Cardio!

Anyone that personal trains with me, or has gotten any sort of fitness and training advice from me now knows that my favorite piece of equipment in the cardio area is the……STAIRMILL!!  The Stairmill burns more calories because you’re actually lifting your body weight up as if you were on a real staircase! There is a huge cheat factor though- those handrails! Grab the handrails lightly, as if to just maintain balance and let your lower body do the work. Maybe you won’t be able to go quite as long as when you hang onto those handrails, but that means you are getting an almost equal workout in less time (never thought of that benefit, did you, huh?!)

Here is a breakdown of some of the basic pieces of cardio equipment that you can find at your gym.

• Stairmill :): This machine hits just about every single muscle in your lower body; even after continued use, you will feel the benefit of this equipment. Focus on squeezing your booty and hamstrings with each single step. You can also change your body positions in order to target certain areas. Step facing forward, sideways, and also change your stride length!  There are always things on this machine you can do to keep it fresh and new.
• Treadmill with an incline: Walking alone is a great cardiovascular exercise BUT when you set the treadmill at an incline, you are going to get more bang for your buck. By doing this, you are forcing your lower body to work much harder. Set the machine as high as you can tolerate and at a speed that you can maintain without holding on.  Just like the stairmill, stay away from the handles!!  When first starting out, this might seem super difficult and challenging, but work towards a goal in small steps. Just like I wrote about in my previous blog, set SMALL and ATTAINABLE goals.
• Elliptical: This piece of equipment is definitely going to make you work hard.  The main perk I like about this piece of machinery is that it is much easier on the joints than running and will help you to reach your physique goals by constantly challenging almost every inch of your body. You can use this machine and stay at a steady state pace or even throw some intervals into your routine.

Keep it fun! Cardio is important, but so is weight training.  You can and will not get the physique you want if you do not do a combination of these two crucial elements (and of course diet!).  Not to mention, cardiovascular training keeps your heart healthy and strong, lowers your risk of heart disease and stress, and has been proven to lower anxiety and even feelings of depression.