One of the first steps to losing weight, besides eating healthier, is shedding fat by doing cardio. The best way for me was doing suicides in a basketball gym. For those of you who do not know what suicides are, here’s a quick video:
This has done wonders for me over the years. But that’s not the only way to get a good cardio workout, there are other ways.
Here are some things I’ve been doing since having knee surgery:
Elliptical machine - I have bad knees so this machine became a lifesaver. You can burn a lot of calories in 30 minutes. These are available in almost any gym, but hard to get a hold since everyone is on these things.
Bicycle – this is another favorite for people with bad knees. Since I don’t ride bikes outdoors, this is a great workout for me in the gym. If I do 30 minutes of this at a decent pace, I can feel the burn on my thighs.
Swimming – This is probably a better workout than the others since the entire body gets used. Some guy named Michael Phelps eats over 12,000 calories because he burns it all off by swimming.
The last and probably the easiest, is walking. I walk a lot when I’m in the city, especially when the weather is nice. But walking takes a toll on my knees, so I can only walk a certain distance before my knees start to bark.
But if I had to say, the most effective has been the elliptical machine. I would love to swim, but the thought of swimming in chlorine does not sit well with me.
How do you get your cardio workout? Which one of these methods has proven to be the most effective for you?
Ahh, I hate suicides with a really strong passion!
I just had hip surgery so I haven't been able to workout. But in a few months, the elliptical will definitely be my number one choice. Mainly cause that's the only cardio machine we have in our house. It was the workout equipment that I used pretty much everyday before surgery, it's so great cause it give you an amazing workout and very low-impact. <3
ahahh, i remember when i used to do soccer i DREADED suicides.
swimming is incredible, because, like you said, your entire body gets used. plus, its my favorite sport, and im competitive in it, so i swim harder.
walking is a really good way to fit in some cardio. last night, while watching gossip girl, i walked on the treadmill for almost the full hour, alternating between speeds of 3.0mph and 3.5mph, and burned 400 calories. (though i had the treadmill on incline, also.)
i lvoe the elliptical machine! i'm one of those people you hate because i stretch the "20 MINUTE CARDIOS ONLY" to thirty minutes o_O
I adore swimming. It's the easiest way to burn off the most calories in a short amount of time. I'm really bad at running because of my ankles, and lifting weights doesn't give me the satisfaction of a good aerobic workout, but swimming... Ah. Plus if the water's really cold, you burn calories keeping warm. To the blogger who wrote this, would you really want to swim in water with a bunch of people that was NOT chlorinated? Hah! Disgusting.
i'm a runner. i love running. but i HATE treadmills, so i run around the mini track around my campus gym. (7 laps to the km) i also use the elliptical!
i love to run even in extreme weather you will find me running
Oh cardio, how I wish you were as fun as lifting.
I personally love to swim. It's an awesome work out and I get to eat like 4000 with a combination of swimming, lifting and running. The elliptical and stairmaster are my machines of choice, but nothing really beats running outside :p.
I like the elliptical and swimming. I wish I could swim all year round though.
ohh
What about running? :) Best cardio workout (if you aren't injury prone, that is...). There's endless varieties in what you can do, where you can run, how long! And the best part is... you don't need to be stuck indoors all day. Enjoy the beauty of nature. :)
I love swimming. But I walk briskly for about two hours each night, but I didn't think it was doing anything exercise-wise.
if you plan on doing any running or walking outside, i recommend doing it on a track or a grassy field. for people with bad joints, it provides adequate cushioning for worn down joints. not only should you be wary of the terrain that you walk/run on, but make sure that you have the right running shoes for your feet.
other cardio options: -jump rope: you can set your own time and go through or try interval training: 1 minute of fast, hard jump roping then 1 minute of slower paced jump roping.
-martial arts/sparring: total body workout that trains you both in and out of the ring.
-rowing machine: just like martial arts/sparring, this too is a total body workout while doing cardio. i do stress using proper form though: first legs, then back, then arms and then reverse to get in the starting position again.
-hiking: doing cardio while enjoying a scenic view and trail.
-dancing: turn on some music and dance away, go to a dance class and learn some moves, go to a club/rave/concert and let the music take you. you'll be surprised at how many calories you burn from dancing.
-stair climbing: there's machines for this or if you prefer air, go to a nearby stadium and run the bleachers. or just go to any place with at least 10 steps and do a set of them.
I really enjoy jogging, but in the past 2 years I got diagnosed with IBS, which makes jogging really difficult (I'm not sure why, I guess my insides just get stirred up, but without a doubt, an hour after I jog I have a bad IBS flairup.)
So I've resorted to walking the track and ellipitcal. I love swimming but the only pool I have access too is way too chlorine loaded, it hurts to swim!
