When people think cardio exercises, they usually think about things like running or biking. These are definitely great steady state cardio exercises, but they are certainly NOT the only options. Utilizing circuit workouts to incorporate strength movements with exercises that raise your heart rate are efficient, fat burning, & highly effective.
What is a circuit?How Do I incorporate cardio exercises into a circuit?
A circuit is a combination of exercises, strung together to create a set that can be repeated. Why is it a fantastic and efficient way to workout? Well..let me tell you. I like to align my circuits alternating muscle groups, strength exercises, cardio exercises, core exercises, etc. This means that you can keep working while one muscle group rests, allowing for maximum efficiency. If you are in need of a time saver, THIS is an awesome way to save time.
I love to throw in circuit based around cardio exercises for my Saturday workouts. This is the circuit my sister and I did yesterday. It was killer, but in such a good way.
MC FIT 1,000 SQUATS WORKOUT: Cardio exercises at their finest
10 burpees
10 KB sumo squats
10 squat jumps
10 med ball throw downs from a squat
10 squat presses
REPEAT 10 X THROUGH
This workout was a beast. Each movement has a squat incorporated into it, so by the end you’ve done 1,000 squats. TRY IT.
Keep in mind, another benefit of utilizing cardio exercises in circuits vs steady state cardio is the fact that you are utilizing different muscles in different ways. I am all about the principle of muscle confusion. Changing up what you are doing with your workouts, and how you are hitting those muscles can make all the difference in your results.
Don’t let your body become too accustomed to doing the same thing over and over again. Change it up!
Other examples of cardio exercises:
- burpees
- plyo lunges
- jump squats
- mt climbers
- high knees
- tuck jumps
- skater lunges
- frog jumps
- jump backs
Even if you are used to heavy lifting with no cardio, try adding in some of these cardio exercises to turn your lifting workouts into a HIIT workout. Adding some of these cardio exercises into your sets will give your HR a quick burst, and increase your caloric burn for your whole workout.
For more circuit workout ideas click HERE for my youtube channel, HERE for my IG workouts, and HERE for the workouts that are posted on my website.