Overcome boredom in your workouts by performing a cardio circuit. Circuit training involves moving quickly from exercise to exercise, with no rest. Liz Neporent of Fitness Magazine reports that circuit training is an effective way to burn calories and address multiple muscles. Circuits may involve strength only, cardio only or both. Be sure to warm up and cool down for about five minutes before and after your circuit training.
Cardio Machines
The American Council on Exercise recommends cross training to reduce the risk of injury, improve overall performance and keep your workouts interesting. It reduces the risk of injury because the same muscles, bones and joints are not continuously subjected to the stresses of the same activity. While cross training may include changing up your routine a few times a week---you can cross train within the same workout with a machine-based circuit. Instead of running on the treadmill for a half hour straight, consider running at top speed on the treadmill for five minutes, moving to the elliptical for seven minutes, climbing a stepper for 10 minutes, then moving onto a stationary bike for the final 12 minutes. You will hit multiple muscle groups and be able to push your intensity on each machine without becoming mentally fatigued.
Equipment Free
If you find yourself unable to go to the gym, you can still fit in a strong cardio workout. Pick 10 cardio moves and perform them each for a minute in your living room. Try jumping jacks, mountain climbers, high knees, switch lunges, jump squats, burpees, jump rope---with or without a rope---speed skaters, crab walks and single leg hops. You can also be creative with an at-home circuit---if you have a staircase, run up and down it for a minute, perform walking lunges down your hallway or run suicides in your backyard.
Strength and Cardio
With a cardio and strength circuit, you reap the benefits of keeping your heart rate up---but squeeze in muscle-building resistance exercises to enhance lean muscle mass. To perform such a cardio-based circuit, try alternating two minutes of cardio activity on a treadmill or elliptical with a strength training exercise. For example, perform a set of 10 to 15 weighted squats and then hop on the treadmill and run for two minutes. Repeat for two to three sets, then move onto another strength-training exercise with cardio in between. You can select a different type of cardio interval each time, or stick to one modality. This type of circuit may be adapted to home using body weight exercises like push-ups for strength and jumping jacks or squat thrusts for cardio.
Member Comments