4 Creative Ways to sneak cardio into your workout

Written by: Taylor Post
Certified Athletic Therapist 

When it comes to exercise, there a two kinds of people in the world. Those who love cardio (cardiovascular exercise), and those who avoid it like the dentist. If you would rather have a root canal than sweat it out on the treadmill, look no further! We have come up with some creative ways for you to skip the elliptical and help introduce some cardio into your workouts.

First off, why is cardio so important anyway? Aerobic exercise burns calories to help keep a healthy weight, lower blood pressure, and increase cardiac output. This means more blood is pumped with each heartbeat, which leads to less overall stress on your heart and a lower resting heart rate. A stronger heart also makes daily activities like climbing stairs and moving your body at home or at work much easier. 

As much as cardio gets a bad rep, it is a true foundation of physical fitness… but it often leads to hours of plodding along like a zombie among the rows of exercise machines at the gym. Is anyone else sick of watching re-runs on HGTV or the food network while jogging?? Instead, try these 4 sneaky, less monotonous ways to get the benefit of a cardio workout.

Try an AMRAP

AMRAP stands for as “many rounds as possible” and is a very effective way to give even the simplest circuits a cardiovascular element. First pick your time limit. Most AMRAP workouts are 10 minutes long, but you can increase or decrease the total time to suit your fitness level. Next, pick 2-4 exercises and a weight that would be challenging for 10 repetitions. Start your timer and perform 6-8 repetitions of each movement. That is round one.  See how many rounds you can complete in 10 minutes. You can also change the intensity by adjusting the resistance (more or less weight) or by changing the number of repetitions for each exercise.
 
Basic AMRAP - 10 minutes total, as many rounds as possible:

• 8 Kettle Bell Goblet Squats
• 8 Pushups
• 10 Medecine Ball Twists

Superset with a Cardio Move

Inject your regular strength routine with an exercise or movement that will elevate your heart rate. Superset means moving from one exercise to another without a break in between. Simply pair up a traditional strength exercise, with one that is more cardio based. This will keep your heart rate and metabolism up without hindering your weight training goals to build muscle. Aim to perform 3-4 sets of 6-15 repetitions. You can rest 60-90 seconds between sets, but not between the two different exercises (eg. perform 10 jumping jacks followed immediately by 10 goblet squats, then rest 60-90 seconds. Repeat for 3-4 rounds). We have listed some awesome combinations below to get you started:

• Battle rope slams / Dumbbell bent over row
• Burpees /Kettle Bell Deadlifts
• Jumping Jacks / Goblet Squats
• Box step ups/ Triceps Kickbacks
• Walking lunges / Bicep Curls
• Kettle bell swings / Sit Ups
• Mountain climbers / Split Squats
• Skipping rope / Chest Press
• Sled push or pull / Plank
• High Knees or marching / Dumbell Lateral Raise (Shoulder)​

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or Tabata Workout

This type of workout requires you to work at a very high intensity for short periods of time. For example 20 seconds of work, followed by ten seconds of rest, for a total of four minutes. Or, 40 seconds of work, followed by 20 seconds of rest, for four rounds (16 minutes). You can adjust the interval lengths based on the difficulty of the exercises and your fitness level. HIIT or Tabata workouts are incredibly efficient workouts because they require your body to work harder to return to its resting state. They also pack a big punch in a short amount of time, which is perfect if you are short for time. 

Non-Traditional Cardio

Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes to keep your workouts interesting. There’s no need to suffer through hours of the “dreadmill” in the name of getting your heart rate up. Instead, try one of these non-traditional cardio options to get the blood flowing. 

• Boxing
• Cycling (indoor or outdoor)
• Dancing
• Hiking (bring a friend or the family dog)
• Rowing (indoor or outdoor)
• Skating
• Stair Climbing (machine or staircases)
• Swim or Water Walking/ Aerobics
• Sports (Soccer, Hockey, Volleyball, Tennis, anything that keeps you moving!)

While there is no denying the benefits of regular cardiovascular exercise, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to make cardio a regular routine. The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines state that adults should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more (Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, 2011).  Just remember that if you keep an open mind and get creative, there are plenty of ways to get your heart rate up. You shouldn’t feel confined to the treadmill!