Beginner's Guide To Starting A Cardio Routine

So you are looking to start your fitness routine, but it is easy to get lost on where to begin with all the information. Strength training, stretching, muscle building, yoga, oh my! To help sift through the sea of advice and fitness routine options, the best advice we have heard is to stick to the basics. Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, is one of the basics and is one of the best things you can do for your health. Cardio is any form of exercise that gets your heart rate up and increases your breathing rate. It has numerous benefits for your body and mind, such as:

Protecting your mental health.
Burning fat.
Boosting your brain.
Improving blood pressure.
Lowering the risk of heart disease.

In this article, we will discuss some cardio routines that you can start as a beginner.

Table of Contents

Use Your Body
Using An Inclined Treadmill
Using An Elliptical
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Use Your Body

Some of the most effective cardio workout routines can be done without using any equipment at all. What could be more simple than that? Here is a simple circuit workout you can do using your body. Do each of the following exercises two times, then rest for one minute, three times, then rest for two minutes, and then three times and start your cool down. This should equal a total of 8 repetitions for each exercise.

Jumping Jacks
Squats
Step-Out Burpees
Push-Ups

Using An Inclined Treadmill

Working out using an inclined treadmill not only helps with your cardiovascular health but also helps target your glutes and hamstrings. To begin, warm up with a brisk walk for 10 minutes. Start at a slow pace and increase the intensity each minute. Next, raise your incline every minute; once you have reached the maximum gradient you are comfortable with, reduce the angle every minute until you are at baseline again. Cool down with a short walk and follow it by stretching.

Using An Elliptical

Ellipticals are brilliant for beginners because it is gentle on your joints and keeps your arms and legs moving simultaneously. Start with a 20-minute workout using the elliptical three times a week, giving yourself a day of rest in between. Here is an example of a simple 20-minute workout:

Five minutes: warm up at a comfortable pace.
Three minutes: Increase the resistance or ramps in one to four increments. You should feel like you can continue a conversation. This is your baseline pace.
Two minutes: Increase your ramps or resistance to where you are working slightly harder than your baseline.
Three minutes: Decrease resistance or ramps back to baseline.
Two minutes: Increase ramps or resistance backs to just above baseline.
Five minutes: Decrease back to your cool-down level below the baseline.