Yup, gyms across the UK are still closed. Why? Well your guess is as good as ours.
What we do know however, is that we still have no access to any of the cardio machines that are usually available to us in a gym or training facility.
Even when gyms do reopen their doors for the first time since March, it is estimated that only 20-30% of members are going to return in the first month of reopening.
All of which means, doing cardio at home is still very much going to be a big part of people fitness routines in the immediate future and possibly beyond.
But is cardio at home as effective as training at the gym? In short yes, it can be. You might just have to be a little bit more creative.
Forget about conventional cardio
When you hear the word cardio, the first image likely to pop into your head is running on a treadmill, or going back and forth, and back and forth, on a rowing machine.
These can be great (if somewhat repetitive) options to have in your cardio regime, but unless you’re lucky enough to have a home gym, kitted out with your favourite cardio machine, for the time being – you’re going to have to take a different approach to working up an aerobic sweat.
Luckily, you can achieve a great cardio workout with nothing more than your bodyweight or with minimal equipment such as a dumbbell or kettlebell.
Below we have our top home cardio workouts to keep you scorching through calories and supercharging your metabolism.
TABATA
Tabata training was first established back in 1996 by a Japanese professor – Dr Tabata. Through his studies, he discovered the health benefits of training in 20 second high intensity burst, followed by short 10 seconds rest periods, repeated for a duration of 4 minutes.
Fast forward to today and this style of training is one of the most popular methods around to achieve a simple but effective cardio workout.
Try out the Tabata workout below for a full body cardio blaster.
Workout – 16 minutes (4 x 4 minute rounds)
Round 1 – Burpees
Round 2 – Jumping Lunges
Round 3 – Press Ups
Round 4 – Air Squats
The moves get progressively easier with each round, so push hard from the start and keep your form tight.
AMRAP
Loved and loathed in equal measure, an AMRAP workout is a sure fire way to get your lungs burning and light up your metabolism.
Standing for As Many Rounds (/Reps) As Possible, they do exactly what they say on the tin. A training method that’s been popularised by the CrossFit community, the idea is to complete as many rounds (or reps), in a pre-determined amount of time.
The great thing about them is that they are suitable for any fitness level, as you just work to your own limits within the time period.
Give this quickfire Kettlebell Trifecta a shot.
In 20 minutes complete as many rounds as possible of*
20 Kettlebell snatches (10 per side)
16 Kettlebell Clean and Press (8 each side)
12 Kettlebell Cleans (6 each side)
*complete all prescribed reps before moving on to next exercise
This one get the lungs and muscles burning equally quick, so make sure to pace yourself from the get go.
EMOM
Another CrossFit favourite. To be fair though, CF athletes are literally the fittest people on earth, so when it comes to cardio, they know what their doing.
EMOM, simply means Every Minute On the Minute. Set your timer for the total duration of the workout, and then when each minute rolls around perform your selected exercise/s. Once you hit your rep target, rest for the remainder of the minute.
As you start to fatigue, your rest will start to decrease, making it an intense cardio session.
Try this full upper body workout that get the heart and muscles pumping.
Every minute for 40 minutes complete:
1st min – 15 hand release press ups
2nd min – 15 dumbbell rows
3rd min – 15 dumbbell push press
4th min – Rest
Focus on engaging your muscles with each rep and controlling your breathing as you get deeper into the workout
Get Outdoors
Of course, when it comes to cardio it doesn’t always have to be high intensity. Getting out for a steady state run, hike or cycle is also a great way to improve cardiovascular health and now that travel restrictions have been lifted it is a great time to explore and take advantage of trail runs, hill walks or cycle routes whilst the days are long and gyms are still closed.
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