Every athlete wants long-lasting aerobic/anaerobic enudrance.  By working together, the body is provided with ATP (energy) for exercise.  Aerobic energy refers to the energy you receive when going for a light jog or brisk walk.  Anaerobic energy comes into play during high intensity activities for a short period of time, such as sprinting or power lifting.  To summarize, aerobic energy is produced in the presence of oxygen during low intensity activities for prolonged times.  Anaerobic is for short, intense bursts, and takes place without oxygen’s presence.  Improving both will have a bigger impact on overall endurance than improving only one.

Aerobic Endurance

The best way to increase aerobic endurance is by doing cardiovascular exercise, i.e. walking, jogging, swimming, biking, etc.  For beginners and intermediates, try working your way up to about 25 minutes, 4 days  a week of cardiovascular exercise.  For the well trained individual, try implementing HIIT or Tabata training.

Anaerobic Endurance

We all know the feeling.  You’ve been exercising intensely for a period of time and that dull burn starts to build in the muscle.  You fight past it, but sooner or later it will become too much to bear and the muscle grows weak.  This is the result of lactic acid buildup.  Lactic acid is a byproduct of anaerobic energy.  By training for anaerobic endurance, you increase your muscles’ tolerance to lactic acid buildup, thus giving you more time before fatigue sets in.  HIIT training is excellent here as it will positively affect aerobic as well as anaerobic endurance.  Essentially, you want to hit about 90% of your max heart rate for a brief period of time, then sink back to 70& of your max heart rate for a few minutes.  Think: sprint all out for 30 seconds, then walk for 2 minutes…repeat for 20 total minutes.  As your HIIT training advances, aim for a ratio of 2:3, or even 1:1 for the very fit. 

Example HIIT training schedule below:

With the warm weather approaching, we’re going to take a look at ways to mix up your cardio routine.  Simply running or using an elliptical machine multiple times a week is going to sap even the most discipline of their motivation, sooner or later.

Try these 10 ideas for some fun ways to keep getting your cardio, while enjoying the outdoors.

1.  Running Stairs – Fantastic for the glutes, hamstrings, and calves.  High intensity.

2. Rollerblading – Similar to running in terms of calories burned.  Most would agree more enjoyable, however.

3.  Swimming – Start with 15 minutes of straight swimming, add 5 minutes per week until you swim for 45 minutes straight.

4.  Hiking – Great for those who simply hate running.  Use hike poles to up the caloric expenditure.

5.  Running on the beach – Running barefoot on the beach is sure to make you sore the next day.  Highly taxing on the body.  Plus, you get a great view your entire run.

6.  Uphill running – Great for doing interval training.  Sprint to the top, walk to the bottom.  Repeat.

7.  Kayaking/Canoeing – A fun activity that really works the upper body while providing great caloric expenditure.

8.  Biking – One of the best forms of cardio out there.  Distance biking allows you to see the country around you while getting a great workout.

9.  Basketball – Pickup games are found everywhere, just join in.  Won’t even seem like doing cardio once you start playing.

10.  Tennis – Fantastic exercise given the nature of the sport.  Lots of hard sprints, stopping on a dime, and sprinting the opposite way.

Dance fitness classes are a great way to get your cardio in your own home.  The above video is a decent example of a dance fitness routine.  There are hundreds of variations and workouts involving dance that you can try.  Share It Fitness will have our own professional dancers who have crossed over to lead a dance fitness fusion class live on our site.  Stay tuned for more details.

Everyone knows how to jump rope. Hold the two ends and whip over your head, under your feet, back over your head, and so-on.

This great exercise is an awesome fat burner, but it can also pretty boring. That boredom must be overcome through, as jump rope is one of the greatest inventions ever for fitness enthusiasts and athletes.

Jumping rope is excellent for conditioning the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems, making it perfect for HIIT training. Check out this video of a dude jumping rope specifically for a HIIT workout.

Use some of the techniques listed below to make your jump rope sessions more challenging. Use the highest intensity techniques for your HIIT training.

