More Cardio in Your Workout

Joe Fleming explains how to safely incorporate more cardio into your workout routine.

Many gym-goers fall into one of two camps for cardiovascular exercise. They either loathe cardio and avoid it at all costs, or they exclusively do cardio and neglect resistance training (usually because they are crunched for time or think it will make them bulky). Neither of these extremes is particularly beneficial to overall health. It is not ideal to do excessive amounts of cardio daily (this can lead to excess inflammation in the body and increase your risk of injury). But, some cardio is necessary for strengthening the heart and improving your endurance.

A moderate amount of cardiovascular exercise also benifits people trying to lose weight. Below are some tips that will help you add more cardiovascular exercise to your workout routine to improve your health and performance without injuring yourself or getting burned out.

Add Bursts of Cardio Between Sets

If your workout time is limited and you do not want to shorten the time you spend lifting weights, remember that you do not have to spend thirty minutes on the Stairmaster to reap the benefits of cardiovascular exercise. Adding short cardio bursts into your workout between sets is perfectly acceptable.

Once you finish a set of an exercise, spend thirty to sixty seconds doing a cardio exercise like jumping jacks, high knees, or mountain climbers. This will keep your heart rate up during your workout, increasing your calorie burn and helping you see results faster.

Try Low-Weight/High-Rep Workouts

If you are not concerned with building tons of muscle but still enjoy lifting weights, switching up some of your workouts to low-weight/high-rep can help you improve your endurance in a more interesting way than walking in place on the treadmill.

In addition to using lighter weights and higher reps for the same exercises you usually do, you can eliminate the weight and try bodyweight exercises for a set amount of time. For example, set a one-minute timer instead of three sets of 10 dumbbell squats and do as many bodyweight squats as possible before time runs out.

Incorporate More Compound Movements

Focusing on compound movements is another option for people who love lifting weights but want to improve their endurance and boost their heart rate.

Compound movements like squats and deadlifts require using multiple muscle groups at once. They require more energy and cause your body to burn more calories than isolation exercises like bicep curls.

You can also combine isolation exercises to create a more challenging compound exercise. For example, you could do stationary lunges with a bicep curl or glute bridges with a chest press.

Add Plyometrics to Your Warm-up

Plyometrics, such as lunge jumps or jump squats, are explosive movements requiring great power.

When they want to add more cardio to their workouts, many people mistake using plyometric exercises as a "finisher" movement to increase their overall calorie burn.

There are a couple of significant problems with this approach.

First, plyometrics requires a lot of power and energy. If you do them at the end of your workout, when the body has already been taxed, you will not reap the full benefits of practicing them. You are also more likely to injure yourself if you add them to the end of your workout.

To see the most significant benefits of practicing plyometrics, you should use them as a warm-up exercise instead. Research shows that plyometrics before a workout can help prime the body to increase your power and overall performance.

Some good plyometric exercises to add to your routine include:

Box Jumps
Burpees
Jump squats
Fast rows with a resistance band

Increase Your NEAT

Suppose you do not have time to add more cardio to your gym workouts and are not interested in utilizing the techniques above. In that case, one of the best things you can do is to increase your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) or the number of calories you burn outside the gym.

Some simple ways to increase your steps and burn more calories include:

Take the stairs instead of the elevator (and take them one at a time to get the greatest calorie burn for your buck)
Hold meetings on foot (while walking to get coffee or strolling around the block)
Use a standing desk
Walk laps in the airport during layovers
Walk or cycle to work or to run errands whenever possible
Park far away from the entrance to your office, the store, and other buildings
Take a lap around the grocery store before and after your shopping trip for some extra movement

Avoiding Injuries

When adding more cardio to their workouts, some people do too much too quickly, which typically causes them to burn themselves out or get injured.

To avoid injuries that could sideline you, be sure to keep these tips in mind when you start a new cardio routine:

Ease into it by starting with increasing NEAT, then move on to more advanced exercises
When running or walking long distances, use braces, arch supports, and other tools designed to help treat common foot conditions
Work with a trainer when doing exercises that you are not familiar with (this is especially true when it comes to plyometrics)
Wear a heart rate monitor to make sure you are not pushing yourself too far
Stay hydrated

Final Thoughts

Cardiovascular exercise is vital for overall health and fitness, but it can be hard to figure out how to incorporate it into your workouts. Follow these tips to improve your endurance, burn more calories, and see the best results from your activities.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

FLEMING, J. (2018) More Cardio In Your Workout [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article334.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Joe Fleming is the President at ViveHealth.com. Passionate about healthy lifestyles and living a whole life, he enjoys sharing and expressing these interests through his writing. To inspire others and fight ageism, Joe writes to help people of all backgrounds and ages overcome life's challenges. His work ranges from articles on wellness, holistic health, and ageing to social narratives, motivational pieces, and news stories. For Joe, helping others is vital.


