Photograph by Sean Laurénz
Absolutely hate running? This trainer’s cardio plan is exactly what your workout programme needs, no treadmill, pavements or trails required.
It’s our birthday month! So we’re throwing back to some of the awesome workouts we’ve done over the years. Every week in November, we’ve been bringing you a piece of sage advice from the last eight years of WH. To cap it off: That time trainer and Men’s Health cover hottie Johry Batt put us through a killer, no-running cardio sesh!
READ MORE: This woman’s amazing transformation is proof that you can lose weight without cardio.
Hands Up If You Hate Running
Running is like sushi. You either can’t get enough of it or you hate it. And if you fall into the latter camp, chances are you’re not the biggest fan of cycling, swimming and skipping, either. No judgement here. So where does that leave you when you’re trying to keep your heart healthy…and get your Discovery points? The good news is that you don’t ever need to clock a traditional steady-state cardio sesh, but you can still enjoy the benefits. Cardio counts as anything that gets your heart rate up over a sustained period of time. And that includes functional strength moves, which let’s be honest, are way more fun.
READ MORE: Is cardio or weights better for losing weight?
Watch the WH team suffering through the workout…
Your No-Running Cardio Plan
This functional strength training circuit, designed by co-owner of Huba Fitness Johry Batt, gives you a full-on cardio workout without ever hitting the treadmill or picking up a skipping rope.
Watch Johry demo the moves…
Do The Workout: Do the stations in order. At the start of every station, set a three-minute timer. Do the moves at that station in the order given, for the number of reps indicated. Once you’ve done all moves at that station, start again. Repeat the station as many times as you can until the three minutes are up (you’re aiming for five rounds, but just do as many as you can with good form). At the end of the three minutes, you have a minute to chug water and move to the next station. Follow the same pattern until you’ve done all stations. Then, if you have it in you, do the whole workout again for a second time.
READ MORE: 5 Common Cardio Myths Busted!
Your Moves:
STATION 1: 20 air squats + 10 goblet squats + 20 squat jumps
STATION 2: 10 ring pulls + 10 push-ups + 15 burpees
STATION 3: 10 weighted step-ups (5 each leg) + 20 alternating lunges (10 each leg) + 30 raised mountain climbers (15 each leg)
STATION 4: 10 kettlebell thrusters (5 each arm) + 15 kettlebell swings + 20 speed sit-ups
STATION 5: 10 knee raises + 15 kettlebell high pulls + 10 step-ups or 50 line hops
BONUS CARDIO FINISHER: Want and extra heart-rate spike? Check out Johry saying all the things we’ve always wanted to hear…
Looking for more no-running cardio workouts? This strength routine totally counts as as cardio!
