Some other Cardio Options!

People who hire a personal trainer always need goals, if they don’t their results will be limited. You always need something to shoot for. Many clients have a goal of losing body fat and transforming their bodies. If that's your goal, then you know interval or cardio training are a must, and it doesn't have to be boring.......

Whenever a client comes to me with the goal of losing fat, they always ask, "How long do I have to ride the bike or run for?" Well, thing is, it doesn’t take a tremendous amount of time on the bike or treadmill to get results. Some folks still can’t get over this and some “Cardio Queens” will never change their ways. Traditional cardio has its’ place, but it’s not the best option for fat loss.

Here’s the thing: people still think they must be a slave to a treadmill, elliptical or bike in order to lose fat, get a better body, and get healthy. It's just not the case. In fact, there are other training methods that could get you results faster and in less time.

First of all, if you hate doing something (such as spending endless time on a machine), what makes you think you're going to be consistent? If you're not consistent, you won't get long lasting results. It's as simple as that. Plus, who has the time to spend hours per week on a machine?

Instead of spending time on a machine, I suggest other, more effective, alternatives.

1) Bodyweight circuits . Pick a few exercises and perform them back-to-back with no or minimal rest time. For example: squats, pushups, jumping jacks, lunges, and planks. You could perform several repetitions (about 10-15) of each exercise and perform the circuit for 10-15 minutes. The other benefit to this over a treadmill: you'll build muscle. Muscle increases your metabolism, which allows you to burn more calories. Get creative here: pick any bodyweight movements you can think of. Also, feel free to perform each exercise, rest 1-2 minutes, and repeat the circuit for about 5-6 total rounds.

2) Dumbbell intervals . Pick an exercise: dumbbell squat & press* for example. Perform 10 repetitions of this exercise, rest 60 seconds, and repeat for about 5-6 more rounds. You could pick many other exercises too, and mix and match. For example: you could do a few rounds of squat & press, and then perform a few rounds of Burpees**. For a progression, you should either increase the number of rounds you perform and/or decrease your rest periods.
Other great combo’s: KB Swings & Pushups Jumping Jacks & Skaters –the list is endless.

*Dumbbell squat & press: stand with the dumbbells at your shoulders. Perform a squat, and as you are standing up, simultaneously press the dumbbells overhead. Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders, and immediately perform another squat.

**Burpee: stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Squat down and put your hands outside your feet on the floor. Kick your feet back so you are in the top of a pushup position. From here, jump your feet back up to your hands, and then stand up. You could also use dumbbells for extra resistance. You would just hold them in your hands the entire time. Make sure they don't roll away from you.

So next time you’re thinking about doing 45min on the treadmill –think again, maybe I’ll try something new, you might be surprised…….

Here’s LeeAnne, using a few pieces of in-expensive equipment and putting a cardio circuit together. The Bosu exercise is an example of the Burpee with progression.