7 Tips for a Great Cardio Workout
1. Follow a Training Plan
If you have an effective and well thought out plan to follow (which matches your level of fitness) you are more likely to keep to it and less likely to injure yourself by doing too much too soon.
Don’t have a plan? Find one on the net like these great resources for example…
Cool Running Couch-to-5k training plan (This is the one I’m currently following – Week 6 day 2 just now)
Do it for Charity Cycling Training Guide
Alternatively borrow a book from the library or pay for a session with a personal trainer to help you formulate a workout schedule for the coming weeks.
2. Vary It
Cardio can get very boring if you do the same activities and use the same machines or follow the same routes every time – and besides, if you keep on doing the same old routine it does not challenge your body as well as it could.
Make the effort to switch around your activities, equipment and environment. Vary the intensity too – some long slower sessions, some interval training, some medium intensity, medium length sessions too.
3. Entertain Yourself
Add to your enjoyment by using music or tapes while you work out. Watch TV at the gym. A long session on the treadmill can go very quickly with your favorite show. Don’t forget to focus on what you’re doing too though.
4. Protect Yourself
Keep yourself safe and free from injury by wearing the right clothes and footwear and keeping to well-populated areas. If there’s a lot of traffic go easy on the music so you can hear as well as see vehicles approaching. Let someone know where you are going.
5. Eating
Wait a couple of hours after eating a full meal before working out. If you are too hungry to work out a light snack such as a banana can be enough to satisfy you before your session. Also you may find you get more out of an early morning work out if you have a light breakfast first.
If you want the full fat-burning effect of a cardio workout don’t eat straight after your session but wait an hour or so before having a meal.
6. Stay Hydrated
For a normal cardio session plain water is best. Before, during (depending on the length of your session) and after. Avoid sugar loaded sports drinks – you don’t need them. Good performance requires hydration not sugar.
7. Stretching
Don’t forget to do your stretches after your workout to avoid soreness. Doing a lot of cardio (and building muscle) can reduce flexibility – so stretching is essential. Also taking up something like yoga and practising on non-cardio days can be particularly beneficial in maintaining flexibility.
Bonus Tip : The main thing to have an effective cardio workout is just to “Do It” because chances are you will feel great whenever you do and not so great when you have avoided getting out there and getting it done for a week. Once you have a plan, log your workouts so that you can see you are making progress. A heart rate monitor too is a great tool for seeing how far you have come before you can even feel the difference.
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7 Responses to “7 Tips for a Great Cardio Workout”
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When it comes to cardio I think having a plan is very important. It can be pretty monotonous, and without having an idea of what you want to do it can be a waste of time. I think having a plan is also good for motivation. Using a routine and goals together can help with motivation and ensure that you don’t abandon your training.
I’m definitely finding that when I want to be lazy and not go running having a training plan is keeping me on track.
I just don’t want to fall behind and have to repeat weeks.
And I definitely want to be ready for the Race for Life charity event on 1st June.
Yikes – only 3 weeks away and my longest run/jog so far has been only 20 minutes! Still if I keep to my plan I’ll be ready.
Having an event in mind helps keep to a plan too
Jan
Having some type of event is a great way to keep to a training plan. After my dad finished cancer treatments he wanted to get back into shape. He signed up for a half-marathon where donations helped a cancer charity. Having the half-marathon to work towards really helped speed up his physical recovery. An event is great for someone who wants to maintain their shape or improve it.
7 Tips for a Great Cardio Workout…
7 different tips to improve cardio workout. Includes tips on how to stay motivated and how to get the best from a workout….
Hey, to the author of this post, thank you for posting a nice article.
I have learned a lot, since I am having my gym work (cardio and weight lifting) out for more than one month now. And just recently I was complaining that the ab part is the hardest part to develop and my instructor told me to do more cardio work out before weight lifting to burn those fats and have more energy.
But I just want to ask, if you dont mind, if you are just stayig at home, what cardio exercises can you do, those that we are familiar and easy to do exercises.
Thanks and Regards,
John
During the winter I give up on running and do more exercise at home. I don’t have room for a treadmill or elliptical trainer so I use one of the following ringing the changes to add some variety.
a) Reebok step
b) mini trampoline (rebounder)
c) hill walking (weekends when the weather is OK – not very often LOL)
Since August I have had a wii fit
too so i will use that this winter too.
The ideal cardio workout should get your heart rate going and provide aerobic exercise. During a warm up your heart rate should be between 50-60%. During your workout portion, this should increase to around 70-85%. If not, then you are not getting full benefit from your exercise routine. However, if you push your heart rate over 85% then you are probably working yourself too hard and your body will not benefit as much from this and in fact, can even do more harm than good.