With the busy and complicated schedules that everyone has, working out often becomes less of a priority. Your life is no doubt filled with obligations and a horde of responsibilities, and when you finally get time to exercise you want to make it an effective one. Whether working out is already an essential part of your daily life or you are trying to become more active, here are a few things that you can do to improve any routine.
Combine Cardio and Weight Training
Some people think that cardio is sufficient to lose weight because they don’t want to be muscular. The reality is that with only cardio, you can start to lose muscle. You may even experience a drop in your metabolism and start to gain weight or not lose any at all. If you are new to weight lifting, you only need about a few sessions a week and they don’t have to be for the entire session. Focus on at least 15 minutes to start. As you get used to it, you will find that you can go for longer periods.
You can choose whether to allocate a day’s workout to both cardio and weights, or you can do them separately on different days. Just be sure to take a minimum break of 24 hours in between the same muscle groups if you like to work out every day. For instance, train your arms, shoulders, and back every second day, and your stomach and legs on the alternating days.
Performance Supplements
Don’t just go and buy any random supplement that you see on the shelf advertising all sorts of wonderful things. There are plenty of supplements that will do exactly what you need – you just need to look around and do your own research. Creatine, for example, helps to increase your body’s energy production. It’s essential if you add any weight training into your routine. Your body already produces creatine, but supplements can help to increase the levels if you are naturally low on the substance.
Another great option that has countless benefits is turkesterone. It’s a type of ecdysteroid, which can help with exercise endurance and decrease your recovery time. Turkesterone can even help fight depression and anxiety, promote better sleep, and may help improve memory. Other supplements to consider are the naturally occurring citrulline, nitrate, and chain amino acids. If you want to maximize your workout, these supplements will be the biggest help in giving you that extra boost.
Incorporate High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Doing just three sessions of HIIT per week can improve your performance and help you get past a plateau. HIIT is a form of cardio that seriously gets your heart pumping. It has been proven to burn 25% more calories than a moderately paced run or cycle for the same length of time. The added stress to your body during high-intensity intervals increases your metabolic rate. Another study showed that your body switches to using fat stores for energy rather than carbs.
Start with a five-minute warm-up by walking or cycling at a slow to moderate pace. After the warm-up, pick up the pace for one minute and then sprint for 30 seconds. Go back to a moderate pace for one minute and then race as hard as you can for another half minute. For HIIT to be effective you need to be putting all your effort into the intervals when you work out the hardest. After a while, you will notice that the length of the high-intensity intervals will increase, allowing you to go for longer on the bike or treadmill.
It doesn’t take much to increase your workout routines and improve your performance. You just have to be willing to try a few things. You might even find that you enjoy these more intense workouts because you will reap the benefits much faster.
