I want to do cardio but I cannot run. What do I do? In this post I will give you some good non-running cardio ideas, and how to do them effectively!
You will hear me say over and over that running is the best form of cardio because it is efficient and yields the best results in the shortest amount of time. When I talk about running though, I mean 15-30 minutes of running, not hours of running per day or marathon running, etc. That gets into running for sport, which has as many negatives as it does positives. I mean running at a high intensity level for 15-30 minutes 4 or 5 days per week. This gives you maximum output and keeps your odometer low, thus keeping you from chronic injury. But, back to the original point of how to get in good cardio without running????
I recommend doing other options for 15-30 minutes at a high pace and high intensity. Remember, 15 minutes is enough time, if you are working hard enough. If you can go a whole hour, then you are not working hard enough. I also recommend doing a progressive plan. Pick a time between15 and 30 minutes and increase the level or speed every minute or every few minutes. Try to avoid going fast one minute and then resting one minute. The goal is 15-30 minutes straight of working hard. You can rest when you are finished…
So, let’s take a look at some non-running cardio ideas.
1. The Stair Stepper
One of my favorite non-running cardio ideas is the Stair Stepper. I recommend the stair stepper as one of the next best options to running for cardio. One of the best things about running on a treadmill is that you are at the mercy of the belt speed, which means that in order to slow down, you have to push a button, so as long as you don’t jump off or reduce the speed, you cannot slow down (like you can when running outside). Well, the same is true with a stair stepper. Most are designed to where you have to keep moving or else it will sink to the floor. So, like the treadmill, you have to adjust the level to make it easier, you can’t just simply slow down. One thing to note is that in order to make a stair stepper effective, you have to use your legs. I often see people leaning on top of the stepper and taking all the pressure off of their legs. Don’t do that!! You can hold on, but just make sure that you are using your legs to step and you are staying upright.
2. The Fan Bike
I also recommend the Fan Bike as the one of the next best options to running for cardio. The great thing about the fan bike is that it has arms and legs movements that can be done simultaneously or individually. I find the best way to work hard on the Fan Bike is to do intervals of each movement. I do one minute of just peddling without holding onto the arm handles, then one minute of just moving the arm handles back n forth without moving the pedals, and then one minute of doing both together. Another good option is to just do the arms and legs together the entire time and push through it at a good pace continually.
3. The Elliptical
The elliptical is a tricky animal. The tricky thing with the elliptical is that you can make it easy and simply “ride it” instead of working hard. I see this all the time. People log hours and hours on it with little or no results. So, make sure you have it moving at an uncomfortable or miserable pace with speed and resistance. Start medium and increase every few minutes. Try to work progressive, increasing every few minutes without stopping or resting until you are finished. A good way to ensure that you are working hard on the elliptical is to make sure that you stay level. Imagine there is a ceiling 1 inch above your head and you cannot hit it. If you do this, your legs will be on fire! When you go up and down with the motion of the elliptical, you take away a lot of the resistance. Staying level will prevent that.
4. The Upright Bike and Recumbent Bike
Both of these can be good cardio ideas and be very effective if done right. You have to have the right combination of speed and resistance. Don’t make it too hard to pedal. But also, don’t go too slow. And, make sure you are gradually increasing the intensity. These bikes can be very effective, but just like a bike on the road, if you are coasting, you are getting nothing out of it, so make sure that you are actually working hard. One great tip to ensure that you are working hard is to pick a speed that is fast and fairly uncomfortable and keep it above that speed the entire time. You have to remember to keep an eye on it thought, because you will automatically slow down if you don’t. The speed is usually indicated on the bike’s screen as RPM. Gradually increase the resistance while keeping at the desired speed and you will get a great cardio workout on the bike.
5. The Spin Bike
You don’t have to be in a spin class to use the spin bike. These bikes can get you a killer workout. As a matter of fact, I don’t really recommend spin class often, but that is a whole other topic that I will go into in another post. But, for your 15-30 minutes of high intensity cardio, you can use a spin bike. On the spin bike, I recommend going back and forth between fast and resistance. Notice I didn’t say fast and slow, or hard and easy. Once again, we have to stay out of the resting zone. So, start by going fast for a minute and then after that minute, make the resistance very hard and try to count 100 pedal revolutions. When you finish the 100, you can go fast one minute then do another 100, and so on. You can also do 30 seconds fast, 50 resistance revolutions, and other time intervals.
Other cardio ideas
There are other cardio machines out there. There are some that are like ellipticals and steppers combined, row machines, etc. You can also jump rope and things like that. Any of these can be effective if you work at a progressive pace and if you start and don’t rest until you are finished. So, be careful on some of these and make sure you are working hard enough. If you can only do a few minutes at a time, then you are not really doing cardio, you are doing more like weight training.
So, to recap…
*15-20 minutes is enough if you are working at an intense pace and you do it consistently (shoot for every day you do a workout)
*Work progressive – gradually increase intensity. Don’t go fast one minute then rest, etc. Remember, your results happen when you push through, not when you rest.
*Use the misery index – If you are miserable, then you are probably working where you need to be. If it is easy, you will not get results. You want to work at the level of where the minutes go by like hours and the seconds like minutes. Use music, videos, tv shows, prayer, and any other things you can to distract yourself.
Use these tips to help you maximize your cardio. And remember to do all three, Weight Training, Cardio, and Calorie-Budgeting to get maximum results!
Need help with the weight training? – Check out my Virtual Trainer
Need help with the diet? Try the easy to follow Calorie-Budgeting system
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