Useful tips for cardio
There are many people who would like to lose some weight and/or fat. The most common method for this is by doing cardio. This is because you burn calories, so you can lose fat and lose weight. However, most are not a big fan of cardio. Sitting on the training bike for an hour or standing on the crosstrainer does not really sound like music to their ears. People quickly get bored on the treadmill, and walking or running in nature is not fun enough either. So many people are not a fan of cardio, but if you want to lose weight it is really an important part of your training. What if I told you that there are also very nice forms of cardio that you may not have thought of yet? Here are the best ways to do cardio.
Jumping rope
The first form of cardio on the list is jumping rope. You might not think it, but this game that you often used to play in the schoolyard is very good for you! You burn a lot of calories while jumping rope. Another fact about skipping rope that you may not have known is that skipping rope uses many different muscles at the same time. You naturally use your calf muscles and your front thigh muscles, because you jump up and down. However, while jumping rope, there are also other muscles that support all movements. Your back stretcher keeps you straight while jumping rope and your wrist muscles help you with the rotational movements. When you jump rope, you also use your rectus abdominal muscle to maintain your balance, the deltoid muscle in your shoulders that you tighten when jumping and the flexors of your upper arm while twisting the rope.
The benefits of skipping rope
Besides the fact that jumping rope is a lot of fun and you use a lot of different muscles, why should you include jumping rope in your workouts? First of all, of course, because you burn a lot of calories while jumping rope. This also burns body fat and you lose weight. You also strengthen your muscles while jumping, so that your body can create more muscle mass. Furthermore, it is also important that the density of your bones remains good and with jumping rope you can even strengthen your bones. Finally, while jumping rope you also improve the health of your heart and it becomes stronger.
In addition to its health benefits, skipping rope has other benefits as well. This way you improve your balance and flexibility while jumping. You also improve your coordination while jumping, as you have to pay attention to exactly when to jump. Jumping rope is also a form of cardio that you can do anywhere. All you need is a rope. This means that the workout doesn't cost much either, since you only need to purchase a rope. Furthermore, jumping rope is very easy, it is fun and there is a very small chance of injuries.
What should you pay attention to?
If you are going to jump rope, it is important to pay attention to a number of things. The most important thing is that you wear the right shoes. Jumping up and down produces a kind of shock for your back and the right shoes can dampen this. Therefore, it is preferable to look for shoes with extra cushioning in the forefoot. It also helps if you jump rope on a somewhat softer surface. For example, think of a gym, a carpet or the lawn. When jumping rope, it's also important to warm up beforehand, especially around your arms and ankles. You can do this by walking back and forth on your toes a few times, swinging your arms back and forth. Finally, it is of course important that you choose the right place. Make sure you have enough space around you and that the rope cannot hit anything in front of, above or behind you.
How do you start jumping rope?
When you just start jumping rope, you will soon notice that this is a lot heavier than you initially thought. That is why it is important to start slowly. Make sure you determine the correct length of the skipping rope for yourself. You can do this by standing with your feet on the rope and pulling the rope up tight. The ideal length of rope is the length of the rope up to your armpits. The handle does not count.
Take it easy when you start jumping. Remember that you don't have to jump high at all, because the movements come from your calves anyway. It's also important to think about the technique of your arms. Jumping rope works best when you grab the handles as close to the rope as possible. Also try to keep your elbows close to your body while jumping rope, rotating your wrists loosely. So remember not to turn from your entire arm. The position you adopt while jumping rope is simple: try to relax. You can tighten your buttocks and abs a bit, but with a relaxed attitude, jumping rope is the best in the end.
Boxing
Boxing is becoming more and more popular among athletes as a cardio exercise. It is the perfect exercise to get fit or to stay fit. You also don't have to stand in a ring and hit or receive someone's blows. Cardio boxing can be done on your own, without any danger of hitting. Besides the fact that cardio boxing has many health benefits, it is also a lot of fun to do.
The benefits of boxing
As mentioned, cardio boxing has a lot of benefits. First of all, there is of course the main reason that you want to do cardio and that is to burn fat and calories. Your body burns a lot of calories while boxing. In one hour of boxing, your body can burn up to 1000 calories. This is much more than with other forms of cardio. For example, jogging burns 398 calories per hour, walking 243 calories and running 544. If you want a form of cardio that burns a lot of calories, boxing is a very good option. During cardio boxing you also burn a lot of visceral fat. The workout is very intensive and during intensive training the body burns visceral fat. This is the fat around your waist, so when boxing you could even lose specific belly fat. Finally, boxing is not just a workout for your legs, as is the case with running, for example. Boxing gives you the opportunity to train your entire body. By punching you use the muscle groups in your arms and shoulders, whereby you often tighten the abdominal muscles. When boxing, it is also important to keep moving all the time, so you also train your legs.
There are also other health benefits of cardio boxing. For example, it is sometimes nice to be able to vent certain frustrations and feelings. For example, if you have a fight at home or if you are stressed at work. It is very effective to be able to hit that punching bag for a while. In addition, boxing improves the condition of your body, whereby the movements are mainly aimed at your upper body. Due to the continuous movements you will train the condition of your upper body and it will thus improve. Another advantage of boxing is that it never gets boring. Boxing training sessions can be varied very well, in contrast to cycling on an exercise bike, so you can prevent it from getting boring. There are so many combinations that you can learn, perfect and switch between. Finally, boxing is very easy to do at home. It can of course happen that you do not feel like or have time to go to the gym and then it is very useful that you can do a workout at home.
