I'm not a runner.. Cardio ideas?

jinny1313
jinny1313 Posts: 42 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'll admit, I know running is great cardio, and cycling.. I dislike both. I've previously done kickboxing and martial arts for cardio but am looking for good cardio ideas for apartment living. Also trying to get into at least interval running, otherwise I get too bored! Thanks all for the help :)
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Replies

  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    Dancing. Boot camp type classes. The 7 minute workout done 3 or 4 or 5 times.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,996 Member
    Jumping rope, fast walking, swimming if you have pool.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • lilligraz22
    lilligraz22 Posts: 183 Member
    Walking at a brisk pace!!!
  • cinnabondelights
    cinnabondelights Posts: 121 Member
    Dancing! I recently got into Zumba and it's a lot of fun, makes you sweat, and you can do it at home ;D
  • beverlyjlarson
    beverlyjlarson Posts: 104 Member
    Just put on your favourite music and "dance like noone is watching "
  • katherengomez76
    katherengomez76 Posts: 9 Member
    I did muay thai training for 2 years in Hawaii it is the best workout ever :-) especially the drills that they do in training prior to actual fighting. Get some boxing gloves and hit the bag, kick it properly you will be sweating in no time and much stronger
  • kendahlj
    kendahlj Posts: 243 Member
    Tennis
  • your_pal_crusher
    your_pal_crusher Posts: 4,437 Member
    burpees!
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
    Apartment have a pool? Does it by chance a small community gym in the complex? Walking trail or park near by? Does it have stair cases?

    Do you live on a top floor where people live below you? Just curious, I might not like someone getting up and dancing or doing jumping jacks all day on top of my head? LOL

    With that said are you looking for indoors or outdoor activities?

    If you get really bored with cardio why do any?
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    hula hooping, spinning poi, vinayasa (flow) yoga, dancing, belly dancing, walking, skipping
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Stairs are the obvious choice is you are living in an apartment. Pokemon hunting for the win.
  • brewcrew101
    brewcrew101 Posts: 15 Member
    If you go to the gym, I personally think that the elliptical is a great option. It's very easy on your joints and you can control your speed and resistance. You can read or watch TV while doing it, too!
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    jinny1313 wrote: »
    good cardio ideas for apartment living

    So do you mean in your apartment itself, or do you have some sort of gym with stuff to use?

    Lots of good ideas in this thread already. Burpee intervals and jumping jacks are probably the best with zero equipment. Add squat thrusters if you've got some dumbbells. If you've got a stationary bike, that's another option. Elliptical or rower - even more.

    I'd just add with each new option, you can switch between them and also vary the intensity. That keeps it a lot less boring. So if I'm doing outside cardio, I'll switch between trotting and sprinting (hills, stairs, flatland) and walking as I go along for my 30 minutes. If I'm doing gym cardio, I'll do about 5 minutes per thing (treadmill, elliptical) while varying the difficulty and jump back and forth between those. Add a few squat thrusters in there too.
  • jinny1313
    jinny1313 Posts: 42 Member
    Thank you all so much for the ideas!!

    I was looking for some "cardio" ideas for in my apartment, and yes I live above people and don't want to be a jerk to my awesome neighbor ;)

    I currently use gliding discs for mountain climbers in high intensity interval circuits. I walk my dog a lot and I walk to and from the train for work which I usually end up with around 9000-11000 steps a day which is great but definitely looking to up the cardio to try to lose some fat. Going to try out a few of the ideas you all posted, much appreciated!!
  • tiggerlove
    tiggerlove Posts: 225 Member
    they have a lot of cardio stuff on youtube and also cd's. I do all my workouts at home when my downstairs neighbors are at work.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Props for trying. I hate running too. I also just really prefer to walk really slowly and almost never get my heart rate up. It's horrible.
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    You might like some of these too: http://darebee.com/collections/silent-workouts.html
  • Schmitty_89
    Schmitty_89 Posts: 38 Member
    Check your town for community classes. Zumba is a great way to get in cardio and have fun. :)
  • calleefrances
    calleefrances Posts: 19 Member
    @jinny1313 Don't forget the role that weight training plays in losing fat! the more nice lean muscle in your body, the less cardio you have to do to burn fat.
  • abitofbliss
    abitofbliss Posts: 198 Member
    I love rollerblading!
  • Ghostlight1
    Ghostlight1 Posts: 21 Member
    Kettlebell swings are great for cardio. If you have knee problems this is great as well. Living in an upstairs apartment they make no noise at all.
  • jinny1313
    jinny1313 Posts: 42 Member
    What is the best way to interval train with running? Again, I'm not looking to do anything long distance
  • Spartan557
    Spartan557 Posts: 8 Member
    Jump rope, nice and easy pretty low impact. Nice calfwork too
  • robertamax1
    robertamax1 Posts: 2 Member
    I just started spin and I love it. Have to find the right motivating instructor and environment though. I like the cold dark classes (I get hot).
  • mdrolle
    mdrolle Posts: 20 Member
    I can't stand treadmill or bikes, or elliptical for that matter, but during my hiit I am usually at 90% with my HRM. If you don't have one, you might consider getting one. Guarantee you'll get a great cardio workout if you do a simple routine of the following: jumping jacks, butt kicks, high knees, jump lunges, and burpees. Makes it easy if you get a tabata app, set it for a one minute warmup and 15 rounds, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Do all the exercises above at a moderate level for your warmup, switching on a count of ten (for the warmup this will be you counting the seconds). For the 15 rounds, do the, at maximum effort. If you tally up actual time spent it is only 8.5 minutes, but you should feel like it's been a lot more if you are at max effort.
  • jinny1313
    jinny1313 Posts: 42 Member
    Thank you all again for these amazing ideas! I got so stuck on the small circuits I've been doing that I've been a bit blind to the other ideas out there.

    What are the best apps to get that help with training ideas and instruction? I also love the idea of the app that does the HIIT timing :)
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    Go to the gym and swim, dance, take classes, etc.

    Working out in an apartment when you live upstairs is not appropriate.
  • reckless1976mj
    reckless1976mj Posts: 7 Member
    Roller skate!! I play roller derby, and skate whenever I can...trails, rinks, tracks. Not only is it low impact, but you burn upwards of 400+calories an hour. It's fun, easy, and I've never seen anyone unhappy skating!!

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