If your schedule is packed full and you barely have time to give your partner a kiss goodbye, the priority of getting to the gym is easily pushed to the back burner. Instead of allowing your fitness regimen to take the backseat, try committing to a 3-day workout routine. Working out three days per week will give you the minimum amount of benefits from exercise, and will keep you on a consistent schedule during your busy lifestyle.
The key to a 3-day workout routine is balance. Since you’re limited on time, you’ll want to focus on getting the most out of your workout. This is accomplished by incorporating both cardio and weightlifting, helping you shed fat and gain lean muscle. You’ll want to work your body’s biggest muscles while simultaneously working smaller muscles. This maximizes your workout efficiency as your body burns more calories.
Since time is of the essence, this 3 day workout routine is designed for an at-home workout. You can also execute at the gym if you have a little more time to spare. The entire workout should take approximately 30 minutes. This program is intended to work out at full intensity for the entire duration of the workout. Do not rest if you can help it.
3 Day Workout Routine: Day 1
Start with a dynamic stretch warm up with arm swings, knee circles, hip circles, and jumping jacks. Repeat each movement for 30 seconds until you hit the 5 minute mark.
Push Ups: 1 minute
Squat and Press: 25 reps with dumbbells
Jumping Jacks: 1 minute
Jump Rope: 1 minute
Basic Crunch: 20 reps
Bent Over Dumbbell Row: 15 reps
Lunge With Bicep Curl: 25 reps
Butt Kickers: 1 minute
Shadow Boxing: 1 minute
Crossbody Crunch: 25 reps
Dumbbell Flys: 12 reps
Anterior Raise and Side Lunge: 25 Reps
Jumping Jacks: 30 seconds
Butt Kickers: 30 seconds
Jump Rope: 30 Seconds
Shadow Boxing: 30 Seconds
Bicycle Crunch: 30 reps
Repeat this circuit 3 times with no resting.
3 Day Workout Routine: Day 2
Start day 2 with dynamic stretching, similar to the exercises from day 1. Repeat each stretch for 30 seconds until you hit 5 minutes.
Push-Ups: 1 minute
Squatted Row: 30 reps
High Knees: 1 minute
Squat Thrust: 1 minute
One-Leg Scissor Crunch: 10 reps
Static Lunge and Row: 20 reps
Pendulum Lunge and Hammer Curl: 30 reps
Oblique Twist: 1 minute
Skaters: 1 minute
Scissor Kick: 15 reps
Double Crunch: 18 reps
Military Press and Leg Extension: 15 reps
Chair Squat and V-Fly: 20 reps
Plank Jacks: 1 minute
Double Jump Rope: 1 minute
Plank Twist: 30 reps
Repeat this circuit three times with no resting.
3 Day Workout Routine: Day 3
For the last day of your 3 day workout routine, start out with dynamic stretching just as you did for day 1 and day 2. Follow through the stretches for 5 minutes, then begin your workout.
Walking Plank: 10 reps
Supermans: 20 reps
Mountain Climbers: 1 minute
Sumo Hops: 1 minute
Pike Crunch: 15 reps
Scissor Crunch: 30 reps
Dumbbell Cleans: 10 reps
Jumping Lunges: 25 reps
Dumbbell Shadow Boxing: 1 minute
Butt Kicks with Dumbbells: 30 seconds
Jumping Jacks With Dumbbells: 30 seconds
Sit Ups: 15 reps
Plank Rows With Leg Raises: 10 reps
Rock Star Jumps: 1 minute
Side Plank Raise: 15 reps
Repeat the circuit 3 times with no resting. Wrap up every workout with a static cool down. Stretch your hamstrings, shoulders, biceps, back and quads.
Your new 3 day workout routine will have you burning fat while freeing up more of your time.
Stay consistent with your regimen, and don’t let your fitness fall out of your priority list.
