Is it us or does cardio always seem to be at the center of fitness debates? Some love it, some hate it, but at the end of the day, it's a must for every workout plan. If you're not into running, Spinning, or using any of the other cardio machines at the gym, it's all good. According to Brandon McDaniel, MS, RSSC, LA Dodger's director of athletic development and performance science, Spartan partner, you don't have to do traditional cardio like running to improve your cardiovascular endurance.
"When it comes to overall health and strength and function and living a normal life, I would much rather get that cardio out of something from a strength training standpoint; that would be owning bodyweight more than it would be having somebody go for a long run," Brandon told POPSUGAR. He prefers bodyweight exercises over long runs because "you can do them from a corrective exercise standpoint, where you do them slow and try to get something out of them from a therapeutic standpoint."
Brandon also said, "You can do them long and grinding and create a lot of force and do it from more of a strength standpoint." The other benefit of bodyweight exercises is that "You can do them fast and try to get your heart rate up and get a cardiovascular moment out of them," he continued. Here's a list of bodyweight cardio exercises we like to get our heart rate up.
Brandon isn't advocating for you to cut running out for good. Instead, he recommended adding bodyweight exercises to your workout routine for injury prevention and rehabilitation, and to develop total-body strength and stability. There are a bunch of moves you can do that will help you get stronger, and Brandon shared a few of his favorite bodyweight exercises. Check them out ahead.
from POPSUGAR https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Trainer-Favorite-Bodyweight-Exercises-46156875
via IFTTT