Cardio is not only great for losing weight; it strengthens your heart as well. It makes complete sense if you think about it. Cardio exercises are designed specifically to increase heart rate, which means the heart muscles have to work overtime to pump blood in and out.
With regular practice and ensuring you remain within your recommended heart rate zone, you can lose those extra pounds and make sure you can live a healthy life. However, the worst thing you can do is jump right into high intensity workouts especially if you are a newbie.
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While the heart is pure muscle, it has its limits. If you don’t workout regularly and want to do cardio, build up your workout intensity first. That way, your heart will get used to strenuous activity to the point that you can take on high intensity cardio workouts. This blog is broken down into three sequential parts that can help you start and maintain a good regime.
Warm Up Exercises
A good warm up pre-exercise dilates blood vessels and ensures your muscles are well supplied with oxygen-rich blood. It also raises your heart rate a bit and reduces stress. Follow these exercises one by one in sequence to warm up:
1. Starting Position
- Stand straight with your stomach tucked in.
- Spread your feet hip wide apart.
- Hold your head up high and leave your arms loose to the side
- Take a deep breath, hold it for 5 seconds and release for 5. Do this 5 times.
2. Head and Shoulder Rolls
- Place your hands on your hips keeping your back straight.
- Roll your shoulders forward, upward and backward in a circular motion to complete one shoulder roll.
- For the head roll, rotate your head fully but slowly in a clockwise direction and then counterclockwise. You can also turn your head side to side if you cannot do a head roll
Each of the rolls should last one single breath in and out. Repeat them 15 times. Shoulder rolls will relax your shoulder muscles and sooth stiff ones. The head rolls will work out the kinks in your neck.
3. Upper Body Twist
- Assume the starting position and bend your arms in front of you making sure your hands are closed in fists.
- Inhale, twist you hips, torso and whole body to the right.
- Hold that position for 5 seconds, exhale and return to the starting position.
- Repeat on your left hand side
Repeat the warmup 6 to 16 times. It will make your spine pliable and give it stretch.
4. Hip Circles
- Assume the starting position and place your hands on your hips again.
- Thrust your hips out a bit and rotate them from one side to the other.
- Push your hips back and circle back to the centre for a full rotation.
One rotation should constitute one breath. Make sure your upper body remains still during rotations. Do 5 to 10 repetitions to loosen up those hip and pelvic muscles.
5. The Knee Lift
- Assume the starting position and spread your feet a bit wider than your hips.
- Bend your arms and place them behind your head.
- Lift one leg up toward your torso. Imagine you are trying to touch your rib cage with your knee to make this easier.
- Continue for 30 seconds or a minute depending on your resilience.
This warmup will get the blood pumping in your legs and stretch unused muscles.
6. Squat to Raised Heel
- Assume the starting position and help your heels wider than shoulder distance apart.
- Open up your toes a bit.
- Bend your knees, take your hips back and get down into a squat.
- Drop both arms in between your legs as you squat
- Stand up by placing pressure on your heels and circle your arms around to the side.
- When you stand straight, take your arms straight up and stand on your toes.
Continue this exercise for 30 seconds or for a minute. This warm up will increase your heart rate a bit.
7. Jumping Jacks
- Assume the starting position keeping your arms to the side.
- Bend your knees slightly and jump into the air.
- Spread your legs shoulder width apart as you jump while stretching your arms out and over your head.
- Jump back to the first position and repeat.
Do this for 30 seconds or a minute depending on your stamina.
Important Points
Consider these points when you are doing warm-ups to ensure you don’t injure yourself:
- Do not do static stretches during warm-ups. Your muscles aren’t pliable enough and you may get seriously hurt.
- Your body will take longer to warm up during the winter so you will need to increase reps.
- Keep hydrating in between! Even if you don’t sweat during a warm-up, regular sips of water will prevent your muscles from cramping up.
Low Impact Cardio Exercises
Once you are done warming up, start with low impact cardio exercises as per your heart rate zone to get that blood flowing. These low intensity exercises are easy on the joints and can prepare your body for high intensity exercises which we will get into after this.
Besides preparing your joints, these exercises will also trigger the release of endorphins which will improve your mood.
8. Straight Leg Kicks
- Assume the starting position and lift your right leg up to your hips making sure the knee is slightly bent.
- Bring your right arm down like you are trying to touch your toes.
- Lower the leg and lift the left one to your hips while using your left hand to reach for its toes.
