A lot of people prefer to carry out their cardio workouts at home. Cardio workouts at home are far more convenient and less time consuming. I can understand the feeling of getting home from work after a long and stressful day and having to venture out to the gym in order to get your cardio workout in. Why not try something different and check out these quick and effective cardio workouts you can do at home to help lose belly fat and get that elusive flat stomach:
Cardio Workouts at Home – Jumping Rope
One of the best and most convenient cardio workouts at home is jump rope, also known as skipping. Jumping rope is a great cheap form of cardio for practically anyone who wishes to do it. The health benefits of jumping rope are similar to cardio and will help get your heart rate up in a matter of minutes. So many boxers now use jumping rope to aid in their speed, agility fitness and foot co-ordination proving it to be a great cardio workout to get into shape and improve your fitness levels.
The great thing about jumping rope is that it requires minimal equipment, its convenient, cheap and can be performed pretty much anywhere. A jump rope will probably cost you £5 at the most and can be kept and re-used for many years after. Once you’ve got a rope first get some practice on jumping rope effectively with good technique and without getting the rope caught on your feet etc.
Once you have the technique down try jumping rope at a moderate pace until you start to feel tired. Rest for a minute and then repeat. Do this for as many intervals as you require. This can easily be classed as your cardio workout for the day providing you perform it long and hard enough in relation to your current fitness levels. Once you master the jump rope you can up the intensity of your jump rope sessions by performing it faster or for longer periods of time.
Cardio Workouts at Home – Workout DVD’s
Workout DVD’s can also give you a great cardio workout that can be performed in the comfort of your own home. Try purchasing a workout DVD and follow along. These are becoming increasingly popular and can be a great alternative to the gym. A lot of people dont have the confidence to enter a gym and perform their cardio workouts or simply do not have time to get to the gym, making home workout DVD’s a great way to get a cardio workout in.
Workout DVD’s are extremely convenient and can also be more enjoyable than visiting a gym for some people. The workouts you perform can range from dance workouts to simple aerobic movements or even kick boxing. Add a different workout DVD to your collection each month and you can have a great range of workouts to choose from when you perform your cardio workouts at home.
Cardio Workouts at Home – Cardio In The Garden
If your garden allows it, you can try performing your cardio workouts in your garden. Try short 100 yard sprints. If your garden is big enough sprint 100 yards, stop, turn around and walk back. Then turn around and sprint back another 100 or so yards. Repeat this for as many intervals as required. Of course you can only do this if you have the space available in your garden.
Cardio Workouts at Home – Circuit Training With Bodyweight Exercises
Circuit training with the addition of aerobic movements and bodyweight exercises is another great form of cardio which can be performed at home. To do this you want to plan out a variety of aerobic and bodyweight exercises that you will perform. Im going to give you a quick example of what your circuit could like with the incorporation of aerobic and bodyweight exercises, as well as rest periods to give you a basic idea of how to set it out.
- 20 Bodyweight squats
- 10 Press ups/Push ups
- 1 minute rest
- 20 Squat Thrusts (also known as burpees)
- 20 Knee Ups
- 90 second rest
- 20 Step Ups
- 20 Bodyweight Crunches
The above example can of course be altered depending on your fitness and strength levels. If you cant perform full press ups perform half ones or place your knees on the floor and perform them that way. If you cant perform 20 bodyweight crunches/situps perform less reps. Feel free to switch up the exercises and repetitions to suit your own routine. Let me quickly run through a few of the above exercises that people may not be aware of.
Squat Thrusts. These are performed by squatting down as if you were about to get into a press up position. Instead of extending your legs out behind you bring them forward and position them behind your hands tucked up near your stomach and chest area. Place your hands on the ground as if you would when in the press up position and thrust your legs out behind you and then back to the original postition. Combine this with a jump at the end and thats one rep. Get back to the original starting position and perform as many reps as required.
Knee Ups. These are simple. Stand upright and jump, attempting to bring your knees up to your chest. Land back on your feet and thats one rep.
Step Ups. Step ups are performed on a step or small bench. A small step can actually be purchased to perform this exercise or alternatively you can just find or make a small step yourself. You can use the bottom step of your stairs if required. Step on it leading with one foot and then the other. Once both feet have hit the step place one foot back down followed by the other foot. This is what they call a step up. Try and perform these quickly for an intense cardio workout.
Cardio Workouts At Home With Special Equipment
If you have the money or resources available to purchase some gym equipment for your house then there are a number of other cardio workouts that you will be able to perform at home such as:
Cardio on the tradmill. Cardio on the treadmill is a great cardio workout and will place less stress on your joints than running outside. Running outside however is probably more effective as its harder and more intense. Running outside can also help burn off more calories as your body adapts to a totally different kind of resistance. Low intensity or high intensity cardio can be performed on the treadmill as can HIIT Cardio Training making it a great piece of equipment to have in your house if you can ever afford one.
Cardio on the stationary bike. Just like riding a bike outside, the stationary bike mimics the action of cycling so it can be performed without actually moving. Another extremely convenient piece of equipment to have at home to get in a quick cardio workout. Low intensity or high intensity cardio can also be performed on the stationary bike as well as HIIT.
Punch Bag. If you purchase a punch bag it can be used as a great cardio workout. Punch bags are not just for boxers but also for people looking to get some intense cardio work in. The idea behind the punch bag is to throw continous hard and quick punches at the bag, forcing you to use powerful and quick movements. If you’ve never had a cardio workout on the bag before you will be surprised as to how effective this workout actually is. Similar to swimming, the punch bag workout will work on your strength and cardio fitness at the same time as well as teaching you to throw proper punches. It will also help to increase your speed and quickness.
To make the punch bag workout effective you should try and throw quick and powerful combinations at the bag whilst moving around and bouncing on your toes. Dont just stand there and punch, use your legs so you are continously moving and dancing around the punch bag. Try and do this for 2-3 minutes then take a minutes break and repeat the cycle. Decide how long you want the workout to last for and pace yourself to finish it. Once finished, chances are you will be sweating quite heavily. The sign of a great workout!