What should you pay attention to?
Of course you don't want to just swing your arms around during your cardio training. It is therefore a good idea to look up a number of videos about cardio boxing on YouTube, for example. Here you can find explanations about all kinds of different punches and combinations. In the beginning, try to make sure that you perform the exercises correctly, so that they will be effective. It is also important to pay attention to the position of your feet. With many combinations you have to turn your leg or knee at a certain point. Make sure you don't twist or pull something wrong to prevent injuries. Although you don't necessarily need accessories for boxing, because you can even box in the air, it is important that you wear boxing gloves if you are going to hit a punching bag or mat. So buy good gloves in the right size, so that you can box safely. Finally, it is important that you warm up before each training to prevent acidification in your muscles and injuries. You can easily warm up before your boxing workout by making a few movements or by jumping rope for example.
How do you start boxing?
As mentioned, there are many videos about boxing on Youtube. Make sure you actually watch and follow these in the beginning. Take the time to learn the different punches and combinations, so that you can apply them well during training. You basically don't need that much for boxing. You can of course purchase a punching bag to hit. This is especially perfect if you want to let go of frustrations during your training. It is important to also purchase boxing gloves to protect your hands. If you prefer not to use a punching bag, you can also box in the air. Here you make the movements against nothing or nobody, but you just do it in the air. This is still effective to get you moving, but letting go of frustrations is very difficult. You don't need boxing gloves for this either.
Swimming
On holiday it is always very nice to go for a swim every day and especially in warm weather in the summer this is always nice to do. However, swimming is not just a holiday activity. There are many people who simply swim weekly as a sport, but more and more people are also starting to swim for cardio. Swimming is very good for your body and it is an easy way of cardio, which will also make you fitter in no time.
The benefits of swimming
When you choose to go swimming as cardio, you will soon notice that there are many benefits associated with it. First of all, of course, you lose weight from swimming. During swimming, your heart rate is quite high, so your body also burns more calories. Another benefit of swimming is that it improves your coordination and balance. In the pool you will feel resistance from the water when swimming laps. Your body has to work harder to stay in the correct position and in this way you can improve your coordination and balance. Swimming also has the advantage of being good for your lungs. You will also partly keep your head under water while swimming, so that you can improve and increase the lung capacity of your body. In this way you could also swim further and longer under water before you run out of air. Swimming as cardio is also good for your heart. According to research, swimming lowers blood pressure, which also protects your heart during this form of cardio. In this way, swimming improves the strength of your heart.
In addition to pure physical benefits, swimming also has a number of additional benefits. For example, swimming can reduce stress. During exercise, our body releases endorphins and this is a substance that makes us happy and reduces stress. This substance is therefore also produced during swimming. In addition, you often need your attention during the swimming strokes, so you forget the stress for a while and it is very relaxing to feel weightless in the water. Your breathing also becomes calmer and deeper during calmer swimming movements, so that you will soon feel less stressed. Another added benefit of swimming is that it slows down aging. Research has been done into the aging population in areas where it is easy to start weaving and this showed that these people felt a lot younger and also aged less quickly. Finally, it seems that swimmers are more confident, although the reasons for this are not fully known. For example, this self-confidence could be because swimmers feel in control in the water and this control gives them self-confidence. This can also include self-confidence about their appearance. Swimmers are used to walking around in swimwear, so they are less likely to feel ashamed of their bodies. In addition, the feeling of weightlessness could also provide more self-confidence, because it gives such a peaceful feeling to swimmers. Finally, swimming is of course just a lot of fun to do and this is a form of cardio that people usually don't mind doing at all.
What should you pay attention to?
There are a number of things you should pay attention to while swimming. For example, it is a good idea to always look out before entering the water. Make sure there is no swimmer on the side or hanging on which you could jump and do not jump right in front of someone who is just swimming. There is also always a certain swimming direction in the lane, so that you always have to swim right or left. So definitely don't swim against the direction here. Also try to keep enough distance from other swimmers. Nobody likes it when someone is on their feet so overtake someone if you are faster or just keep your distance. Make sure you overtake this person on the left when you swim on the right. Never pass anyone in between the person and the line. Finally, it is of course not a problem if you are out of breath and need some rest. However, make sure that you do not stop in the middle of the lane. Swim down the lane and then stand to the side. This way you don't stand in anyone's way and the rest can continue swimming, while you take a quick rest.
How do you start swimming?
You can start swimming very easily and quickly. You actually only need a swimming trunks or bathing suit at first. If you like to go swimming a little more often, it can also be useful at some point to buy diving goggles and possibly a swimming cap. This way you won't hurt your eyes from the chlorinated water if you want to swim underwater and the swimming cap makes swimming easier. When you just start swimming, you probably won't be able to swim very long in one go. Take sufficient rest between jobs and then try again. There are also different strokes in swimming. You have the front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke and butterfly. Most people swim breaststroke in laps, but the front crawl can also be very relaxing once you get the hang of it. This also goes faster and you can also pull more laps.
training scheme
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Learn to jump rope? watch the video below!