Sometimes you need a day of cardio without the weights (free or machine). But the workout I have planned for this article is not the LSD (long, slow, dumb) style of treadmill, bike, recumbent or even outdoor workout that you may be envisioning.
This workout is packed with six-minute sprints on different types of machines — some more evil than others. I have also kept my favorite outdoor cardio set just in case you wanted to keep it old school.
1. Take a long look at your gym floor and then select four to five cardio machines that require different muscle groups. Examples include treadmill, indoor rower, step mill or VersaClimber, elliptical, outdoor running, swimming, bike, etc.
2. Plan on spending six minutes at 85 percent effort on each. A good rule of thumb is that you should feel like you're at eight on your one-to-10 scale of perceived effort.
3. Incorporate two body-weight exercises between the cardio sets to break up the routine. My favorites are 10 pushups and 10 crunches. Substitute anything you want — just remember that your legs are the principal workhorses in the rest of the workout.
4. The goal is minimal or no rest when you transition from one cardio exercise through your body-weight work to the next cardio exercise. Rest for three to five minutes after completing the first round, then repeat.
One workout option
Do this after warming up:
1. Indoor rower, six minutes. This has always been the first choice when I assign a cardio workout. Legs, back, arms, core — they're all involved.
I recommend that you set the resistance between four and six since that is as close to being on water as you can get. If you haven't had instruction on the proper technique, get some. This is one exercise for which proper technique is critical for a productive session.
Target 24 to 26 strokes per minute (upper right of the window shows S/M).
Put maximum effort into the pull. The return time should be almost twice as long as the pull so the body can rest.
You can set six minutes on the timer so it will count down (again, get someone to show you if you need to).
2. Elliptical, six minutes. With numerous elliptical brands in military fitness centers, here are some basics:
My usual level is four or five — just enough to add some resistance but not enough to prevent a sustained high effort.
Revolutions-per-mile target should be 65-plus. Most of my clients do 70-75.
3. Treadmill, six minutes. Or do six rounds of one-minute run/one-minute rest on a 25-meter course.
On the treadmill, use elevation +1 and pick a speed that makes you work at a sustained level eight.
On the 25-meter course, target about 85 percent effort. Why the rest on the 25-meter course and not the treadmill? Outdoors, you're fighting gravity, and on the treadmill, the platform is pulling you along.
4. Step mill, VersaClimber or stepper, six minutes.
These are the glute- and hamstring-focused machines, so don't go overboard when deciding on a speed.
They all have instructions on setup procedures, but ask for help if you can't figure it out.