- Repeat the sequence as fast as possible and increase the intensity.
- Do 3 steps of 8 reps or more.
This low intensity cardio exercise will get your heart going and increase your flexibility and balance.
9. Wide Side Steps
- Assume the starting position and them push off your right foot followed by a step out with your left food. Pretend you are trying to avoid a puddle by making your steps wide.
- When your left foot hits the ground, take your right one to the left quickly to touch the floor. Then push off your left foot and take a large step in the other direction.
- Increase intensity by picking up speed or by including wide arm movements.
Repeat this exercise for 30 seconds or a whole minute. You can also add an exercise band to make it more challenging.
10. Side Lunges
- Stand in a wide stance and hold our arms straight out.
- Bend at the waist while tucking your abs in.
- Take your left arm towards the right foot.
- Stand up and repeat the move using the other arm and the left foot.
- Repeat for 30 seconds or a minute.
This workout will make your arms limber. You can bend your knees a bit if you experience back pain during this exercise.
11. The Sit and Stand
- Stand with your back to a small platform or step and sit down.
- Place your hands next your hips and lean back while extending both legs in front of you.
- Bring your feet back in and stand up.
- Repeat for 30 seconds to a minute.
Don’t use your hands to lift yourself up to make this exercise more challenging and to really get that blood flowing.
High Impact Cardio Exercises
Once your body is pliable and warmed up enough to ensure you won’t injure yourself transition to high impact cardio exercises. However, if you think you are too exhausted from the previous exercises, work yourself up to them in a week’s time. So for the first five days of the week, stop at low impact exercises and add high impact ones on the weekend.
12. The Mountain Climber
- Start in a plank – Lie down in your front and push up making sure your upper arms are parallel to your torso. Plus, make sure your back is flat and tighten your core.
- In the same position, bring your right knee up to your chest.
- Switch by moving your left knee in and by taking the right knee back to its original position.
- Continue switching legs like that.
Repeat the exercise for 30 seconds or a minute depending on your stamina level and heart rate. It will strengthen your core.
13. Plank Ski Hops
- Assume the plank position making sure your legs are together.
- Lift your feet to the right in a jump while bringing your knees to your elbows.
- Jump back into the plank position.
- Repeat on the other side making sure that the legs remain straight at all times.
This high intensity cardio exercise will make your limbs limber by stretching muscles that can atrophy with disuse.
14. Burpees
- Stand with your feet apart.
- Squat and place your hands on the floor.
- Extend your legs into a plank and do a single pushup.
- Jump back into a squat and jump up extending your arms straight up.
Burpees are the ultimate cardio workout. Besides increasing heart rate quickly, these can increase your stamina provided you can complete them.
Cooling Down
Whether you stop at low impact cardio exercises or continue onto high impact ones, don’t stop suddenly. Your body is pretty heated up at that moment. Your heart and breathing rate will be through the roof as well. Forcing your body to calm down may result in serious injuries.
Take a few minutes to slow it down so your nervous system can calm down your body from the inside out. Take a drink of water and do these cooling down exercises to wind down:
1. Slow Down Your Breathing
Go still and concentrate on slowing down your breathing right after you are done. Inhale, hold it for 8 seconds and exhale within 8 seconds. Repeat till your breathing normalizes.
2. Stretch Those Muscles
Your muscles will be more pliable compared to when you were warming up. This is the best time to stretch them and increase their flexibility. It will also release the tension from the workout and reduce the soreness you will feel the next day especially in your lower body. Stretching will also maintain blood circulation and enhance the healing process of broken muscles.
While you can do any stretching exercise, a hamstring towel stretch is easier and faster:
- Lie on your back, raise a leg and loop a towel around it.
- Pull the leg towards your chest by pulling on the towel. You should feel your hamstring stretching at this time.
- Hold the position for a few seconds and then repeat on the other leg.
3. Cool Down With a Cold Shower
If you can stand it, take a cold or lukewarm shower once you are done with the cool down workout. Do not turn the water hot! Your muscles will not be able to return to their normal positions as fast.
In Conclusion
Cardio exercises can help you maintain your weight loss and fitness goals. However, since they increase heart rate, you should transition into complex workouts gradually and after a warmup.
Cooling down post exercise will help your body recover faster the next time. It will also go a long way in healing torn and sore muscles. Yes, you will still feel sore the next day. However, with time and practice, that pain will be a thing of the past.
