BY EBENEZER SAMUEL, CSCS
You know by now that you need to do at least some cardio. And you also know that, very often, that cardio can feel . . . wildly boring. But there are fixes for that boredom – and these can take all your training to the next level.
Lifting weights should always be the entree in your training, but cardio is a side dish with serious benefits, conditioning your heart to feed your strength training better and burning calories. This doesn’t mean you need to spend hours on a treadmill or stairmaster. But I generally recommend my clients find at least 15 minutes of dedicated heart rate training every week. And if you can push past that, you’ll see even more long-term upside, too.
The key to getting that cardio work done: Finding ways to keep it from being monotonous. I typically take three 20-minute runs a week. Here are three tactics I’ve used to get those done – and actually start (gulp) enjoying them, too.
WEIGHT IT UP
Not every cardio workout needs to take place on a bike or rower or treadmill; you can easily turn a SMRTFT dumbbell workout into a cardiovascular event. Just choose two movement (or two moves), and set a timer. My favorite moves for this: Weighted burpees and renegade rows. Do a rep of one move, then do a rep of the other. Then do 2 of each, and then 3, and so on. Work to not rest until time is up. This works well for 5- to 10-minute sessions.
FORGET PROGRESSION
When I lift weights, I’m always thinking about pushing to go heavier, or battling for an extra rep. But if I hop on a treadmill or rower, I track only time. I don’t care whether I’ve run farther or faster than my last workout. I instead focus on my breathing and my running technique. The absence of progression lets the session feel more relaxed, like good movement, instead of an instrument of torture.
SHRINK THE WORK
Ten to fifteen straight minutes of cardio will never not feel daunting, but there’s a swift fix for that: Intervals. Breaking a longer run or row into a series of, say, 40-seconds-on, 20-off intervals liberates you from a lengthier slog. The rest intervals can feel liberating, too, letting you go harder during the work periods. My favorite ways to break up a cardio session: I’ll run for 2 minutes, then walk for 1 minute for 15 minutes, or I’ll run hard for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds for 10 minutes.
Regardless of your approach, your body will thank you for pushing through your cardio. So get. It. Done.