In the last decade, sports have gained widespread popularity among young people. The massive opening of sports clubs and fitness rooms allows people of all ages, from different fields of activity and different social strata to come here and begin their difficult path to changes in their appearance. Dissatisfied with their proportions, girls who want to gain muscle mass of a man, as well as those who want to lose weight, are today regulars of this kind of institutions.
However, due to some difficulties - financial, temporary, restrictive - not everyone can afford the pleasure of attending a sports club. Given that at the same time, the desire to lose weight and change for the better still does not disappear, many begin to look for ways to engage in training in a convenient place for themselves. And, of course, the overwhelming majority of them reflect on conducting classes at home. Training on cardio at home, without exercise equipment, can be no less effective than training conducted in a sports club with the help of special sports equipment.
Cardio Benefits
If your goal is to lose weight - to lose weight - one of the most effective blocks in working on your body for you will be cardio. At home, without simulators, training in this area will make it possible to cope with the tasks and reach the desired goal as effectively as in the gym. It all depends only on the diligence of the losing weight, its focus on results, as well as the correctness of specific exercises and an integrated approach to the problem of losing weight.
The word "cardio" comes from the Greek derivative kardia: its meaning implies belonging to processes in the body that are directly related to the work of the heart and physical activity. The use of the program on cardio at home, in the fitness room or sports club is the key to the formation of an ideal body and strengthen the cardiovascular system. This is confirmed by the majority of medical studies that indicate the importance and sometimes even the need for such aerobic loads on the body.
The immediate benefits of doing cardio workouts at home or in the gym with the help of special equipment include some of the most important aspects.
- The cardiovascular system improves due to the effect on the heart muscle - it also “trains”, contracts and stretches.
- Muscle tone increases and calories are burned.
- Stamina develops.
- The level of depressive stagnation processes decreases, and due to the release of negative emotions, the level of endorphin rises.
- Metabolic processes are accelerated.
- The risk of diabetic manifestations is reduced due to a decrease in sensitivity to jumps in blood sugar levels.
- The respiratory system is restored and improved.
- The density of bone tissue increases.
Among other things, correctly performed structured work on cardio improves well-being, improves mood, energizes and positives for the whole day. The main thing here is to do everything in moderation, in compliance with safety rules, so that training with cardio at home, without exercise equipment, does not turn into a threat even greater than the danger of getting injured in the gym. After all, there is a much more significant probability of injury during the performance of certain exercises.
The Cardio Myth
A lot of novice athletes and those who are just planning to start their active physical activity, mistakenly believe that if it comes to cardio, then we mean directly running. For some reason, people like to associate this term exclusively with running and a treadmill. But actually this is a profound error.
Full-fledged cardio training involves performing a set of various exercises involving physical activity, which directly affects the increase in heart rate and respiratory rate, and also affects almost all muscle groups in the body. This can be running, multiple jumps in place, jumping in motion, dynamic exercises in squats, lunges, in horizontal rhythmic body movements in an emphasis lying down and many others.
The meaning of performing such exercises in a cardio workout at home is that at a relatively low intensity there is the possibility of increasing the time of physical activity. And this, in turn, contributes to the fact that the process of losing calories and further fat burning is launched. As a result, a person, devoting 15-20 minutes a day to such exercises daily after strength training, slowly but systematically moves towards his main goal - losing weight.
So, what form of homework is the most effective and efficient? What are the fundamental points that include a set of cardio exercises at home?
Jump rope
The very first, most effective and most correct option that a beginner can choose for himself in order to burn fat at home with cardio, without exercise equipment, is to do several interval approaches with jumping rope. A jump rope is a unique sports equipment that you can safely store at home, as well as take it with you to a street workout in the yard or in the park. He doesn’t take up much space, weighs up to half a kilo, and really significant benefits. Of course, it is quite difficult for beginners to jump on a skipping rope for all 15 or 20 minutes of cardio lessons. But stamina comes with time. Do jumps on the count - to begin with 100-150 jumps per set, or better, detect a time interval of 2-4 minutes. So you will not need to count the number of times, and so you will avoid confusion.
Jumping rope is a great alternative to jogging, because it involves a large number of different muscle groups: you feel tension in the calf, lumbar region, abs, and forearm, as you have to rotate the rope. The body is tensed like a string, the femoral and gluteal muscle zones are fixed in a reduced position. Therefore, you should not neglect such an exercise: spending once on the purchase of an inexpensive rope, you will find a great helper in achieving your main goal - losing weight.
Stairs
If you live in one of the skyscrapers of a big city, or if you have an open stadium, park, square with a lot of steps, do not hesitate to take this place into service. Climbing and descending steps at a fast pace provides a chic workout for the muscles of all parts of the body and puts stress on the vast part of the muscles, as is the case with regular running and jumping rope.
Drop all your embarrassment: there’s nothing wrong with doing sports. Let you at first experience slight discomfort from the fact that others are paying attention to you. But there is nothing shameful in these actions! On the contrary, you should be proud of yourself that you strive to be better and work on your body, instead of spending your weekend on the couch in front of the TV screen. Use a musical gadget and headphones, abstract from worldly fuss and go towards your perfect body. Such training on cardio outside the gym should take at least 10-20 minutes after performing basic strength exercises.
Running on the go
As an alternative to a treadmill, you can safely use the floor of your apartment and simulate running, lingering in one place. In combination with jumping rope and "step" jogging, such an exercise can be a good addition to a full-fledged cardio workout at home for both men and women. It is important to note that here you can use two methods of running on the spot:
- with the lobes of the lower leg - this refers to the maximum possible rise of the heels up to the buttocks: the closer you get the heels to fit to the back of the thigh when running in place, the more effective the exercise as a whole will become;
- with a high rise of the knees - it is supposed to run in place with the maximum possible approximation of the knees to the chest while running in place.
