Hey everyone! So now that I am working off the baby weight, I am seriously motivated to get my cardio workouts in. I feel SO much better once I’ve had a good sweat session. Crazy how much I missed those endorphins! Here’s a peek into a workout I did recently that involved three things: the elliptical, the treadmill, and…burpees.
Okay, the reason I did this workout was because I wanted cardio but didn’t want to slave away on one machine. I tend to get bored easily–and I didn’t have a magazine or something to read/watch while I worked–so I mixed up little bursts of different forms of cardio.
Step 1: Pick a machine you enjoy for a 15+ minute first leg. I chose the elliptical because we have a loving relationship. The elliptical is where I started when I first began to really exercise in college, and it’s been nothing but kind to me. I will admit, however, that I get bored and sometimes slack off. I know I have to keep myself in check on this machine, so I used it for the first leg of my workout. I kept it quick-paced but not too hard to have me burnout early on in the workout. You do the same with your equipment of choice!
Step 2: Break it up with a burpee medley! I pulled out an oldie but goodie from my bootcamp-teaching days…
10 burpees, quick rest, 9 burpees, quick rest, 8 burpees, quick rest…all the way down to 1 final burpee.
This is a great one because you’re not diving into millions of burpees, they’re all nicely broken up. Keep your rest breaks as short as you can handle for the ultimate cardio burst.
Step 3: Finish on a machine that’s a little more of a challenge for you. For me that is the treadmill! Sometimes I find a treadmill run to be a mental and physical hurdle–OUCH. The minutes can crawlllll by. Once I finished my burpees I hopped on the treadmill for a 15-minute run. This is good because you’re finishing the workout on something that challenges you, so you have to work a bit harder at that critical point when you’re starting to tap out. This helps you push further and build that strength and endurance!
Don’t forget your cool-down!
In order to make it the perfect workout for you, play around with the time intervals…you could even add more burpees if you want to!
What would be your favorite cardio machine and your challenging cardio machine?
