Strength cardio

Strength Cardio

Everyone knows that cardio strengthens the cardiovascular system. But many people forget that this means moderate-intensity cardio, comparable to jogging. As for high-intensity cardio, its benefits for the heart are almost minimal, moreover, such cardio can even be harmful if you have problems with the cardiovascular system.

On the other hand, it’s no secret that the higher the intensity of the cardio, the greater the calorie consumption and the more actively fat is burned. How to be? You will not find the answer to this question in our article! Moreover, we deliberately devoted our article to only one task – how to squeeze the maximum calories and fat out of the body during cardio. Therefore, if you have heart or back problems, just put aside our article and don’t poison your soul. If improving the cardiovascular system is perhaps the last thing that might come to your mind when it comes to cardio, and all your thoughts revolve around one thing – how to burn more calories, then this article is for you.

In 2005, scientists conducted an experiment. Overweight people were divided into two groups. Over the course of 14 weeks, both groups regularly completed 3 cardio sessions per week. The first group – with moderate intensity, the second – with high intensity. Even though the duration of the cardio session in the first group was 15 minutes longer, at the end of the experiment only the “high-intensity” group demonstrated a significant decrease in such an indicator as the proportion of fat in total body weight (by 5%).

Another argument in favor of high-intensity cardio: a 20-minute run on a treadmill at a moderate pace burns as many as 220 calories (the same number of calories contained in a small chocolate bar). It is clear that at this rate the fight against fat reserves can be almost endless.

That is why, when developing our cardio training, we put the task first: how to maximize calorie consumption per unit of time. One solution is to increase the number of actively working muscles. Since in traditional cardio almost all the work is done by the muscles of the lower body (legs), let’s additionally load the back, abs, arms, shoulders and chest – we get strength cardio exercises.

We warn you right away: strength cardio is a serious challenge to the muscles and cardiovascular system. Therefore, before including it in your training program, thoroughly strengthen all the muscles of your torso. Complex or, as they also say, circuit training is best suited for this purpose. Select 8-10 basic, multi-joint exercises (preferably with a barbell and dumbbells) so that by working them all, one after another in a continuous series, you will work through all the muscles of the body. Do several of these series-cycles in one workout.

We recommend that beginners work on a complex training scheme for several months and only then move on to splits and learning strength cardio.

If you are in excellent physical shape, still do not try to perform our exercises at full strength right away. You risk getting injured. You will need at least a week of gentle introductory strength cardio – light weight and moderate pace. Only then can you increase the pace and load.

And finally: anyone who has even the slightest problem with their back or heart is contraindicated in strength cardio.

Intervals

Before you completely switch from traditional to strength cardio, do some intense cardio on the treadmill. They will allow you to come close to the limit of your physical potential and clearly determine your body’s readiness for strength cardio. As you may have guessed, interval cardio is a fairly tough workout, so do this type of training only once a week, no more.

First, 5 minutes of jogging to warm up the muscles and increase the heart rate. Then intervals: 90 seconds of downhill speed split (the track surface is slightly raised) plus 90 seconds of horizontal jogging. Plan – 4 intervals. In the first interval, raise the track surface by 3 degrees, in each subsequent interval – another half a degree higher. Finish the session with a 3-minute cool-down – jogging at a moderate pace. With each new workout, increase the number of intervals and the inclination angle of the treadmill (but do not raise it above 6 degrees).

DOWNHILL RUNNING

Downhill running forces you to exert extra effort against gravity, which means your leg muscles will work much harder than traditional running. This exercise has always been and remains one of the most popular types of cardio among professional athletes, who sometimes complicate it by running not downhill, but along the steps between the stands of the stadium. This exercise perfectly develops endurance and leg strength.

” PREPARATION:Practice the exercise on a slope with a relatively gentle rise, no more than 5% (for 100 m of a straight road the rise is 5 m). The downhill phase should take no more than 30 seconds. Once you have gained experience, try running up the steps between the stands of the stadium, but be extremely careful – if you run too fast, it is easy to trip and injure yourself. If finding a hill or steps is problematic, replace this exercise with interval sprinting in a straight line, alternating between fast running and light jogging.

» TECHNIQUE: Watch your posture. When starting on a hill, try to quickly gain maximum speed and do not reduce it until the very end of the distance. Having completed the run up the hill, do not stop, but immediately turn back and lightly jog (or quickly walk) down.

» WORKOUT: First, 6-10 minutes of jogging. Then 4-6 cycles: running downhill at maximum speed plus a one-minute descent as an active rest (jogging or fast walking). Gradually increase the number of cycles to 12-20 (the net sprint time will be about 8-10 minutes).

» CALORIE CONSUMPTION: 150-400 kcal.

DUMBELL CHEST SNAP + PRESS

This is a modification of a popular exercise from the weightlifting arsenal. The difference from the traditional barbell clean is as follows: instead of a barbell there are light dumbbells, a large number of repetitions per set and a fairly fast pace of movement. Despite the fact that you won’t have to run here, it is still advisable to do the exercise in the fresh air – believe me, the “breathing” will work at its best, just like during an impact sprint.

» PREPARATION: The weight of the dumbbells should not interfere with proper technique, but at the same time it should thoroughly exhaust the muscles by the 15th repetition, provided that you are working the set at a fast pace. The criterion for choosing the optimal weight for dumbbells is to perform the snatch at a moderate pace (as in strength training), you should weaken somewhere between 30 and 40 repetitions.

