Do you want to see results from your exercise sessions? Regardless of your goals, results are only achievable with the right intensity. Walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes will do nothing compared to running for the same amount of time. The more intense your workouts are, the quicker you will see results. So, here are a few ways to increase intensity in your workouts:
Extend duration of workouts
This is an easy place to start, and it is particularly relevant if you do a lot of steady-state cardio. Instead of running for 30 minutes, extend your workout to 45 or 60 minutes. The extra minutes of running or cycling or rowing will make a huge difference. All of a sudden, your workouts require more endurance, making them a lot tougher. You could supplement this with some nitric oxide formula, which is shown to help improve your endurance, allowing you to work out for longer and at a higher intensity. Generally speaking, the longer your workouts are, the harder they’ll be.
Try interval training
Interval training is a wonderful addition to any workout routine. The concept is a simple one: You train for a period, then you rest for a period. An example of this is one minute of work followed by one minute of rest. The benefit of interval training is that it allows you to attack your workouts with maximum intensity. You can go as hard as possible for the minute of work, rest, and recover during the minute of rest. You’ll be amazed at how intense this type of training is, and it’s actually shown to be great at helping you lose weight. Part of this is owing to the fact you are working out with more intensity.
Add some resistance
Finally, you can up the ante by adding extra resistance to your training sessions. The simplest way to do this is by adding some extra weight. If you find it too easy to do 10 reps of a shoulder press with the current weight you’ve chosen, then move up to a heavier pair of dumbbells. This makes your muscles work harder, boosting the intensity. The same applies to cardio workouts as well – you can add some resistance here. Put on a weighted vest or backpack, and you suddenly have more resistance to work against. Or, if you’re running outside with a lot of space, you can use a resistance parachute type thing. This opens up behind you as you run, adding air resistance and making it feel like you’re pulling weight behind you.
Intensifying workouts is that simple
That’s literally all you have to do to increase intensity in your workouts. Play around with the duration, consider implementing interval training, and always add more resistance. One of the main reasons people don’t see results is that they simply aren’t trying hard enough. If you want to lose weight or build muscle, you have to train with a high level of intensity. Yes, it will hurt a lot more than if you took things easy. But, as the old saying goes, no pain no gain! Do always check with your trusted healthcare professional — you want to improve your health not make it worse!
Living larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life