Think of free weights, and images of hardcore gym-goers with enormous muscles may come to mind. But did you know that free weights can be an excellent way to get a full cardio workout too?
Using free weights can be a great way to take your cardio workouts to the next level. Plus, weights can help to make your workouts more interesting if you find long sessions on the treadmill or cross-trainer dull.
Why Use Free Weights for Cardio?
Cardio workouts using weights are fun, fast and highly effective. As well as boosting your heart rate and getting a full cardio workout, you’ll also benefit from strength training. This helps to build muscle, and the extra muscle gives your resting metabolic rate a boost – helping to burn more body fat.
Dumbbells: The Best Free Weights for Cardio
There are lots of types of free weights you can use in your cardio workouts, including kettlebells and even barbells. However, dumbbells are perhaps the most versatile, and they are a great option if you’re just starting out.
Dumbbells are affordable, convenient and easy to use. There are lots of different exercises you can do using these weights, and they can help you to get a full cardio and strength training workout.
It’s best to stick to a lighter weight if you're just getting started. This will allow you to complete more reps and move faster, ensuring you get a great aerobic workout to get your heart pumping.
Getting Started
The easiest way to get started is to use a timer that you set to go off every minute. The basic idea is then to do about 5 to 10 reps of an exercise when your timer goes off, then rest until the timer goes off again. After this, move onto the next exercise, and keep going until you’re done.
If you have three different exercises, it will take you three minutes to go through each of them. You can then repeat the three exercises until you’ve done between 10 and 20 minutes, or however long you want.
Or you could just keep going until you can’t go on any longer – then push it further the next time!
Calorie-Burning Cardio Exercises Using Dumbbells
Here are a few cardio exercises using dumbbells to get you started.
Thrusts
Stand straight and hold the dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing together. Do a squat then go up again, but lift your arms up as you rise until they are straight above your head. Lower the dumbbells into the starting position, and do another nine reps.
Goblet Squat
Position your feet shoulder-width apart and hold one dumbbell against your chest with both hands in a vertical position. Squat keeping your back straight, then return to the starting position and repeat.
Power Clean
Place your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. Bend your knees, and as you do so, extend your arms down until the dumbbells are close to or touching the floor. Lift your body up by straightening your legs and lift the dumbbells back to shoulder height as you go.
Split Jump
Hold two dumbbells at your sides with your arms hanging straight down and your palms pointing inwards. Put your right foot in front of your left a couple of feet apart, and stand upright, bending your legs into a lunge. Then jump into the air and switch the position of your legs, and repeat until you finish your reps.
Boost Your Cardio Using Free Weights
Combining cardio and strength training is a great way to save time if you don’t have a lot of time set aside to work out each day. Doing a cardio workout while using weights at the same time be highly beneficial as well as a lot of fun.
These exercises should give you some ideas that you can use in your own workouts. Try them yourself and see if you can make your workouts more interesting. And don’t forget that this is just the start. If you want to try something new, consider trying some exercises that incorporate kettlebells or other free weights to add some more variety to your workout.
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