If you read last week’s post, then you know cardio isn’t just for dropping pounds; it’s for staying healthy no matter your size.

It’s no secret that cardio and I aren’t exactly kindred spirits (any Anne of Green Gables fans out there?). I would much rather bench press or deadlift for an hour straight than jog around the block. But alas, having a healthy heart is sort of important, so two to three times a week, I pencil a high-intensity CrossFit workout into my schedule.

My first tip for making cardio more fun is to do it with friends. Having friends to sweat (and suffer!) beside lends a definite sense of camaraderie to the workout. We cheer one another on and, when we don’t have enough breath with which to speak, simply nod our heads and give squinty, sweat-in-the-eyes smiles of encouragement. And after the workout’s complete, we roll and groan dramatically on the floor, wondering why we do this to ourselves and cursing our coach for not stopping us.

 

Finally, when we have the strength to stand up and the endorphin rush kicks in, we remember that the struggle’s what makes us stronger, and we’re grateful we have others around us who believe the same. We form a bond as like-minded individuals and come to expect that we’ll regularly be seeing each other for more aerobic battles. When we don’t see our fellow sweat soldiers in the gym the next day, we blow up their cells and Facebook walls to see what’s up. This accountability keeps us consistent and ensures we don’t transmogrify into procrastinating, excuse-embracing couch potatoes.

But what about those days when we simply can’t get to the gym, pool, or CrossFit box? What if our usual cardio buddies cancel on us or stormy weather sabotages our running group?

On those occasions, it can be tough to motivate ourselves to work out solo. But I have found that with a little intelligent trickery, cardio can be made far less of a pain and much more of, shall I dare say, a pleasure! By utilizing intervals and upbeat music, monotony can be avoided and boredom squelched!

Here’s one of my personal favorite cardio workouts for days when I can’t make it to CrossFit.

20-Minute Chorus Intervals

The rules for this workout are simple. Just choose your cardio equipment of choice, be it bike, elliptical, rowing machine, treadmill – or heck, just run in place – and select an energizing playlist (I use Spotify).

Warm up for the length of one song by jogging at a mild pace. For the next song, complete this series of warmup exercises until the song is over (instructions below):

20 high knees

20 butt kicks

10 walking lunges

10 high skips

Then, for the remaining 15 minutes or so, alternate running and walking; every time a song hits a chorus, run (or cycle, row, etc.) at about 80% of your maximum effort. When the chorus ends, slow down to a mild pace.

When the 15 minutes are up, spend at least two minutes cooling down to let your heart rate return to normal.

Here are a few of my favorite workout tunes that not only fuel my workout, but fortify my mind and refresh my spirit as well!:

1. “God’s Not Dead” by The Newsboys
2. “Wherever We Go” by The Newsboys
3. “Move (Keep Walkin’)” by Toby Mac
4. “Stronger – Movin’ Remix” by Mandisa
5. “Sold Out” by Hawk Nelson
6. “God Is on the Move” by 7eventh Time Down
7. “Good Morning” by Mandisa
8. “Overcomer” by Mandisa
9. “Fix My Eyes” by For King & Country
10. “This is Amazing Grace” by Phil Wickham

 

That’s it! I promise you’ll genuinely enjoy this workout, and probably want to extend the time!

Warmup Instructions:

 

High Knees

1. Begin jogging, either in place or over a short distance.
2. Drive one knee up toward your chest and quickly return it to the ground. Follow immediately with the opposite knee.
3. Continue alternating for the given number of repetitions.

Butt Kicks

1. Begin by jogging normally, either in place or traveling for a short distance.
2. Then begin raising your heels up toward your bottom as you jog, using rapid, forceful movements. Again, you may either do these in place or traveling.

High Skips

1. Begin by standing with feet together, arms at your sides.
2. Bend your knees and jump, moving your feet apart until they are wider than shoulder-width. (You should be on the balls of your feet.) At the same time, raise your arms all the way overhead.
3. Maintain a slight bend in your knees as you jump your feet back together and return your arms to your sides.

Lunges

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, torso upright with arms hanging straight at your sides.
2. Take a slow, controlled lunge forward with one foot. As you lunge, lower your body and allow the lunging knee to bend until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
3. Push through the heel of the lunging foot to bring the back foot to meet it.

 

 

Let me know what you think, and comment below and/or tweet me @dandersontyler with your favorite workout songs!

 

Check out my Perfect Fit books for over 100 high-intensity workouts!