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Many gym-goers fall into one of two camps for cardiovascular exercise. They either loathe cardio and avoid it at all costs, or they exclusively do cardio and neglect resistance training (usually because they are crunched for time or think it will make them bulky). Neither of these extremes is particularly beneficial to overall health. It is not ideal to do excessive amounts of cardio daily (this can lead to excess inflammation in the body and increase your risk of injury). But, some cardio is necessary for strengthening the heart and improving your endurance. A moderate amount of cardiovascular exercise also benifits people trying to lose weight. Below are some tips that will help you add more cardiovascular exercise to your workout routine to improve your health and performance without injuring yourself or getting burned out. Add Bursts of Cardio Between Sets If your workout time is limited and you do not want to shorten the time you spend lifting weights, remember that you do not have to spend thirty minutes on the Stairmaster to reap the benefits of cardiovascular exercise. Adding short cardio bursts into your workout between sets is perfectly acceptable. Once you finish a set of an exercise, spend thirty to sixty seconds doing a cardio exercise like jumping jacks, high knees, or mountain climbers. This will keep your heart rate up during your workout, increasing your calorie burn and helping you see results faster. Try Low-Weight/High-Rep Workouts If you are not concerned with building tons of muscle but still enjoy lifting weights, switching up some of your workouts to low-weight/high-rep can help you improve your endurance in a more interesting way than walking in place on the treadmill. In addition to using lighter weights and higher reps for the same exercises you usually do, you can eliminate the weight and try bodyweight exercises for a set amount of time. For example, set a one-minute timer instead of three sets of 10 dumbbell squats and do as many bodyweight squats as possible before time runs out. Incorporate More Compound Movements Focusing on compound movements is another option for people who love lifting weights but want to improve their endurance and boost their heart rate. Compound movements like squats and deadlifts require using multiple muscle groups at once. They require more energy and cause your body to burn more calories than isolation exercises like bicep curls. You can also combine isolation exercises to create a more challenging compound exercise. For example, you could do stationary lunges with a bicep curl or glute bridges with a chest press. Add Plyometrics to Your Warm-up Plyometrics, such as lunge jumps or jump squats, are explosive movements requiring great power. When they want to add more cardio to their workouts, many people mistake using plyometric exercises as a "finisher" movement to increase their overall calorie burn. There are a couple of significant problems with this approach. First, plyometrics requires a lot of power and energy. If you do them at the end of your workout, when the body has already been taxed, you will not reap the full benefits of practicing them. You are also more likely to injure yourself if you add them to the end of your workout. To see the most significant benefits of practicing plyometrics, you should use them as a warm-up exercise instead. Research shows that plyometrics before a workout can help prime the body to increase your power and overall performance. Some good plyometric exercises to add to your routine include: Box Jumps Burpees Jump squats Fast rows with a resistance band Increase Your NEAT Suppose you do not have time to add more cardio to your gym workouts and are not interested in utilizing the techniques above. In that case, one of the best things you can do is to increase your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) or the number of calories you burn outside the gym. Some simple ways to increase your steps and burn more calories include: Take the stairs instead of the elevator (and take them one at a time to get the greatest calorie burn for your buck) Hold meetings on foot (while walking to get coffee or strolling around the block) Use a standing desk Walk laps in the airport during layovers Walk or cycle to work or to run errands whenever possible Park far away from the entrance to your office, the store, and other buildings Take a lap around the grocery store before and after your shopping trip for some extra movement Avoiding Injuries When adding more cardio to their workouts, some people do too much too quickly, which typically causes them to burn themselves out or get injured. To avoid injuries that could sideline you, be sure to keep these tips in mind when you start a new cardio routine: Ease into it by starting with increasing NEAT, then move on to more advanced exercises When running or walking long distances, use braces, arch supports, and other tools designed to help treat common foot conditions Work with a trainer when doing exercises that you are not familiar with (this is especially true when it comes to plyometrics) Wear a heart rate monitor to make sure you are not pushing yourself too far Stay hydrated Final Thoughts Cardiovascular exercise is vital for overall health and fitness, but it can be hard to figure out how to incorporate it into your workouts. Follow these tips to improve your endurance, burn more calories, and see the best results from your activities. Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: FLEMING, J. (2018) More Cardio In Your Workout [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article334.htm [Accessed About the Author Joe Fleming is the President at ViveHealth.com. Passionate about healthy lifestyles and living a whole life, he enjoys sharing and expressing these interests through his writing. To inspire others and fight ageism, Joe writes to help people of all backgrounds and ages overcome life's challenges. His work ranges from articles on wellness, holistic health, and ageing to social narratives, motivational pieces, and news stories. For Joe, helping others is vital.