Get the Most from Your Cardio Workouts

Cardio training is one of the best things to do to get fit, lean and healthy. Cardio training improves the cardiovascular system and helps the heart to beat more efficient and slower. Participating in regular cardio workouts will also help you burn fat and get the body of your dreams.

Cardiovascular exercise is considered as an integral part of any weight-loss program. Also referred to as aerobic exercise, it generally involves the major muscle groups specifically those in the leg area. Aside from that, it also puts your lungs to good use and greatly improves your heart’s performance.

Many benefits can be derived from these workouts, because it allows you to lose calories and unwanted fat. It can also lower blood pressure and protect you from hypertension. No doubt any fitness trainer will agree that a great fitness plan should have cardio exercises thrown in the mix.

Challenge Is the Magic Word:
Any fitness routine can become boring after a while, and cardio exercises are no exception.
The answer?
Challenge yourself to a series of variations. This will not only encourage you to overcome boredom, but it will make you appreciate a whole range of cardio routines. For instance, you could schedule one day for treadmill sessions and the next day on the stationary bike, the next walking outside.

Follow the Golden Rule:
Protect yourself from harm and injury by following the golden rule of workouts, and that is to do standard warm-up and cool-down sessions. Any cardio routine is useless if you do not abide by this.

Interval Cardio:
Want more bang for your exercise buck? Interval cardio training is an awesome addition to any strength-training routine because it burns a ton of calories, works the cardiovascular system, and builds muscle. It's all about doing short bursts of cardio with an intense amount of effort. You should do intervals in between your weight-training exercises if you want to really maximize your workout.

Here are two of my favorite interval cardio moves to get you started:
Mountain Climbers:
Start in a plank position on the floor, with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your right knee and, with a springing movement, bring your right thigh under the right side of your torso. Quickly spring back to the starting position while jumping your left knee forward under your torso. Repeat, keeping your pace as fast as possible. Besides being a cardiovascular exercise, this move trains the chest, shoulders, lower abs, and transverse abs.

Squat Thrusts:
Start in a plank position on the floor, with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees and jump both feet toward your hands so that you're in a crouching position. Quickly jump both feet back behind you to the starting position. Repeat, making sure you keep your abs tight — and don't let your lower back sag or drop.

Remember, "Interval" is the key word here. These exercises are meant to be done in 30-second to 5-minute bursts, not half-hour sessions. The exercises are demanding, so warm up before doing them.

Last thing that I want to talk about is improvement. You should always aim to improve on your last workout. Make it a little faster and a little longer each time. This is important to do because as you consistently improve session by session your fitness will get better session by session. Go ahead, give it a try…you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve!