WEEK ONE HUNDRED-FIFTEEN :: How Can You Make Cardio Fun?

[the_fake_webmaster]

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* Note: How can I win? 1. Answer all questions in the order that they are asked. 2. Go over reviews (located at the bottom of each TOTW article) and see what was said about those that did not win. Good Luck!
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TOPIC: How Can You Make Cardio Fun?

For the week of: March 14th - March 20th
Tuesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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Everyone hates the torture of cardio. Whether it?s pedaling on a bike or running up stairs, cardio is the most grueling and annoying part of one?s workout.

How can you make cardio fun?

What are some effective and fun cardio exercises? Be as descriptive as possible.

When should cardio be performed in conjunction with weight training? Why?

Bonus Question: Which cardio exercise do you find you be the most boring? Which do you enjoy the most?

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* New Rule (beginning: June 1st, 2006): Any exercise not listed on our exercise listing (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm) must be accompanied by a full and complete description and pictures (or a link to the exercise(s) where pictures and description are given).

Thanks.

Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $75 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it. Become famous!

Thanks,
Will
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com

[TheMind]

Awesome topic! I'm excited for this one

[TinyMan]

Interesting topic this one could be really interesting to read some of the responses.

[dropshot001]

excellent topic. really looking forward to this one. may want to incorporate some of this into my own cardio system.

[smayer]

video ipod makes like easy

[85Mario85]

music makes everything fun!

[Xtrainer]

Here's my submission

[zepto second]

The dreaded "C" word sound chills down my spine.

I am going to outline 3 steps that make cardio fun and some what enjoyable that i follow all the time.

step 1: Depending on the outside conditions, I usually will run at a city park (especially during the summer) The park I run at has a smell pond and lake. I stretch for 2 minutes and then i begin my run. I do many hard things such as running back words are doing jump squats every 100 estimated feet. I will then run through some 6-12 inch deep water which makes everything more difficult and it cools me down as I am running. If I have enough energy I( will climb a 30 foot tree in the park 3 times. Usually that is if it's hot outside and it last about 30 minutes.

Now if your confined to indoor climate I will suggest another thing.

Step 2: Sprints on the treadmill are fun and short and quick. Usually I run at pace 12 on the treadmill for one minute and then stop and walk for 3 minutes and try to repeat the same thing over and over. Trust me on this, it makes the time fly by and it is a blast.


Step 3: The stairmaster. I always use this thing at least twice a week. I will do the same scheme as the treadmill except at the end of the one minute burst sprint, I walk down the stairs and run them back up. This is very hard and it taxes the body and will have you sweating in no time.

Now in a bried conclusion, these can be done differently such as substituting the stairmaster for a real flight of stairs. However, since summer is approaching i recommend running in the park and doing what I said above. this is really fun and it goes by very quick.

[Beejis60]

Here's my submission

That's a GREAT read!

[blackwax]

1. sports: do something outside and exciting: rollerblading; cycling; tennis; rock climbing; swimming
2. more sex: seriously, you and your partner give each other a workout daily!
3. variety: dabble in many things
4. do that "outside work" you've been putting off and plan more outside projects
5. pick an urban terrain course for running or cycling and try and beat your times each week.

[Xtrainer]

That's a GREAT read!

Thanks, I appreciate it.

[flatda]

3. Play a Sport: For example, I do jiu-jitsu, a wrestling-type martial art. What do you think sounds like more fun, running or trying to throw a guy onto the mat where you will proceed to strangle him until he submits? Exactly. Playing a sport give you something more to think about than ?Uuuuhhh?I still have 27 minutes and 36 seconds left.? In addition, when you are competing against someone else, you are left with no excuse to quit or let the intensity slide. While running on a treadmill, you must fight the constant temptation to lower the speed, or merely step off.

