Sunday, July 24, 2011

5 Best Cardio Exercises


Increasing the intensity of your workouts can elevate your metabolism and accelerate your weight-loss goals. Incorporate cardio burst exercises between your strength-training sets to help burn fat and improve your overall health. Including high-intensity exercise into your exercise routine decreases your risk for developing chronic diseases such as breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes and depression, according to "Shape" magazine.
Burpees
The burpee is a total body conditioning, high-intensity exercise. This exercise will develop strength, explosive power and anaerobic endurance, according to Bodybuilding.com. Beginning in the squat position, place hands on the ground in front of you, and jump your feet back into a push-up position. Immediately jump feet forward into the squat position and leap as high as possible. Repeat 12 to 15 times.
Mountain Climbers
Performing 30 to 60 seconds of mountain climbers between your sets will increase your heart rate and strengthen your core, legs and upper body. Beginning in the push-up position, quickly alternate bringing your knees to your chest while holding yourself up in the push-up position.
Jumping
Jumping is a way to get a quick high-intensity cardio burst to elevate the heart rate. Jumping exercises can take the form of jumping jacks, jump squats or jumping rope. Any exercise involving jumping is a high-intensity, high-impact exercise. This means that it is effective at fat-burning, disease prevention and improving bone density. However, if you have osteoporosis or a high risk for developing osteoporosis, jumping exercises are not recommended.
Tire Run
Coaches often incorporate tire runs into their athletes' conditioning routine, because it improves agility and coordination, increases strength in the lower body and core, and improves cardiovascular conditioning. While using actual tires is beneficial for this exercise, they are not necessary. Standing with your feet wide and knees slightly bent, lift right leg to hip height and immediately lower the right leg as you raise the left leg up to your hip. Repeat for 30 to 60 seconds, taking short, quick steps forward and backward as if running through tires.
Running
Running in place and including butt kicks and high knees into your cardio burst will increase the intensity of your strength-training or cardio workouts. If you have access to a treadmill or a track, include sprint intervals in your workout. During your regular cardio workout, incorporate three to five sprint intervals lasting 10 seconds to 90 seconds in duration. This will speed up your metabolism and burn fat long after your workout is finished.