In this article, I will talk about how to get a full workout by doing cardio exercises at home. I will deliberately not mention cardio equipment such as a treadmill or exercise bike. Since the owners of this wonderful sports equipment can easily create aerobic exercise of any degree of complexity.
We will talk about how, without additional devices, you can make your cardiovascular system work more intensely, increase endurance, and, of course, launch mechanisms for burning subcutaneous fat deposits. Doing cardio exercises at home is not at all difficult, the main thing is to do them according to the rules, and then the results will not be long in coming.
The importance of cardio for our health
Blood delivers oxygen molecules throughout the body, to every cell. Without oxygen, a human cell quickly dies. For example, a cerebral stroke is the result of a lack of oxygen for gray matter cells, and a myocardial infarction is the result of a lack of oxygen in the heart muscle.
The main reason for the lack of oxygen in any cells is problems with blood transportation. This problem is created by an inactive lifestyle, sedentary work, obesity and many other factors.
Cardio is the acceleration of the heart and, as a result, more frequent and deeper breathing. The blood becomes saturated with oxygen faster as you begin to inhale air more often and breathe deeper. It moves faster through the body, as the heart rate noticeably accelerates. Conclusion - our body is washed many times better with blood. This is partly why we experience a certain euphoria after training.
So, you've found out why cardio is so good for the body. Now let's find out how to do cardio at home.
Despite the fact that the title of the article implies cardio for every day, you can do it 2-5 times a week, it all depends on your capabilities and desire. Remember, if you do this at least twice a week, even at home, you are already healthier and stronger than those who do not do this at all!
Who needs cardio training and for what purposes?
But first, let’s tell you who and in what cases cardio is recommended :
1. Actually, regular moderate cardio training is recommended for all older people specifically to keep the cardiovascular system in order and, in general, to prolong life.
Cardio helps during the period of fat burning, and interferes with it during weight gain. Choose.
2. If you are building muscle mass, then intense cardio training is not recommended, since its effect on muscle growth is somewhat opposite to hypertrophy. However, during the “cutting” period, having cardio in your training plan (but only together with strength training) will make fat burning even more effective.
3. If you are losing weight, adding cardio to your strength training is also a good idea. Ultimately, everything that increases calorie expenditure benefits weight loss. But remember that cardio is not the most effective way to exercise for weight loss.
4. If you are involved in cyclic sports and you need to develop your endurance, cardio will help you.
5. Cardio for recovery. Light loads have a beneficial effect on the speed of recovery - we wrote extensive material about overtraining and its dangers.
“Cardio” is recommended by many as a warm-up for 5-7 minutes before training, just to warm up the body. However, calling it “cardio” would be wrong; it’s just a warm-up.
Preparing the room for cardio exercise
Since we decided to exercise at home, we will talk specifically about indoor training. The main condition for any cardio is a good microclimate in the room. If you work out on the street, then everything is easier. And if at home, you need to prepare.
First, do a wet cleaning, clean all carpets, and wipe off dust from surfaces. It is necessary that the room is clean so that during training dust and dirt that has risen from long-forgotten places of their accumulation do not enter your lungs.
Then ventilate the room well, it is best to use an air conditioner and a humidifier. On the one hand, you can open the window, but here the risk of getting sick increases significantly. If you are a fairly seasoned person, or it’s warm outside, open the window: let access to fresh air be open. If not, ventilate the room well before training.
All these preparations in themselves will be a good workout, right?
Types of cardio: what applies to cardio exercises
There are different types of cardio, despite the popularity of cardio machines.
- Walking is also cardio depending on the pace, keeping your heart rate in aerobic mode. Workouts are made more challenging by walking uphill or inclining the treadmill.
- Running, cycling, skiing and skating are also cardio, of course, subject to the required heart rate. Such training is performed in the fresh air and is long-term - from 40 to 60 minutes. Fresh air provides the greatest supply of oxygen and fat burning, unlike closed rooms.
- Cardio machines are sports equipment that can simulate some types of outdoor cardio exercises right indoors. These include: treadmills, exercise bikes, orbitracks, steppers, rowing machines.
- Sports equipment, such as slides , which provide an imitation of sliding from side to side, jumping rope, also belong to cardio loads. Even a hula hoop is classified as cardio equipment, increasing the pulse when rotated for a long time; the hoop helps burn fat and train the cardiovascular system.
- Bodyweight exercises , which are plyometric, jumping movements such as jumping jacks, jumping jacks, burpees, sprints, aerial lunges, and the like. Although these exercises are used to increase explosive strength, they can also develop endurance.
- Interval loads - alternating cardio (running or cardio equipment) with plyometric and strength exercises with equipment, when repeated many times, is also a type of cardio.
Preparing your body for cardio training
The main points are as follows:
- cloth;
- nutrition;
- well-being.
Let's look at them in order.
Cloth
Since you are in privacy, you can wear any comfortable clothes. The main thing is that they “breathe”. You can practice in your underwear if no one really sees you. And be prepared that your clothes will get wet after training, and you will need to take a shower.
