5 ways to make your workout more intense.
If you want to burn more calories while improving your strength, speed and power, why not add some energy to your workouts? Athletes use strength movements or plyometric exercises to help them jump higher, develop endurance and protect them from injury. But you don't need to train like an athlete to get the benefits of strength training.
* Jumping. Adding different types of jumps to your workout can really increase your heart rate. Try jumping straight up and landing in a light squat like a squat jump, jumping forward with both feet in a long jump, or jumping up a step or platform with both feet at a time.
* Jumping on one leg. Jumping on both legs can be very difficult, but try it with one leg. Try to jump in length, jump on a step or just jump on one leg. The movements should be slow, but controlled and strong.
* Power attacks. The same can be done with lunges (it's difficult!). Drop into a lunge and jump up, switch legs in the air and land in a lunge.
Lift heavier weights
If you want to see the results of your strength training programs, you need to do one important thing: overload your muscles. Muscle overload means that you need to lift more weight than your body is used to lifting. When you do this, your body adapts to the new load, becoming stronger and building muscle tissue.
The problem is that many of us relax a little when it comes to strength training. Lifting heavy weights is difficult, and you may feel uncomfortable if you are not used to this feeling. But if you want to add a little excitement and intensity to your workouts, why not test your limits to see what you can do?
You don't have to do all the exercises until you get tired, and you need to maintain safety and protect your body from injuries, so you don't have to start doing powerlifting. But if you lift the same weight for a long time, the idea is to eventually lift more weight. Here is an easy way to do it:
* Choose a heavier weight than you usually use (if you lift very heavy weights, take a partner for insurance!).
* Lift the weight as many times as you can while maintaining the correct technique. The last repetition should be difficult for you, but not impossible.
· If you can do more than 15 or 16 reps, take a heavier weight in the next approach and try to do 10 to 12 reps.
· If you are uncomfortable lifting a heavier weight, just try one approach with a heavier weight and move on.
Another way to gradually increase the intensity is to try a pyramid workout.
Try more complex and combined movements
When it comes to strength training, some of the most powerful movements involve more than one muscle group and more than one joint movement. These types of movements can improve your workout, allowing you to lift more weight and at the same time burning extra calories by involving large groups of muscles of the body. Not only that, complex movements are often more functional, they work through your body the way it actually moves every day.
You are undoubtedly already performing some complex movements in your training, but there are probably various exercises in which you can try to use more muscles and add some intensity to your strength training. Here are just a few compound movements that you can include in your workouts · * Squats · Lunges · Deadlift · Triceps push-ups · Push-ups with a narrow grip
Combined exercises are also good for working out several muscles and saving time. By combining exercises that simultaneously work out different muscles, you can add intensity, as well as work on coordination and balance:
* Squats with a bench press over the head
* Lunge with flexing the arms on the biceps or lifting to the sides
* Burpee
Slowly descend down
Another way to challenge your muscles in a different way is to change the pace of exercise. Slow down the exercises or change the speed of repetitions throughout the workout. This will challenge your muscles in different ways, without distracting attention from what you are doing.
* Slow down. Lift and lower the weight in 4 seconds or more.
* Make the lowering phase harder. Lift the weight for 1 second and lower it in 3-4 seconds.
* Change the pace throughout the entire approach. Alternate between 2 repetitions at a normal speed and 2 repetitions at a lower speed (2 seconds up and 2 seconds down).
* Add an isometric fixation. Perform one set of the exercise, then hold the last repetition for a few seconds. For example, do one approach of flexion on the biceps. Then lift the weight and hold it halfway for as long as you can.
* Keep the tension in the muscles. Slightly reduce the range of motion to maintain constant tension in the muscles you are working on. For example, when doing a leg press, do not straighten your legs completely, but keep your knees bent.
* Add momentum. At the end of the usual set (or in the middle), add a few slow small pulses. For example, do 8 squats, then stay down at the bottom of the movement and quickly rise and fall half up 8 times.
Try interval training
One of the ways to achieve high intensity is interval training. The concept of interval training is simple: add bursts of intensity (with speed, resistance, or anaerobic movements) throughout your workout. The idea is to work very hard for a while - this means that you have to really go beyond your capabilities - and then slow down for a while to recover.
There are several basic ways to perform interval training:
Measured Intervals - With this type of workout, you work hard for a certain period of time or distance, and then recover for a certain period of time.
Varied intervals - In this type of training, you just work harder as much as you can, and then recover as much as you need to prepare for the next tough interval. For example, if you are walking or running on the street, you can choose something in the distance and run to it, or walk / run uphill as fast as possible and go down to recover. Aerobic interval training is a great way to start if you are a beginner, focusing on intervals that make you work harder, but do not go to a very high intensity. For this type of workout, you can do 3 minutes with moderate intensity, and then 3 minutes slightly above average.
