Get Rid Of The Treadmill

A Cardio Drill That Saves Time and Money
By Stacey Nolan Young

Don’t you get sick of performing mindless, boring cardio on your elliptical or treadmill for hours on end? Does the thought of doing so make you cringe? Do you want to lose fat but don’t have the time to put into it? What if I had a solution for you? What if I could give to you a cardio drill that will only take you about 10 minutes and leave you sweating with your heart pumping while simultaneously burning more calories than that hour of walking on your treadmill?

The Circuit Cardio

To get started all you will need is a bench, a mat (or blanket), and some floor space. If you do not have a bench than something of similar shape and size would work as well. Wear comfortable clothing and be prepared to sweat! You will be performing three exercises consecutively. This means that you finish one and go directly into the next exercise with no rest. Only after all three exercises have been completed do you then take a break before beginning the circuit again. Here are the exercises:

1. Bench Hops

As pictured in the video above you move your body up and over the bench from side to side. Obviously you want to clear the bench so you must jump high. You are to perform 40 bench hops. That means 20 hops per side. Don’t let this one fool you, it is tough!

2. Hill Climbers

You are to perform 40 hill climbers which means 20 per side. Make sure that your back is straight and that you are fully extending your legs behind you when you switch. By this point you should be tired and your heart should feel as if it’s going to jump out of your chest.

3. Lay Down/Stand Ups

You will be performing this exercise 20 times. From a standing position you are to lie face down on the mat, making sure that your chest touches the mat before you stand back up to the beginning position. Perform this 19 more times. This one may seem easy to you but I assure you it is not!

And finally… REST! You want to make sure that your heart rate slows back down and your breathing returns to normal before you begin again. This can take 1 minute to 5 minutes. Let your body be your guide.

For a beginner I suggest going through this routine 2 times. Do this a few times per week for a couple of weeks and bump it up to three times. And so on. This is a fantastic workout that will definitely not bore you. Plus the best part is that it is over quickly and in way less time than a traditional cardio bout lasts. 

Enjoy!

Posted: June 3rd, 2009 at 11:46am By: stacey