When it comes to cardio workouts, endurance is critical to your performance. Workout endurance is almost entirely dependent on the body’s fuel reserves. Your body’s main source of fuel is glycogen, which generally goes unused with normal daily activity. Once there’s an increase in exertion, however, your glycogen stores start to deplete – and so does your energy and endurance. Use the following tips to fuel your body and increase your endurance.
1. Take a pre-workout supplement for men. A pre-workout supplement that contains carbs, protein and nitric oxide activators can help fill your glycogen stores and keep you performing longer. As a result, you’ll set new personal records and notice results much faster than if you simply drank water or a mass-market energy drink. Best of all, a men’s pre-workout supplement also keeps you hydrated; if your workout lasts longer than an hour, consume another serving at the one-hour mark to maintain proper hydration and continue exercising. “9 Hydration Tips for Men” has more advice on preventing dehydration.
2. Don’t become stagnant. Push yourself a little further during each workout – always strive for improvement. If you ran an 8-minute mile, try for 7:45 or 7:30 pace. If you continue to stay at your current pace or do the same thing day in and day out, you’ll never see improvement. Just make sure you progress gradually. If you run at a 8-minute pace, don’t aim for a 5-minute pace the next time around – you’ll just hurt yourself and probably won’t even finish your workout. “5 Common Workout Mistakes” lists other common blunders men make when exercising.
3. Refuel your body the right way. After a workout, your glycogen stores are depleted and your muscles have experienced micro tears. To help your muscles repair as well as refill glycogen levels, a men’s post-workout supplement with carbs, protein, creatine and amino acids should be the first thing you drink. This type of supplement can help reduce muscle soreness and optimize recovery, which can improve your endurance and other aspects of your workout. “What is a Post-Workout Supplement for Men?” offers more details on the benefits of a post-workout supplement.
4. Try interval training. Interval training can be applied to any type of cardiovascular workout and is a great way to boost your endurance and lose weight. Basically, you exercise at a high-intensity level for a set amount of time (e.g. one minute) and then continue that exercise a low-intensity pace for a similar or shorter duration; this cycle repeats itself several times (typically, 30-40 minutes). If you decide to stick with interval training, make sure you use a creatine supplement; a creatine monohydrate supplement for men can give you the explosiveness you need to unleash your true athletic potential.
5. Make sure the rest of your diet is up to par. We can’t stress nutrition enough. So far, we’ve focused on pre-workout and post-workout nutrition, but your daily diet is just as important. You should be focusing on high-protein foods to help accelerate muscle growth and recovery, which are crucial to improving endurance and overall workout performance. To fill it any nutritional gaps in your diet, consider a men’s multivitamin and omega-3 supplement. Both supplements may help improve your cardiovascular health, which in turn may help your endurance as well.
