Health Fitness

Jogging until boredom

Let’s face it, some of us are really sick of doing our traditional, standard cardio routine on a regular basis. It seems that running like hamsters on the infinite path to nowhere that is the treadmill just doesn’t seem to be working. Of course, you could take your mind off the tedious task by plugging in your iPod or watching one of the big TV screens that your gym might have next to the treadmills.

However, the truth is that if you can watch TV or even carry on a conversation while doing your cardio, you are not working hard enough. While I’m certainly not totally against regular cardiovascular practices like jogging or cycling, this article hopes to show you some alternatives that will get your blood pumping and taking your breath away.

Take, for example, a move most commonly done with dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells called the clean and press (often abbreviated as C&P). Raise the bar / dumbbell off the floor to your shoulders, then press the weight toward the ceiling so that your arm is straight above your head. Reverse the action to lose the weight. You may be reading this thinking that it looks more like a weight training exercise than a cardiovascular one, but I am sure that after only 10-15 reps with a fairly challenging weight, you will definitely have an increased heart rate and will be out of breath. . .

This exercise alone is much more effective in the long run than running 40 minutes on a treadmill for weight loss. Also try one arm dumbbell snatches to feel the benefits. Your body does a great workout and your mind has something to focus on. Get really focused while doing these exercises and you may even find that your attention span and ability to work can improve as well.

For the busier guys, why not try five minutes of vigorous, vigorous exercise? For example, five minutes of lunges, squats with little or no rest between sets. Five minutes is all it takes and if you don’t feel like you just finished running by the end of these then you couldn’t have been working hard enough.

Try these exercises the next time you don’t feel like jogging – routinely changing your exercise program will do you a lot of good.

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