One of the main issues that people have with doing cardiovascular exercise is the “fun factor.” Cardio workouts can get boring and monotonous. However, it is very important for individuals to perform cardio workouts with regularity. To avoid hitting a wall, what I recommend to people is to perform some “fun cardio days.” I know what you’re thinking. Cardio, fun, yeah right. Well, here are some suggestions to shake up your boring routine.
The first thing that comes to mind is playing sports. Whether it be basketball, tennis, raquetball, soccer, or other sports that require a high activity level, great cardio benefits can be achieved by participating in these activities. After sports, many individuals have a hard time thinking of other ways to increase the enjoyment they get out of cardio. For those people, I recommend grabbing a few friends and going to the park. At the park, set up an “obstacle course” of exercises. For example:
-Mark off 30 yards for a fast jog/sprint.
-Mark off 30 yards for a backwards jog/sprint
-Mark off 30 yards for a sideways shuffle
-Set a designated area for some pushups
-Set a designated area for abdominal exercises
-Set a designated area for dynamic exercises
Here is what your set up should look like:
Many of you are probably confused by the “Dynamic Zone”. I like this area to be a spot for explosive, full body movements. For example, squat jumps, split jumps, tuck jumps, burpees, etc.
As far as the abs area, I suggest switching the exercise each time you get to that area in the circuit. Some ideas are sit ups, crunches, lemon squeezers, side crunches, toe touches, leg lifts, trunk twists, etc.
In the push up area, shoot for a number to achieve each time you get to that area on the circuit.
Overall, performing this workout for 20 minutes should have you feeling pretty tired. I like doing this every once in a while to mix up my routine and get a great workout. I recommend keeping track of how many times you can complete the circuit in a set period of time. The next time you perform the workout, try and beat that number. Competition, whether it be with yourself or a partner, is a great way to keep yourself motivated.
