cardio - few qs

[map200uk]

hi guys


as with most i get bored of cardio dont find it too fun but still drag myself to the gym to do it

anyway it gets boring just doing treadmill / cross trainer

i was wondering if anyone has any cv routine/ideas on how to work the rowing machine/step machine into it?



I mean I don't fancy doing 45-60mins on the stepper or rower and I'm not sure HIIT would work well on either??

I could add it to the start/end of my normal cv I guess and just do say 10-15mins on the stepper/rower alternating days so 1 day stepper next rower etc?

I normally do the 45-60mins cardio at 65-75% max HR..occasionally doing HIIT (only really do HIIT on a treadmill)

this new gym I go to also has one of these rope machines

anyone use one of these as part of their cv reginment?

thanks
mark

 

[owlicks]

Give hot yoga a try. Seriously. I could not keep fat on when I was lifting and doing two days of hot yoga per week.

 

[LdLax236]

^^ get a good yoga routine and you will be set, helps with body fat an incredible amount

 

[CopyCat]

^^ get a good yoga routine and you will be set, helps with body fat an incredible amount

Biker am yoga is the tits

 

[MuscleGauge1]

hi guys


as with most i get bored of cardio dont find it too fun but still drag myself to the gym to do it

anyway it gets boring just doing treadmill / cross trainer

i was wondering if anyone has any cv routine/ideas on how to work the rowing machine/step machine into it?



I mean I don't fancy doing 45-60mins on the stepper or rower and I'm not sure HIIT would work well on either??

I could add it to the start/end of my normal cv I guess and just do say 10-15mins on the stepper/rower alternating days so 1 day stepper next rower etc?

I normally do the 45-60mins cardio at 65-75% max HR..occasionally doing HIIT (only really do HIIT on a treadmill)

this new gym I go to also has one of these rope machines
View attachment 48546
anyone use one of these as part of their cv reginment?

thanks
mark

Jumping rope is probably one of the best cardio exercises you can do. Other than that stairclimber(looks like a big set of stairs) but not all gyms have those

 

[dylangemelli]

I think that a lot of this is convincing yourself to enjoy what you are doing... For me, I do cardio seven days a week, but I do look forward to it... During the week, I have my head phones plugged in on the treadmill and I am watching ESPN and before you know it, the 5 or 10 miles is over... Then, when I get on the stairclimber, I have my ipod with movies, dvd's or shows from the week that I missed on there and the time flies... Now, if these things don't work for you, then I have a few other ideas...

As people have pointed out, yoga is a great idea... Another would be to try a spinning class... It is definitely something different and sometimes a lot of women are in the class so its a win-win situation! =)

I think for people that don't enjoy cardio, that variety is the key... Swimming is the best cardio and you can have fun while doing it at the same time... As someone else pointed out, jumping rope is great as well as other calastenics... Pilates may be something else that you mighty want to try... Mix it up, find something that works for you and stick with it...

I am a person that loves "routine" and I don't like when things mess it up... Some people like change... It just depends on you... The key is to find something you can enjoy at the same time as working hard and you can't go wrong! Stick with it and enjoy the results!

 

[Rethink]

Personally I think the best cardio exercises in order are:

1. Running
2. Skipping Rope
3. Brisk Walking
4. Stair Climbing
5. Step Aerobics

I think running is the best because it's useful to be able to run fast with endurance when you need to and it's easy to adjust to your desired intensity.

Skipping rope is great because you only need a relatively small space and it can be quite intense. Some trainers even recommend skipping intervals between sets of weight bearing exercise, this makes sense because most split routines will have at least 15 minutes of rest intervals between sets that you can use for cardio to save time!

Brisk walking is also a very good exercise despite it being relatively low intensity. Most of the pros who compete in the Olympia competition walk instead of running because running isn't feasible with their massive bulk. Ronnie Coleman said he would walk for 2 hrs each day during his contest prep.

Stair climbing is good because all you need is a set of stairs which is available to most people. While it may not seem like a challenge it proves to be given enough time. Stair climbers in gyms are better because you don't need to descend the stairs which reduces intensity but if you quickly shuffle down the stairs you can maintain a decent intensity.

Step Aerobics is a good form of cardio because it provides a high calorie burn (50% higher than brisk walk) and can be done in the home in front of the TV set with only an aerobic step and instructor DVD. Despite this being the fifth ranked option I still highly recommend it because you can do this at home late at night.

With 5 great options to choose from there really is no excuse not to do cardio everyday if fat loss is your goal. Include more than one option to keep motivated and cater to your schedule.