Best Cardio Weight Loss Routines That Get Results
When paired with healthy eating habits, cardio is by far one of the most effective weight loss methods on the planet. Cardio workouts elevate your heart level, boost metabolism, and aid in weight loss efforts. It’s the cherry-on-top for weight loss plans, with several exercises classifying as the best cardio weight loss workouts.
If you’re looking to lose weight, incorporating these workouts with a healthy diet is a surefire way to see results.
Running
As one of the highest calorie burning exercises available, running will melt away the pounds like almost nothing else. Burning hundreds of calories per hour, depending on your speed and fitness level, running might just be the biggest bang for your buck in terms of losing weight.
You don’t have to run for hours straight in order to lose weight. When you’re just beginning, running is one of the best cardio weight loss workouts that you can do for just 30 minutes. Depending on the above factors, you can burn anywhere from 300-500 calories in 30 minutes; that’s the equivalent of eating a candy bar or two.
Studies show that sprinting is also an extremely efficient cardio weight loss workout. The act of speeding up and slowing down can confuse your body and fire up metabolism, leaving you burning calories long after you’re finished with your run.
Elliptical
Put those rows of ellipticals at the gym to good use. The elliptical can be used for one of the best cardio weight loss workouts in several ways. You can easily control the resistance on the elliptical, making it harder or easier to power through your workout. Most ellipticals also have hill workouts programmed into their system, where it provides variations of hills, peaks, and valleys.
Lifting Weights
That’s right — lifting weights can be considered cardio if you incorporate it correctly. For weight lifting to be considered cardio, you need to lift at high reps for long enough to get your heart rate elevated. Lifting weights is proven to reduce body fat, although the number on the scale may not change. This is because you may be replacing muscle at an equal weight as your body fat. The scale may show no difference, but your clothes will tell a different story.
The best cardio weightloss exercises are the ones that you will actually commit to week after week. Boredom can become a big problem when trying to lose weight, and changing up your routine along the way may be necessary. Whether it’s running, sprinting, circuit training or high rep weight lifting, find a fitness activity that you enjoy and can stick to for life.
Burn Serious Calories With Cardio Kickboxing
Cardio Kickboxing is a serious calorie burner, with the potential of burning up to 800 calories per hour depending on your weight and fitness level. Incorporating punches, kicks and various drill-based exercises, cardio kickboxing packs a punch when it comes to getting a seriously good workout. Taking cardio kickboxing classes has become an increasingly popular workout regimen, although going solo will get you just as good of results.
Cardio Kickboxing vs. Traditional
The way cardio kickboxing differentiates from traditional kickboxing is that it’s a no-contact exercise. Traditional kickboxing uses a heavy bag, with kicks and punches thrown directly onto the bag. You typically want to wrap your hands or wear protective gloves when striking a bag, so you don’t injure your hands and wrists.
With cardio kickboxing there’s no need for any extra equipment. You don’t actually come in contact with a person or object during this workout, so don’t worry about buying a pair of gloves.
Cardio kickboxing typically starts with a warm up, consisting of arm circles, neck circles, knee circles, and other variations of dynamic stretching. Warming up and loosening your muscles before your cardio kickboxing routine reduces the risk of injury, so be sure not to skip it before getting started.
Basic Cardio Kickboxing Punches and Kicks
There are specific sets of punches and kicks that are used for cardio kickboxing. During your cardio kickboxing workout, you’ll throw:
- Jabs
- Upper cuts
- Cross punches
- Hooks
These punches are thrown directly into the air at a rapid pace.
The kicking aspect of cardio kickboxing involves:
- Front kicks
- High kicks
- Knee strikes
- Roundhouse kicks
- Side kicks
Just like the punches, cardio kickboxing kicks do not come in contact with any person or object.
Don’t Forget Healthy Eating
If your goal is weight loss, you don’t want to forgo healthy eating habits. Healthy eating can help shed pounds, especially when in conjunction with a cardio workout routine.
It can be tough to figure out the right things to eat and the best workout for your goals. Generation Fit can provide you with the best guidelines for healthy eating as well as workouts, including cardio and weight lifting. Please contact us today to learn more.