» TECHNIQUE: Take dumbbells with a neutral grip and place them on the sides of your thighs. Slightly bend your knees and, maintaining a slight arch in your lower back, tilt your torso forward so that the dumbbells are below knee level (on the sides of your shins). Arms are fully straightened. Take a deep breath and, holding your breath, push your heels off the floor with an elastic movement (rising on your toes or even jumping slightly). Then simultaneously straighten your legs, lift your torso from the bend and, bending your arms, pull the dumbbells towards your shoulders. When the dumbbells are as close to your shoulders as possible, squat down slightly. Then straighten your legs and turn the dumbbells forward, pressing them up. Pay special attention: the snatch + press is performed in one continuous movement, without pauses or stops. Repeating the movement in reverse order, smoothly return to the starting position.

» WORKOUT: After a light warm-up, perform 5 sets of 15 repetitions, resting 30 seconds between sets. Gradually increase the number of sets to 10.

» CALORIE CONSUMPTION: 150-300 kcal (5-10 sets).

FIREMAN

This is the most fun, but at the same time the most difficult strength cardio exercise. Imagine that you are a fireman and your task is to put a girl on your shoulder and take her out of the burning house as quickly as possible. As you can see, only the riskiest guys can do this. The exercise actively loads all the muscles of the body and legs, develops their power, strength and coordination.

Of course, it is more convenient and pleasant to carry a trusting girl on your shoulder, but if there is none, then you can use a bag of sand or potatoes as ballast.

» TECHNIQUE: The slope along which you are going to run up must be gentle and even, without ruts and potholes, otherwise you will “crash”, and even together with the girl. Sit down. Lay the girl with her stomach on your right shoulder and ask her to tightly clasp your left shoulder with one hand. First, learn the exercise properly, practicing it at a fast pace. You can start running only after several trial sessions. Accelerate from a standstill smoothly and do not run by leaps and bounds.

» TRAINING: First – 5 minutes of light, warm-up walking. Then put the girl on your shoulder and run with her 25 meters up the slope, then lower her to the ground and rest for 30 seconds, returning with an easy step to the start. This is one “fireman”. Start with 10 “firemen” and gradually increase them to 30.

» CALORIE CONSUMPTION: 75-250 kcal.

JUNGING WITH A BACKPACK

Comparing jogging with this exercise is as ridiculous as a light seasoning with red pepper. The essence of the exercise is extremely simple: fill your backpack with sand, throw it over your shoulders and run forward. The advantage of a backpack over any other ballast is that, thanks to the straps and sand, it seems to stick to your back and does not dangle while running. In addition, running with a backpack is perhaps the most effective exercise for developing correct posture and strengthening the spinal flexor muscles.

» PREPARATION: To avoid getting your backpack dirty, take a durable plastic bag that can hold 10 kg of weight, fill it with sand and tie it. Place a bag of sand in your backpack. As you get stronger, increase the weight of the backpack.

» TECHNIQUE: Adjust the straps of your backpack to prevent it from fidgeting on your back while you run, and be sure to fasten any cross straps if your backpack has them. Don’t slouch. While running, do not relax your abs and lower back for a second, firmly holding the V-shaped curve of the spine (shoulders and chest straightened, back slightly arched in the lower back, gaze directed straight ahead). Run with long strides and help yourself by swinging your arms in time with the movement of your legs.

» TRAINING: Put on a backpack and warm up for 5 minutes – brisk walking, gradually turning into jogging. This is followed by alternating intervals of 30 seconds of sprinting and 30 seconds of jogging as a rest. Alternate intervals for 12 minutes, then finish the cardio session with a 3-minute brisk walk as a cool-down.

» CALORIE CONSUMPTION: 250-350 kcal.

FARMER’S WALK

One of the obligatory numbers in the program of almost all shows of strongmen and heroic amusements. True, there athletes drag loads weighing a hundredweight, and even for a while. “Farmer’s Walk” incredibly develops endurance and strength of the trapezius, plus, in addition, it accelerates all fat burning processes literally to cosmic speed.

» PREPARATION: It’s very convenient to do the exercise on the football field, but if you want to load your muscles like a man and deal a crushing blow to fat, organize a “walk” uphill. Keep in mind: your forearms are much weaker than your traps, so it makes sense to use wrist straps that have hooks to support the dumbbells. If you don’t have dumbbells on hand, use 20-liter cans or buckets of water as weights.

» TECHNIQUE: Take a pair of 15 to 20 kg dumbbells and hold them at the sides of your thighs. Tighten your abs, lower back and completely straighten your torso: the body is in an upright position, the back is slightly arched in the lower back. The main thing: do not pull your shoulders back, they should always be exactly in the plane of the body.

Do not relax your abs and lower back while walking and always keep your torso upright! Warning: If you have a weak lower back or spinal problems, this exercise should not be performed.

» WORKOUT: First, to warm up, 5 minutes of brisk walking without dumbbells. Then – from 1 to 3 minutes of “walking” with dumbbells and 90 seconds of rest. Start with 5 such sets and gradually increase their number to 10.

» CALORIE CONSUMPTION: 100-300 kcal.