What do you consider a cardio workout?

I was trying to think of new cardio workouts and mabey this can help me and others as well.

Just list some cardio workouts you know of and like.

I like the ellipticle, walking & swimming *even though i'm not great at swimming*

And would you consider pilates a cardio workout, strengthening workout or what? If your confused about any workouts like me list them and hopefully others can help us.

I like the ArcTrainer.  It gives me a great butt workout!  And it blasts calories as well!  The machine looks a little weird, but no one should be intimidated.... it's so worth it!  It really gives a good cardio workout.  I put the resistance up really high and am able to break a sweat in about 7 minutes.  I also burn 100 calories in 7 minutes on that thing!

I love a good old fashioned run on the treadmill! I alternate walking at 4.3 and running at 7.0-8.0, and make sure I hit 3 miles in 30 minutes. Great endorphin rush!

I've also heard something about circuit training that can be considered cardio or something like that. Basically it's various weight training work outs that you do consecutively with little rest in between each. So you could do something like 30 sit ups, then right after you're done to 10 push ups, then 15 pull downs, etc. etc. It doesn't really have to be too intensive, just as long as there's pretty much no rest in between each exercise. Then once you're done with one go around it's called a circuit or something, then you keep doing them as much as you can within a time limit or something.

Not really sure, I've seen this in some articles.

And yeah like kujayhawk3eb said, you could do running/jogging/walking or a combination of them. I for example have this kind of track (Haha, it's actually this ring around some houses) where I jog the straightaways and then power walk the ends, I then do this for 20 minutes. Thanks to google earth, I learned that each lap is 0.3 miles, so like I can run 3 laps and then some and know that that's a mile.

I consider a Cardio workout to be any repetitive active that will cause your heart rate to elevate to the Aerobic Zone, 65-85% max heart rate, that you can sustain for 30 minutes or more.

I no longer see cardio as walking (unless I'm going up a mountain or something).   I used to sweat like crazy doing it... but now my health is good enough that It barely gets my heart pumping.

Running though is definitely cardio.   The Stair Stepper machines at the gym are hardcore cardio when done for 30 min.   When I go bicycling that's definitely cardio... expecially my shorter distance riding where I'm really pushing myself and getting my heartrate up.

They key though is that heart rate.

And that is purely dependent on the condition of your body and how hard you are working.

Cardio is any exersise that uses the large muscles in your body.  I was told by my doctor years ago that swimming is not cardio because it uses the "small" muscles in your arms and back, rather than the large ones.  Most, if not all, cardio uses your legs and butt.

Pilates, from what I understand, would not be cardio.  I've never done it though, so I don't know for sure.

tiamat, i'm fairly certain that cardio pertains to your heart rate being elevated, so you're doing cardio if you feel your heart beating faster, and you are breathing heavier. Doing lunges, which uses large muscles, would not be cardio.

That's right Laura_loo,

Sarah, remember Cardio is short for Cardiovascular, so it only makes sense that it pertains to heart rate and such. It is also used interchangably with the term "aerobic", again meaning exercise that gets your heart going.

tiamat - your Dr. must not know how to swim.  Lap swimming is most definately a Cardio workout and it uses all the large muscle groups.

Ooooh I love the ArcTrainer too!!. I just moved to a new apartment and they have two of these in the gym. I burned about 250 cals in twenty minutes!! A great workout too! My butt and legs were feeling prettty good afterward. Im definately going to keep wth it!!

trhawley, Is a lap once across the length of the pool or is it across and back?

The whole point of cardio is getting your heart rate up. Your body burns fat most effectivly when you are at 70-80% of your max heart rate.  You should get your heart rate in that zone for at least 24 minutes. That gives you three minutes to get in the zone and 3 minutes for cool down. As long as you heart rate is up there you'll burn fat. If you get bored doing a particular activity mix it up, ten minutes on the treadmill, ten on the elliptical and ten on a bike for example.

Sarah, swimmers generally refer to the length of the pool as a lap.  For example, 500 yards in a 25 yard pool would be 20 laps.  When I refered to lap swimming, I meant swimming laps for a period of time such as 20 or 30 minutes.  If you haven't been swimming, you would have to work up to it the way you would running or anything else.  I ride my bike most every day and have no problem keep a good pace for 2 or 3 hours but I would die after a lap or two in the pool.  My daughter, on the other hand, is at swim practice for 1 1/2 hours five days a week.

Hi, to me is really gooood cardio kickboxing classes.

I start do video at home if I can't make to gym work out or run on treadmill.  mahalo.

Swimming is great workout and IS cardio.  Try doing the butterfly for 5 minutes if you don't think swimming uses large muscles LOL  If I remember the breast stroke alot of that power is also provided by the legs too which are pretty large muscles. 

I do a "cardio-mix" class at the local community college.  We do squats lunges for cardio but we also do push ups and small weights.  She has us get our heart rate up by doing aerobic stuff, jumping jacks , fake jump rope jogging in place and steps then we do the light weights for a few sets to get our heart rate down again then back to the cardio its almost a mixture of HIIT - and circiut training and step aerobics all in one class.

I can get my heart rate up to my "fat burning zone" when doing weights too.  But I consider my class, elliptical and walking and stationery bike my cardio

I do shadow boxing for 30 minutes, moderate intensity, and HIIT shadow boxing for 20 mins on another day about 4-5 times a week.