Cardio in the AM - What do you do?

[Asriel]

So I'm considering doing some cardio in the morning before work, but other than running, I can't think of anything else to do.

What do you guys do?

[Lily]

Three letters.

[BudoMonkey]

I wake my wife up for sex.

[Lily]

Okay, to be serious...why don't you do a weights workouts (do you have access to a barbell and some decent weights?)?

Where do you run? Do you have a park or track where you could do a few other exercises?

Some other ideas:

1. tabata sprints
2. stair runs
3. interval runs
4. lying start runs
5. jump squats
6. skip (eg. mix up 20 rounds skipping @ 1min per round, and do some pushups, burpees, trunk rotations between rounds)
7. agility drills (if you have the luxury of running in a park you can set out 4 markers at different points from a central marker (about 5-10 metres away from the centre). Do 1min sprints to different markers always returning to the centre, rest for 1min you can do pushups/upper body/ab stuff, then repeat the sprints for 45 seconds, 30 seconds and 15 seconds maintaining a 1:1 sprint to 'recovery' ratio.

[BudoMonkey]

No, really though. Do you have a pull up bar? Usually I will try to run a mile or two, and when I get home - 50 pull ups and 50 chin ups, in sets of 10-20 until I hit the 50 for each. Then I will go directly to two sets of fifty incline pushups (feet up on the couch), then do 3 or 4 sets of 25 dips (using the handles on my treadmill), and then I will do a little free weight routine right from that- curls, triceps, a couple different things, then back to 2 more sets of the push ups. I do all these excercises in 25 minutes or so and it's a nice little routine to start my day.

I realize this might not be exactly the 'cardio' you are looking for, but you asked 'what do you do'. I would hit the heavy bag, but it hangs in the garage right under my bedroom and when I hit it the whole room shakes so I would wake my wifey and baby.

[honesty]

In few weeks, after I've settled into my new weights programme, I'm going to be adding a light (20 - 30 minute) run before breakfast for 4 days of the week. hopefully I can get into the habit over the summer whilst its nice, and continue over winter....

[Asriel]

I used to live right on the coast and would run along the seafront, which was a really nice way to start the day. Now I'm in the middle of London and there's not many parks around.

I found one and started running but discovered it was some kind of enclosure for sheltered housing and that i was scaring the elderly so now the only option is to jog the streets, which is pretty shitty.

Thanks for the suggestions, I may have to get a pull up bar and some dumbells, I don't have any as I do any lifting in the gym usually.

I think sprints is a good way to go, thanks Lilly. Just need to find a suitable place to do it...

[Teh El Macho]

The following are simple ideas of using one to three exercises back to back. The routines are their own warm up by starting slow. As you progress you crank up the intensity either by

a) increasing the number of reps per set in the circuit and/or
b) increasing the speed in executing the reps per set and/or
c) decreasing the rest time between circuits.

Also, it gives you a way to cool down (which everyone should spend at least a couple of minutes always) by reversing the trend in intensity.

At any point, you can use any of these circuits in "waves". You start slow as a warm up, then pick up the intensity, then you reduce it, then you pick it up

So, some ideas:

1. Skipping in 2-3 minute rounds, 1 minute of ACTIVE recovery in between - shadow box or just move around, don't stay still (that's what active recovery means). The first round is simply a warm up so I don't really crank up the skipping until the middle of the second round.

You can take brief brakes within a round, so long as you make the best effort to keep going. Effort in exertion is what counts (which should elicit adaptation.)

2. Skipping w/o a rope. Yep, I sometimes just don't feel like it (I'm always clunky and clumsy with that **** when I try to move my knees high and ****), so I just hop in the grass with wearable 2.5lbs wrist weights simulating the motion of moving the rope. Active recovery as mentioned above.

3. Alternating sets of jumping jacks and cherry pickers (50 reps each). 30-60 seconds of break in between. The first few sets you start slow, as a warm up. As you progress, you attempt to complete the 50 reps as fast as possible. The challenge is to switch from jumping jacks to cherry pickers (they look the same , but oh no, they work differently.)

4. Dumbell swings into push presses (with semi-light weights), 20 reps per set at a time, short break in between. At first you start slow, picking up the pace as you get warmed up. 1 minute break every 3-4 minutes.

5. A circuit of the following (done non-stop, each set done per time), with as little break between the circuits as possible.

20 push ups
20 abdominal crunches
20 bent-over dumbbell lateral raises/face pulls/barbell rows (face pulls demand that you use less weight.)
20 bodyweight squats, ass to the ground

At the completion of every 3-4 circuits, drop to the floor and perform samsom stretches and alternating downward and upward facing dog stretches. Then resume the 3-4 circuits as soon as possible.


6. Slam balls. Make your own slam ball and do tabata sets, or sets of fixed reps. Start slow, using the same exercise as a warm up. This will get your heart cranking in no time, so use caution at first until you get the rythm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t1FlMUS32A


For all the sugestions given above, don't increase or decrease the number of reps. To change the intensity, modifying the speed with which the reps are executed or increase and/or the rest between circuits.

[sprunghunt]

So I'm considering doing some cardio in the morning before work, but other than running, I can't think of anything else to do.

What do you guys do?

I ride my bike for about 30-60 minutes and sometimes ride to work (an extra half hour)

[Jadonblade]

A rowing machine I reccomend.