word

i live in the capital city of Austria, vienna, where it's common to live in flats not in houses. in my housing estate we got a yard and there are a lot of young people living in the flats so when i was younger like till i was 14 i used to play with the other guys in the yard. we were kids from the age of 9 to 18, the age didn't matter we were just having fun. we played football, took out water gone fights, and i invented some hella nice game. the basis was some game that was basically like that: some guy runs around with the ball and tries to shoot others. the one who gets shot is the next shooter and so on. since we got 4 walls, 2 staircases and stuff like that, i invented the "hardcore version" of the game. The difference was that alleyways were forbidden to be used, so the whole area was kind of divided into 3 parts and u could only reach another part by climbing over walls and a leafy arbor. the nice thing was that i didn't just camp and wait for someone to come in order to run away before he gets close to me and hide at some other spot, i always challenged the others and i would just run around close to them to make them try to go after me, then i would always run away like hell and climb like hell. i was hella fast and the game was hella exhausting, but it was a damn lot of fun. since i've been doin jiu jitsu and rock climbing already at that time i was fast, i knew how to land and roll and i knew how to climb. the word cardio at this time didn't exist for me, through the jiu jitsu training and the playin in the yard, u could gage my entire body and u wouldn't have found any fat spot. my muscles came only from the jiu jitsu training which was like a boot camp and from a little bit of workout at home.
at that time i neither had a computer nor a TV in my room so my hobbies were skateboarding, jiu jitsu and playing exhausting but hella fun games in the yard.
now i'm just always sittin at home surfin the internet and watchin tv, it's hard to compensate that by goin running for 1 hour per week... plus this running **** ain't fun at all...
people don't really go to the yard anymore but i'm considering trying to reestablish that community because i just need those suckers to help me burn fat
another good friend of mine whose living in my housing estate i have still contact with and 1 week ago i met up with him in the yard and we did some other nice exercice: stopping the time for how long we would need to run a circle passing checkpoints in all 3 areas. that's hella exhausting but at least some fun too. that way u have to climb 2 walls and jump of one, the rest is running.

if u guys got some area that would be suitable, try out that ball-tagging game i used to play. Burns hella lot of calories and is a real blast.

cardio on machines or running around stupidly just sux

[Xtrainer]

lol good stuff

[sasha8988]

I know that cardio can get really old when you do the same thing day in and day out, but there are some ways to challenge yourself without taking too much time out to set up obstacle courses, or driving further to go to a park.
I like to keep cardio sessions short and intense. The research shows that the more intense your cardio is, the more calories will be burned afterwards, as opposed to a long and relatively easy session. So here are some things you can do with a treadmill, jump rope, and other equipment you have at home, or at your gym:

Pick an interval time, 20 sec, 1 min, 2 min, etc. or use different interval times within one session, then incorporate some of the following exercises and repeat the circuit till you have reached your goal time, 20 min, 30, etc.
Then the next time, use different exercises, or even do some of these between weight-lifting sets, to really power up your heart-rate and the intensity of your workout:


-sprints (treadmill or on the ground, if you are near a hill, that's awesome too)
-plyometrics (squat jumps, mountain-climbers, jumping jacks, high-knees, switching jump-lunges, etc.)
- use a few risers and a step to do step ups with knee ups, lateral jumps over the step, basic step with hop, the possibilities are endless!)
- my most favorite piece of equimpent is a JUMP ROPE.... people are always asking me at the gym if I am a boxer because I have gotten really good, but let me tell you, when I started, I SUCKED!!! keep at it. Its a lot of fun and Its an incredibly easy way to intensify any workout!
- using light weights certain low impact leg workouts can actually be functional as cardio instead by doing them at high reps, such as walking lunges, step ups (high step), squats, etc...

For those of you who can't stand cardio AT ALL, try supersetting your weight-lifting program, incorporating some jumping rope between sets, then just finish up with 10 or 15 in of some type of interval training to make the time go faster, and then you're done.

Right now I get a treadmill and put it on 7, then I get my jumprope out ... I do one min on the treadmill, and one min running, one treadmill, one running. 25 min passes by in no time, and the high intensity keeps me from getting bored. I despise the machines, BLAAA.... even on machines, I ALWAYS do intervals, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12... till i reach 25 min. It helps because you have to concentrate on the time, so you can change the intensity at every minute mark.

Here's my most intense workout: the incline treadmill sprints:
put the treadmill on a 13 - 15 incline, and put the speed anywhere between 6 for beginners to 8 for advanced.
stand on the sides till the machine gets warmed up, and keep your eyes on the counter. here's what you do: 3 sets of 10 second intervals with rest:
15 sec on, 15 sec on the sides (repeat 10 times)
10 sec on, 10 sec on the sides (repeat 10 times)
5 sec on, 5 sec on the sides (repeat 10 times)
do this all the way through , then reduce the speed, walk for a few min to catch your breath, then get the speed back up and do it again. That should take up about 24 min! you will be panting by minute 5 though!!! Its AWESOME, INTENSE AND YOU ARE DONE IN NO TIME BECAUSE ITS SO INTENSE AND REQUIRES CONTSANT FOCUS!!!


