Cardio is an important part of physical fitness plans, but it can also be boring and time-consuming. People on physical fitness plans for muscle and strength often leave it out, and even those who want to lose weight hate to do it. Fortunately, cardio doesn't have to involve long, monotonous treadmill sessions. In fact, there are much better ways to stay lean and get in shape. Here are a few of the best ways to add cardio to your physical fitness plan.
Intervals
Want a great workout in under fifteen minutes? Interval sprints are an ideal way to add cardio to your routine without taking up a lot of time. Head over to the nearest track with a stopwatch, and do fifteen-second sprints. If you really want to reap the benefits, you've got to run all-out! After each sprint is done, walk or jog for forty-five seconds and repeat for ten total rounds.
You won't burn a ton of calories in that short amount of time, but the intensity of the work will boost your metabolism for hours afterwards. This type of exercise is tough, but it's far more efficient than slaving away on a machine for hours on end. Just make sure you allow time for adequate recovery â€" two or three interval sessions per week is plenty.
Barbell Complexes
If you hate running â€" or you just don't have time to hit the track â€" barbell complexes are another way to get an intense, quick conditioning workout. Find yourself a corner in the gym, and load up a barbell with a very light weight. If you've never done this before, an empty bar may actually be fine. Then do five rounds of the following:
10 push presses
10 squats
10 rows
10 deadlifts
Don't rest in between exercises or rounds, and don't even let go of the bar! This may look easy on paper, but you will be winded like never before when you're done. Once this routine becomes easy, you can add more rounds, more reps, more weight, and more exercises â€" there are tons of ways to use barbell complexes in your physical fitness plan.
10 squats
10 rows
10 deadlifts
Don't rest in between exercises or rounds, and don't even let go of the bar! This may look easy on paper, but you will be winded like never before when you're done. Once this routine becomes easy, you can add more rounds, more reps, more weight, and more exercises â€" there are tons of ways to use barbell complexes in your physical fitness plan.
Hill Sprints
Are regular intervals too easy for you? Want a real test of toughness? If you've got a big, steep hill in your area, you're in luck. Hill sprints may be the best all-around builder of conditioning and mental strength. Simply start at the bottom and sprint up as fast as you can. Your rest period will be the time it takes you to walk back down. How many rounds you do will depend on the size of your hill, but make sure you're constantly challenging yourself with more runs and a quicker pace.
Faster Workouts
Even if you're focusing on pure strength and muscle-building in your physical fitness program, you can probably stand to pick up the pace in the gym. Most people waste a lot of time between their sets, but quickly alternating between different exercises is a great way to get in better shape. Just pair exercises that won't interfere with each other, like bench presses and rows. You don't need to turn every workout into a cardio session, but if you're not sweating when you lift weights â€" you're going too slow! The best physical fitness plan is one that incorporates strength AND conditioning.
http://goarticles.com/article/How-to-Add-Cardio-to-Your-Physical-Fitness-Plan/6440416/
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