Gym: Best cardio equipment / exercise?

[Therealjj91]

Buy a heavy bag and punch it, I can run for half hour on a treadmill and not be as knackered after 5 hard minutes on the bag.

[Wayne2014]

Skipping.
Use a weighted skipping rope and it'll burn more calories, improve core strength and reflexes.


Also buy a sandbag and complete some home circuits. 20kg sand bag should do a world of good!!

Skipping a bit difficult in a house with low ceilings

What do u do with 20kg?
Just lift above head?
Put on back?

I got 8kg of dumbells - just to firm up (not body building)

Loads you can do... For example a non stop circuit:
Squats x 20 - variety of ways to hold the bag
Lunges x 20 - as above
Dead Lifts x 20 - drop the bag on the floor and grab it and remember form
Military press x 12 - same grip as above
Bicep Curl - x 10 - as above
Tricep Extension x 10 - hoist the bag over your head and using same grip extend your arms till straight

Then onto the floor...

Ab Crunch x 20 - bag across your feet to hold you or use it to do weighted crunches
Back extension x 12 - bag across hip, back flat on floor thrust upwards


You should be sweating after that. Rest for 2 minutes. Then repeat. Preferably 3 times or more.

Wow

[Wayne2014]

Buy a heavy bag and punch it, I can run for half hour on a treadmill and not be as knackered after 5 hard minutes on the bag.

Missed my chin-up bar in garage (with punch bag hook)

[Therealjj91]

It really is cheap and easy excersise, people really underestimate how hard it is to work over a bag for a few minutes and you're using most of the muscles in your body to do it.

[Donald]

My advice is if you're doing bag work you need to sort your hands and wrists out in terms of support, otherwise you're going to hurt yourself.

Skipping, cycling, circuits.

Don't bother with a treadmill it's a serious waste of money. If you have to run, do it outside and invest in decent footwear or even better run barefoot, barefoot means you'll run properly. If you have to have something inside then get an exercise bike rather than a treadmill.

[mercutio]

how old are the kids?

the best free cardio is walking you could weight yourself up with a cheap assault vest filling the pockets with either bags of wet sand or bottles of water
and dependant on the age of the kids take a ball and run around the park

[Donald]

It really is cheap and easy excersise, people really underestimate how hard it is to work over a bag for a few minutes and you're using most of the muscles in your body to do it.

Yeah and holding your breath most of the time. That's why bag work saps your stamina, along with people thinking leathering it is the way forward. I'd be inclined to work on speed and technique for a decent bag work out, you'll gain much more if you get your form right. Power will come naturally.

Not specifically aimed at you btw, I'm sure if you have a bag you've figured it out by now

[mercutio]

It really is cheap and easy excersise, people really underestimate how hard it is to work over a bag for a few minutes and you're using most of the muscles in your body to do it.

Yeah and holding your breath most of the time. That's why bag work saps your stamina, along with people thinking leathering it is the way forward. I'd be inclined to work on speed and technique for a decent bag work out, you'll gain much more if you get your form right. Power will come naturally.

Not specifically aimed at you btw, I'm sure if you have a bag you've figured it out by now

better workout is to punch and not hit the bag you tire out quicker and still use all the same muscles shadow boxing is better than a bag workout

[Donald]

I would be inclined to disagree, claiming one to be a better work out over the other is too general. Each have their merits for certain types of workout. You need to know what good contact is before you can effectively shadow box, else you just look like a numpty waving his arms about.

[mercutio]

even waving your arms about is a cardio exercise