Tag: Play Hard

They say it’s better to work smart than to work hard. But when it comes to your cardio workouts, that might not be the case.

Now, that doesn’t mean you should go out and do anything that’s dangerous, or that you should throw caution to the wind when performing your workouts. That’s not it.

However, it is erroneous to think that just because a certain machine or type of exercise is “easier” than another, and that you can even “do more” (supposedly), that you’ll get more benefit.

For instance, most folks can run a lot further on a treadmill or elliptical trainer than they can outside in the same exact amount of time – and it’s usually not as hard, either. But does that mean that more efficient, “easier” work did them more good?

Nope.

Ok, we know that to improve your cardio, there’s not going to be getting around doing hard work. Whether it’s Long Slow Distance (i.e. – jogging) and the “hard” part comes from how long it takes, or it’s High Intensity Interval Training (i.e. – sprinting), and the “hard” part comes from just how intense the work has to be, you’re going to be putting your effort in.

And don’t think that there are any shortcuts, either.

To increase your cardio, there are no technique improvements that will increase your aerobic or anaerobic capacities. You just have to do the work. And that means effort. And effort is hard.

While there might be certain exercises or methods of exercise that are more beneficial than others, the main thing that will give credence to your cardio workouts will be how much effort you’re putting in.

For example, walking and running are pretty much the same thing – one is just a much mroe intense version of the other. Same would go for doing a circuit of dumbbell complexes. You could do the exact same circuit with a pair of 50-pound dumbbells, or a pair of 2-pound dumbbells. Which one do you think will be harder?

You can’t really say that complex training is “more effective” than running, or vice versa, because it depends on how much effort you’re putting in. The complexes with 50-pound dumbbells will be much harder than walking. However, running at a good clip very well might be harder than doing complexes with 2-pound dumbbells.

See where this is going?

If you want to increase your cardio, you’re gonna have to work – and work hard.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.

For cardio workouts and workout plans that don’t need gyms, machines, or make you run a single step, check out

workingclasscardioworkout.com.

For more info on cardio workout

plans, click here.

If you check out the late-night infomercials, you’re likely to find a few trying to sell some sort of exercise gizmo, contraption, or program. Usually, these things are either ab gadgets, or cardio workout programs.

They all promise the same thing – a “perfect cardio workout”.

This is the workout that will get you instant results – pounds lost, inches dropped, smaller clothes worn…all with a 30-day money back guarantee.

There’s only one problem – there’s no such thing as a “perfect cardio workout”. There are workouts that work, and others that work really. Some cardio workouts even work really well for everybody. But nothing is “perfect” – at least not for everybody.

That doesn’t mean you can’t find your own personal perfect cardio workout, though. But what might a perfect cardio workout be?

Everything.

Now, I can hear some guy out there grumbling: Ok, what the hell is Everything supposed to mean? Fine. If you dont like that answer, how about this one: Nothing. Now, I can hear that same guy out there: Listen up, smart-guy Let me explain.

Lets look at another quick example. Have you ever seen somebody who just got a new workout routine (be it from magazine, internet, friend, etc.), and was all anxious to try it out, only to find that three or four weeks down the road, that he didnt make nearly the same gains as did the source he got it from did? The reason? Were all individual, thus we all respond to training differently.

Now, you might be wondering: What about that Everything and Nothing comment from before? Well, I say Everything, because just about any workout routine might be the perfect cardio workout but just for somebody else. I say Nothing, because you may actually never find your personal perfect cardio workout. Again, that DOES NOT mean you cant or wont make phenomenal gainsit just means youre routine may never be perfect.

How do you find your perfect cardio workout? The first thing to do is to start with a good, known to work program or methodology for a base. Using the basic tenants/facets of the program you choose, design and start using a basic program (relative to your training experience, of course) for yourself.

Once youve settled in some on your base routine, start to experiment. See what your body can and cant handle. Dont be afraid to push the envelope some (more people, I believe, undertrain than overtrain, but thats another topic). If youre still making gains, then continue to experiment. If your gains cease, go back and analyze your training (a training log can be helpful here) and figure out what changed and when they stopped. Adjust your routine accordingly.

Find your own perfect cardio workout. Once you begin to think for yourself and control your training, then thats when the really good gains will come.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.

You hear all the time about all the physical benefits of a good cardio workout plan.

By now, it’s probably all old-hat – fat loss, a stonger heart, better lung capacity, decreased risk of certain kinds of disease, etc. Blah, blah, blah. We’ve all heard it a zillion times.

But what about the psychological benefits of cardio training? How come nobody really talks about that?

Well, it’s likely because psychological benefits are much more subjective and harder to express with same sort of facts and figures. The kinds of numbers that can be calculated when it comes to cardio workout plans causing weight loss or reduced risk of heart disease are much more convincing.

Besdides, cardio workouts are physical, right? Right. So where does all this psycho-babble fit in?

Well, let’s take a look at this psycho-babble for a minute.