Hope that was helpful

[bjjc23]

I think one of the best ways to make cardio fun is do work out with someone and make it more like a competition. If you work out with another person and turn it into a competition ( I can keep it at level _ for _), it seems to go by a lot faster. Obviously you have to keep it safe, but what guy doesn't like a little competition!

[Dallas68]

How can you make cardio fun?

The success of a Cardiac Regimen is based on the trainee?s attitude, first and foremost. If you want to moan throughout your spinning class or aerobic gym class, you will be left with sub-optimum results and no new friends.
So to make this extremely important activity enjoyable, think of the results you want and focus on achieving those with time. Think back to where you were before and where you want to be! Whether you want to run a local race or become the king of the beach, you have to keep your mind on the positives in your life and on the moment. Think of how you will feel, seeing yourself wake up and smiling immediately because of your new body and energy. Look around and find something which makes you smile. If you are in the gym, look over at the weight room and you will most possibly find something to laugh about or give you a boost of energy for your cardio. The more pleasing effect would be to choose the scenic route, or as scenic as your route allows. Bring in the fresh air, admire everything good around you, take your mind off the pain and enjoy your run or ride.
There are numerous ways to enjoy cardio a whole load more. With the latest gadgetry you can have an array of visual or audio stimulation right in your ?moment?. The IPOD poses a full entertainment theatre in a reasonable package; however any well priced multi functional multimedia player will provide you with motivational music or videos to playback as many times as needed.
If you are really sick of cardio, then don?t think of Cardio as being ?cardio?, think of yourself and ?IT? as something/one else. An example, you have seen a thief stealing your grandma?s purse, your intense drive of adrenaline sparks and you run to pursue this nasty dude, set yourself a time bracket and just go for it. Run, shout, do whatever you can to catch the thief! See right there is an easy example to keep the blood pumping in your body. Of course this is all visualization of the mind.
Cardio in most parks is simply done with accessory equipment such as roller blades, skate-boards or if you live near the coast with surfing boards or wind surfing. With these activities you may not be able to track the caloric burn of the cardio regimen; however it will provide fun and excitement, as well as many abdominal and core strengthening exercises.
Find a cardio partner and set a parameter or two and challenge one another, try to find a partner with a relative fitness level to yourself.

Fun Cardio ideas!

Cardio in mainstream society is thought of a ritualistic orientated activity which one must simply complete and get it over and done with. However the real idea is to sweat a good amount to achieve greater cardiovascular conditioning. This can be successfully done in many ways. Mystic and ancient fighting arts of many Asian countries will provide you with a good core stabilization regime as well as overall balance of the body which will make you sweat to improve. The most famous being Karate, of course more hardcore types such as Muay Thai will leave you on the floor if you train effectively. You have to also evaluate how fit you want to be, and what type of pain you are ready to exert on yourself to achieve a lean muscular and ultimately ripped body.
Of course boxing is a definite to creating a well defined and aesthetic body. Pilates and Yoga focus more on Core exercises but this will also exert a great effect on the body to burn energy as you focus on stabilizing your body that is the key for however long. It is a process always remember that.



When Should Cardio Be Performed in Conjunction with Weight Training? Why?

I believe this method to be effective to an extent, most beginners will have had enough energy exerted on the tough workout with the weights, to then spend another half an hour doing more physical labour places a great stress on the mind. Firstly it goes back to how badly you want to make progress in your goals. Cardio should be done after weight training so that the muscles which were used during that day have a chance for the blood to flow around the effected area. This is especially useful after a heavy leg workout, it is painful but will leave you walking a lot straighter in the days to come.


Bonus Question: Which cardio exercise do you find to be the most boring? Which do you enjoy the most?

I find the stepper in my home to be the most boring, a simple ingenious device you simply step on to it and simulate walking; this in conjunction with staring at my cupboard is truly boring, however if you set up some music or a television nearby you will get through the barriers quickly and with a verve.
I enjoy running in the garden with my puppy, the most. He is incredibly active and it is hard to keep up with him, I make it a point to try catching him, until I am out of breath. Simple exertion at any time of the day exerts an effect on the body which brings you closer to your true fitness potential.

[redhawk76]

Awesome Topic!

[Liquid_diet]

I really hate cardio Good luck everyone.

[BurningHeart]

Here's mine

[Mtguy8787]

Here's mine.

[Liquid_diet]

^^^ Did you get the times screwed up???

[SC1]

Good luck everyone!

