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What Cardio? Anonymous
I recently switched my cardio over from running to swimming for a week because I was having shoe / foot problems, which got me thinking, which cardio do you guys in /fit/ do?

I have been running for about a year, doing 5ish miles 3-4 times a week. I got a new pair of brooks which shredded my feet, but I didn't want to give up on the exercise, so I started swimming. The main issue I have with swimming is that my face structure isn't quite normal, my eyes are pretty inset, so goggles are hard as hell for me to fit on my face without them leaking every damn lap.

I find when I swim, I don't really feel the burn I do with running. I feel a little bit of a burn in more places, but when I run, when im done my legs are rubber and my lungs burn. I have been swimming for 45ish minutes, which is about how long I go running for, but I have no idea if its burning nearly as many calories / helping my endurance at all?

I haven't even tried biking or any other cardio. So what do you guys do? What makes you like it over any other choice?
>> Anonymous
1. Go to gym.
2. Get on the excercise bike.
3. Set resistance to a relatively high level (15 or 16 is what I do).
4. Keep the RPM above 85 (at least)
5. Go for 20 minutes a day or at least until you've burned 250-300 calories.
6. ???????
7. Profit.

Jumping rope is also what I do because I am trying to get in better "boxing" shape, and is a great alternative to running (different excercise and some muscles, but you get the same effect and you don't demolish your knees!)

Hell, just general boxing excercises will get you in shape...and weight lifting with several sets of many reps.
>> Anonymous
Yeah im not counting weight lifting, I do that 3 times a week, the rest days between is when I do some hard cardio. I never really thought of jumping rope, I guess over time it would give you massive calves and forearms if you did that for 30 min straight.
>> Anonymous
>I find when I swim, I don't really feel the burn I do with running.

That could be an issue of temperature (water cools you down faster than air...), or simply you need to swim harder or change you stroke.

A few laps at full speed with dog paddling or even traditonal stroking is different than full speed, many laps, using only breast stroke or butterfly stroke (butterfly being the hardest and require maybe some ab-work to get prepared for).

Mostly, you use swimming to work out a whole multitude of muscles (your arms, abs, legs, shoulders, back, etc.) instead of just...your legs with running.

Also, running is good, but it can fuck up your knees after awhile, especially if you do it too often.

You may be a marathon runner now, but you'll be in a walker by the time you're 50.
>> Anonymous
If you have a crew/rowing machine or even arm bicycle machine at your local gym, I would recommend giving those a try.

They'll make a maaaaaan...OUT OF YOUUUUUU!!!!
>> Anonymous
hah my brother used to be a competitive swimmer, and he tried to teach me how to swim fly. I don't get it, I pretty much drowned myself doing it. I keep noticing my form getting sloppy, doing an overhand stroke with my arms, and some sort of scissor kick with my feet.

I really like swimming, but I am not really sure if its for me, partially from the goggle issue, partially because my form is absolute garbage.
>> Anonymous
my favorite forms of cardio are extreme sports.

Next on the list is sex.

Too bad I only have sex as often as i do extreme sports.
>> Anonymous
>>54814
just do sit ups...it's easy to do 100 sit ups in less than 8 minutes.

20 sit ups with your legs parallel to the floor
20 sit ups with your feet on the ground and knees pointed toward the cieling.
20 sit ups with your legs at a 90 degree angle in the air with your feet pointing towards the wall
...and 20 sit ups with your legs and feet up in the air pointing toward the ceiling.

If all those fat or self-conscious little girls at your local Bally Total Fitness can do it, you have no reason not to...

...unless you're saying you're weaker than a little girl!

Do that twice a day, you'll see serious results in three weeks.
>> Anonymous
>>54818
Can I listen to Rihanna and Flo Rida while doing it, just like they do?!
>> Anonymous
I like Boxing and Muay Thai training for my cardio better than just general running because I feel like I can beat the crap out of people instead of just running away from them like a Frenchman.
>> Anonymous
>>54818
that isn't really what I am looking for, I want extended cardio to build endurance and for general health. The situps work, but not for what I need.
>> Anonymous
>>54824
...then bike riding and swimming are your best bets, as one strengthens your knees for further running and the other works out your whole body simultaneously.

Though I don't know why you would IGNORE abs...your abs, lower back, core, and ass muscles are your primary power behind sex, all of which can be improved by situps and ab work.

No, it's not ALL push-ups...
>> Anonymous
i dont think theres much else besides swimming/running/biking

maybe you could jump on a trampoline or something
>> Anonymous
>>54831
I don't ignore abs, in between reps on the 3 days I lift, I do ab work. I was just saying I was asking about extended cardio and not muscle workouts.
>> Anonymous
try a complex, like
10 burpees
5 pistols (each leg)
50m sprint

repeat 10 times

or you could just do 100 burpees, or 100 abwells, find a number that kicks your ass. Tabata intervals with burpees is also good.

Generally I fucking love burpees, full tuck jump and pushup mind you not some pussy bunny hop shit.
>> Anonymous
Heavy bag training, jump rope. Both will kick your ass. Heavy bag is great for full body endurance as long as you're 'dancing' around the bag. Jump rope is kind of therapeutic in it's simple repetition, I can sort of meditate once I get going good.
>> Anonymous
Nordic track ski machine. Old but still plenty effective.
>> Anonymous
Running doesn't fuck up your knees unless you have improper form. There are multitudes of studies that have proven that running actually strengthens your joints rather than demolishing them.


Swimming is excellent exercise. If you're not feeling the burn, then you are not exerting yourself enough. You ought to be hitting 1600m in about 20-25 minutes, and I would say an hour to an hour and 30 minutes is a good period of time for swimming.