The first method involves a more active effect on the back of the legs, the second works to strengthen the front surface of the thigh. And in that, and in that case, cardiovascular activity is actively stimulated and the heart muscle is involved. Exercise provokes a rapid burning of calories, here it is also better to use time periods as several three-minute approaches with a break of 30-60 seconds between them. You can run longer - lose more calories and burn more fat mass. But at the same time do everything in moderation, focus on your normal health.
Jumping
Jumping is an integral part of any cardio workout. Fitness at home or aerobics in a sports club is necessarily accompanied by a block of exercises related to jumping. By the way, if you still don’t have a skipping rope at home, and you want to start practicing today, you can easily imagine that you are turning it in your hands and project an imitation of jumping ropes in your imagination. Normal jumps in place for 10-15 minutes will be a great end to strength training. If the whole range of classes is dedicated specifically to cardio, then jumping can be one of the exercises as a five- or ten-minute warm-up. Cardio at home with the use of jumps, in addition to imitated or physical jump ropes, can be reflected in the following exercises:
- "Star" - jumping in place with the spread of arms and legs to the sides. You can perform 25-30 times in three approaches or detect a two-minute time interval with breaks of half a minute.
- “Scissors” - jumping with alternating lunges forward in imitation of impromptu scissors. At the same time, the hands should move as opposed to the legs: in order to lunge forward of the right leg, the left arm simultaneously projects forward in a sweep, while the right arm is slightly retracted behind the hip. When lunges forward, with the left foot, on the contrary, the right hand is swung forward and the left hand back.
- “Cross" - jumping forward, backward, left and right will develop a good sense of coordination, in addition to actively stimulating calorie loss and fat burning.
- “Candle” - high jumps, which involve enhanced repulsion from the floor and the maximum possible fit of the heels to the buttocks at the top of the jump. Exercise refers to cardio of increased complexity, since it exerts a serious load and causes a rapid heartbeat. Beginners can perform three approaches 10 times, gradually increasing the number of jumps in the “candle”.
Squats in the dynamics
If you think that squats are exclusively related to strength exercises, especially if they are used with weights in the form of dumbbells, a barbell or even just an "empty" neck, you are mistaken. There are several variations of dynamic jumps that fit perfectly into a series of exercises in cardio training. What elements of squats can be attributed here?
- Wide squat in a jump - performing a plie-like squat with further collecting legs in the “together” position with the help of a jump allows not only to thoroughly “brake” excess calories, but also to work out the inner surface of the thigh. This zone, being a problem for many women, under the influence of squats in the jump, undergoes contraction and stretching, which, in turn, entails the appearance of muscle tone in this area.
- Squats with jumping - this exercise is performed in the position of the feet shoulder width with the pelvis retracted deep back at the moment the body is lowered and the priests are pulled as far forward as possible when the body is raised in the jump. It is important to ensure that the back is even and the lower back is not overstrained.
- U-turn jumps - belong to a rather complex element of cardio, since a 180-degree turn in the air during a jump and landing in a squat carry a complex coordination exercise and significantly increase the heart rate, provoking multiple contractions of the heart muscle. But at the same time, such jumps are incredibly effective in the process of losing calories and burning excess weight.
All squats are performed in three sets of 20-25 times for beginners. Over time, the number of times you need to increase.
Side lunges
Dynamic legs lunges alternately left and right with a jump in the starting position serve as a kind of respite between difficult jumps and dynamic squats. 10-15 times on one leg and the same number of lunges on the other for the approach will provide a good study of the hip joints and tension of the muscles of the inner thigh.
Horizontal exercises
Contrary to the myths about conducting cardio training exclusively in an upright state (running, jumping rope, jumping), there are a number of exercises in a horizontal position. This is especially convenient when performing at home.
- The “Running Bar” is a great alternative to static movement with the additional raising of the knees to the chest while resting with outstretched arms on the floor. You seem to be running in a horizontal position and at the same time lose extra pounds. It is advisable to note the time here - 2-3 minutes per approach for a beginner will be quite enough.
- Jumping in the bar - multiple legs spread apart to the “one” count and bringing them back to the initial position in the “two” count is a little more difficult than running in the bar, but the effectiveness of this exercise is slightly higher. You can perform three approaches 15-20 times.
What to pay special attention to
Carrying out exercises on cardio at home, it is worth paying special attention to safety precautions and making sure that the training takes place correctly. What should be emphasized on this?
- Footwear. Perform exercises in comfortable shoes. It should not be sneakers, it should not be moccasins. You also should not engage in barefoot - this is fraught with injury and joint problems. Need to do in comfortable sneakers.
- Do not follow protracted approaches and do not take excessive loads that provoke an increase in heart rate more than 150 beats per minute - this will provoke a deterioration in your well-being. Use a heart rate monitor to measure the frequency of beats, or measure your heart rate after the most active exercises.
- Avoid jumping exercises if you have problems with varicose veins. It is best to use compression socks.
- Take interval approaches as a rule - counting is not always convenient when performing cardio exercises.
- The beginning and end of classes must be determined by a warm-up and a hitch, respectively. This will prevent sprains and injuries caused by unstretched and not preheated ligaments.
If you perform the exercises correctly and follow the basic rules for safe training, the risk of injuries will be minimized.