12 ways to spice up your cardio

Cardio is one of those things that many of us don’t like to do, but it should be incorporated into any type of exercise program, be it on a machine or using weights, etc. I’ll take a few minutes on both machines and free weights. Cardiovascular exercise is when you increase your heart rate above normal through some type of physical excursion.

Do some type of cardiovascular exercise at least 3 days a week. You don’t have to do a cardio every time, but you should do it most days.

First of all, if you’ve been doing the cardio machines for a while, there are ways to spice it up a bit. However, when trying these techniques, never under any circumstances do something that you are not comfortable with, sacrifice form, or put yourself at risk of injury.

1. Try turning around and backing up on the machines. This can work completely different muscles than the normal forward direction. Hold on firmly to the handles so you don’t accidentally slip out of the machine.

2. On the epileptic machine, I like to turn sideways. It also works completely different muscles.

3. Get some upbeat music to enjoy on your iPod or MP3. This will make your mind wander.

4. Don’t forget to cover the watch.

5. Try different workout settings that are preset on the machine.

6. Try a variety of incline and resistance levels.

7. Rest as little as possible between sets when using free weights.

8. When using free weights, you can layer two or three different exercises for the same body part.

9. Do series of burnouts. That means you don’t actually count the reps, you just go forward until the body part you’re exercising feels good like jelly.

10. You can also do a variety of field exercises athletes do to warm up before the game or match.

11. You can also try a class or some other type of aerobic activity.

12. Involve the children. They have a lot of extra energy to burn.

Hope this helps you take the boredom out of cardio. Try these various ideas on how to eliminate the boredom of cardiovascular exercise. Remember that there are absolutely no rules that say you have to go to the gym or get on a cardio machine.