You also benefit from jumping rope by strengthening your rotator cuffs and shoulders, increasing power in your lower body, developing your calves, and much more.

Most people don’t jump rope because all they just repeat the same tempo and style over and over. Not only is that tiring, it gets boring and then you just don’t want to do it because you feel the boredom is not worth the benefit.

That would be a big mistake. Get yourself a rope, read this article, and you will be in better shape than anyone not jump roping.

Jumping Rope is an Incredible Conditioning Tool

I want to outline the many different ways and angles to skip rope. Put them all together and you will have a seriously kickin’ workout. Jumping rope can be done for endurance or as a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session by breaking it up into rounds.

When jumping for say like 30 minutes, you pace yourself for the 30 minute workout. When doing rounds of 3 or 4 minutes, you up the intensity so you’re working at max heart rate, or close to it, throughout the round.

Jump Rope Techniques

Double leg jumps

Jump with both feet simultaneously. This one of the most common methods of jumping rope. If this is all you do, you are probably bored. Jumping rope with this technique is good for balance and foot speed.

Alternate leg jumps

Jump over the rope with one leg at a time. First you jump with your right foot, then the next revolution you jump with your left foot. Only one foot should be kept on the ground at all times. This technique is even better for balance and will also make your calves stronger.

Single leg high knees

Jump rope one leg at a time raising your knees as high as possible with each revolution of the rope. Go as fast as you can. If you really want a painful workout add some wrist weights to your jumping session. You can find ropes with weighted handles. DO NOT buy those because the weight distribution is different. Wearing wrist weights will transfer the effects of the jump rope to the right places with minimal strain far better than weighted handles.

Single leg high knees are great for sprinters and for strengthening the lower abs. This one will also give you a higher level cardiovascular workout.

Double leg high knees

Same idea as the single leg high knee jumps, except you launch yourself off the ground with both feet at once, bringing your knees to your chest. This is a great exercise for basketball players, track and field athletes, skiers, or pretty much anyone else that utilizes a high force output from their legs. Be careful if you are not conditioned because this one will wipe you out quick!

Criss cross

This is a tricky movement for the advanced jump rope enthusiast. After the rope passes under your feet and is over your head, cross your elbows over each other at about the middle of your torso and jump through the rope as you would normally. The twist must be done quickly and accurately in order to make the jump. You really need to extend the elbows over each other to make the hole big enough to jump through.

Double unders

Using any method of jumping you choose, the rope must pass under your feet twice before you touch the ground. Similar to the double leg high knees, double unders can get difficult quickly and they build explosive power in the quads and calves. Due to the velocity at which you have to swing the rope, this is also like high intensity interval training for your rotator cuffs. In fact, you don’t want to be jumping as high as you can, but rather you want to jump a little bit higher than normal, but whip the rope around fast enough to get it under your feet twice each jump.

If you have two swings down pat, go for three swings. I’ve yet to personally see anyone get four swings, but I’m sure some professional boxers and MMA athletes can do it.

Run skipping

Go outside start running while jumping the rope with which ever technique you like best. The goal is to just keep running while jumping rope. You can also utilize this method while running backwards, which is far more challenging. This is a great endurance builder. If your workout normally consists of endurance running, try this for a new challenge.

Ali shuffle

To jump rope just like Muhammad Ali, start in a stationary position and jump rope while moving your upper body in all directions. Utilize jumps that move your body side-to-side, forward and back, criss cross, any other angles you can think of. The Ali Shuffle is awesome for balance and coordination, which are both essential in any sport.

Be creative

Any other movements you can come up with, or combinations of the movements lists above, are also great. The idea of jump rope training for most athletes is going to be to jump for time rather than for endurance. Utilizing a HIIT method of jumping rope is far better for developing power and strength than long distance jumping.

Putting Together a Routine

Here are a couple examples of routines you can use that implement some of the rope jumping techniques outlined above.

