In case you haven’t noticed, it’s getting really cold outside. We’ve reached the middle of November and temperatures are only going down from here. Soon, snow will fall and walks, jogs, and bike rides will no longer be options to those hoping to stay active year round.
No problem? You’ll hop on the exercise bike or elliptical or stair master and that will suffice … until you get sick of it.
Then what? What happens when you get tired of doing the same cardio exercises at home again and again and again?
Well, have no fear. I’ve been a Chicago Personal Trainer for years and I’ve got three cardio alternatives that I love to do that don’t require a treadmill, exercise bike, stair master, etc. All you need is your body, a little motivation, and a couple of dumbbells for the first move. Don’t worry, I’ll explain!
Let’s take a look at three cardio exercises you can do at home to stay active and feel amazing!
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COMPLEXES
Wait a minute! Dumbbells?! Isn’t this supposed to be an article about cardio? Well, think of Complexes as a cardio exercise with weights!
I love complexes because they hit every major muscle group AND get your heart rate up AND don’t take that long to finish. Remember, we burn calories longer when weight training than just doing cardio, so it’s a good idea to add even a little resistance to cardio exercises whenever possible.
The video above will demonstrate how to perform complexes but, for those looking for written instructions:
Complexes are a group of four exercises performed one after the other. I break them down as fallows:
Shoulder Press -> Squats -> Lat Row - > Deadlift
I start off performing each exercise for 6 reps, moving quickly to keep my heart rate up. After a 30 second break, I perform each exercise 5 times, then 4, then 3, 2, and 1 until I complete the cycle. If I go through a full cycle and still have energy, I start back at the top. And that’s the great thing about complexes! You can hit every major muscle group, increase your heart rate, AND tailor it to your skill level by increasing/decreasing the amount of rounds and the weight being used. Give them a try!
30, 20, 10s
Okay, things are getting serious. I will preface that these are considered ADVANCED moves that should be mastered SLOWLY.
The video above will take you through a full round of 30, 20, 10s, but here’s the basic explanation:
You’re going to perform 3 cardio exercises. In this case, Half burpees, mountain climbers, and In & Outs. We’re going to do 3 rounds. In round 1, we do the half burpees for 30 seconds, the climbers for 20, and the In & Outs for 10.
After a 30-60 second break, we start again but this time Mountain climbers for 30, In & Outs for 20, and half burpees for 10.
After another break, we do another round of In & Outs for 30, half burpees for 20, and climbers for 10.
After that, we do one more round of all three exercises at 20 seconds each. I promise you, this will get that heart pumping and the sweat flowing!
DIRECTIONAL LUNGES & SHUFFLE PLANKS
When the weather turns, most people wake up feeling stiff or tight muscles and aching joints. With that in mind, let’s add an exercise that increases mobility, flexibility, AND functionality with your legs.
To perform direction lunges, imagine the face of a clock in front of you. Start by lunging with your right leg forward to 12, laterally to 3, and back to 6. Then, lunge back to 6 again with your left leg, then laterally to 9 and forward to 12.
Continue to circle the clock for 1 minute, then rest for 30-45 seconds. In the next round, go counter clockwise. Continue to switch back and forth for a total of ten minutes and your legs will be on fire! Remember, your quads and hamstrings are some of the larger muscles in your body. The larger the muscles we use, the more calories we burn!
But we’re not done yet! Let’s get the upper body involved and do shuffle planks!
Lay a yoga mat or towel on the floor. Start in a plank position perpendicular to the mat and shuffle to the far end. Once you reach the end, slowly lower to your forearms then climb back up to your hands while maintaining the plank.
I perform this move for a full minute before resting. For beginnings, try 30 seconds and increase as it becomes easier! Your heart rate will rise and you’re chest, shoulders, triceps, and core will be on fire!
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