Work out faster, work out better.
We all know that it is better to do something than nothing. However you don’t always have the time that you would like to spend in the gym. In this case to keep the effect of burning fat and incidentally lose those extra pounds that you’d like in the workouts you need to work around your tight schedule and make it happen. One way is to give your metabolism a boost by going the way of efficiency of your workouts.
Here are some ways that you can boost your metabolism and burn more calories in a shorter amount of time than a conventional longer time workout session:
Interval Cardio Training
Having cardio sessions done at a steady pace for longer periods of time does improve your stamina, but it is not uncommon that at some point your body just gets used to it and you hit a plateau. One way of mixing it up is instead of doing the usual all the time (walks, jogs, cycling or treadmill) mix those cardio routines with some high intensity bursts. The secret of being successful is alternating periods of effort with low intensity recovery segments which will increase the fat and calorie burning. What I mean by that is the next time you are on the treadmill, after a good 5 minutes warm-up by a light jog do 15 times 30 seconds of sprinting followed by a slow walk and finish with a 5 minutes cool down. You will be surprised that by this you are not only breaking up the monotony of the long period of boring jog but also increase the calorie burn during and very important after workout.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Almost the same as the previous one, but instead of having a cardio type effort you will do workout specific moves. You can increase the amount of calories you burn by adding a 4 minutes Tabata-style workout in your training. This method consists of bursts of maximum effort for 20 seconds followed by a 10 second resting period, for 4 minutes. This will raise your heart rate to the ceiling, studies showing this will not only increase your anaerobic capacity but your aerobic capacity as well, if you perform it few times a week.
Put some meat on
You should not be afraid to give weight training a try; and ladies no, this will not turn you into a she-hulk. However, muscle weighing more than fat, the more muscle you have the heavier your body will be and that requires more calories to keep it moving. Some get in the gym grab some weights and start lifting them! To burn fat, the best combination is cardio and weights training. Weight training will built and sculpt your muscles and cardio will burn of the fat and get your body looking lean and toned.
Increase Resistance
By increasing resistance on either machine you are working on be it bicycle or treadmill by increasing the incline you will get different groups of muscles, and especially if you get the big muscle groups like your glutes that use a huge amount of energy to get working which means you burn trough a lot of calories.
Burn some calories outdoors
Whether is colder or hotter outside try as much as possible to get some workouts outdoors. The increased quantity of fresh air makes a big difference in the oxygen burning process that takes place in the muscle cells. Not to mention that you end up running against the wind or up the hill ads that increase in resistance that we were talking about earlier without you realizing it. Nothing gives you more satisfaction than being able to get to the top of the hill and act Rocky like with your hands in the air.
Get a partner
Finding someone to work out with, lifting heavier, and running faster than you, with get you work extra to keep up. You don’t want the embarrassment of looking like a sissy and give up or fall behind, do you? I releases that competitive edge inside of you and you will be stronger and more fit before you know it.
Get smart with you workouts
Off course going for a walk or a jog is much better than nod doing it at all and sit on the couch, so if you are doing it you might as well give it your 100% so you can expect 100% results from it. As a take away just work out smarter not necessarily longer. Set aside a half an hour for the workout a day, and make those minutes count. At the end of the day it is only about 2% of your day but it can have a dramatic impact.
Till next time,
Eric, Fitdaddy.ro