Cardio Workouts with NO RUNNING!

If you “hate cardio” but know you really need it, this post is for you! These two do-anywhere workouts will get your heart pumping and your muscles shaking without a single bit of running, skipping, or other traditional cardio in sight. After all, the very definition of Cardio is, “anything that gets the heart rate UP!”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI4ClR7oDk8

Workout #1

What it is - high repetition, 100% bodyweight workout that will demolish any weekend splurge (or Easter choccy indulgence for that matter!What you need – nothing but your bod, a mat or towel and a clockWhy we love it - no equipment, no excuses!How it works – there are 5 exercises in this workout (well, 6 if you count doing one of the moves on both your left and right sides!). After a warm-up, you’ll do the first exercise for 60 seconds, as intensely as you can, going for max repetitions with good form. Once your time is up, rest for a further 60s, take a breather and then launch into the next one, moving from one to the next in the same 60s ON, 60s OFF format. Beginners, or the time pressed can stop after just one round and still get a great workout, but more advanced exercisers should repeat the set another twice through, aiming to achieve the same number of repetitions (or higher!) with each round.Your exercises:

1. Air Squats – aim for 45+ reps
2. Push-ups – aim for 25+ reps (toes or knees, your choice!)
3. Reverse Lunge-to-Knee-Drive on the RIGHT leg – aim for 35+ reps
4. Reverse Lunge-to-Knee-Drive on the LEFT leg – aim for 35+ reps
5. 10 x High Knees to 10 x Mountain Climber Combo – aim for 6+ rounds
6. Compound Crunches – move a bit slower on these, aim for 12 (beginner), 15 (intermediate) or 25+ rounds (advanced)

Workout #2

What it is – a race-the-clock workout that will really get you huffing and puffing!What you need – ideally 2 sets of dumbbells, I used a 6kg set and also an 8kg set BUT you could totally get away with 1 set only, if that’s all you have on hand.Why we love it – a seriously challenging session, with a 150% satisfaction rating! Great for the more experienced exerciser and also a fabulous way to get bang for your buck, as this is a metabolic workout that will have you burning energy for hours after you’ve stopped sweating.How it works – there are 3 exercises in this workout and your goal will be to complete 6 repetitions of each of them, all within 60 seconds. Any time left in the minute, once you’re done, is taken as rest. Then when the next minute ticks over, you’ll do it all again! So if you complete all exercises in 40s, you get 20s rest. Get it done in 50s and it’ll only be 10s rest before the next round. The lesson? Move FAST to score max rest and make sure you last the distance! Beginners should aim to get through 8 minutes, but more advanced exercisers can increase the amount of time to 15 minutes – that means you’ll have done 90 reps of all 3 exercises by the end, yeehaa!Your exercises (all for 6 reps):

1. Squat-to-Press
2. Chest-to-Floor Burpees
3. Plank Row (count every single ‘row’ movement as one rep)

We hope you love these cardio-not-cardio workouts BUF Girls! Let us know how you go ;)