Even if it does not really appeal to strength athletes: Effective Cardio workout belongs to a complete training system for several reasons. Strictly speaking, cardio training is even the basis of our daily lives, because just about every strain that our body is exposed to in everyday life takes place more in the cardio area than in the pure strength area. So it's only too understandable that cardiovascular training plays a central role. Not only does it help you stay in shape and burn calories, it also helps shape your body.
In addition, cardiovascular training offers numerous health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and preventing diabetes. In this article we want to devote ourselves accordingly to some simple but very effective cardio variants, with which you not only bring a few extra pounds of body fat to melt, but also do something good for your health.
The best cardio workouts to boost fat burning
1. running
Man is created from an evolutionary point of view for running long distances. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that the foundations for the modern marathon were laid in antiquity. Running is today just as at the time of the fitness wave in the 1970s again a true popular sport. And there is a reason for this, because there is no endurance sport that claims the organism as holistically as walking.
An example: When you run, almost all major muscle groups along with the corresponding joints are involved in the running movement. This inevitably causes you to burn more calories through increased muscle activity than any other basic form of cardio exercise. You even have the choice of whether you would rather run indoors on the treadmill or in the fresh air through nature. Of course, the latter is always the better choice.
This is not only because it gives you better head clearing, but also because the varied terrain does not make the training boring. By means of targeted adjustments, you can also individually design the running training, for example by putting in intervals, completing stair and / or mountain runs or even running a round across the woods and thus also training balance and coordination.
2. Cycling
Cycling is an excellent form of training for your cardiovascular system and lower body training. By deliberately scattered intensities such as climbs on the mountain or high-altitude sprints, you can not only stimulate fat burning, but also set a certain stimulus for muscle growth in the buttocks, thighs and lower legs. However, to really get your fat burning off the bike, you need to work harder to keep up with it, as less muscle is integrated into the movement.
No matter whether you are sweating on the indoor bike, riding a mountain bike on the terrain, or driving miles on the road bike, without the right intensity, the weight loss will be slow. Here, however, the diversity of cycling is an advantage. While you can quickly complete a 30-minute interval on busy weekdays, you can go on a weekend round-the-nature tour and also turn off your mind a bit without focusing too much on burning fat.
3rd circuit training
When it comes to circuit training, many of us are left with a cold sweat on our foreheads, because we often know what circuit training means out of physical education at school. Although the motivation of circuit training in school days was certainly different, the circuit training is due to its immense intensity, but one of the most effective training methods for fat loss.
Circuit training is nothing more than the compilation of any number of different exercises that are strung together without pause and run as a circle in a row, so to speak. In this way, a large part of the musculature is heavily loaded within a very short time, which leads to a very high energy consumption. This intensity also leads to the often cited afterburning effect.
This means nothing else than that the organism still has a measurably higher metabolic rate up to 24 hours after the end of the workout and accordingly burns more calories even when at rest. The beauty of circuit training is that you can build your personal training circle from a huge selection of exercises. Some of the best exercises are the following:
- squats
- Jumping Jacks
- crunches
- pushups
- Star Jumps
- Mountain Climbers
- planks
- Etc.
4. Indoor rowing
Rowing is a sport that, unlike cycling, strikes the whole body. In addition to the arm, shoulder and back muscles, the butt and thighs are also involved in the rowing movement. This muscular activation also gives the rowing a correspondingly high calorie consumption. If you complete a booster session of 20 to 30 minutes three times a week, you will achieve great long-term results in terms of fat burning, performance and health.
In addition, studies show that regular rowing also contributes to even muscle growth. As with cycling and running, you have the opportunity to choose the indoor or outdoor version again. So, if you've tasted blood at indoor rowing, try a trial at a local rowing club, where you can have fun on the water with other people while burning a lot of calories.
5. Zumba
Ok, Zumba may not be for the Lords of Creation, but a funkier cardio variant for the ladies. If you're one of those people who have music in their blood, and you're barely able to sit still in your flat when music is playing, then Zumba is definitely the right cardio workout for you.
Just an hour Zumba on three to four days a week promises not only a lot of fun in the joint workout, but also results that can be seen. In addition, thanks to the activation of numerous muscle groups, Zumba is extremely effective as cardiovascular training. In addition, the feeling of the music naturally adds further factors such as mood enhancement and also the increase in self-confidence.
6. Power Yoga
Finally, let's look at some special form of cardio training that you might not necessarily count on. It's about power yoga. Although yoga is often leisurely and tends to pursue other goals, Power Yoga is definitely one of the more strenuous workouts.
It is a dynamic form of yoga in which you not only hold the complex positions, but switch between them. In addition, of course, there are a few extra complex figures that demand the body intensively. So, if you want to burn fat while working on your coordination, strength, and agility, Power Yoga is for you.
