Friday's Workout: Cardio Fix
Autumn's Inspirational Quote of the Day: "When you feel like quitting, think about why you started"
Equipment: None! ::thinking: oh, good, no weights! this will be an easy workout then:: NOPE!
Total Workout Time: 31:56
Set up: 4 circuits, 2 exercises each circuit, repeated, 1 minute per exercise, 1 bonus round exercise
Exercises:
Warm-up (just over 3 minutes): jog, jumping jacks, windmills (arm circles front and back), over the tops (side lunge and reach overhead to the side right and left), alternating toe taps (legs straight, touch opposite toe); repeat.
Circuit 1: 2 exercises, repeated, 1 minute each
Cross Jacks: start with legs and arms out, jump in and cross ankles, bring arms in and cross them in the front
High Knees: think of tilting your pelvis forward, not back. Lift knees up as high as you can, swing your arms.
Repeat
Circuit 2: 2 exercises, repeated, 1 minute each
Skater Jumps: start with one leg crossed behind the other, jump onto the other leg and cross the other leg behind.
Mountain Climbers: in plank position, alternate bringing knees into, keeping the back flat and the core engaged.
Repeat
Circuit 3: 2 exercises, repeated, 1 minute each
Reverse Lunges: this is an active recovery move, but you'll still be working! Start with both feet together, step back into lunge position with right leg, then left.
Burpees: everybody's favorite! Start standing, go down to the floor, jump legs back, jump forward, jump up.
Repeat
Circuit 4: 2 exercises, repeated, 1 minute each
Lateral Squats: this is less of a cardio move and more of a focused leg move. Get down as low as you can in a squat with knees together. Step out with the right leg, bring knees together, go to the other side.
Oblique Knees (30 seconds each side): stand tall and lift one arm overhead, bring elbow down and knee up to meet for 30 seconds, then switch to the other side.
Repeat
Bonus Round: 1 exercise, repeated, 1 minute each round
Down and Ups (30 seconds each arm lead): start in a plank position, go down on your right elbow, then left, right arm up, left arm up. Do this for 30 seconds, then switch to the left arm down to elbow, then right, left arm up, right arm up.
Repeat
Cooldown: about 2 and a half minutes
Personal Opinions and Difficulty: Cardio is my absolute favorite type of workout, so I definitely like this one! It's nice to have a break from the weights but still know that I'm getting my heart rate up and a great workout. I really do like this workout, but I wish the last circuit were more intense cardio like the first three circuits. I know, I know, it's nice to have a break, but come on, it's called cardio! I'm too used to Insanity workouts to have a circuit like this in a cardio workout.
Difficulty: 3/5 My heart rate gets up and my cardiovascular system is worked, but I think an addition of one more cardio circuit would have upped the score here. Definitely good cardio moves, though.
Enjoyment: 4/5 I love my cardio, just wanted to get my heart rate up a little longer.
Overall: 4/5 I'm a little tougher on this one because it is called Cardio--why are we doing resistance moves? I like that there are active recovery moves, but I think the last circuit could have had just a touch more movement.
cardio
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