I love to teach aerobics. There is nothing like leading a great group of people to workout. I teach everything from step, spin and water. One of my favorite classes is my Deep Intervals class in the deep end of the pool. Believe it or not I burn about 600 calories an hour in that class. I also love spinning. I teach a spin class on Sundays that is an hour and a half and I burn almost 1200 calories.
I find machines tend to be a little boring, but my machine of choice is the elliptical. I'm not much of a runner, but when I do run - it's gotta be outside.
If your workout is starting to get stale you should try interval training or a circuit type of training to mix things up.
To get in my cardio, I usually have to ask someone at the gym for suggestions. My trainer usually has me do intervals on the treadmill. My nutritionist sent me some tracks from iTrain (http://www.itrain.com/workouts) which have been super motivating. Lately I've been going to a bootcamp class at my gym, which isn't really cardio but rather conditioning.
I have asthma (yay, air pollution!) and a bad knee, which sucks because I love working out. Running and using the treadmill is out for me, but I love, love, love the elliptical. It doesn't bother my knee at all and is much easier on my lungs, so I do that for 30 minutes. Then I use the bike for about 15 because that's easy on my knees and if I keep a steady pace, my asthma doesn't act up. Then I use the rowing machine for 15 minutes. I only do those when I'm in school since I don't have a gym membership.
I love swimming too and used to take lessons when I was younger, but after I developed asthma I gave up. Now I just swim in the summer, I have an above ground pool in my backyard, so when I'm home on summer break, I swim and try to keep a pace where my asthma doesn't act up. Unfortunately, my college doesn't have a pool and I really wish it did. :(
When I worked out, I used to focus on what exercises would help me lose weight the fastest. But now I'm just trying to focus on building my endurance, for two of my classes I'm taking a trip down to Cape Cod, MA and we'll be biking, kyaking, canoeing, and hiking for a week and I want to be able to keep up with the class. :D
Ugh! Don't even mention suicides. I hate them! My choice for cardio is the elliptical machine since I have really bad knee joints! You can find me on that machine for a minimum of 45 minutes then I do some light weights to tone then I cool down with a brisk walk on the treadmill. I can't run that long because that takes too much outta me with my asthma. booooo
For me it's a bit of trail running and some rock climbing. Running a marathon helps too.
I'm a swimmmmmmer :] But at practices, we run, and run, and run, and do push ups, sometimes even lift weights. Swimming is an incredible sport, it takes every bit of energy you might have.
Some guy named Michael Phelps, how about my hero michael phelps haha.
Walking gives me abs, but no one believes me. Thanks for actually considering it a type of workout. I find that it does more trick than a lot of people are willing to realize, but of course the kind of walking I'm talking about involves arms swinging on your sides, not the kind you do for 5 minutes around your block while you're on the phone.
Mr. Cheeseburger 
Comments (31)
Ahh, I hate suicides with a really strong passion!
I just had hip surgery so I haven't been able to workout. But in a few months, the elliptical will definitely be my number one choice. Mainly cause that's the only cardio machine we have in our house. It was the workout equipment that I used pretty much everyday before surgery, it's so great cause it give you an amazing workout and very low-impact. <3
ahahh, i remember when i used to do soccer i DREADED suicides.
swimming is incredible, because, like you said, your entire body gets used. plus, its my favorite sport, and im competitive in it, so i swim harder.
walking is a really good way to fit in some cardio. last night, while watching gossip girl, i walked on the treadmill for almost the full hour, alternating between speeds of 3.0mph and 3.5mph, and burned 400 calories. (though i had the treadmill on incline, also.)
i lvoe the elliptical machine! i'm one of those people you hate because i stretch the "20 MINUTE CARDIOS ONLY" to thirty minutes o_O
I adore swimming. It's the easiest way to burn off the most calories in a short amount of time. I'm really bad at running because of my ankles, and lifting weights doesn't give me the satisfaction of a good aerobic workout, but swimming... Ah. Plus if the water's really cold, you burn calories keeping warm. To the blogger who wrote this, would you really want to swim in water with a bunch of people that was NOT chlorinated? Hah! Disgusting.
i'm a runner. i love running. but i HATE treadmills, so i run around the mini track around my campus gym. (7 laps to the km)
i also use the elliptical!
i love to run
even in extreme weather you will find me running
Oh cardio, how I wish you were as fun as lifting.
I personally love to swim. It's an awesome work out and I get to eat like 4000 with a combination of swimming, lifting and running. The elliptical and stairmaster are my machines of choice, but nothing really beats running outside :p.
