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

Jump Rope Plan

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.

Tags: cardio, Fitness, heart rate, routine, running, workout

May 10, 2008 | Filed Under Fitness Tips | 4 Comments

Stair Running Training Plan

Stair Running image by Jack Brodus
If you like the idea of climbing stairs for exercise, and would like to take it to a much higher level, Former Fat Guy has a stair training plan to help you get in shape fast - stair running for fat loss.

Of course, stair running is not for the beginner - follow an aerobic training program first so that you build up your cardio strength to a level where you can jog continuously without too much effort for 15 to 20 minutes non-stop before giving stair running a go.

And you need a good flight stairs to use, Former Fat Guy suggests 20 to 30 stairs are about right.

After warming up by walking up and down the flight of stairs for 5 minutes you can start sprinting up the stairs then walking down repeating 3 to 5 times.

And if you want more after that he suggests more sets, more stairs or adding a weighted vest.

Stair running is great for getting super fit and for fat burning and if you want to feel motivated to do it you can always pretend you’re Rocky Balboa in training in that famous scene on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art with music “Gonna Fly Now”blasting out in the background….