Elliptical broken. :(

[SlitheryDee]

Well, I've gotten into the habit of doing 30 minutes of moderate cardio before every weight lifting session over the past couple of years, but today I broke one of the arms on my elliptical. I need some kind of cardio exercise that I can do without equipment to burn ~300 or more calories each day while I wait for the replacement part to come in. Just something fairly intense that won't actually fatigue my muscles to the point that the rest of my exercise is affected. I ran every day for a year and a half before every workout and I'm still sorta burned out on that, so I'm really looking for something I can do in my home with no equipment or just dumbells, barbell, pullup/chinupbar, ect. Does anyone have any suggestions for exercises that might try? The google isn't really coming up with anything I'm satisfied with.

 

[Net]

swimming laps, jump rope, jumping jacks / push ups / jump jacks / repeat.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Originally posted by: net

swimming laps, jump rope, jumping jacks / push ups / jump jacks / repeat.

I don't have access to a pool, but I was thinking something along the lines of the second suggestion. What's the normal procedure for exercises like that?


jumping jack x 1
drop to floor
pushup x 1
jump to feet
jumping jack x 1
drop to floor
...etc.

Are there any other similar exercises that I could work in to keep from fatiguing any one body part too much?

 

[HN]

burpees

(what you've described just above is essentially a burpee)

 

[RagingBITCH]

Is your cardio more of a warmup or is it more cardio? 30 minutes is a lot to do before lifting weights. I'd almost suggest 5, maybe 10 minutes prior to lifting, and 20-25 min post weight lifting.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Is your cardio more of a warmup or is it more cardio? 30 minutes is a lot to do before lifting weights. I'd almost suggest 5, maybe 10 minutes prior to lifting, and 20-25 min post weight lifting.

I do it to burn calories, so I wouldn't consider it a warmup. According to the calorie counter on my elliptical I've been burning ~500 calories per session, but I think this number is probably somewhat inflated. I absolutely hate doing cardio after weightlifting, even if that technically is the best way to keep it from interfering with the rest of my workout. I find it hard enough to complete it when I'm fresh.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: SlitheryDee

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Is your cardio more of a warmup or is it more cardio? 30 minutes is a lot to do before lifting weights. I'd almost suggest 5, maybe 10 minutes prior to lifting, and 20-25 min post weight lifting.

I do it to burn calories, so I wouldn't consider it a warmup. According to the calorie counter on my elliptical I've been burning ~500 calories per session, but I think this number is probably somewhat inflated. I absolutely hate doing cardio after weightlifting, even if that technically is the best way to keep it from interfering with the rest of my workout. I find it hard enough to complete it when I'm fresh.

Well then my suggestion is incorrect. Exercises like burpees and jumping jacks are much better suited for warming you up rather than burning calories.

Is there any reason you can't run outside?

 

[brikis98]

These should be relatively efficient ways to burn calories without taxing any individual muscle too much:

Walking
Jogging
Rowing
Biking
Jump rope, including double unders
Swimming
A light game of any sport, such as basketball, football, soccer, etc

These are more intense and better choices if you just need to warm up in a hurry:

Burpees
Stadiums (ie, running up and down stairs)
Box jumps
Wall ball
Thrusters
Kettlebell swings
Multiple rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats ("Cindy" workout from crossfit)

 

[citan x]

How long is it going to take to get a replacement? You could just give yourself a rest from cardio for a while.

Also, I like to do circuits of jump rope, sit-ups, supermans, push-ups, squats. The trick for it being more cardio is to do choose the reps so that you don't fatigue enough to need rest during a set. You can also add alternating rows to the push-ups to make them more interesting. For jump rope, you can do double-unders, but don't recommend that starting out cause they are tough.

Burpees are really hard. I don't recommend them cause they will wear you out.

 

[gramboh]

Rowing is good, I've been doing a moderate to high intensity (but not flat out) 500m or two before lifting the last week just to get the heart rate up (this is after other dynamic warm-up stuff).

Are you using the elliptical as your only cardio, and doing it before every workout? I'd do a bit of research on that, pretty sure there was a study showing increased risk of injury due to the fixed pathway an elliptical takes your joints/muscles through.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Originally posted by: BeauJangles
Well then my suggestion is incorrect. Exercises like burpees and jumping jacks are much better suited for warming you up rather than burning calories.

Is there any reason you can't run outside?

Well I guess there's no real reason I can't run, but I really don't want to. I got sick and tired of wondering whether this or that person's vicious dog is in the fence (they rarely seemed to be when I was running), or what to do when it rained. It's also been raining all this week. I tried the jumping jack to pushup to jumping jack routine for a bit today, and while it quickly winded me I just can't see myself doing that for the amounts of time required to burn any real calories. Also, it seems like it would probably be detrimental to my real chest/tricep workouts.

 

[gramboh]

Try 125 or 150 burpees for time. Say it takes 15minutes (8-10 per min, since you will get gassed quickly afer the first set), your HR will be high, lots of muscle recruitment, cals will be burned. Remember, the energy is being used not just during the exercise but during recovery. You don't have to do long slow distance cardio for 1-2 hours to burn calories. If you are bored of running try 4x400M sprints, with a 2 min rest inbetween, going absolutely flat out during the run. You will burn calories and blast your legs (I have trouble walking properly after 4x400 personally hehe).