear you are doing more and more from workout to workout.
2. Schedule 15 minutes of stairs everyday – there are stairs everywhere so put on your sneakers and go! Do the stairs faster, add squats on every floor, grab a dumbbell… the options are endless to constantly challenge yourself.
3. Sometimes it’s hard to motivate when traveling and using the hotel gym so pick 5 exercises that you can do (cable curl, pushups, ab board, etc.) and create a countdown. Start with ten repetitions and go through one round and then do a 2 minute interval on the bike. Next do 9 reps of each followed by 2 minutes on the bike, etc. until you get to 1 rep of each.
4. Squat! You cannot get into great shape without squatting. Do lots of them with weight or without. Switch it around and be creative but squat! No other exercise activates more muscle groups, challenges the cardio-vascular/respiratory system and stimulates the endocrine system like the squat.
5. There can be no cop outs! You need to train regularly. Goals will not be met if you are constantly giving yourself days off. Every once in awhile that is fine, but keep yourself on track to be physically active, excited about doing, and never utter the words, “I’m too tired”. Being “tired” is a most often a state of mind– and a self fulfilling prophecy. Say it and you are. Don’t say it and see what you experience.
Amplitude Vibrations Studio: The Next Big Workout Trend is Good Vibrations
Want a workout that tones your body with no weights, no impact, and you don’t even have to wear shoes? No it’s not yoga, it’s vibrations, and did we mention it only takes 20 minutes? “This is a game changer,” says co-owner and trainer David Newman. First it was spinning, then Zumba, and now vibrations is set to be next big trend in exercise. Vibration training is unlike anything I’ve ever tried and perfect for the busy NYC woman who can’t fit in an hour plus to work out. It involves doing simple exercises you already know how to do but on a vibration machine
Amplitude Vibrations Studio
261 East 78th Street
New York, NY 10075
(646) 692-9317
For pricing and class schedule, visit www.amplitudevibration.com
Mention PageDaily for one complimentary class!
Figure 4 at Pure Yoga: Ballet meets Yoga
When I walked into the calming, zen environment of Pure Yoga on New York’s Upper West Side, I had no idea of the butt-kicking workout I was in for. I was told to bring ballet shoes for Kate Albarelli’s new “Figure 4” class, so I assumed this would be cake for me, having practiced both ballet and yoga (I was in for a big surprise). Kate, a dancer with 15 years of professional ballet and dance company experience created this challenging and effective class–a mix of isometric exercises, ballet and yoga.
Moving through the exercises using my own body weight as the primary form of resistance made me feel the burn. I worked muscles I thought didn’t exist. The 60-minute class covers it all…arms, abs, thighs, butt, calves and even your hip flexors. We started off at the ballet barre with a ball between our legs to work the inner thighs and then moved into a variety of floor exercises including the dreaded plank pose. Kate has great energy and plays amazing music so it motivated me to make it through this complete body workout!
Here are Kate’s tips regarding her Figure 4 exercises
(some of them can be done from home):
1. In order to get the best and most effective workout, all ranges of movement must be utilized within the given exercise. This means that isometric (small) movement, full range movement, and medium sized movement are all required in order to workout muscle length, the insertion of the muscles, and the slow/fast twitch muscles. An example of this would be “fitness second position”. Standing at a wall, take feet wide, toes turned out. Bend down until your hips are almost parallel to your knees. Pulse (small, isometric movement) for 20 counts. Stay in your original bent knee position, then, take a medium range, by lowering down and up a few inches, a little slower than before. Try 10 of those. Finally, employ full range movement by bending deeply and straightening all the way 10 times. Finish with your original pulses. Now all points along the muscle have been targeted.
2. In order to keep the BEST knee health, body alignment and posture is of paramount importance. Knees should always point over the 3rd toe, whether your legs are turned out or parallel. If not, too much strain on the knee will occur and injury is inevitable. When in class, look down and make sure that when you bend your knees, they are always bent over the middle of your foot (3rd toe).
3. While performing planks or push-ups, always keep your chin up enough to place a tennis ball underneath it. By keeping your chin up (not too low or too high), you create a straight line down the back of your neck, which keeps your postural alignment correct and your position the most optimal. This makes things more difficult, but much more natural and healthy for the body.
