When to Use Heart Rate Monitors
Use your heart rate monitor during any aerobic exercise. Your heart doesn't care what exercise put it into its target zone. This would be running, walking, biking, skating, or cross country skiing. Also qualifying are exercise machine workouts like stair climbing, rowing, or using an elliptical trainer. Most sports, like tennis or basketball, are stop-and-go so don't keep your heart rate steady, though you may get a great workout.
What supplements work?
These have been tried and tested:
1) Whey Protein Powder
2) Multiple Vitamin,Mineral
3) Creatine
4) Glutamine
Elliptical Efficiency
One of the great things aabout elliptical machines is that they require very little adjustment. If you want, you can jump on, press start, and you're on your way. You'll appreciate this if you're trying to squeeze a workout into a short time frame. It also makes the machine one of the best for circuit training. You can go back and forth from weight training to cardio workout on the elliptical trainer without much setup time.
Increasing the Weight on an Exercise
You should increase the weight on an exercise when you are able to do more repetitions on a set than you have been regularly doing. If you normally do 20 lb for 10 reps and you find you can do 11 or more reps with that 20 lb you should increase the weight to the point where you can only do 10 or fewer reps.
Ellipticals and Your Knees
People with bad knees love the elliptical trainer. As a non-impact machine, it spares your knees the pounding they get from running, but still gives a great workout. Many ex-runners whose knees gave out use the elliptical to get a vigorous workout. People whose knee problems come from arthritis or other conditions can get a workout, perhaps less vigorous, but equally enjoyable and beneficial.