Combining Cardio and Strength Training

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Time saved, muscles built. 

Both strength training and proper cardio are important factors to a proper healthy lifestyle. But sometimes, life gets all complicated and stuff and you don’t have enough time in one day to do both. What do you do? Beef up, but skip leg day? Move your body, but stay lean? Well, why not both? There are ways to get both strength training and proper cardio at the same time. Here’s a few ideas for you. 

First, try lighter weights with more and faster reps. If you’re doing, say, 50 reps at one weight, then do 100 reps at a lower weight. The increased reps will make up for the weight loss, plus you’ll get your blood pumping at the same time. Just remember to keep up proper form while speeding up, or you might hurt yourself. 

Another idea would be to add some high-intensity stuff between your weight reps. After you do a set with dumbbells, for example, quickly switch into 30 seconds of squat jumps or burpees, or just jump some rope. Whatever you got to do to get that heart rate up. Though, if you’re feeling really breathless after your weights, it’s okay to take a minute to wind back up before you get into the cardio. 

Finally, if you’re not into mixing and matching, then try a sprinting burst at the very end of your set. Crank up that treadmill for 10 minutes, switching between sprinting and jogging in 30 second intervals so you don’t work yourself ragged. Put your all into those sprints when it’s time for them, and you’ll get plenty of cardio.