Written by Tim Rigby and Brought to you by PVL Supplements
You know that doing cardio in some form is required to get really ripped, but do you embrace it or reluctantly grind through it, eagerly yearning for the end of your workout? Fear not, Inside Fitness Nation, for help is at hand. It’s really not as difficult as you think to break up the monotony and simplicity of a workout dedicated exclusively to cardio, while still getting excellent results. So, let’s jump right in:
1: RACE YOURSELF, DON’T PACE YOURSELF
While there are benefits to performing steady-state aerobic activity (after all, you’ll still burn some calories), the advantages of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and racing yourself to beat your own record over the same distance can be very rewarding for incinerating fat. Knowing as we do that metabolism is a 24-hour a day function, give due consideration to the majority of the day when you’re not actually training. Isn’t it better to have a more efficient metabolism that remains revved up, long after you’ve rotated the bike pedal for the last time? That’s what interval training or varying the intensity (especially at the end of your session) can do for you. Be sure to take advantage of the fact that this principle applies to just about every form of cardio you can think of – even if you’re just walking – since you can vary it up from a slow stroll to a brisk near-jog.
2: GET IT OVER WITH EARLY
At the beginning of the day, when our energy levels are freshest, is arguably the best time of day for you to perform cardio. The difference between a 7:00am training session and a 7:00pm training session can be monumental, in terms of performance. With the added energy in the morning, you should be able to reduce the time of the workout, since you’ll be in a position to train with greater intensity. We highly recommend training on an empty stomach as well, since you’ll be more apt to burn fat and not stored carbs. If you wait until the evening, not only might you be tired, but you’ll be burning off the energy derived from three meals (2,000 to 3,000 calories consumed). Early morning fasted cardio has been a favourite technique of the most shredded bodybuilders in the world, so keep this protocol in your arsenal too.
3: PERFORM CARDIO SESSIONS MORE OFTEN
“Ugh!” you moan. “More cardio?” Indeed, you can make cardio sessions seem less like a grind if you perform them more often. The secret is to make them shorter. This is because when you perform cardio and reach a state of fatigue, the drop-off in energy is usually much more abrupt than when you perform resistance training. You can avoid this, however, and give yourself a big psychological boost if you never hit that drop-off. Therefore, do cardio for only 15-20 minutes each session, four times a week, rather than 30-40 minutes twice a week. With greater repetition comes confidence, plus it will seem less like a chore. Knowing that the effort required is not as great, you’ll likely become more enthusiastic about it too.
4: USE UNFAMILIAR EQUIPMENT AND GET CREATIVE
When most people get a gym membership, they usually have a pre-conceived notion of what their favourite equipment is and look for it. To those who’ve gotten accustomed to performing cardio over many years, this often entails a perception that our options are limited to just the treadmill, stationary bike or Stairmaster, and we don’t disagree that these can certainly be monotonous slogs from time to time. However, do yourself a favour and discover what else your gym has to offer. You may find rowing machines and ergometers, elliptical trainers, recumbent bikes and mechanical stairs. Let’s also not forget spinning bikes and punching bags which can help you slaughter calories with punches and kicks.
5: PLAY A SPORT AND DO AWAY WITH CARDIO IN-SEASON
Playing sports – be it individual or on a team – can be an enormously effective tool for making you sweat, elevating your heart rate and obliterating fat. Here in Canada, the most popular sports played are excellent for accomplishing these goals, whether you choose to play hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball, rugby, tennis, cycling, running or swimming, just to list a few examples. Once you develop a proficiency in your sport and your endurance builds, you might even get to a level where it’s not necessary for you to cardio train in the gym at all!To kickstart your recovery from cardio workouts and enhance your endurance consistently, be sure to consume GLUTAMINE GOLD+ from PVL®, both post-workout and on non-training days. This is much more than glutamine (the most abundant amino acid in your body), as it comes with L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine plus 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C for an extraordinary antioxidant effect!