Pure East
203 E. 86th St. at 3rd Ave.
(212) 360-1888
Pure West
204 W. 77th St. at Amsterdam Ave.
(212) 877-2025
http://pureyoga.com/
Mention PageDaily for one complimentary class!
Read about Exhale Spa’s NEW Boot camp class
Mention PageDaily for one complimentary class (only applies if you are first timer to Exhale)!
Bikini Blaster Plan with Core Fusion Boot Camp Moves
It’s that time of the year: you shed your winter layers and suddenly notice your muscles again – or rather, the lack thereof! The tee shirts and shorts aren’t looking quite as you’d like (and forget about that swimsuit). No need to panic – there’s still time to get in shape for summer…but you need to start now!
No more procrastinating. From this moment forward, every morsel of food that you consume counts as calories going in – and every step that you consciously take (forgoing the escalator for the stairs) counts as calories going out. At the end of the day, it’s simple math: over consume and you gain weight. Over exert and you lose weight.
Once you shift to choosing your calories wisely, it’s time to implement a series of strengthening and toning exercises. I want to share some of the most fun, challenging, and muscle-burning moves from our Core Fusion Boot Camp class at exhale (also found on the Core Fusion Boot Camp DVD). This series will jump start your fitness routine and get you on the path of exerting energy through challenging movements. Your muscles will start to become stronger and in the process become shapelier. Lean muscle is what burns those calories. So get started today!
Core Fusion Boot Camp Workout for Bikini Blaster Results!
You can do this Core Fusion Boot Camp Workout 2 to 3 times per week. The classes use a Core Ball, but you can switch in any ball—volleyball, soccer ball, kickball, beach ball—that you have available. It just needs to be able to support your bodyweight for pushups. You’ll also need a 5-to-8 pound dumbbell for the lifting moves.
Single Leg Pulse
Targets: Shoulders, abs, butt, legs
Stand on right leg with left leg held out in front of you. Hold the ball or weight with arms extended directly in front of you at chest height. Bend right leg slightly lowering your body 2-3 inches, then straighten the leg and return to standing. Do 20 pulses in this style. Switch legs and repeat.
Single Leg Squat and Leap
Targets: Shoulders, obliques, butt, legs
Stand with your legs wider than shoulder width, toes turned out slightly. Hold the ball or weight overhead slightly in front of your forehead, elbows partially bent. Squat down until you can touch the ball to the floor in between your feet – then spring up to the right, extending the ball over head as the left foot leaves the floor. Return the ball to the floor between your feet and then spring up to the left, extending the ball overhead until the right foot leaves the floor. Twist from your trunk as you leap to activate the oblique abdominal muscles. Do 10 reps. Repeat a second set.
Uneven Pushup
Targets: Chest, triceps, abs
Get in full pushup position with your right palm on the ground and your left palm on top of the ball. Make sure your left elbow is directly over your left wrist – the body should form a straight line from head to heels. (Beginners can do a modified pushup position with knees on the ground.) Bend elbows and lower yourself toward the ground – then straighten arms and return to starting position. Do 10 reps. Switch sides, repeat.
Oblique Trunk Twister with weights in the Curl Position
Targets: the full abdominal wall with emphasis on the obliques, the inner thighs.
Start by sitting on the ground with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place the ball between your inner-thighs and hold there. Holding a 2-pound weight in each hand, roll slowly down to your waist, vertebrae by vertebrae. Bring fists together near the breast bone. Rotate trunk from side to side to work the oblique muscles. Do 10 reps. Repeat 2 sets.
Pretzel Position
Targets chest, biceps, abs, hips, butt
Sit on ground with left knee bent in front of your left hip, right knee bent and positioned behind your right hip. Rotate right hip forward so that the right ankle is higher than the right knee. Place ball on ground in front of your left leg to get started for the basic position. The next, more advanced level is to press into ball with palms at chest level, shoulders down, elbows out. Lift bent right leg a few inches off ground, then press right leg back. Be sure to keep the right ankle higher than the knee and the right knee behind the right hip. If you can’t lift the right knee in the beginning, just slide it along the floor, working to keep the ankle higher than the knee. Do 2 sets of push backs. A second variation is to keep the same position and lift the right knee up just enough to clear the floor. Do 2 sets of 20 lifts. Switch legs in between sets.
|
 |
Fred DeVito, Health & Fitness Contributing Editor For over 30 years, Fred DeVito has taught New Yorkers to live healthier, leading fitness classes at the acclaimed Lotte Berk Method Studios, and more recently, at Exhale Spa, where he serves as Executive Vice President of Mind Body Training. With his wife and partner, Elisabeth Halfpapp . . . Read more about Fred DeVito |
Glam New Gym—$20 Membership
As a recent college graduate, I find my desire to hit the gym almost nonexistent. Not to mention that the sky-high prices of a fitness-club membership would practically wipe out my paycheck. Blink Fitness, however, may have just changed forever the way I view the gym.
I had the pleasure of attending the opening of Blink Fitness’ new location right here in New York City’s NoHo area. Blink Fitness Clubs are state-of-the-art and only charge $20 a month for a membership! No, that’s not a typo—it’s really only $20 a month. There are no additional initiation fees. And the best part, you can pay month-to-month. Blink’s deal is very straightforward. There are no classes and no personal trainers, just an amazing facility that’s designed to get you motivated and in great shape. I love this idea, because I rarely take classes at the gym or use the personal trainers. Why should I pay all that extra money for those services, when I just plan to use the treadmill? Give Blink Fitness a shot with its 2-day trial, and see if it’s a good fit for you! —Olivia Hayes
The Perfect Early Morning: Athleta, Yoga, and New Clothes
It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten up before 9 a.m. for a yoga class—or anything else not completely mandatory! This past Tuesday, however, I was invited to wake up to a yoga class and a brand new outfit by Athleta.
I didn’t really know what to expect, but when I stepped off the elevator of Yoga Sutra’s new 39th Street studio in New York, I was pleasantly surprised by a beautiful array of food, and a room full of yoga clothing provided by Athleta
Athleta, a brand under the Gap umbrella, provides female athletes and yogis, both recreational and competitive, with comfortable yet fashionable athletic wear. I have to say the fabrics are lovely, very soft, and easy to wear for yoga. I picked the Organic Cotton Chela Capri and Shirred Organic Cotton Cami in raspberry. I loved the feel of fabrics, and that at the end of the yoga class I still felt dry. I can definitely see these 2 pieces working their way into my urban wardrobe. I absolutely love workout clothes that I can wear from the office to the studio without looking like a gym rat.
I’m looking forward to my next class, where I can show off my new threads Thanks, Athleta! —Olivia Hayes
The STUDIO
UES Spin Classes and Personal Training
Back to the city and back to the stresses of everyday New York City living?
Read more
Exhale Mind Body Spa
Exhale is a true urban oasis that focuses on the mind, body and overall well-being.
Read more
Soul Cycle
|
SoulCycle is a cycling studio that offers an invigorating cardio workout from the most accomplished spinning teachers in NYC. Whether you want to release stress or greatly improve your aerobic endurance, SoulCycle is the optimal environment. A major calorie-burner, the 45-minute mind-body ride has a zen-element to it and is more about your own journey than competing with your neighbor. A great option for all fitness levels, the teachers instruct a focused yet nurturing class set to inspiring music. Founded by veteran spinning instructor Ruth Zuckerman, and spinning enthusiasts Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, SoulCycle offers a variety of classes that transform indoor cycling into a fresh, new experience.
For more information: 212.787.1300 SoulCycle – New York City SoulCycle – Bridgehampton |
Physique 57
|
Physique 57 was the brain child of Jennifer Maanavi following the closing of the revolutionary Lotte Berke Method. She partnered with one of the most sought after Lotte instructors and enhanced the method by adding a cardiovascular element more strength/stamina training and a wider variety of exercises. As one of the best work outs in New York City, Physique 57 changes your body in a few weeks. The high-energy workout includes a vigorous series of isometric and weight-bearing exercises as well as orthopedic stretches that strengthen and tone the entire body. There is a variety of classes to choose from (privates, beginner, intermediate, pre-natal and more). Results include long, lean sculpted muscles. The best perk of all is the reduction in your pant size!
For more information: Physique 57 – New York City Physique 57 – Bridgehampton |
