When working out, weightlifting is not something for all of us. Instead, a good deal of people who decide to work out decide to go down the cardio path. This is an excellent means for staying lean and healthy instead of putting on muscle mass.
But it isn’t as simple as walking or running for a while. There are things to know to make your cardio workouts more helpful and beneficial to your body. Knowing these keys can improve your cardio workouts and have you seeing greater results than you may have otherwise.
Always Do Your Warm UPS and Cool Downs
Flexibility is the key to have effective workouts and preventing injury. Stretching is always recommended before working out but if you don’t like to stretch, take a good 5-10 minute walk to get your heart rate up slowly and to get loose.
If you run cold, you increase the chances of your muscles tensing or cramping up and pulling something. A muscle pull may not sound like a big deal but they can hurt a great deal and hinder you even more. Be smart and warm up a bit before beginning your work out and cool down when you are finished for the best and safest results.
Mix It Up
Instead of sprinting straight through your workout or maintaining a consistent pace, the key to a good cardio work out is to mix things up. Increase the intensity throughout with different intervals of exertion. Maybe a 30-60 second sprint a few minutes in followed by a cooldown trot. Then bring it back up. Rinse, repeat.
It has been found that high-intensity rounds with lower times can help your body get the most out of the workout and gives you ample time to come back down instead of going full-throttle the entire workout.
Add Power to Your Runs
It has been shown that by adding wall sits to the end of your runs, you will strengthen your hamstrings, quads, and glutes as well as improving your speed and endurance. It will be difficult to get through because your body has already exerted itself in the run, but the results will show.
It is key to push your body but to know your limits. Stretch yourself but down over-exert yourself. Finding your boundaries is an important step to seeing the greatest results from working out and you will learn more about your physical self.
