Cardio that doesn't suck

If you're like me and enjoy doing your cardio outside, late winter/early Spring can be a tough time of year. The texture of the snow in Vermont at the moment can best be described as Styrofoam.  Typically the alternative to outdoor cardio would slogging along on the treadmill or elliptical in the gym, but that just doesn't do it for me so here are some other ways to get your heart rate up while keeping boredom at bay.

Jump Rope
If it's good enough for Rocky, it's good enough for me!  Jumping rope burns more calories than running, builds resilient knees/ankles and improves cognitive ability.  If you haven't jumped rope since 3rd grade you may find you now suck at it.  Be patient, it'll come back to you. Also, on a positive note, as you're trying to get your skills back  you'll be inefficient which is frustrating BUT means you'll burn even more calories.
Try some jump rope intervals, starting with 30 secs on, 60 secs of rest. As you get better, up the intervals to 60 secs.  You can also include 30-45 secs of jumping rope at the end of a circuit.

KB Swings
It's a deadlift but faster, what's not to like!  Kettlebell swings get your heart pumping AND help build a better backside (because glutes are the new abs).  Try 20 swings with a 30 sec rest for 10 sets.  If you have access to multiple KB's you could do a KB swing ladder.  I found this ladder from @ironbodyartemis to be challenging.  Adjust the weight depending on skill/strength. I used the following weights:
10 reps w/ 75lb
15 reps w/ 52lb
20 reps w/ 40lb
25 reps w/ 35lb

Treadmill Intervals
I tried out Orange Theory last year and enjoyed the treadmill portion of the workout.  Switching between heart rate zones made the workout go by faster and I worked harder.  I thought about joining until I realized I didn't need to pay a studio to come up with workouts for me when I could do it on my own.  This workout is based on the RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) scale.  I've attached a spreadsheet you can print and put on the console of the treadmill.  Up the speed or the incline to change the challenge. You can use a heart rate monitor instead of RPE if you have one.

treadmill_workout.xlsx
File Size:	10 kb
File Type:	xlsx

Download File

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​These workouts are intense and SHORT.  Take 10 mins to warm-up, dive in and keep it to no more than 20 mins.  If you're doing them for 45 mins then you're probably not working hard enough.  

If you found this post helpful, ask to join Swole Sisters Worldwide, a Facebook group I co-manage where you'll find more workouts as well as nutrition information and motivation.