How to Get the Most Out of Your Cardio Workout

Cardio is an important aspect of weight loss programs. If you’re overweight and trying to lose weight, much of what you do would be cardio. Cardiovascular workouts are named as such because they mainly increase your heart rate. When done regularly over a long time, they improve heart health and build stamina and endurance. However, for people with extra pounds to lose, the most important effect of cardiovascular training is weight loss. If you are looking to lose weight through cardio, here are a few things to maximize the benefits.

Include short bursts of high-intensity cardio.

Moderate cardio is good, but your body adapts to it after a while and your hit that plateau. One way to overcome this and get more effective with your weight loss workout is to do interval training, wherein you alternate between moderate cardio and intense cardio. This method can be incorporated on any type of cardio training. For instance, those who like running can alternate between 3 minutes of running at moderate pace and 2 minutes of sprinting. This is effective for fat loss.

Go intense.

If you only have 15 or 20 minutes, go intense. Studies show that intense cardio for 15-20 minutes is more effective than moderate cardio for 30-45 minutes. You can do a circuit of different workouts like squats, mountain climbers, high-knee runs, and burpees. Perform them with little to no rest in between sets. The thing about high intensity cardio is you can’t sustain it for long, but it’s more effective for fat loss.

Do more than one type of exercise.

If running is your favorite way to burn fat, you will notice eventually that your weight loss hits the dreaded plateau. Why? The body adapts to your routine, and that means it becomes efficient in doing it. When it becomes efficient in doing something, it needs less energy in doing it, hence the weight loss plateau. There are many ways to keep this from happening. One is by switching to different activities so that you body gets varying stimuli. Also, different activities use different muscle groups. You can alternate running with swimming or strength training.

Do more difficult versions of your exercises.

Another way to challenge your body aside from switching to a different exercise is to do harder versions of what you’re doing now. In other words, make your cardio routine harder. For instance, when you have been spending weeks jogging, start incorporating running. There are actually different ways to do this. Runners can supercharge their routine by picking an uphill track, covering the same distance within a shorter time, and increasing mileage. If you are doing cardio circuits, do more reps and challenge yourself to do each circuit within a shorter period of time with less or no rest period in between sets.

Time yourself.

This is a good way to stay on track. For example, do mountain climbers for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. Then do as many burpees as you can for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. Then crank out as many squats as you can for another 20 seconds. And so on.

Timing your workout is also an important way of tracking your progress. For instance, you start with a 15-second plank. When you get comfortable with that, you move to a 20-second plank and then 30 and finally a 1-minute plank.

Your timer should tell you whether you’re workout is too short or too long. It also tells when to stop.