[Mtguy8787]

^^^ Did you get the times screwed up???

what are you talking about?

I guess my entry was 1 hour late with daylight savings time... But my computer & the forums werent adjusted for it, so I kind of forgot about it while I was typing my entry.

[Mercurix]

Two words...Basketball and Boxing.

[Sylvo]

Great article! I totally have to agree with just changing up your cardio routine. Just like doing the same exercises over and over can get boring. Currently I'm about 11 weeks out for a contest and I'm doing cardio 30 min. everyday. For those 30 minutes I pick three cardio options and do them intensely for 1/3 of the time and then move on to the next: ie: stair climber, elliptical, jump rope. My cardio is over before i know it. Circuit cardio!

[roxy42277]

i watch family guy and Aqua teen on my ipod! laughing on the treadmill makes time fly!!! Watching a hottie work out really makes cardio fun!!! ;-) (just being honest)

i guess having the mind set that this cardio session is the one that determines if im going to win my competition or not makes it fun and sure makes you work harder

[anonymous]

1. YES I don't do the 45 minute cardio drill and you know why because it's boring and it takes too much time.

YES I do my cardio every week on a trademill but for now only once a week.

YES I do my cardio the day when I don't lift weights.

YES I take my MP3 with me !!!

2. What you can do and it's very helpfull to make your drill more lively is dividing your cardio exercise in intervals of 5 minutes.
If you are not in the mood do just 5'. It's still ok!!!
If you are in a better mood do 5'+5' and so on...

Today I went as far as 25 minutes and even 25' plus 1'

3. To make it more exciting you may increase your speed for each interval.
Start at 4 to 5 mph for the first 5 minutes.
The next 5' at 6 mph.
The next 5' at 7.5 mph.
The next 5' at 8.5 mph.

Today I went as far as 10 mph.

4. The heart is a bit like other muscles you have to train it and it is very responsive. You cannot measure its progress with pounds lifted but with heart beat per minute (hbm) that's why you should wear a cardio watch. It's very exciting to know how your heart is reacting to your workout and it's very helpfull. So if you train by interval of 5 minutes, the first 5 minutes you might reach around 100 hbm depending on your body.The next 5 minutes around 130 hbm and so on. With a cardio watch you know if your heart is in a good day or a bad day. It helps you to know if you can push yourself or not or if you are making progress.

Today I reached my second breath after approximately 24' at 9.5 mph. My cardio watch went crazy as it had to struggle to analyse a sharp deceleration, my heart coming back from a plateau of 180 hbm to a steady 160-165 hbm.

5. Take an energy drink during your workout and after your drill do not forget to stretch all your leg muscles.

6. So my best advice for a fun cardio drill would be better do an easy cardio drill than no drill at all and don't push yourself if you don't feel like to.

[YoSiBuff]

I have a selection of 5 different cardio exercises and I switch between them at random. To me it's a lot easier to get into Cardio when I can choose what I want to do and the order I want to do it in. I'll only do one exercise for 15 minutes before switching to another one immediately after it.

Beyond that, I try to save up problems from work for the next day. When I go to work out in the morning I have something to think about and usually come away with a creative solution to the problem that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

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A general page of random & pointless scribblings about myself can be found at http://www.andremorris.com

[Macrobolic]

...Everyone hates the torture of cardio. Whether it?s pedaling on a bike or running up stairs, cardio is the most grueling and annoying part of one?s workout.

How can you make cardio fun?

What are some effective and fun cardio exercises? Be as descriptive as possible.

When should cardio be performed in conjunction with weight training? Why?

Bonus Question: Which cardio exercise do you find you be the most boring? Which do you enjoy the most?

1. Do something outside. I have found that when I do cardio inside it gets monotonous and boring. But if I go outside, then I get beautiful scenery and fresh air (at least where I live )

2.
Jogging outside
Any sport (I personally like basketball and soccer)
Yoga!

3. I feel that unless your are an ectomorph, cardio should be done 2-3 times a week year round. This will keep your cardiovascular system healthy and keep the fat gain to a minimum. For those who are ectomorphs, you should do cardio but cut it down to once a week for those who want to gain muscle, and then more when you cut.

I do feel that, if possible, cardio should never be done on leg days as it could hinder your leg workout (if done before the workout) or growth (if done after the workout).

Most boring: running on a treadmill or elliptical trainer
Most enjoyable: playing sports with friends or yoga, both are enjoyable to me

[MattyH7688]

lol u guys know this article is over