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Reprintable Article – Home Cardio Challenge


Summary:
Need to get your cardio workout in but the weather is awful and you can’t bear the thought of doing it outdoors or trudging to the gym? Try this home workout cardio challenge!

Home Cardio Challenge
by Jackie Burgmann, author of “Hot at Home” – The Transformation Solution for People Who Hate The Gym

The weather outdoors is awful. Is the thought of trudging out there into it or even through it to get to the gym to get a cardio workout done making you cringe?

I don’t blame you. Winter isn’t exactly the best time for outdoor cardio training with all that slippery snow on the ground and sleet pelting down on you slowing you down and limiting your vision.

Running, blading or cycling on slippery, frozen snow or wet pavement can lead to slips, falls and injury.

The good news is that there are ways you can keep yourself safe and warm indoors, but still get a good and effective cardio workout done in a tiny space at home.

First thing you do is gather up all your equipment.

Just joking. You don’t actually need any equipment to get your cardio done at home. No treadmill or other space-wasting machines are required … and you don’t even need any weights equipment.

That’s right, you can get a challenging indoor cardio workout done without any equipment whatsoever.

The next thing you do is clear a big space in your home.

Just joking again! You only need the tiniest amount of space … approximately 6’x5′ should be enough space (unless you’re very tall, then you may need a bit more for pushups).

This workout get your cardio workout covered, plus it’s a great full-body conditioning circuit. Killing two birds with one stone to save time helps with that busy schedule, right?

Try this workout next time the weather makes you want to stay indoors:

First, do a quick warm-up by performing two rounds of the following circuit at half the speed you think you can pull off when you’re ‘going all out’:

1) Bodyweight Y Squats x 10 (arms held in a Y position above your head, diagonally from shoulders)
2) Push-ups x 10 (from knees or toes, depending on your personal fitness level)
3) Jumping Forward Lunges x 10 per side
4) Side Lunges x 10 per side
5) Jumping Jacks x 20

After you’re warmed up, move on to the main workout below:

Perform each of these exercises one after another in a circuit and when you get to the end, start again at the top without resting.

Instead of working towards a set number of reps like you did in the warm-up, the goal is to do as MANY reps as you possibly can for the amount of time alloted before moving on to the next exercise (get your timer set).

Continue cycling through this circuit until until you’ve gone around 4 times (20 minutes). If you’ve got the time, cycle through it 8 times for a super-intense 40 minute workout.

Ready? Press ‘start’ on your timer and GO!

1) Jumping Squats (hands explode upward each jump, try to touch the ceiling) – 1 minute
2) Incline, Decline or Floor Push-ups from Toes – 1 minute (put your hands or feet on your coffee table or a box if you need an incline or decline, choose according to your own fitness level)
3) Jumping Lunges (swing bent arms one forward and one back, then vice versa, pumping fists in running motion as you jump) – 1 minute
4) Side Lunges (hold arms straight out to sides at shoulder level while lunging, do not lower until finished all sets) – 1 minute
5) Standard Jumping Jacks – 1 minute

– repeat –

To make this workout even more challenging, compete with yourself. Every time you come back to each exercise try to beat the number of reps you did the previous time.

Once you’re finished you’ll be sweating, breathing hard, considering opening all the windows in the house, whether it’s freezing out or not… but the best thing is you’ll be burning fat like mad.

But don’t just come to a screeching halt when you’re finished. Cool down properly by walking around in your home for a few minutes until you feel your heart rate slowing … or even better, do the warm-up circuit twice, SLOWLY (at half the rate you used during your warm up) while your heart rate comes back to normal.

That’s how to get a great indoors cardio workout that is challenging, fun and fast.

Workouts like this one will get you burning fat fast and train your cardiovascular system without ever feeling a raindrop on your head or icy path beneath your feet. So, get creative and start mixing and matching bodyweight exercises to create your own workouts.

Next time you feel frustrated by the weather, or just don’t feel like going outdoors or to your gym to get your heart pumping, do some indoors cardio circuit training to get the job done.

It’s fun, challenging and effective.

Byline:
Love the idea of getting a great cardio workout done without the hassles of the gym or even stepping outdoors? Then check out “Hot at Home” and get in the best shape of your life without ever stepping foot out of your house!

Keywords:
home cardio, cardio workout for home

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