I like the elliptical and swimming. I wish I could swim all year round though.
ohh
What about running? :) Best cardio workout (if you aren't injury prone, that is...). There's endless varieties in what you can do, where you can run, how long! And the best part is... you don't need to be stuck indoors all day. Enjoy the beauty of nature. :)
@Katherine_the_third@xanga - AMEN to that sister! hahaha. :)
I love swimming. But I walk briskly for about two hours each night, but I didn't think it was doing anything exercise-wise.
if you plan on doing any running or walking outside, i recommend doing it on a track or a grassy field. for people with bad joints, it provides adequate cushioning for worn down joints. not only should you be wary of the terrain that you walk/run on, but make sure that you have the right running shoes for your feet.
other cardio options:
-jump rope: you can set your own time and go through or try interval training: 1 minute of fast, hard jump roping then 1 minute of slower paced jump roping.
-martial arts/sparring: total body workout that trains you both in and out of the ring.
-rowing machine: just like martial arts/sparring, this too is a total body workout while doing cardio. i do stress using proper form though: first legs, then back, then arms and then reverse to get in the starting position again.
-hiking: doing cardio while enjoying a scenic view and trail.
-dancing: turn on some music and dance away, go to a dance class and learn some moves, go to a club/rave/concert and let the music take you. you'll be surprised at how many calories you burn from dancing.
-stair climbing: there's machines for this or if you prefer air, go to a nearby stadium and run the bleachers. or just go to any place with at least 10 steps and do a set of them.
that's it from the top of my head.
-E
@JoeytheGenie@xanga - Same here.
I really enjoy jogging, but in the past 2 years I got diagnosed with IBS, which makes jogging really difficult (I'm not sure why, I guess my insides just get stirred up, but without a doubt, an hour after I jog I have a bad IBS flairup.)
So I've resorted to walking the track and ellipitcal. I love swimming but the only pool I have access too is way too chlorine loaded, it hurts to swim!
The elliptical is my personal favorite!
@hadoken12@xanga - Great ideas :)
I love to teach aerobics. There is nothing like leading a great group of people to workout. I teach everything from step, spin and water. One of my favorite classes is my Deep Intervals class in the deep end of the pool. Believe it or not I burn about 600 calories an hour in that class. I also love spinning. I teach a spin class on Sundays that is an hour and a half and I burn almost 1200 calories.
I find machines tend to be a little boring, but my machine of choice is the elliptical. I'm not much of a runner, but when I do run - it's gotta be outside.
If your workout is starting to get stale you should try interval training or a circuit type of training to mix things up.
To get in my cardio, I usually have to ask someone at the gym for suggestions. My trainer usually has me do intervals on the treadmill. My nutritionist sent me some tracks from iTrain (http://www.itrain.com/workouts) which have been super motivating. Lately I've been going to a bootcamp class at my gym, which isn't really cardio but rather conditioning.
I have asthma (yay, air pollution!) and a bad knee, which sucks because I love working out. Running and using the treadmill is out for me, but I love, love, love the elliptical. It doesn't bother my knee at all and is much easier on my lungs, so I do that for 30 minutes. Then I use the bike for about 15 because that's easy on my knees and if I keep a steady pace, my asthma doesn't act up. Then I use the rowing machine for 15 minutes. I only do those when I'm in school since I don't have a gym membership.
I love swimming too and used to take lessons when I was younger, but after I developed asthma I gave up. Now I just swim in the summer, I have an above ground pool in my backyard, so when I'm home on summer break, I swim and try to keep a pace where my asthma doesn't act up. Unfortunately, my college doesn't have a pool and I really wish it did. :(
When I worked out, I used to focus on what exercises would help me lose weight the fastest. But now I'm just trying to focus on building my endurance, for two of my classes I'm taking a trip down to Cape Cod, MA and we'll be biking, kyaking, canoeing, and hiking for a week and I want to be able to keep up with the class. :D
Ugh! Don't even mention suicides. I hate them! My choice for cardio is the elliptical machine since I have really bad knee joints! You can find me on that machine for a minimum of 45 minutes then I do some light weights to tone then I cool down with a brisk walk on the treadmill. I can't run that long because that takes too much outta me with my asthma. booooo
For me it's a bit of trail running and some rock climbing.
Running a marathon helps too.
I'm a swimmmmmmer :] But at practices, we run, and run, and run, and do push ups, sometimes even lift weights. Swimming is an incredible sport, it takes every bit of energy you might have.
Some guy named Michael Phelps, how about my hero michael phelps haha.
Walking gives me abs, but no one believes me. Thanks for actually considering it a type of workout. I find that it does more trick than a lot of people are willing to realize, but of course the kind of walking I'm talking about involves arms swinging on your sides, not the kind you do for 5 minutes around your block while you're on the phone.
I always do the elliptical machines :]
crossfit.com