23 Jul Change up your exercises to re-invigorate cardio workouts

The BH Fitness LK580 rower is a light commercial fan magnetic model designed to offer Olympic training quality workouts to your facility.

One of the best ways to re-invigorate your workouts is to change up the way you’re working out.
If we keep doing the same things over and over, life can become stagnant.
Here are five tips to change up your cardio workouts. Follow these suggestions for a surge of energy and hopefully it will help you get into even better overall shape.
1. Row your way to fitness – Rowing machines have long been overlooked, often sitting down low in the back corner of a gym. However, rowing machines can provide big-time results and provide a great cardio challenge. Rowing builds strong back, arm and core muscles and offers a nice change from most people’s usual cardio workouts.
Machines such as the BH Fitness LK580 Rower and LifeCore Fitness R100 will help you train like Olympians.
2. Try interval training – You can change up any exercise by simply changing the way you do it. Interval training is one of the most basic, but best changes you can make.
Research shows that a 20-minute interval training workout can actually be more beneficial than walking or jogging along at a low speed for 30-40 minutes.
Instead of jogging or walking along at basically the same pace, interval training means you run or walk faster for periods of 2-3 minutes or longer, for example, then back down the intensity for 30-60 seconds, then speed up again.
Running too fast or even walking too briskly can cause injury, though, if people aren’t used to it. Proceed with care before you speed up too fast and consult with a doctor before making any major changes in your workout routine.
Other ways to add intervals to your workout are to change the incline and-or resistance of the machine you’re using.
3. Take a bike ride – Whether you go for a ride outside, on an exercise bike or take a fast-paced indoor exercise bike class, it’s an excellent way to get great interval training.
4. Swim for it – Called the best all-around exercise there is by many people, swimming is also an excellent way to cross train.
5. Climb the stairs – Hop on a stair climber and get a highly challenging cardio workout that will push you in different ways than your usual 20-30 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com