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Being aware of the best cardio exercises can help you accelerate your weight loss journey and assist in boosting your fitness level.
Almost everything you do in the gym will help you burn calories. However, some cardio exercises are different from others and can be done outside the gym as well. These exercises force the body to burn extra calories for an additional effort.
You don’t need to do all the exercises everyday. You can choose to include only one of them in your daily routine, and you’ll see wonderful results. Here are seven such cardio exercises:
1) Bodyweight exercises
One of the best cardio exercises is bodyweight exercises. These include movements such as jumping jacks, burpees, high knees and others.
Ideally, you should be doing bodyweight exercises on a circuit. In fact, this is where circuit training comes extremely useful and can be put to use.
2) Cycling
There is no doubt stationary bikes in the gym are useful. However, if you have a bicycle at home, you should make use of it.
Cycling down the road at a considerable pace can help in raising your heart rate and burning calories. Additionally, cycling helps with working on the lower body muscles, such as quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves.
3) Running
Like cycling, you can run at the gym on a treadmill, but you can also do it outside. Moreover, running outside is a change of pace, allowing the body to take in fresh air.
Several fitness enthusiasts have made more morning runs a part of their daily workout routine. Moreover, running works on the leg muscles quite extensively and helps the fibres in becoming stronger.
4) Swimming
Swimming is also one of the best cardio exercises, as it works on the entire body. It helps with the shoulders, legs, chest and back, and activates other smaller muscles too.
If you can make swimming a part of your routine, you shouldn’t dismiss it. It's going to be good for you to add a cardio movement that works on the whole body and helps improve muscle endurance for all muscle groups.
5) Battle rope
Not everyone will have access to a battle rope at the gym or at home. However, if you have access to one, make sure you use it.
Battle ropes require significant energy, and the body is forced to burn extra calories to provide you with the additional energy needed to do this exercise.
6) Boxing bag
Another great way to burn calories is using a boxing bag, if you have access to one. Practising some of the basic moves on the boxing bag, such as uppercut, front and side jab, and basic kicks can help you burn calories.
The additional energy required will allow the body to burn extra calories. Moreover, boxing bags help in improving muscle endurance and strength.
7) HIIT
This is a type of cardio exercise that everyone should do at least twice a week. It’s known as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). However, it's considered one of the best cardio exercises.
Essentially, you do a movement such as battle rope for 30 seconds with 100% effort followed by 20 seconds of battle rope done with 20% effort. That increases and decreases your heart rate, allowing your metabolism to increase and your cardiovascular health to improve.
Bottom Line
It’s important to mix cardio and strength training to optimise weight loss and muscle gain. However, your diet is also a factor to be considered, as that plays a key role in determining how much your workout routine will work.
