3 Tips to Improve Your Cardiovascular Fitness

Get motivated to ramp up your cardio routine.

It is common practice for many people to enter the gym, and grudgingly get on a treadmill or cross trainer for their cardio work. Let's face it, cardio work can be a drag at times. Finding ways to to get more enthused about the process can inspire you to excel during this part of your exercise routine, and also make the time appear to pass more quickly.

So how can you make your time on the treadmill (or any piece of cardio equipment for that matter) more exciting? Listening to an MP3 or watching the TV monitor seems to be the standby for most, but if you're looking for something a littlle more motivational consider giving these 3 tips a try to put the bounce back into your cardio routine step.

Tip 1: Try HIIT Training:

The principle here essentially would be jogging for two minutes, sprinting for one, or jogging for one minute, sprinting for 30 seconds, and so on, you can alter the formula to suit your needs and ability. You do not need to do more than 20 minutes as the emphasis here is to get your heart rate up and down in a speedy fashion, which is great for fat burning.

* This method can be translated onto any piece of cardio equipment.

Tip 2: Set A Goal:

Don’t let your mind wander away when using cardio equipment, as this can take away from the intensity of your efforts. Every piece of cardio equipment will give you a reading of the distance you have covered. So why not set a goal of trying to beat the distance you may have covered the previous session in the same allotted period of time.

Eg: 5 miles/ 8km – covered in 30 minutes on the treadmill. So during the next session try to cover a larger distance.

Tip 3: Get Your Heart Racing:

Most cardio machines will have a heart rate sensor which is activated when you place your hands upon them. Ensure you are working within your target heart rate and pushing yourself by placing your hands on these sensors. Make sure your heart rate does not drop below your maximum heart rate.

To calculate your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) use the following formulas.

• Male athletes - MHR = 202 - (0.55 x age)
• Female athletes - MHR = 216 - (1.09 x age)

Give these tips a go and continue and alternate between each one to make things interesting and exciting.

Source: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-tips/3-tips-improve-your-cardio-work