Just getting into the gym is the first step, but now that you are there, you have to know what to do in order to effectively and efficiently get your work out in.
The first thing that you want to do is warm up. The warm up should only be five to ten minutes and consist of an activity that is light in intensity but still gets the blood moving in your body. The benefit of warming up is to increase the heart rate, which increases blood flow to the muscles telling them that they need to get ready for more vigorous movement.
The next step is where the intensity picks up a little bit. This is going to be where you do your weight bearing exercises, i.e. weight lifting. Many women will are afraid that they will get bulky like a man and will often skips this step, but women simply do not have the hormones needed to get big and bulky, unless they work extremely hard at it. Weight bearing exercise actually helps to increase your metabolism and burn fat all day, so do not skip this part of the workout. This step should not exceed more than forty-five minutes.
The next step is cardio. This is where you really put your heart to the test and get it pumping. A typical cardio session can range anywhere from twenty to sixty minutes depending on how much time you have and what your goals are. The most important part of this step is to push yourself and get your heart beating. It should be difficult to speak but not impossible.
Next is the cool down stage. This is the same as the warm up stage and is simply there so allow your heart rate to return to normal and let your body know that the exercise is ending.
Finally, do not forget to stretch. Many people will forget about this step or simply skip it, but it is very important to stretch after working out in order to prevent injuries.
The proper steps to the workout are there for a reason, it is meant to optimize and burn fat in the most efficient way possible, while giving longevity to the amount of work that your muscles can take.
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