To a lot of hardcore weightlifters, the word “cardio” can be considered as blasphemous as “toning up.”
Even though research has shown that about 30 minutes a day of cardiovascular exercise has a multitude of benefits, including helping reduce LDL (aka “bad) cholesterol and blood pressure to weight loss, gymgoers oftentimes ignore the benefits for a variety of reasons. They may not having enough time, or they may feel like it “interrupts their gains,” or just because old-school cardio is downright boring. Instead, they go straight to the weights.
Here’s the good news: Cardio has never needed to be relegated simply to mundane machines. If you have access to battle ropes, kettlebells, and medicine balls, you can get the benefits of cardio without the joint-pounding effect of traditional cardio by using these tools as part of a training-day finisher.
Rest easy, these tools will save your muscle gains since there’s little or no eccentric muscle contractions (muscle lengthening while under tension) happening. Because it’s mainly concentric contractions (when the muscle overcomes the resistance and shortens) and isometric contractions involved, studies have shown these types of cardio workouts are less likely to impact your recovery after strength training.
Truth is, there’s no need to sacrifice your hard-earned gains while maintaining or improving your cardio. Using these pieces of equipment is perfect when you’re short of time but need the benefits of cardio without impacting your recovery.
Cardio for fat loss, if that’s your goal
These three high-intensity trainings below will increase your demand for oxygen, known as Excess Post-Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). This is required to get back to homeostasis (balance). Think of it simply as your body’s way of playing catchup.
For every liter of oxygen you breathe in, you burn about five calories. By increasing your O2 requirements (a result of doing workouts such as the following), odds are you’ll be able to enhance your fat loss and conditioning efforts too.
Use one of these three finishers at the end of your training or between sessions for recovery and fat-burning purposes. Then give a smile and wave at the folks taking up the elliptical machines.
Stuart McGill, Ph.D., professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, improved the core stability and explosive power of NBA players by holding a front or side plank after completing treadmill sprints. No treadmill sprints here but the same principle is being applied.
Instructions
Do any battle rope variation for 30 seconds and then go right into a side plank. Make sure to breathe into your stomach while holding your body in a straight line. Hold it for 30 seconds.
Go back to the battle ropes for 30 second intervals and do the side plank on the other side. Repeat this sequence for 10 minutes, resting when needed.
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Kettlebell Swings-RKC Front plank
Holding an RKC front plank after kettlebell swings is a challenge that will improve your conditioning, core stability and breathing mechanics. Breathing correctly while your heart is beating out of your chest will help improve your recovery between sets or any other cardiovascular activity.
Instructions
Do 20 kettlebell swings and then immediately get into an RKC front plank. Once you have hit full tension, take 10 deep inhales and exhales while maintaining this tension. Repeat this sequence for 10 minutes, resting when needed.
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Kettlebell Swing to Medicine Ball Slam
This one will get the blood flowing because your heart is working double time pushing blood from the lower body to the upper body and back and forth. This is known as peripheral heart rate training (PHA), which can help improve your cardiovascular endurance.
Instructions
Perform as a countdown superset. Do 20 reps of the swings and the slams and go down by two each round until you reach two reps for each exercise. Rest little between exercises and supersets.
