Quick Tips to Maximize Your Cardio Workout Posted By : Brian Murray

Who doesn't want the maximum benefits possible from a cardio workout? The time you spend at the gym or on your home treadmill is precious; it's time you take away from friends and family and more enjoyable hobbies. Which means of course you want to get the most out of it! What's the point of following through with a cardio workout at all if you don't get any benefits from that workout or aren't getting the maximum benefits you can? Unfortunately some do seem to go through routine after routine and yet still see no weight loss or notice they're still gaining weight. So how can you maximize your cardio workout so that you burn the most calories and lose the most weight, or maintain the weight you have now? Here are some simple tips to remember.



First, remember that if you do the same cardio workout over and over again you may be training the same muscles, so they become toned and therefore don't work as hard each time. This means the same cardio workout will burn fewer and fewer calories over time. A good way around this is to mix up your routine with different equipment and with weight training as well. Add in a Pilates routine or try an elliptical trainer if you always just use a treadmill. Dust off your bicycle and go for a long ride rather than walking all the time. If you do walk, increase the pace so you're really pushing yourself. These things will make your cardio workout more challenging overall and therefore you'll lose more weight as well. Your body will burn more calories each time and your metabolism will increase.



Also, it's good to do what you can to help out your cardio workout. Do you lift weights or try any resistance training? If not, it's time to try it as building muscle will increase your metabolism as well. The body works harder to support muscles than it does fat, constantly feeding and nourishing them. That means you burn more calories even when at rest when you have more muscle mass or tone, so add in resistance training to your cardio workout. There's no need to think you should look like a bodybuilder or go overboard in this direction, but just fifteen to twenty minutes of resistance training a few times per week can really help to maximize your routine.



Supplements can also help your cardio workout. Green tea has been shown to increase your metabolism, as does chromium. These can help you to get the maximum benefits from any cardio workout routine. You can also try protein supplements since they will help to build muscle which in turn can rev up your metabolism. There are many ways you can maximize your cardio workout routine if you take care to do just that. So don't give up even if you're not getting the most benefit quite yet; just do what you can to improve and you're sure to have success!

You should not be embarrassed about wanting to get into better shape. You can shed those pounds with proven workouts like P90X and Insanity!