A lot of exercise enthusiasts have one major problem with cardio exercise--it can be boring. Fortunately, it does have a major saving grace. Cardio exercises involve all sorts of different movement patterns. Whether you're looking to train anaerobically to improve your sprint conditioning or aerobically to raise your distance running capacity, you will always find a number of different cardio exercises to fit your needs.
Steady State Cardio
Steady state cardio refers to low-intensity exercise performed over a moderate to long period of time. This particular method is often used to address the issue of fat loss and to build aerobic conditioning. Running, biking and swimming are excellent steady state cardio exercises.
Sprinting
Sprints are typically used to build both speed and anaerobic conditioning. You might use 20-meter sprints to improve your start or 200-meter sprints to work on conditioning. Sprinting can be performed on solid ground such as a track or field, or on a more difficult and uneven surface such as a hill.
Jump Roping
Skipping rope is a fairly underutilized cardio exercise that can double in function. Jumping rope can be performed for a long duration to improve aerobic endurance, or in short, sprint-like intervals to raise anaerobic endurance.
Sports
You may not think of a pick-up game of football with some friends as a cardio exercise, but you burn calories, right? Playing soccer is the same concept as performing steady state jogging except that you're actually playing a competitive game. On that same note, a backyard football game is a great anaerobic interval exercise. Think outside the box and you will definitely find a few ways to spice up your cardiovascular activity.
Rowing
Whether performed in the gym with a rowing machine or out on the lake in the early morning, rowing is an excellent addition to your cardio exercise repertoire. Similar to jumping rope, you can row at a steady state for 45 minutes, or you can increase the intensity and row in sprint-like bouts of 1 minute with rest in between.
Stair Stepping
Although there are machines in the gym for this cardio exercise, it can be performed on any open set of stairs. As well as a high level of calorie burning, you will experience a solid leg workout. In addition, stair stepping has excellent functional carryover to everyday activity, and can improve ankle and hip mobility.
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