Doing cardio training at home: how to be effective?

How to do cardio training at home? Many athletes ask themselves this question. Is it possible to improve your endurance without running for hours on a treadmill?

Well yes, there are even a lot of exercises you can do just at home! To increase your physical performance, you even have the choice: perform them at body weight, or use an altitude mask to exceed your limits and progress even faster.

This accessory is unbeatable when it comes to enduranceand cardio because it forces your body and muscles to optimizethe use of your resources, here oxygen.

So how does an altitude simulator work and why use it? What are the best exercises for doing cardio at home?

Doing cardio training at home: the best accessory

Doing cardio training at home has multiple advantages: you don't have to pay for a gym and you don't waste time in transport, you can train where you want and when you want, you only need your body weight, etc.

Indeed, most of the exercises work your endurance and your breathing, and can be performed at body weight. And if after you are familiar with the movements, you want to spice things up a bit? We recommend our Intense Altitude Simulator™!

Super-Human Fitness has specially designed this product with all athletes in mind who want to improve their sports performance effectively, simply and from home. The principle is simple: it reduces your oxygen supply during your workouts to help you become stronger and more enduring.

Because of the decrease in oxygen, you will get out of breath more quickly, but also learn to breathe better, to control your breath.

Then, as soon as you practice without the mask, everything will seem so simple! In addition, it progresses with you through 6 intensity levels, simulating from 500 meters to 6,000 meters in altitude.

Doing cardio training at home: the top 7 exercises

The skipping rope

Doing cardio at home can be fun too! Just like when you were a kid, this is about skipping rope. It's a great form of exercise, burning around 220 calories in only 20 minutes.

Plus, jump ropes are inexpensive, portable, and don't require any special skills. It is therefore perfect for beginners as well as for experienced athletes!

The only precaution to take is to have good shoes: it is a high impact workout and you have to protect your joints. For best results, twist the rope with your wrists, not your arms. Land softly and jump just high enough to avoid the rope.

You can also jump on one foot or cross them, jump while doing knee raises or perform a double rotation of the rope.The possibilities are limitless ! We advise you to read: The skipping rope in CrossFit: Your best ally?

To challenge you even more and for the bravest, the altitude simulator allows you to work on your breath and improve your stamina after only a few minutes of skipping

Jumping jacks

Very often performed by athletes to warm upandwake up the muscles, jumping jacksconsist of jumping with your feet apart several times while by bringing the arms in a semicircle above the head, with simultaneous movements.

It's a good way to do cardio training at home, because they burn 100 calories every 10 minutes, and don't require any equipment. Perhaps the more seasoned among you find this form of exercise too easy.

Wait to try with the altitude simulator! You will notice that its 6 additional difficulty levels increase the effort required: the jumping jack goes from a simple warm-up movement to a real cardio exercise, which will actually help you increase your physical performance. It's anti-perspirant and stays in place very well, so no need to worry about it! We also advise you to read: Altitude mask: How to increase your cardio?

Racing in place

So yeah, say that, it doesn't sound very glamorous. Still, if you don't have the time or the ability to go for a run outside, it's a easy and convenient way to do some home cardio training.

Jogging in a stationary position allows you to work your heart rate and to warm up well for more intense exercises. Generally, we don't advise running for too long, as you might get bored.

Remember to move your arms well and raise your feet, as if you were actually running outdoors. In addition to a fitness accessorylike the altitude mask, you will optimize your breath and be much more efficient in your breathing on the following movements . Want to know more about this? You can consult: Training Mask: Effective accessory to progress quickly?

Your heart rate will increase and your muscles will be well irrigated, making them more efficient. In addition, the accessory is comfortable and seamless: you won't feel it and it won't hinder your movements.

Burpees

This exercise is a nightmare for many athletes, yet it's a great way to do cardio training at home while strengthening your muscles.

The movement consists of squatting on the ground, then bringing your feet back with a jump to arrive in a plank position. Lower your chest so that it touches the ground, then come back up in a plank position (this is not a push-up). By the way, if you want to know everything about it: How many push-ups should I do per day to get results?

Then you jump forward again, stand up and jump bringing your arms in the air. This all makes up one burpee. It's hard, but it's also really rewardingto do!

This exercise allows you to exceed yourself and test your willpower. There are several variations to simplify (backing up instead of jumping) or hardening this movement (doing a complete push-up).

It is best to use the altitude simulator once you are comfortable with the exercise, because this accessory will make things much more difficult! But it's also one of the best ways to progress

Mountain climbers

Who said that doing cardio training at home meant putting muscle building aside? Here, you burn calories while building your core.

From a plank position, you bring your knees to your elbows one after the other, at a brisk pace to really work your muscles and your heart rate.

If you are capable of going fast and still want to improve your endurance, this is where the altitude mask comes in: it transforms this basic exercise into a high intensity movement, which allows you to become much more efficienton all exercises including the abdominals.

And if that's still too easy, you can combine mountain climbers with burpees, push-ups or plank cladding! You can also read: Losing fat by doing abs: Good or bad idea?

Jump squats

After the strengthening of the abdominals, we move on to the musculation of the lower body. Jump squats work on your explosiveness in an incredible way.

From a squat position, perform a classic squat then jump as high as you can when coming back up. Land softly on the balls of your feet in a squat position again.

Follow the jumps like this. This movement is a plyometric exercise that increases heart rate, burns calories and improves leg power. Jumps should be controlled and fast to optimize muscle work. A companion article: Create your bodyweight circuit training with these 8 exercises

Performing this exercise with an altitude simulator forces you to control your breathing: you inhale while jumping, and you exhale while landing.

Kickboxing

And for those who love combat sports? Doing home cardio training can also be combined with martial arts movements, such as those of kick-boxing.

This consists of a few punches and kicks in the air (or against a bag if you have one). If you need to let off steam, this is the perfect form of exercise!

You will be able to redirect all your aggression or all your stress and do something constructive with it. And if you do boxing or a punching sport requiring high endurance, the altitude simulator is the accessory that can make the difference between a good athlete and an extraordinary fighter.