The time has come, the most dreaded part of the week, it’s time for cardio! Hate or love it, cardio is a must, whether you are competing or not, regular training of the cardiovascular system, aerobically and anaerobically, is very important. If you are someone who trains intensely or plays a sport which is physically demanding, your number cardio sessions might be more frequent than the average person, therefore a new cardio routine will be a great alternative to mix up your routine (shock principle). If you are more of a novice trainer, you probably find cardio very repetitive and uninteresting assuming your cardio sessions rely on you hitting the treadmill every morning, for that reason this blog is just important to you as well. For this blog, we’ve decided to list 5 cardio exercises and routines to incorporate into your routine and reignite your motivation for cardio training again. Enjoy!
SKIPPING
An amazing form of cardio, many different interval sets to choose from, and a very portable piece of equipment for someone on the go.
We recommend:
Start out slow to master the technique. More often than not people attempt fast skipping in the early stages of training and end up failing most of the time. Perfect the basics first, then bring the speed up for a more intense workout as you progress.
10 minutes of skipping broken into 1-minute intervals with 1-minute rest is a good place to start.
SQUASH
Prepare to sweat, for this sport is like tennis on steroids. Formed via the combination of 2-4 players, squash is very intense, hence the dramatic sounds expelled from players during a game.
We recommend:
For an intense cardio routine, short games are perfect. 2 players play the sport whilst staying in front of the line, this keeps the range shorter but the intensity higher, working your agility and speed. Alternatively, this drill can be performed alone.
HEAVY BAG 
Boxers are known for their intense cardio routine, 12 x 3-minute rounds of boxing are no easy task and neither is their training. A primal element of their training is the heavy bag work, where heavier shots are practiced, but we recommend using this as an opportunity for you to train your cardio.
We recommend:
30 seconds of non-stop hooks and jabs at the bag whilst moving around, followed by a 30-second rest. Repeat 3-4 rounds.
SWIMMING
A high popularity during the summer, but here at FFUK we believe this is an all year round sport. Swimming is one of the only sports that doesn’t put any impact on your joints, it is also great for mobility and flexibility especially if you are someone who’s training programme is predominantly revolved around heavy weight training.
We recommend:
Swim 1 lap in a 50m length pool or 2 laps in 25m length pool, rest 15-30 seconds and repeat 3-5 rounds.
METCON
A personal favourite, short for metabolic conditioning, METCON is a circuit based workout which requires you to perform at your maximum during each exercise. It is a perfect blend of cardio, strength and mental endurance and is also very flexible in its routines, meaning anyone from beginner to advanced can do it by substituting exercises and/or time intervals.
We recommend:
Box Jumps
Clean & Press
Switching lunges
Rowing machine
1-minute intervals, 1-2 minute rest, 3-4 rounds
If you found this post insightful, why not check out some of our previous posts on our blog page or if you are interested in becoming a qualified personal trainer check out our main page for course information and if you have any questions feel free to email us at in**@************uk.com.
Written by Daniyal Siddiqui.