Cardio workout for weight loss at home: 3 best exercises for beginners

Have you been wanting to try cardio exercises for a long time, but don’t know where to start? The goals of such exercises can be varied: from weight loss to strengthening the cardiovascular system. Let’s find out what the benefits of such workouts are and how to properly exercise at home.

member of the Russian national track and field team

“The main thing is regularity. Today we will tell you about the most effective exercises for cardio training, combining which you will be able to achieve any goals you set”.

Turinys

What we will tell you about

Cardio workouts for weight loss

If you want to be beautiful and healthy, then exercise should be an essential attribute of life. Not all the food we eat is healthy, but you don’t have to limit yourself to everything. Regular physical activity will help not to gain weight or lose it if necessary. However, we remind you that you should treat your diet carefully and wisely.

Cardio is one of the most effective methods for weight loss, it increases your metabolic rate and helps you burn extra calories. When you exercise regularly, you will create a calorie deficit – that is, the difference between the amount of calories consumed and calories burned. The body will use fat stores to replenish energy.

Where to start?

The most important steps leading up to a workout routine are consulting with your doctor and fitness trainer, and developing a workout plan. One thing leads to another: first you need to understand what your goals are and how achievable they are. And after you understand what you want, you can turn to a specialist for help with a training program.

Basic principles of cardio exercises

The intensity level of your workouts should match your goals. To improve endurance, moderate intensity is recommended – this is somewhere between 50-70% of your maximum heart rate. Meanwhile, fat-burning workouts will likely require a higher intensity, which is 70-80% of your maximum heart rate.

The duration also depends on your goals, but if taken as an average, it is recommended to allocate about two and a half hours per week for moderate exercise. If the level of exercise is higher, then somewhere around one and a half hours. If you need to lose weight in the shortest possible time, you can increase the duration of exercise, but always depend on your health and well-being.

Spend at least three times a week doing cardio exercises to keep your body toned. If you are bored with running, you can try jumping rope. If you’re bored with them too, then move on to exercise machines, and so on. Incorporating different types of cardio workouts will help reduce the risk of injury, and it’s just so much more fun. Following these basic principles will help you effectively utilize cardio workouts to achieve your goals.

Running in place

Running is the most popular cardio exercise, practiced by millions of people every day. If you’d rather exercise at home, why not try running in place? Let’s find out if it’s as effective as classical running.

Running in place does not involve the same body mechanics as distance running. The two types of exercise affect your muscles in slightly different ways. For example, when you jog, you are constantly pushing your body forward. Running in place, on the other hand, requires you to lift your knees up, which is less likely to engage your glutes.

As for intensity, both methods are equal. If you’re running in a park and want to maximize your exertion, you can increase your stride length and speed. And if at home, just try to raise your knees higher than usual. But jogging in place burns fewer calories than regular jogging. When you jog in the fresh air or on a treadmill, you can move on different terrains, for example, running uphill will require more effort from you than on a flat surface.

Valeria Andreeva: “To stay healthy, adults should spend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. That being said, running in place for 30 minutes a day five days a week may be more challenging than going out for a 30-minute jog or walk. However, this does not mean that running in place is useless. If you don’t have a treadmill or the time to walk or go to the gym – running in place can be a good solution.”

Jumping rope

Jumping rope is a powerful workout for your cardiovascular system, endurance and leg and arm muscles at the same time. Moreover, if you exercise regularly, you will improve your coordination, agility and balance.

There are no proper shoes for jumping rope. A sports mat or a special rubber tile can help you in home training. If you are going to do a lot with a jump rope, these attributes will help to soften the landing after jumping, and also get rid of unnecessary noise, so as not to bother the neighbors downstairs.

As for the choice of jump rope: try the one that is heavier to better feel the technique of jumping. The length is also very important, check the manufacturer’s size chart before buying to find the length that is optimal for your height. If you already have a jump rope, stand in the middle of it and pull the handles up. Ideally, its tips should reach your armpits or shoulders.

Learn the correct technique

Many people learned it in school, but let’s reinforce a few important points again. This way you’ll get the most out of your workout and reduce the risk of injury.

During the exercise, keep your body tense and maintain a straight posture. Rotate the rope not at the expense of the elbows, but at the expense of the wrists, hands should be pressed to the body, and shoulders relaxed.

Valeria Andreeva: “Do not jump too high. It will take too long for your feet to touch the ground and get ready to jump again before the rope makes a full turn. Your jumps should be small and light, try to land on your toes and push off the floor gently.”

If you’re new to fitness, try jumping in 20-30 second intervals. If you’re an experienced athlete, 60-second intervals are more appropriate. When you master the classic version of jumps, you can begin to master other techniques: on one leg, with double jumps and many others.

Cardio machines

This chapter will be dedicated to those who bought a cardio machine for home workouts. If you have a dusty treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike at home, now is the time to bring the equipment back to life and resume cardio training. Below we will consider the options for exercising on each equipment separately. Of course, you can combine them into one workout, but then you’ll still have to visit the gym.

The speeds and inclines listed are only recommendations, so you should adjust them according to your fitness level. You may not be ready to work that hard, or you may want to let your inner beast loose for a few minutes and push yourself to the limit.

Treadmill

Valeria Andreeva: “Let’s start with the treadmill, on it one of your approaches will last 15 minutes. If you are practicing at home on another exercise machine, make sure you take at least 5-10 minutes to warm up before moving on to more intense exercise.”

5 minutes – 5 km/h, 1% incline.
3 minutes – 8 km/h, 3% incline.
1 minute – 6 km/h, 6% incline.
3 minutes – 10 km/h, 2% incline.
1 minute – 6 km/h, 5% incline.
1 minute – 10 km/h, 4% incline.
1 minute – 5 km/h, 0% incline.

