When ACE-certified personal trainer Jennifer Nagel [1] is short on time, she says there is nothing better than doing workouts with dual benefits of resistance and cardiovascular training. It's her trick for keeping exercise boredom at bay, too.
Just as long as your heart rate stays at a moderate to vigorous level (50-85 percent of your max heart rate!) for at least 10 minutes during an exercise, Nagel says it counts as cardio.
"A quick way to calculate your approximate maximum heart rate [2] is 220 [minus] your age," she explains.
Traditional strength training moves don't normally make the cardio cut because of rest periods that bring your heart rate down, Nagel says. But, a resistance-training circuit with little-to-no rests keeps your heart pumping while targeting multiple muscle groups — don't let the goal hinder you from taking breaks or modifying moves when needed, though!
"These types of workouts are effective when you include compound exercises that work large muscle groups such as legs, back, and chest, or even when you can combine multiple compound movements into one exercise," Nagel says. Think of doing a squat to an overhead reach, for example.
Every great workout is nothing without a warmup and cooldown. Before getting started on Nagel's circuit, she suggests walking in place or dancing around followed by dynamic movements like arm swings [3], torso twists, knee hugs [4], and air squats [5].
You'll be tired by the end of this sweat, but that doesn't mean you should skip out on Nagel's cooldown stretches: overhead reaches, chest openers [6], and quadricep stretches [7]. These will keep your head above your heart until your heart rate slows to less than 50 percent of your max, she adds.
Finish off the cooldown with toe touches [8], static lateral lunges, and a Cat to Cow pose [9] for 3-5 deep breaths.
Squat Kick
- Begin with your feet hip-distance apart and the belly button pulled in toward your spine.
- Sit down into a squat position — as you stand, kick one leg forward.
- Do 15-20 reps alternating legs.
Jump Lunge with Lateral Raise
- Begin in a lunge position with your arms at 90-degree angles at your sides. Make sure your front knee is stacked over your front ankle.
- Jump up while raising your arms parallel to the floor and land softly.
- Do 15-20 reps alternating legs.
Balance Squat to Arabesque
- Begin with your feet hip-distance apart, your belly button pulled in toward your spine, and one arm reaching out laterally.
- Sit back and down into a squat position.
- As you return to a stand position, balance on the leg opposite of your lateral arm (raise the other leg out to the side) while extending the lateral arm up into a V raise.
- Return to your squat and repeat with your other leg and arm.
- Do 15-20 reps alternating legs and arms.
Push-Up to Spider
- Begin in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders.
- Make sure your belly button is pulled in toward your spine.
- Lower your chest to elbow height while keeping your body straight, then press away from the ground.
- In the high plank position bring one foot to your hands, return the foot to its original position, then repeat with the other foot.
- Do 15-20 reps alternating feet.
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