Cardio that isn't running

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makinemjellis
makinemjellis Posts: 91 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been lifting weights for about 2 months and am LOVING IT and am looking to add in some cardio to my routine. My gym is pretty limited on equipment; we have 2 treadmills, an elliptical, weights, and hardly any room. Not to mention I absolutely DESPISE running. So if anyone has some fun, non-running cardio that I can do with limited space/equipment, I'd love your suggestions :smile:

Side note: I have problems with my feet that cause them to cramp up really badly when doing exercises that involve a lot of jumping or pounding (jump rope, burpees, mountain climbers, etc). It gets so bad that I won't be able to put pressure on my feet for a few minutes until I've stretched and massaged them out.
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  • makinemjellis
    makinemjellis Posts: 91 Member
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    I do hike a fair amount when the weather is suitable, but those days have been few and far between recently.

    and I always forget about kettlebell swings! I'll definitely have to try to add those in! Thanks!
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
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    Play a sport! Tennis, basketball, volleyball, soccer, all good cardio activities that make you forget you're doing cardio.
  • mm3harris
    mm3harris Posts: 3 Member
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    You may want to try Pilates or cycling/spin classes. If your gym does not have aerobic classes you can find almost any aerobic class on Youtube and exercise at home.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,885 Member
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    jellis432 wrote: »
    I've been lifting weights for about 2 months and am LOVING IT and am looking to add in some cardio to my routine. My gym is pretty limited on equipment; we have 2 treadmills, an elliptical, weights, and hardly any room. Not to mention I absolutely DESPISE running. So if anyone has some fun, non-running cardio that I can do with limited space/equipment, I'd love your suggestions :smile:

    Side note: I have problems with my feet that cause them to cramp up really badly when doing exercises that involve a lot of jumping or pounding (jump rope, burpees, mountain climbers, etc). It gets so bad that I won't be able to put pressure on my feet for a few minutes until I've stretched and massaged them out.

    a. Cycling. Get a bicycle and ride outside. :)

    b. Drink a bit more water to ward off the cramping feet.

  • makinemjellis
    makinemjellis Posts: 91 Member
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    Machka9 wrote: »

    a. Cycling. Get a bicycle and ride outside. :)

    b. Drink a bit more water to ward off the cramping feet.

    I have tried EVERYTHING for the feet. Drinking more water, getting special insoles, stretching daily...literally nothing has helped. I have NO idea what the problem is.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
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    jellis432 wrote: »
    I have tried EVERYTHING for the feet.

    Try stretching your feet *every hour*. Use a reminder app if you forget to do it hourly. Post an update after 2 weeks.

    In the mean time, since your gym has an elliptical, try that. :+1:
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    jellis432 wrote: »
    I've been lifting weights for about 2 months and am LOVING IT and am looking to add in some cardio to my routine. My gym is pretty limited on equipment; we have 2 treadmills, an elliptical, weights, and hardly any room. Not to mention I absolutely DESPISE running. So if anyone has some fun, non-running cardio that I can do with limited space/equipment, I'd love your suggestions :smile:

    Side note: I have problems with my feet that cause them to cramp up really badly when doing exercises that involve a lot of jumping or pounding (jump rope, burpees, mountain climbers, etc). It gets so bad that I won't be able to put pressure on my feet for a few minutes until I've stretched and massaged them out.

    You've pretty much limited this to the elliptihell.

    That said, it depends on what you want to gain from CV work but some suggestions; walking, cycling, rowing, swimming, roller blade or skating, dance...
  • kayak4water
    kayak4water Posts: 155 Member
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    jellis432 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »

    a. Cycling. Get a bicycle and ride outside. :)

    b. Drink a bit more water to ward off the cramping feet.

    I have tried EVERYTHING for the feet. Drinking more water, getting special insoles, stretching daily...literally nothing has helped. I have NO idea what the problem is.

    I started following my diet to monitor my electrolyte intake, BC I had foot cramps while swimming. I found I had a running potassium deficit --correcting that drastically reduced the cramping incidence. Worked for me.
  • GemimaFitzTed
    GemimaFitzTed Posts: 260 Member
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    How about boxing?
  • demarcan
    demarcan Posts: 10 Member
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    does the treadmill incline? crank that sucker up, if so. just don't walk too fast. go to any gym and you'll see a dozen people ruining their backs with terrible incline walking technique
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Space isn't limited outdoors. :)
    My preference would be cycling outdoors. Does your cardio really have to be done in this gym? No sports you might enjoy for example? Hills to walk?
    Shame your gym doesn't have a bike or a rowing machine, both of which might suit you.

    But if you are limited to your gym then it's worth trying the elliptical but beware a lot of people without your foot issues get numbness when using ellipticals.
    I can avoid it by unlacing a couple of the top eyelets of my shoes or reversing the direction periodically.

    Otherwise fast-paced callisthenics or circuit training can be effective at getting your HR up.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    You can also try incline walking. You can reach intensities that approach that of running with little impact
  • Sunshine_And_Sand
    Sunshine_And_Sand Posts: 1,320 Member
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    Spin classes are super fun. You may want to try them if they offer them at your gym
  • alyssa_rest
    alyssa_rest Posts: 276 Member
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    kettlebell swings are good.

    you could put on fun music and dance around for 10 minutes. I typically do if a good song comes on during a workout anyways, lol.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
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    bbell1985 wrote: »
    I like to do farmers carries, battle ropes, throw that medicine ball thing at the floor and jump rope. I'm new to cardio. I take a lot of stimulants before I do it and just kind of dance around like an *kitten* hole.

    This, they all get my heart rate up pretty quickly. I do most of it as tabatas when doing a cardio workout
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I prefer to be outside rather than on some piece of stationary equipment...I mostly cycle, do some hiking, rock climbing, trampoline park with my kids, walk the dog, etc. When I'm stuck indoors I have an indoor bike trainer that I can attach my road bike to as well as a rowing machine.
  • VeggieGirlforLife
    VeggieGirlforLife Posts: 777 Member
    edited March 2018
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    @jellis432 My sympathy on your feet issues! I've had several surgeries on one foot and cannot do cardio on hard surfaces. I have a mini-trampoline that I use at home. It's very low impact on the feet and I jog, do jumping jacks, twist, high-knees, all kinds of things on it to get a cardio workout. Some of them even fold up to move out of the way when you're not using it.

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