The Importance of Cardio for Every Fitness Program
Along with weight training, good nutrition, and effective hydration , cardio is a basic component of every athlete’s training program. Today, we’ll talk about why that’s so important and why athletes should work regular cardio training into their fitness routine.
Cardio training is also called aerobic training because of its ability to optimize your body’s oxygen usage. You might think that’s only useful for long-distance runners, but every athlete can benefit from cardio training. Here’s how it benefits your body:
- Allows you to sustain activity longer
- Boosts the number of mitochondria inside muscles that convert oxygen to energy
- Optimizes the muscles’ ability to use fat as fuel
- Increase the amount of blood pumped in each heartbeat
- Increase lung capacity
This is great for any athlete, because sustaining top performance for longer can give you a leg up on your competition in any sport.
To incorporate the right level of cardio training into your fitness routine, consider the following:
- Use high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in your cardio workout. HIIT improves glucose metabolism and improves your overall athletic condition for peak performance.
- Create a program that matches your sport. This means measuring and matching the intensity and duration of energy needed in competition, then duplicating that in your workout. Energy demands vary for each sport, with some requiring longer intervals of intense activity than others.
- Ensure that your calorie intake is enough to support the energy expended in your entire fitness plan.
- As with other portions of your fitness program, hydrate properly before, during, and after cardio workouts.
- Monitor your heart rate regularly. When your rate slows, it indicates that your cardio training is effective and that more blood is pumping per heartbeat.
Cardio is an important part of every athlete’s fitness program, no matter what your sport. Superior hydration is also a critical component to help you perform at peak levels. TotalFit Premium Water™ is purified, pH balanced, enhanced with electrolytes, and micro-clustered for optimal absorption. Get a case of TotalFit Premium Water™ today for superior hydration to enhance your fitness program. To find TotalFit, shop online or find a store near you today. For promotions, fitness tips and more, text “totalfit” to 95577 and BE FIT today!