Nutrition
With nutrition, everything is simple - you need to exercise at least an hour after eating. And the larger the meal, the more time is needed. Sometimes an hour won't be enough - go by how you feel.
If nothing gurgles in your stomach when jumping, you can start training. Eating as much as you want before training is not the best thing. It’s better to have a snack, and you can eat the rest half an hour after exercise.
Well-being
If you feel completely fine, start training. But if you have a headache, something aches, severe shortness of breath, etc., you should wait. If you suffer from high blood pressure, have your blood pressure measured before exercise. Do you have a blood pressure monitor at home? If not, you need to buy it.
If you have any heart problems, you need to exercise carefully and try not to overload your “perpetual motion machine.” That is, you need to navigate according to your feelings. If everything goes well, practice. If you feel discomfort, you need to reduce the load.
We strictly do not recommend exercising at elevated body temperatures. The heart is already accelerated, it’s hard for the body. Cardio in this state can be harmful.
Cardio Options at Home
Doing cardio at home is very easy. There are many options, and some of them do not require financial investment.
Jump rope
We think each of you is able to buy a jump rope. Yes, this is also cardio, and a good one at that. This is how boxers and “Thais” warm up before training. They usually warm up with 3 rounds of jumping jacks with a one minute break in between. All you have to do is start from one minute. Time yourself!
Choose the pace of your jumps yourself. If you don’t know how to jump and have never tried, first jump without a rope. Imitate working with it. Jump on your toes without letting your heels touch the floor.
You can jump rope every day. The first workout will take 1 minute. The next day, you can gradually increase the time to 2 minutes. For example: second day – 70 seconds. The third - 80 and so on until 120 seconds. There should be a break of 30–60 seconds between two-minute jumps.
For trained people, you can immediately jump for 2 or more minutes without stopping.
3 times for 2 minutes together with breaks will total 9 minutes, this is enough for cardio. You will work up a good sweat and your heart will beat at a rate of 120 beats per minute. It's minimum.
Trained people can jump as much as they want.
Running in place
“Running in place is generally reconciling,” as Vysotsky sang, is not the best option for cardio, but it’s better than nothing. It comes down to alternately raising the knees without shifting the body relative to the floor. Like jumping rope, for neighbors below, running in place is accompanied by incredible stomping.
At home, running in place can be continued for 5–10 minutes daily or 4–5 times a week. In general, do it as much as necessary.
When running, you should hold your hands as if you were really running. This will help increase the effect of the exercise. Hand movements help to breathe deeper and promote at least some work of the muscles of the upper body.
This is a harmless exercise, so you can do it for as long as you like. And in terms of frequency of classes per week – at least every day. Focus on how you feel, but don’t be lazy.
Exercise sets
A good thing is a strength complex, during which several exercises are done without stopping. After this, a short break is arranged and everything is repeated again. This is an excellent way to exercise your muscles and heart.
For example:
- Push-ups from the floor – 10 times.
- Jump squats – 10 times.
- Press fold – 10 times.
- Plank – 30 seconds.
- We rest for 30 seconds.
You need to repeat 3 times. The number of repetitions here is small, so this load option is suitable for people with an initial level of training.
If a person is heavy or overweight, you can limit yourself to regular squats. No need to jump out.
This exercise option for the heart can be done 3-4 times a week or daily. Gradually increase the number of repetitions. How many times is an individual matter. Focus on the principle of “do no harm.” That is, you need to speed up your heart, but also so that it doesn’t get worse.
Dancing and aerobics
Find a good aerobics program on YouTube. Display the image on the big screen and stand in front of it. Just do everything they say. Repeat after the instructor.
Aerobics is a great way to spend 30-45 minutes of your free time usefully. You will receive a charge of vivacity, energy, and mood. And how many good emotions you will get! Everything is done to the music, a positive charge is guaranteed.
Briefly about the effectiveness of aerobic training at home
Before giving specific exercises, I will make a brief digression about what cardio training is and why it is needed.
Aerobic exercises (cardio exercises) are exercises that use energy obtained by your body through aerobic glycolysis. That is, energy is released when carbohydrates and fats are broken down in the presence of oxygen.
In terms of value for the body, proteins come first, then fats, and then carbohydrates. Accordingly, it will be carbohydrates that he will consume first. And until he spends it, he won’t start eating fats.
In order for the fat-burning effect of aerobic training to manifest itself, it must last at least 20-30 minutes. During this time, the glucose accumulated in the muscles will be used up, and your body will have no choice but to part with the subcutaneous fats carefully stored for a rainy day.
How long should a cardio workout at home be? My answer is: if you haven’t worked out before or you’ve had a long break, you shouldn’t train for more than an hour at once. In other words, 45-60 minutes will be enough for you. For trained participants, the training can be extended to 90 minutes. There is no need for more - you will create too much stress for the body, which, of course, will not lead to anything good.
