If you’ve been doing cardio for quite a while now then you know that it can get boring. Running (or walking) for 45 minutes on the treadmill is no fun. And neither is cycling for the same amount of time. You’ll always find yourself gazing at the monitor or dashboard wondering why time flies so slow.
Even if you genuinely enjoy running, you’re eventually going to get bored with your routine. Whether you do your cardio at home, outdoors or in Club Fitness, changing things up every once in a while is recommended because at some point, monotony will hit and you’ll find it hard to stay committed to your workouts.
Try these tips to avoid getting bored while doing cardio and make your routine as fun as possible:
1. Have a Killer Playlist
If you haven’t done so yet, you need to create a motivating playlist that’s well suited to your cardio workout. Fill it with your favorite songs. One study found that listening to music can help you enjoy the exercise and at the same time, will motivate you to workout again.
2. Use Free Weights for Variation
Whether you’re running around your neighborhood or on a treadmill, you can incorporate some weights into your routine to challenge your body and spice things up a bit. This can definitely reduce the boredom.
3. Go for HIIT.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) doesn’t take a lot of time, and as far as keeping things interesting that’s exactly what you’ll get when you do HIIT.
4. Listen to a Podcast or AudioBook
Listening to interesting podcasts and life-changing audiobooks has become something I look forward to doing every time I step onto the elliptical or stationary bike. It definitely helps keep the wheels turning and you won’t have to think about all the hard repetitive work you have to do to achieve your fitness goals.
5. Try “Fartleks”
“Fartleks” is “speed play” in Swedish and it means sprinting as hard as you can for a few seconds before returning to normal pace.
6. Try Bodyweight Cardio
Now we don’t often associate body weight exercises with cardio but it actually works. A great thing about these kinds of workout is that they don’t exhaust the lower body and at the same time, it consists of a series of exercises so they don’t bore you easily.
We’ve found a great training video on Youtube that offers a 30-minute bodyweight cardio workout. You can check it here:
You can start by doing slow movements especially if you’re new to the concept of bodyweight cardio. You also have the option to take longer breaks to catch your breath. And because this is essentially a cardio workout, it’s necessary to move quickly and be light on your feet.
Workout Structure
4 Minute Warm Up (Cardio)
- March in Place
- Jumping Jacks
- Lateral Steps
- Opposite Toe Touch
- High Knee Pulls
- Standing Jackknife
- Butt Kickers
- Fly Jacks
17 Minute Cardio Workout (45 Seconds with 15 Seconds Rest in Between)
- Runner Pull + Lunge & Switch
- Slow Burpees
- High Knee Claps
- Standing Jackknife
- 3 Switchfoot Jumps + Knee + Front Kick
- Lateral Jump + Power Skip
- X Jump + Split Jump
- 4 Pull Down Butt Kickers + 4 High Knee
- Stutter Jacks
- 3 Marches + Clock Steps or Lunges
- Good Morning + Opposite Knee to Elbow
- 2 Wide Stance Butt Kicks + Pivot Squat
- Walkdown + Plank Jack or Taps
- Reverse Bicycle Crunches
- Up Down Plank + L&R Center Tap
- Bridge Press + Extension + Toe Touch Crunch
- Bird Dog Sweeps
5 Minute Cool Down
- Quad Stretch
- Hip Flexor Stretch + Arm Cross Pull
- Forward Lean/Toe Touch + Overhead Stretch
- Side Bend Leans
- Walkdown to Cat Cow
- Deep Glute Stretch
- Full Body Stretch & Deep Breathing
Be sure to listen to your body and be mindful of any pain or injury. If you need to take a break, do so. You can increase the speed and intensity over time.