Diet & Fitness Blog

Hate Weights? 4 Exercise Alternatives

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

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By Greg Landry
eDiets Contributor

Weight training is very important if your goal is to have toned muscles and lose weight (and maintain that loss). I realize, however, that there are many people who, for a variety of reasons, can't or won't weight train. If you're one of those people, certain tweaks to your cardio routine can net you the health benefits of weight training.

Since you don't weight train, it's important that you use some aerobic exercises that involve most of the body's major muscle groups. These won't tone your individual muscles as well as weight training will, but these exercises will help with overall toning and boost your metabolism.

I have four specific recommendations that I've seen work well for people:

1. Rowing uses most of your major muscle groups and is an exercise that many people enjoy doing. As with any exercise, start slowly and gradually increase the length and intensity of your workouts -- especially if you have a history of back problems.

2. Try stationary cycling with a cycle that also allows you to use your upper body muscles to push/pull handles. See whether you can find an inexpensive one in your local classified newspapers. That way, you don't put a dent in your budget.

3. Walk using small 1- to 3-pound hand weights. Keep in mind that this is not as effective as weight training and may slightly decrease the aerobic conditioning effect of your walking. However, if you move your arms in a variety of directions while walking, this is a good overall toning and aerobic conditioning exercise.

4. Go for a swim. Water provides a great low-impact environment for exercise. If you have access to a pool, this is a great option for aerobic conditioning and overall toning.

So if you're not a weight trainer or perhaps you're taking a break from weight training, these are great exercises to help you incorporate overall muscle toning exercises into your aerobic workouts.

Greg Landry is an author and exercise physiologist.

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Labels: fitness, fitness routine, weight training, weight training alternatives