Best Cardio Workout

Creating Effective Cardio Workouts for Results!

You either love or hate cardio. There is no in-between.

If you have already checked out the ultimate cardio exercise page, you know that regardless of the type of cardio exercise you do, your heart rate ultimately determines your workout intensity.

When choosing the Best Cardio Workout, you can look at it 2 Ways:

1. Find Something You Enjoy

If cardio is something you routinely do and enjoy you should do what you like the best. If you love to run and you are healthy, there is no point to force yourself to use a stationary bike for 30 minutes.

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If you enjoy exercise you can get a great cardio workout doing just about any cardiovascular exercise.

2. Find Something which Gets Your Heart Rate up Efficiently

If you are hell bent on pushing yourself to the edge to get the maximal cardiovascular and fat burning benefit you have many different options.

Some exercises simply suck more than others. If you really want to get fabulous results from your cardio exercise program you need to push your body to do things that exceed your ordinary activities.

What are Some Great Cardio Workouts?

The best cardio workout is an interval workout. An interval exercise is one which raises your heart rate up to high levels for short periods of time.

The advantage of interval workouts is the increased intensity causes your body to adapt more efficiently compared to steady state activities.

Leisure Time Activity Cardio Workouts

If doing something you enjoy is the way you want to find your best cardio workout, the best form of cardio is hiking.

Hiking is an interval activity in that you will be going up only for so long. When you stop to rest or reach the apex of your hike, you will start another interval by climbing down.

Perhaps the best part about hiking, is when you are doing it you hardly feel like you are exercising. It is good for you spiritually as well as physically and emotionally.

If you think you would rather spend an hour on the elliptical machine in the gym, get out there and find a trail and you will most likely change your mind really quick.

Sports Training Cardio Workouts

You don’t have to be an athlete training for an game or event to benefit from sports based cardio workouts. To meet and exceed the demands of their sports, athletes have been put through some of the toughest cardio workouts for years.

There is no reason why you shouldn’t take advantage of training methods for various sports or perform a best cardio workout as you actually do the sport.

Wrestling

Have you ever been in an intense wrestling match before? If you haven’t and you try, you will probably be out of breath in less than 30 seconds. Imagine training like this for 20+ minutes? For those who enjoy it, wrestling may be the best cardio workout.

Kickboxing

Kickboxing is a great way to work muscles which you don’t usually work as well as get your heart rate up. Compare a professional boxing match which consists of 12 three minute rounds to your 36 minute sessions on the stationary bike…. Enough said.

Football Agility and Form Running Drills

American football is all about how quick the feet move. Usually the feet belong to a 6’4″ 250 pound linebacker but football agility and form running drills will get anybody’s heart rate up.

Cardio Machine Combo Cardio Workouts

VersaClimber – Stationary Bike

Start off climbing at a fast rate of speed with little resistance on the Versaclimber. Try to go for a certain amount of time or a certain elevation or until your heart feels like it will explode.

Hop off the Versaclimber and get right on a stationary bike and pedal at a comfortable rate. Once your heart rate is back down to a comfortable level, make it uncomfortable again by trying another bout on the Versaclimber and repeat.

Aim for: Try to get either 500 feet or 5 minutes on the Versaclimber then 2 minutes on the bike and repeat at 5 times. This will be the toughest 35 minutes you’ve had in the gym so far, guaranteed.

Jump Rope – Stationary Bike

If you don’t have access to a Versaclimber you can try the dreaded jump rope for your high intensity intervals. Jump rope at a rate of around 120 spins per minute. You can time how long you jump rope, count spins, or just go until you can’t anymore.

After your bout of jump rope ride the stationary bike for enough time for you heart rate to level out and then repeat.

Aim for: Try to jump rope for 20 minutes at around 120 spins per minute. See how many cool down rounds on the stationary bike it takes you. Hopefully your total time for this workout will be around 30 minutes.

Elliptical – Push-ups

The elliptical machine is probably the most improperly used machine in the gym. The best elliptical machines have handles and if you turn the resistance up, your arms will have to work just as much as your legs. With this cardio workout, you need not worry about setting the resistance to a high level on the elliptical.

Getting a quality elliptical for your home is also a good idea and there are many home models with handles, similar to these professional gym versions. This way you can get in an effective cardio workout and burn tons of calories without even having to step foot in the gym.

Start on the elliptical machine at a mid range level. If there is a heart rate monitor check your heart rate. After a couple minutes on the elliptical, step off and perform up to 30 quick push-ups. Even if you can do more, don’t because the machine will reset.

You’re in for a surprise when you check your heart rate after your push-ups. It will be very high, don’t be alarmed, the anaerobic push-ups can get your heart rate up much higher than aerobic exercise

Aim for: Try to do 5 sets of 30 push-ups in between 2 minute bouts on a mid range level of the elliptical.

Get the Best Cardio Workout of All Time

• Beginners Running Program Guide
  Learn how to start fresh with a walking, jogging or running program to burn those extra calories at home or at the gym.
• Top Five Cardio Workouts for Awesome Results
  Learn about five of our top favorite cardio workouts, including popular cardio options to perform solo or with friends and family.
• Treadmill Workout Program Tips
  Before getting on the treadmill, here are a few simple tips you can follow to ensure a safe, effective and enjoyable workout.
• Learn How-to Maximize You Cardio Exercise Routine
• Best Cardio Machines
  You can get the best cardio workout on any machine provided you enjoy it. Learn tips that will help you operate the cardio machines properly to get maximum cardiovascular benefit.
• Body Fat: Everybody Has It, Nobody Wants It!
  You are probably researching the best cardio workouts to avoid gaining body fat or lose body fat. Get familiar with everyone’s greatest enemy by checking out this article.
• Cardio Mistakes You Must Avoid for Optimal Results
  Here is a look at five popular, or should we say not so popular cardio mistakes. Avoid these to make your cardio routine as safe and enjoyable as possible.

About Michael Behnken

Mike Behnken is a personal trainer who holds multiple NASM certifications and a MS in Exercise Science. Mike loves fitness, travel, and photography among many other interests.