• Routine #1 – Endurance
  The low intensity endurance routine. Jump rope non stop for 30-60 minutes.
• Routine #2 – Moderate Intensity
  High knee jumps for 30 seconds.
  Double foot jumping for 30 seconds.
  Repeat for 5 minutes, rest for 60 seconds, then do it 4 more times.
• Routine #3 – “The Calf Blaster” – Moderate Intensity
  Single leg jumping on each leg for 30 seconds per leg.
  Single leg jumping, two jumps per leg, alternating legs for 60 seconds.
  Double foot jumping for 60 seconds.
  Repeat once, rest for 60 seconds, then do it 3 more times.
• Routine #4 – High Intensity
  Double leg high knee jumps for 30 seconds.
  Criss cross jumps for 30 seconds, focusing on speed of movement.
  Repeat for 5 minutes, rest for 60 seconds, then do it 4 more times.
• Routine #5 – “The Ab Blaster” – High Intensity
  Double leg high knee jumps for 30 seconds.
  Single leg high knees for 60 seconds.
  Drop to the floor for 50 situps.
  Repeat twice, rest for 60 seconds, then do it 3 more times.
• Routine #6 – Very High Intensity
  Alternate leg jumps for 30 seconds at high speed.
  Double unders for 15 seconds.
  Double leg high knee jumps for 15 seconds.
  Repeat for 3 minutes, rest for 60 seconds, and do it 3 more times.
• Routine #7 – “The Shoulder Blaster” – High Intensity
  Double unders for 30 seconds.
  Criss cross jumps for 30 seconds.
  Drop to the floor and bang out 20 clapping push-ups.
  Repeat three times, rest for 60 seconds, then do it 3 more times.
• Routine #8 – High Endurance Training
  Run skipping non stop for 30 minutes.
• Routine #9 – High Endurance Training (great for fighters)
  Ali Shuffle jumping for 30 minutes

If you give high intensity rope jumping a try, your body will reward you for your efforts.

Buy a high quality plastic or leather rope for about $3-5 at your local sporting goods store. As a side note, most fighters prefer getting whipped by plastic rather than leather.

Don’t bother getting anything with fancy attachments on the handles, you just don’t need it.

Unlike weight lifting, rope jumping can be done daily as long as you train smart. Alternate endurance with intensity by the day if this is your plan. Use a solid jump rope routine at least every other day for 2 weeks, and you will feel and see a difference in conditioning, strength, and speed almost immediately.

Now you have all the tools needed to jump rope effectively no matter your goals. It’s time to stop thinking about it and starting jumping. Grab your rope right now, go outside, and JUMP!

Via Projectswole.com

Erg machines (rowing machines) can be a great change of pace to your workout.  They hit your body in a unique way that running and biking can’t match.  It is no wonder that rowers are some of the most physically fit athletes in the world.  While largely an aerobic exercise, the erg machine will also target the leg, back, shoulder, and core muscles. The act of rowing compresses the lungs as the rower leans forward, forcing the individual to focus on the rythm of their breathing.  In turn this forces the body to adapt to the constraints of timed breathing.  Unlike biking or running, where the individual is able to breath freely, timed breathing makes for dramatic cardiovascular improvements.  A very simple erg workout would consist of rowing 500m, 1000m, 1500, 1000m, 500m with 2 minute rest between sets.   If you are interested in more erg workouts, a simple google search will return a wealth of information.

Marathon season is once again almost upon us.  With the warmer weather and longer  days approaching, people all across the country will begin attempting the ultimate feat of endurance.  Successfully completing a marathon is going to require a lot more than just “toughing it out”.  Sustained exercise for that long takes a serious toll on the body, and unless it is conditioned properly you are going to be hard pressed to finish with any respectable time.

The below training chart is a good way to begin training for a marathon.  If you are a beginner, you will need roughly 7 months to properly train.  Intermediate runners can begin training with Schedule II (link below).

Mileage Buildup Schedule (Schedule I)

Intermediate runners and those who have completed the above 19 weeks of training proceed to Schedule II.