First of all, we’ve already established that a prperly performed cardio workout plan can help you lose weight, right? Well, would you feel better about yourself overall if you lost a few pounds and a few more inches? Nobody likes spending money, but spending money on new pants because the old ones are too big always feels good.

Then, there is temporary stress relief. Ever have a day where everything just went wrong, and you felt completely stressed out? And on any of these days, did you ever get a good workout (cardio or otherwise) in, only to find that you felt better afterward, because you worked some of that stress off? Bet you did. Well, now keep that going on a more regular basis.

Now, this is a physical thing, but nobody feels good when they’re tired. When your heart and lungs are in shape because you spend time on your cardio workout plan, your body has to work a lot less in a resting state to simply perform involuntary actions such as breathing, pumping blood through your body, and even digestion (which improved blood flow can help improve). Well, if you’re working less, that means you’re using less energy. Which means you’re less tired. Which translates into better chances of being less grumpy.

Looks like there might be something to this whole “cardio workouts put you in a better mental state” thing after all…

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.

My dad always told me that it was more effecient – and easier – to work smart instead of working hard. To do this, you want to always find the most effective way of doing something.

In most areas of life, I’d say that the lesson of working smart instead of hard is one of the most valuable lessons you can learn. However, such isn’t necessarily the case when it comes to your cardio workouts.

There are some areas of the fitness industry in which working smart vs. working hard has become quite a topic of discussion. Most of the time, this has been because somebody is backing or promoting something that supposedly lets you do more work. And if you’re doing more work, you’re getting more benefit, right?

Not necessarily.

I’ll come back to cardio workouts in a minute, but let’s look at strength training for a second. I can take virtually anybody that’s not a trained powerlifter and increase their bench press by as much as 20-30 lbs. in under 20 minutes.

A buddy of mine is a local strength coach and owns his own sports performance gym. He routinely take his athletes (usually high school kids) and adds a couple inches to their vertical jump in literally their first workout.

How are such gains possible? Is it because we’re amazing coaches?

No – it’s because we’ve taken trainees, and helped them use better technique. And with better technique, the trainee was able to lift more and jump higher. Are they really any stronger or more explosive? Not really – now they’re just a little better at expressing the strength and power they already have.

So, how does this apply to your cardio workouts?

Your body is an amazing machine, but there are things that even it can’t do. For example, when you’re strength training, your body has no idea what kind of weight it’s lifting – only that it’s working. Your body doesn’t know if it’s lifting a barbell, a dumbbell, or a sandbag. It only knows how hard it has to work.

Same goes for your cardio workouts.

It doesn’t matter if you’re running, jumping rope, or using a rowing machine. The impact and such on your body is one thing, but as far as improving your cardio goes, all your body knows is that it has to work hard.

How many times have you heard somebody say they like running on a treadmill because it’s “easier” than running on a track or through their neighborhood?

If it makes it “easier”, given the above, then doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose?

Just because you’ve got something (usually a machine) that makes your cardio “easy” or allows you to supposedly go further or do “more” in the same amount of time doesn’t mean you’re necessarily improving your cardio.

A simple rule of thumb – if you don’t feel like you worked hard enough, then you probably didn’t.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.

For cardio workouts and workout plans that don’t need gyms, machines, or make you run a single step, check out

workingclasscardioworkout.com.

For more info on cardio workout

plans, click here.

It’s no doubt that you’ve heard that a well-designed (and performed) cardio workout plan can give you more energy. The fact that it can has been a

major selling point by trainers, the health department, and PE teachers the world over as why you should be doing cardio workouts several

days/week.

Now, it takes energy to actually *do* your cardio workout plan, right? So, if you’re already tired, and it takes more energy to do the workout,

which means you’d have *less* energy than normal when you’re done, where does the more energy point kick in?

Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, does it?

Well, it’s kinda like business – you have to spend money to make money, right? You can’t make money by just sitting there and hoping it gets

better. Sometimes you have to make a small investment if you want to get ahead. The idea is that a wisely-placed small investment will be

multiplied by many times when it comes back to you.

It’s the same with your cardio workout plan.

The things that make you tired – being overweight, a heart that has to work too hard, poor posture, stress, etc. can all be taken care of, improved,

and solved by putting your time in on a proper cardio workout.

Sure, it’s not easy at first, but just like it seems like you’re losing money at first because you’re spending it, think of the time and energy you’re

putting in as an investment in your future physical and psychological well-being.

After you put the time in and get in better shape, you’ll feel better about yourself, whether it’s because you lost your gut and have to buy smaller

pants, or because you’re no longer embarassed to step on the scale at the doctor’s office.

Your heart will be stronger, as will your lungs, which means that when you’re “resting”, your body will actually be doing less work, which will take

less energy. You’ll also weigh less, and you know that makes you feel better.

So, the next time you dread your cardio workout plan, and don’t think you’re getting anywhere, remember that it’s a long-term process, and the small

investment you make now will pay off big-time in the end.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.