When people think of cardio, most people’s minds immediately turn to lacing up their running shoes and hitting the treadmill. But if that’s just not your jam, then give this full-body workout try instead. Not only do full-body workouts contain lots of multi-joint movements, which are great for elevating your heart rate, therefore boosting your cardiovascular health, but this particular one will also improve your strength too, as some exercises incorporate a pair of dumbbells.
The workout is a circuit format, so it’s ideal if you’re tight on time. As well as improving your VO2 max, increasing strength, and reducing blood pressure, circuit training can also help reduce body fat. According to Train Fitness: “By incorporating exercises targeting multiple muscle groups, circuit training can help to boost your metabolism and burn calories long after your workout,” – this is also known as the ‘afterburn effect’. “When combined with a healthy diet, circuit training can be an effective tool for people looking to lose weight.”
For this workout you’ll begin with a two-minute warm-up, followed by three rounds of four exercises that you’ll complete for 40 seconds of work, with a 20-second rest. You’ll complete three rounds of the four exercises in total, then do a one-minute cooldown. It can be tempting with a circuit to go out hot and heavy, however, this will make it difficult to maintain your pace and movement quality. Therefore, make sure you pick a challenging weight, but one that you can maintain good form for. Here’s your workout:
Warm-up
- Skipping or jumping jacks
Main workout
- Goblet squats
- Incline push-up (this can be done against a wall or chair)
- Bent over dumbbell row
- Skipping/or box step ups (use a chair or sturdy surface)
Cool down
15 seconds each
- Standing quad stretch
- Childs pose
- Cross-body tricep stretch
- Touch your toes
Fancy some more workout alternatives to running? Here's another full-body workout that'll take 30 minutes and requires zero home gym equipment, so it can literally be completed anywhere. Alternatively, if you fancy one that uses weights again, this five-move kettlebell workout (you can also use dumbbells) will get your heart rate pumping and is also great for firing up those core muscles too.
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