Whether your cardio preference, be it running outdoors, on a treadmill or elliptical at the gym, or on a piece of cardio equipment in your home gym, it’s easy for your workouts – and success – to stagnate over time. Here are some tips for better cardio workouts.
- Add Sprints to your workout: Instead of working out at a constant pace, add some bursts at a faster pace into your workout. Not only do sprints help to reduce belly fat, you’ll become faster & stronger while burning extra calories!
- Don’t forget to use your arms!: When you’re on a treadmill, it’s tempting to try to keep your balance by holding onto the handrails – or at the very least, keep your arms at your sides. If you swing your arms, that extra movement also helps to burn calories while also toning your arms as well!
- When you have more time – take more time!: Working out isn’t always fun. It’s always tempting to get that cardio workout done as quickly as possible. There are times where you’re pressed for time, so it makes sense to get your workout done in 30 minutes. But, those times where you have an extra 15-30 minutes, don’t cheat yourself – take that time and extend your workout. Even adding 5 minutes to your workout when you have extra time means extra calories burned!
- Add weight training to your workouts!: Cardio is designed to burn calories through movement. But adding some weight training to your workouts during the week, helps you to not only tone your body, but build muscle as well. The more muscle you have, the more your metabolism picks up – burning more fat. And, you’ll get stronger for your cardio workouts as well!.
- Mix it up!: Don’t limit yourself to only one type of cardio. If you run 3 times per week, try changing it to two times, and add cycling instead to one of your workouts. This cross training targets different muscles, which will help you build extra endurance & strength. Additionally, this can help you avoid getting bored with your workouts, while also helping to avoid repetitive stress injuries.
- Increase the difficulty of your workouts!: Do things that make your workouts harder. If you’re running on a treadmill, add some incline to your next workout. If you are cycling, stand rather than sit during your next workout. Regardless of the type of cardio you do – try picking up the pace a bit. The harder your work, the more you’ll benefit in the long run!
Looking for ways to do cardio in your home? Have you thought about getting cardio equipment for your home gym? Learn more on how you can find the perfect piece of cardio equipment for your home at any of Fitness 4 Home Superstore’s three Valley locations!
