Strength and Cardio Gym Workout

Strength and Cardio Gym Workout

Sometimes it can be hard to fit in our workouts in a week. We know that its important to get in our cardio to keep our hearts and lungs healthy, but we also know that strong muscles and bones are important too.

Finding the time to enough of both into our weekly routine can be a challenge, so here’s what we want to do for you:

We combined both strength and cardio into one hard hitting and time conserving workout that you can do in under 30 minutes by integrating strength moves with cardio intervals to keep your heart rate up throughout the entire workout and get those muscles working at the same time.

To do this workout you will need to have a timer and do your best to complete as many reps of each move in your working intervals. Set your timer for 8 rounds of 50 seconds on/15 seconds off, repeated 3 times.

Elliptical- We are going to use the elliptical machine for our warmup as it engages your entire body and gets your heart rate up. Make sure you start slow and increase your speed as your body begins to limber up. Don’t forget to use the arm handles as well for increased calorie burn and to get your arms ready for the workout ahead. When you’ve completed about 8-10 minutes of elliptical training, your body should feel nice and warm.

Grab your timer and get ready to sweat! Start….now!

Dumbbell Walking Lunges- For the first interval grab a set of dumbbells that will be heavy but not too heavy to where you can’t get through 50 seconds of this interval. Stepping forward with one foot get into lunge position, where you bend both knees into 90 degree angles. You should hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms relaxed at your sides but keep your shoulders back and your back straight. Pushing off your forward foot, engaging your quads step up and into another lunge, this time with the opposite foot being forward. Repeat this move for the duration of the interval then rest for 15 seconds.

Push Ups- When the timer dings for your next interval you will be doing pushups.  Make sure you keep your butt down and your spine aligned throughout the whole move. If you start to get tired, don’t feel ashamed to drop your knees. Rest for 15 seconds.

Arm raises with plates- With a plate weight in each hand, stand with your feet about hip width apart. Raise your arms up to the sides. Don’t use momentum to raise the weight but engage your arms and abs to lift the weight. Lower it slowly and repeat for the duration of the interval. Rest 15 seconds.

Jump rope- Now its time to get your heart rate back up. For this 50 second interval, jump rope as fast as you can. Feel free to alternate between two-foot jumps, one-foot alternating jumps, high knee jumps, and side to side jumps. Rest 15 seconds.

Kettlebell Squats- Grabbing one heavy kettlebell with both hands. Do deep squats for this interval. Make sure your knees don’t go beyond your toes and keep your chest up and back. Your butt should go behind you with a slight bend in your back. Keep your toes pointing out slightly. Rest for 15 seconds.

Leg extensions- This move is done on a leg extension machine. Add weight to your desired resistance, sit on the bench and place your legs in the curling position. Hold your bars tight to ensure you don’t put any stress on your spine. Engage your quads and extend your knees out. Rest for 15 seconds.

Abdominal Leg Raises- This move also requires you use equipment. Position yourself on the leg raise machine with your elbows supported by the arm rest and let your lower body hang. Using your abs for this move, hinge at the waist and raise your legs out in front of you. You can alternate between straight leg raises and bent knee leg raises to make it easier to get through the 50 seconds. Rest for 15 seconds.

Jump Rope- Follow up with another interval of jump rope to get your heart rate up again and continue to burn major calories. Rest for 15 seconds.

Repeat this entire circuit three times.

Cool Down- After a good workout like this you need to make sure you do a proper cool down with lots of stretches to keep your muscles limber and reduce muscle soreness.

Happy Fitness!