5 Tips to Supercharge Your Workout Sessions

Staying physically active is important for countless reasons. Studies have shown that people who are largely sedentary have a higher risk of heart disease than their counterparts who are physically active. Additionally, working out on a regular basis encourages a healthy weight while warding off chronic disease and illness in the process. If you're looking to take your workout sessions to the level, consider the following tips listed below.

#1) Increase Weights

The single most effective way to supercharge your workout sessions is to gradually increase the amount of weight you lift. Whether you're performing bench presses, shoulder presses, squats, deadlifts, etc., you should constantly push yourself by increasing your maximum weight. Allowing yourself to become complacent in your workout sessions will only hinder your ability to build muscle mass.

#2) Increase Protein Intake

Don't underestimate the importance of dietary protein in your workout sessions. Dubbed the "building block of muscle," protein is essential when seeking to increase muscle mass. Unfortunately, however, many men and women fall short of consuming enough protein in their daily diets.

#3) Rest for 48 Hours

Some people assume that they'll experience bigger gains by working out every day. After all, conventional wisdom should tell you that the more time you spend exercising and lifting weights, the more muscle mass you'll develop. In reality, though, this can actually slow down your progress. When you work out every day of the week, your body won't have time to repair the damaged muscle fibers; thus, you'll experience slower gains. To prevent this from happening, try to get into the habit of waiting at least 48 hours between workout sessions, especially if they are high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts.

#4) Diversify Your Workouts

Another tip to help supercharge your workout sessions is to diverse your regimen. In other words, don't spend all of your time on the stationary bike or treadmill. While these are both an excellent form of cardio, you should diversify your workout sessions with other exercises, such as lifting weights for instance. Combining both cardio and resistance training into your regimen is guaranteed to supercharge your workout sessions.

#5) Listen to Music

No, that's not a typo. Studies have shown that listening to music can improve the performance of your workout sessions. It's unknown why, though experts agree that listening to music -- particularly fast-tempo music -- has a positive effect on exercise.