Improve Your Endurance

Article by Gerald Fitz

Endurance is part of any sport or workout and is a sign of good health. To build endurance you should participate in activities that go on for an extensive period of time. Just like with any instrument, the best way to improve your endurance is to practice. This means finding a good workout level that you can handle for a long time but that also still pushes you and causes you to improve. Be careful of finding the right balance so you do not cause injury to yourself on accident. A good way to monitor is by checking your heart rate. The American Heart Association has said that your safe maximum heart rate is generally 220 beats per minute minus your age. So a 30 year old should not go above 190 beats per minute. Your target heart rate is about half of that up to 85% but build up gradually to that. Listen to your body and be safe about workouts.

A great way to get in endurance workouts is by utilizing the gym. Some people prefer to go running on their own or participate in exercise videos at home, but oftentimes going to the gym gives that extra boost of motivation. Set a specific time to go (hopefully everyday) and don’t let anything get in the way of those plans. Join classes that push your endurance such as aerobics or spinning, and set specific goals for yourself when working out on your own in the gym. Creating a circuit or interval plan is a good way to get in a variety of different types of exercises and still work on endurance. Your interval plan might include warm up, squats, intense cardio, light cardio, bicep curls, lunges, and cool down. Feel free to switch up your workout often to avoid your body becoming used to the workout and your improvements coming to a standstill. Find exercises that work for you and your goals.

An important part of building up endurance is building the muscle that makes endurance possible. This is why muscle training is also a good initial step. When starting out, do some endurance, some muscle. Working your muscle is similar to endurance. You want to push yourself but not cause damage to the muscle. This is why warm up and cool down periods are so crucial. Don’t forget to let your muscles have resting periods. It is smart to take a day off in between muscle training so as not to overdo it. Another part of building up muscle is getting enough protein to be able to do so. Without sufficient protein, you will not gain as rapidly or successfully. Protein works as both a muscle builder and a fuel for the body to work more. Meats, beans, nuts, and seeds are all high in protein. A good idea for protein intake is whey protein. You might not be getting all the protein you need from your normal diet and whey protein shakes before the gym are a good way to go.

Special guest Feature Trainer, RICARDO GUZMAN, of Weekend Warrior Boot Camp talks about Weekend Warrior Boot Camp and endurance workouts following his “Warrior Workout” explosive endurance training fitness technique. IN THIS CLIP: Ricardo talks to you about fitness adventures and his Weekend Warrior Boot Camp program. Check out Ricardo’s WEEKEND WARRIOR BOOTCAMP: www.morningcrunch.com “She’s got LEGS” all legs toning workout for women target zones -Real HOLLYWOOD Trainer Real HOLLYWOOD TRAINER Dulcinea Lee Hellings with “She’s got LEGS” an all legs toning workout targeting female problem areas on the legs. IN THIS CLIP: Dulcie takes you through the second part of the leg sculpting workout. Watch Dulcinea’s weekly workout show. Real Hollywood Trainer airs Mondays at 9am PST on www.realhollywoodtrainer.com or on The MomTV Network www.momtv.com SHOW INFORMATION: NAME: Real Hollywood Trainer TIME: Every Monday from 9-10am PST FORMAT: 40 min workout, 20 minute chat/discussion Real Hollywood Trainer:Dulcinea Lee Hellings www.realhollywoodtrainer.com www.morningcrunch.com Watch Dulcinea’s new weekly workout show. Real Hollywood Trainer airs Mondays at 9amPST on www.realhollywoodtrainer.com or on The MomTV Network www.momtv.com