subject: Efficient Cardiovascular Workouts In No More Than Twenty Minutes [print this page] The ideal exercise session is one that combines strength training and some variety of cardiovascular exercise. But not everybody agrees - a lot of people hate doing cardio exercise and will concoct any pretext not to do it. A popular justification is not having adequate of time. I will show you how you can spend just 20 minutes on a cardio workout and still reap the benefits.
But you may ask yourself, is it important that you add cardiovascular exercise to your exercise routine? The paybacks from strength training are clear as you will build muscle and muscle tone. This makes you healthier, leaner, stronger and generally more attractive too. Listed below is a short list benefits you can get using cardiovascular exercise:
- You will reduce your level of tension.
- You will burn calories and that leads to weight loss.
- You will make your heart and lungs strong.
- You will reduce your risk of certain diseases.
- You will reduce depression and increase your confidence as you take positive steps to improve your health.
- You will have more get up and go all the way through the day.
- You will sleep better, perhaps in large part because you recognize that you are doing something positive for yourself.
In short, adding cardiovascular exercise to your workout routine improves your health and well-being which leads to an enhanced quality of life. Combine this with strength training and you're on your way to feeling great.
So what is the secret to doing all of this and reaping these benefits from cardio training in only 20 minutes per workout? It's called Interval Training and it can be applied to many different types of cardio exercises to include walking, boxing, running, biking and more.
Simply put, the concept is shorter workouts, but higher intensity. We can accomplish this by pushing hard for a short period of time, two minutes for example and then slowing down for the next two minutes. If you replicate this cycle four more times then you will have your 20 minutes. You could also do one minute hard, one minute easy and then repeat this nine more times. Consider this example: running.
Interval training is perfect for running. Whether you are working out on a treadmill or running outdoors, it is the same routine. Start out with a warm up jog followed by two minutes of a difficult pace. This will not be your all out because you have to keep it up for two minutes, but a pace that will be very testing for you. You then follow this with two minutes of either a walk or a very slow jog. Repeat four more times and you've got yourself an effective cardio workout in barely 20 minutes.
If you have ever used exercise equipment in the hotel mini-gym while traveling, you have probably used this concept without realizing it because a lot of machines will offer different programs such as going up and down hills. Hard going up the hill but easier on the downslope. This idea can be applied to many different forms of cardio exercise: two minutes hard, two minutes easy, repeat four more times. Or one minute hard, best minute easy, repeat nine more times.
One more important concept is self-monitoring. The best piece of equipment for this purpose is the strapless heart rate monitor watch. Know at any time exactly how your body is performing so you can fine tune this exercise regimen using this lightweight, convenient and simple to operate device. A strapless heart rate monitor watch will let you know if you are getting your pulse rate high enough for you to benefit from cardio training but not so high as to cause physical problems.
So just try it! You will get your blood flowing, your heart pumping and get all the benefits cardiovascular exercise has to offer in merely 20 minutes per day.
