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Intense cardio is a loved form of exercise that a lot of people enjoy. These satisfying exercises offer quite a bit of challenge and require a good amount of preparation to get done right. If you’ve been wondering about how to prepare for an intense cardio session – here is everything you need to know!
1. Make Sure and Warm Up
This is a crucial part of any high-intensity workout. It’s important to prepare for success in your workout by limbering up your body and warming up your muscles and joints. The whole point of a high-intensity cardio workout is to push yourself to the limit. Unlike weight training which can be slow and methodical, intense cardio sessions shoot your heart rate up at mock speeds and will have you panting for breath.
As you progress in your training, you’ll start to gradually notice things like your strength, stamina, and endurance begin to grow. Eventually, you will start to see yourself be able to go stronger for longer, and you will start to set new personal bests. A huge part of this process is always going to be accepting the current stage you are in. If your goal is to learn how to do an intense 30-minute HIIT workout every day, you have to be okay with starting out at the fifteen or twenty-minute mark.
Warming up before an intense workout serves to not only prepare your body for the stress it’s about to be put under, but also gives you chance to practice self-acceptance. Take the time during your warm-up to set your expectation, feel your body, and come to peace with your performance. Not only will a warm-up give you the physical preparation you need, but it will also help give you the mindset you need to reach your goals and succeed.
2. Use a Pre-Workout
One of the best ways to effectively conquer your high-intensity cardio sessions is with a great pre-workout. Pre-workouts are commonly used by gym enthusiasts and claim to give people the boost of stamina, strength, and endurance they need to get in a good workout. When it comes to training with high-intensity cardio, a pre-workout can be a powerful tool.
Pre-workouts are great for cardio training because they focus on helping the body better oxygenate muscles. This happens by dilating blood vessels and improving the body’s ability to deliver oxygenated blood more naturally. During a workout when your muscles are operating at max capacity, this extra blood flow and oxygen will be noticeable.
Not only that but using a pre-workout can also give you important natural compounds like creatine and caffeine that can help boost your body’s natural energy pathways. A pre-workout helps to naturally condition the body with organic ingredients for the strain and stress that it’s about to undergo.
A high-quality pre-workout is not a wonder drug and should never contain things like artificial flavors and dyes. The organic and natural ingredients of a pre-workout can help you maintain your strength and stamina during a workout in noticeable, healthy ways.
3. Invest in Proper Footwear
When it comes to cardio, one of the most important tools you need to have is a good set of shoes. Yes, it can be easy to try and find excuses to not give a workout your all, or cut corners, but if you don’t have the right kind of shoes you may not be able to have a fulfilling workout. Cardio happens entirely on your feet and requires a lot of movement. This means your footwear should be proficient in helping you achieve stability and balance in the midst of intense movement.
The tread and sole are important factors when it comes to proper footwear. If your intense cardio workout is a distance run, then get thinner, lighter tread for pavement, or thicker tread for trail running will have a big impact. The same goes for cleated shoes versus non-cleated shoes for sports like soccer. If you are exercising on turf of any kind, having cleats could make all the difference in your performance.
4. Light Stretching
It may seem confusing, but stretching is slightly different from warming up. While most warm-up routines include some form or level of stretching, this is something you shouldn’t invest too much time in before an intense session. Warming up helps to limber the muscles and joints, and stretching helps to alleviate tension.
The danger in focusing a lot of energy during your pre-workout time with stretching is that you can easily get tired. Stretching has a calming, soothing effect which is what makes it so enjoyable after a workout. Keeping your stretching light before a workout can help you prepare to expend as much energy in it as possible.
Conclusion
Cardio workouts are a lot of fun and incredibly good for your health. Using these four easy steps, you can prepare your body to get the most out of your cardio workouts as possible.