You can perform several approaches on the track or do only one warm-up and then move on to other exercises. The situation is the same with the other exercise machines.

Cycling machine

A bicycle trainer is first of all a very intensive leg work. Each approach will take you 10 minutes. During this interval, alternate the intervals below. The principle is as follows: first there is a section with a lower intensity, and then – with a higher one.

1 minute – 70-80 revolutions per minute, fifth resistance level.
1 minute – 100-110 revolutions per minute, sixth-eighth resistance level.

Elliptical trainer

Working on an elliptical is similar to walking on skis. Let’s talk a little about technique: your feet should stand confidently on the pedals, your back should be straight. And most importantly, help yourself with your hands, engage them, they should not just hold on to the handles. One approach will take you 15 minutes.

Valeria Andreeva: “Strive for a target speed of about 90 reps per minute and change the intensity by adjusting the resistance. If you change the order of exercises, be sure to complete them with at least a five-minute warm-up on the machine you used last.”

3 minutes is the fourth level of resistance.
2 minutes is the sixth level of resistance.
3 minutes – fifth level of resistance.
2 minutes – sixth level of resistance.
5 minutes – second level of resistance.

Cardio Training Basics, FITT Principle

The FITT principle is a great way to take control of your exercise program. The acronym FITT stands for key workout components or guidelines. The letters F, I, T, T, T stand for frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise. Let’s look at each of the components in a little more detail.

Frequency

Frequency is a key component of the FITT principle. It is important to understand why you are exercising, what your goals are. Proceed from the desired results, so it will be easier to understand how much training you need.

Valeria Andreeva: “Adjust the number of workouts per day/week/month to reflect: your current fitness level, the time you have available, and your other commitments such as family and work”.

Intensity

This is an extremely important aspect of the FITT principle and is the hardest to track. The best way to gauge the intensity of your workout is to monitor your heart rate. There are several ways to monitor your heart rate, but the best way is to buy a heart rate monitor for your workout. It consists of an elastic strap that you wear around your chest and a wristwatch that displays your heart rate during your workout in beats per minute. If you don’t want to spend money on a heart rate monitor, just count your heart rate for 15 seconds. All you need is a wristwatch with a second reading. Feel your heartbeat by placing your hand on your heart, neck or wrist. Count the beats in 15 seconds and then multiply by four.

Time

The time allotted usually depends on the type of exercise you’re doing. But also try to base it on your own strength and well-being. If during training you suddenly feel that you have no strength to continue, do not bully your body, take a break.

Valeria Andreeva: “To strengthen the cardiovascular system is recommended to exercise continuously for at least 30 minutes. Slimming requires a little more time – at least 40 minutes of exercises with a moderate load. But when it comes to strength training to develop muscle mass, time is often measured by the number of approaches and repetitions.”

FITT for cardio and weight loss

If you set specific goals, you need to know the means to achieve them as well. Do you want to strengthen your cardiovascular system? Then walking, running, stair climbing, and aerobics are all good for you. To climb the stairs you will be enough to leave the apartment in the entrance, but if this option does not suit you, you can replace this exercise with lunges, squats. Any exercise that involves most of the major muscle groups will be effective for weight loss.

The FITT principle is most often used for cardiovascular aerobic exercise and weight loss. The standard recommendation for cardio exercise is as follows:

frequency – 5-6 times per week;
intensity – light to moderate, about 60-75% of maximum heart rate;
time – 30 to 60 minutes or more;
type – any exercise you can do on a regular basis. For example, running, working out on an elliptical trainer, and so on.

Injury prevention with the FITT principle

After a workout, the body moves on to the recovery process. What is required of us? Not to interfere, to let the body recover and prepare for new challenges.

Valeria Andreeva: “If you train hard every day, your body won’t have a chance to use the results of your workouts. What usually happens is that people get tired or injured and take a big break. We recommend doing intense exercise a maximum of two to three times a week. On the remaining days, rest or do light, low-impact exercises.”

This training pattern will also greatly reduce the likelihood of injury, as you give your body more time to recover and heal. Many high-level athletes have made significant performance improvements this way.

Valeria Andreeva: “The key to strength training is also variety. Don’t let yourself get stuck in a rut of the same exercises, this can lead to long repetitive strain on the same muscle groups and weaken others. An unbalanced muscular system is a sure path to injury.”

As for intensity and timing, the advice is the same: alternate. And remember: if you’re not feeling 100%, take a day off from exertion or schedule a light workout.

Important nuances

Let’s remember an important point, without which training will not be effective. This is, of course, about a healthy diet. Without it, you will have to work even harder at training, and it is not a fact that the results will be tangible. If you’re serious about achieving something, make sure you see a nutritionist who can help you adjust your diet to the sporting goals you set for yourself.

Take the necessary time to rest, it is necessary for the body to have the opportunity to recover. There is no universal recipe, rest as much as your muscles need. As soon as your body is ready for training, you will feel it – your muscles will stop hurting and you will have more strength. Regular rest periods will help prevent overexertion and reduce the risk of injury.

And, of course, there’s no shortage of warming up. At home you may be haunted by the feeling of safety, as if everything is easier in the apartment than in the gym. But this is an illusion, you should always warm up in the same way. After warm-up exercises you will feel at your best and show a good result at the training. Especially since cardio training is quite intense, it is a strain on the heart, and the body must be prepared for such a thing. By combining and balancing all the types of training that we have mentioned above, you will be able to achieve really great results. The main thing is not to overexert yourself, do not rush and do not stop.