Winter cardio?
 

ey,

Winter here is killin my ability to just go out and run, so I was curious if you guys have any alternatives or ideas for me that would let me stay in and stay get my cardio in my routine.

Thanks :)

Why not take up x-country skiing, that's excellent cardio.

Find a jump-rope and do some skipping. This is a great workout. You can mix up your styles aswell to change your workout by lifting up your knees, jumping two revolutions with one jump etc. Put some music on with it.

Indoor sports are pretty good, especially basketball. Of course you can always use treadmills, elipticals, and row machines too, but they're really boring beyond ten-fifteen minutes.

I just picked up some Cross Country skis. I would recomend them. Me and a friend did some XC skiing this weekend and got a pretty good work out. Plus, if you find a good trail, it's nice and scenic, so you won't get board.

hmm...ill have to look into cross country skiing, and thanks for the ideas on alternative indoor cardio! I plan on trying them all and see which feels best.

Thanks all :thumbsup:

I'm more of a weight-training guy, but you can get good cardio by doing a circuit of weight stations with light weights at high reps with no more than, say 10 seconds between stations. Need access to a gym, though.

I love riding road bikes and also get a lot from cycle spin classes. You can train at your own level in a class based on your intesity level and tension. It's fun with the energy from a class and good on the knees.

Go ice skating.

If you have a lot of snow, like a foot of it on your sidewalks, just bundle up and walk through it. I did that a year or two ago. It's definitely harder than regular walking, and I did lose a few pounds. :P

I use to jog in the winter. You end up biting the dust once or twice, but it's fun to get out there. And, about 5 minutes into it, you get pretty warmed up.

I agree with Chupes. I'm from Alaska and with all the snow we'd get, I 'd just go outside and walk around. Great way to get the heart pumping. Snow shoveling is also a good one.

I do elliptical 4 45min sessions a week (all L2 (70% max HR))and a day with 30 minutes of sprints around an obstacle course I setup (run through a ladder and run around punching bags and up and down some steps). The course takes 23 seconds and I give myself 60 seconds rest and go for a half hour to keep my speed up.

Stationary cardio machines (eg rower, walker, eliptical, stepper, bike) can be ideal when the weather's foul. They're right there at home so you don't have to drag yourself outdoors on a bad morning. I use a WaterRower. Cardio machines have their drawbacks, so make sure you look into all the pros and cons. The novelty wears off around week 2 or 3, so if it's not something you enjoy using consistently at a gym, it's guaranteed to become an expensive dust collector. Therefore, if you think you might want to buy a cardio machine to use indoors at home, get something you are usually drawn to in the gym and enjoy using. Also, an obvious one, but make sure you try it out first to ensure it won't aggravate any injuries you might have (eg a rower might not be best if you've got a bad back). Oh, and buy the best quality machine you can reasonably afford. The action will be smoother and the machine more stable and safe than an El Cheapo. It will also take more of a pounding.