People in Houston, TX, realize that to get everything accomplished, they need to move fast and hustle. That can play havoc on your breathing and test your endurance. There are four types of fitness: strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance. Endurance has to do with your cardiovascular strength. It’s the ability of the heart and lungs to provide oxygen for the body. All types of exercise are excellent but for improving your cardiovascular strength, some are better than others.
Move more and move faster.
Sitting all day won’t help you get fitter. You need to move more. If you don’t do anything, start taking walks. Walk as fast as possible and get your heart pumping. You can alternate between a recovery pace and an intense pace. It’s a technique called high intensity interval training—HIIT. It will build your endurance faster than doing any exercise at a steady pace. HIIT workouts are particularly beneficial for building cardiovascular strength.
You need muscular endurance, too.
If you wear out after lifting a milk jug, it’s time to add some strength training to your program. Muscular endurance requires strength. You build that strength by regularly lifting heavier items. If you’re completely out of shape, start slowly. Use lightweight dumbbells to start or empty water bottles for weights if you don’t have traditional dumbbells. As you get stronger, fill the bottles fuller, so they weigh more. Focus on form initially. Improper form can cause injury or diminish the benefits.
Start every workout with warm-up exercises.
Warm-up exercises increase your circulation and prepare the muscles to work harder. They should use the same muscles you’re about to use as your primary exercise. If you’re going to run, walk around, or do hamstring stretches and other exercises that work the lower body. After the workout, do a few stretches. The muscles are warmed and loose, making it the perfect time to increase your range of motion. Even if you don’t stretch, cool-down exercises are vital. It prevents the blood from pooling in your extremities, which can cause fainting.
- Include explosive movements in your workout. Frog squat jumps, squat thrusts, and burpees are good endurance tests. Use the stairs as an exercise tool. See how many times you can run up and down them.
- Go dancing. If you’re out of shape, you’ll still get a workout slow dancing, but as you get fitter, add in the fast songs, too. If dancing in public isn’t your thing, turn on the music at home and dance.
- Do planks while you’re watching TV. When you get up for a snack, lunge walk your way to the kitchen, or do a combination of lunge walking and squats.
- Do full-body workouts. Kettlebell workouts are one example. Compound exercises are also beneficial for endurance. They work several muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments at once.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym