I have to admit that ever since I started strength training and lifting in the gym cardio just seems like the very last thing I ever want to do. Some people tell you they absolutely enjoy doing running or cardio or elliptical work I am fortunately I’m not one of those people. I don’t get any kind of real pleasure from killing myself on a machine that requires me to be in a standing still positioned for more than 30 minutes however I’d be fooling myself if I thought that removing cardio for my routine would help me achieve the goals I want for my body and physique

Unfortunately if you want to drop body fat you must combine cardio good diet and strength training. The only way I can ever get myself to really commit to doing cardio is to give myself a physical challenge to do every week that I must finish and complete. Over the last two weeks I’ve committed myself to doing three days of cardio activity with a minimum of a 5K on those days. Now this can be done either by running a 5K on the treadmill or you can do a 5K distance on say the stationary bike or elliptical machine too. As long as you commit to doing the entire duration of the cardio that’s what counts.

I’ve been doing three days of the 5K challenge for two weeks now and it’s a really great mental push to tell you that you must finish once you get on the machine.  I don’t do this in replacement of my strength training or workouts I do this in combination with them. Typically I will lift first and then do my cardio after unless it’s a day that I have some rest and I will just go in and do the cardio by itself.

I have to admit that at first I thought I couldn’t complete such a length of time on the machine however once I started doing it I really feel like I absolutely must finish otherwise I feel kind of like a failure. Mental challenges are great and setting goals make you feel like you have to complete them so it’s been really nice to see how far I can push my body if I just commit to doing it with cardio.

Usually takes me between 28 to 35 minutes to complete a 5K doing it either running or on the elliptical machine.  When I finish I am always sweating and it feels really good and I get a lot of energy when I do this in the morning before work. You may ask why am I adding so much cardio to my routine and am I giving up my desire to do strength training and lifting?

You see in order to see any of your muscle gains that you’re doing for strength training you must drop your body fat. In order to drop your body fat you must do a combination of a great diet paired with lifting as well as cardio to see real progress. Once I start to add some cardio into my routine like I am doing now I start to really see my muscle pop and the definition and cuts of what I’ve been building in the gym for the last few months. It really is a great feeling when you start to see all of the hard work you’ve been putting in during the cold winter months to get ready for the summer and spring.

In order to fuel these long cardio stretches I do take a pre-workout as well as a post workout supplement. Right now I use cellucor c4 ripped for PreWorkout and post workout is Amino Energy Pineapple by Optimum Nutrition. It is very important for me to use an amino acid drink after such a tough and grueling workout so that is something that I do throughout the day sipping on a little bit of it and then having a full shaker bottle of it during my workout. Another great thing about doing such a long stretch of cardio is you will wind up drinking at least 20 ounces of water during it and it helps to increase the amount of water you’re drinking every day. Now that I’m doing a lot more cardio I feel like I’m so thirsty all day long and drinking all the time which is great for your body as well as your skin.

I’d like to encourage my readers to join me on this challenge and do at least three sessions of a 5K cardio every single week. By doing this will all be summer ready very soon and start to see your body fat drop and muscles pop. Even if you think you can’t do that much cardio I guarantee you that you can as long as you set the mental goal in your mind and don’t get off the machine until you finish the matter how long it takes you to do it or even if you have to walk half the time.

I’d love to hear if you’re doing this as well so feel free to comment below or you can share your photos of your workouts on my Facebook page and let me know how you’re doing on your progress. ??

Make sure to connect with me for more tips, workouts & advice:

Twitter – @missads1981

Instagram – @missads1981

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/missads1981

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/jerseygirltalk/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jerseygirltalk

Vine – https://vine.co/MissADS1981

Connect with me on social media:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•