Workout Techniques for Busy People 4
On those days when you want a fast and furious work out but don't have time to go to the gym, try these at home ideas to really get your heart pumping and the fat metabolizing.
1. Skipping for Life
There was time when everyone skipped, but in recent times, it has lost its appeal. If you are wanting an excellent, fast paced cardio work out that really works you hard and focuses on all your major muscle groups you can't go better than a regular skipping work out. You should aim to jump the rope around 120 times a minute to make this a high impact cardio activity. Keep this up for around 20 minutes and you have achieved an excellent cardio workout. Allow time for your heart rate to reduce by slowing you are skipping or alternating with resistance exercises.
2. Squats to Perfection
Follow a session of cardio with some compound muscle exercises such as squats. These help your heart rate to recover. Perform a safe squat by standing with your feet a shoulder length apart. Tilt your hips backwards and bend your knees as if you are sitting backwards into a chair. Stand up and repeat 15 times, keeping your core muscles pulled in and your chest high as you perform the squat. Do not forget to keep your back straight.
3. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Sit in a chair with your dumb bells in your hand. Hold them close to your body at shoulder level with your palms facing inwards. Rotate your arms outwards to form a 90 degree angle and lift them at the same time to form a lifting circular motion that finishes with your arms lifted straight, elbow loose and held the dumb bells above your head. Turn your arms so that your palms are facing away from you above your head. Keep your elbows against your body as you pull straight down and then repeat the action 15 times.
It is important to remember that resistance partially relies on gravity for success and these activities should not be done fast but slow and steady to take advantage of gravitational pull as a resistance aid. Increase the weights you are lifting to add extra momentum or try to squat as low as you can. Ensure you focus on technique as well as the activity itself.
4. Stairs and Steps
Running up and down stairs are the perfect cardio workout for busy people. Use the steps at work, or the railway station or any easily accessible location and allow yourself enough time to run up and down them keeping your back straight and if you like, add some wrist or ankle weights to add to the resistance. If you don't have access to stairs, buy an exercise step and alternate feet climbing on the step, off again leading with one leg then alternate, and swap sides. This is a highly effective cardio and sculpting activity.