Cardio Sucks. Here's How I Make It Fun!
Everyone knows cardio sucks. Just the thought of spending hours running on treadmill or an elliptical is enough to make the most dedicated gym goers rethink their dedication. Actually, running whether inside or outside can be a test of will power. It’s something that I’ve contended with for years. I’ve gone through a lot of different strategies over the years to try to consistently get in cardio. At one point about 15 years ago I was running more times per week than lifting, which was great for a while. However, that was when I lived right next to one of the best urban trails for jogging in the country, so I’d have to have been crazy not to take advantage of it. Most people aren’t that lucky in their location as I was all those years ago, and it begs the question of how do you get in a few hours of cardio each week without being miserable and bored? And I think I’ve finally landed on a few things that have not only made cardio tolerable, but awesome! Yeah, I can’t believe I’m saying this: Cardio is Awesome!
Mountain biking is a great way to make cardio fun.
If you check out the navigation at the top of this page you can see I have a whole section dedicated to mountain biking, so it’s something I obviously enjoy. Although, it wasn’t always like this. I only got into mountain biking about five years ago. It was at that time I was looking for a way to be consistent with my cardio. My thought was: “I just need to get outside.” I wanted to get outside in the sun and work up a sweat. I already took my dog on a weekly hike at a local park, but she had become old and we weren’t able to go on those long walks anymore. I also wanted to add in a little more intensity and work up a sweat. So I took up mountain biking and I haven’t looked back.
I could write a whole book about mountain biking, but the point is just getting outside and doing something enjoyable. There is a lot of societal pressure to be one dimensional. I mean to say to be the “strongest” or “biggest”, but being one dimensional isn’t useful and in my experience becomes mundane. I’ve gone through phases where I’ve wanted to be “strong”, and I feel like I got decently strong given the fact that I’m not genetically gifted in that way. However, supplementing my strength workouts with doing some outdoor cardio has made me a more rounded athlete. And that’s sort of the mantra of this website is to be an “athlete”. I want to be athletic; maybe not the strongest or the fastest, but a well rounded athlete. I am not nearly as strong as I used to be, but I’ve noticed that when I am supplementing my garage gym workouts with some sort of outdoor activity I’m leaner and feel healthier.
So there’s a lot of different ways to get outside, and here are a few that I’ve do now or have done in the past that really help me stay consistent.
Cycling sports, whether it be road cycling or mountain biking or one of the many sub-genres like gravel biking, cross country racing. There are so many different types of bicycle sports nowadays there’s really something for everyone. Also, riding a bike was fun when you were a kid, and guess what? It still is!
There are so many communities adding trails and greenbelts. I’m always surprised how many of these amentities are so under utilized.
Take your dog on a jog, or better yet a trail run. Yeah I was bad mouthing jogging earlier, but taking your dog with you can be fun. And for women bringing your dog along makes jogging alone much safer. My wife runs with our Doberman Pinscher, and we both feel much more comfortable with him running with her. Or just take your dog on a walk. I’ve known people that just stand around at the dog park while the dog runs around. Your dog would rather play with you anyway, so kill two birds with one stone and take your dog on a run.
Go to a track with a friend and run 40 yard dashes and have push up competitions. I used to live a block away from a junior high, and a buddy and I used to do this. We raced 40 and 100 yard sprints. And we’d mix in push ups and pull ups, and even practice on the monkey bars. Each session started and ended with a couple laps around the track. It was actually really fun.
Take a kettlebell to a park and just do swings, squats, and KB complexes with sprints. This is one to just be creative and just hang out for a while doing “stuff”. This can be a great workout with a big metabolic hit.
Take a hike. So many communities have hiking trails now, and I’m always astonished how little they are used. I’m also surprised how many gym buddies of mine would be amongst those that don’t use these outdoor amenities. And as I mentioned previously, if you got a dog take them with you if it’s allowed in your area.
The possibilities are endless, but I think the point is to be creative. I hope this may give some of you reading this blog some of your own ideas to get in some cardio without it being such a dreadful experience. It’s funny because the more I do these other sports outside the gym the less I worry about being such a specialist in the gym. I don’t worry about my arms getting skinny or losing five pounds off my bench press. No cares about that anyway. The point is to become fitter and healthier. To be unique. To be an athlete.
Thanks for reading.
(Disclaimer: This is what I do and what works for me, not advice. Exercise is dangerous, so exercise at your own risk.)
