>Aerobic conditioning through cardiovascular circuit training amounts to one-stop shopping for fitness. You gain a variety of benefits in a limited time. The premise is alternating between steady-state (consistent heart rate) cardiovascular training and a variety of higher intensity exercises.
>Try to fit in this 23-minute circuit two or three times a day most days of the week. This may mean a single session each day or multiple sessions depending on your schedule and fitness level. The only rest period in the circuit is the transition from one exercise to the next. If you repeat the circuit, rest for two minutes in between. Drink water throughout the workout.
>Tips for steady-state cardio:
- To raise the intensity while keeping the impact on your joints to a minimum, increase the resistance or the incline rather than the speed.
- Never use your arms to support your body while using a machine. Handrails are for fall prevention, not leaning on. Leaning promotes poor posture, burns fewer calories and may increase the risk of injury.
- Mix it up. Your body will adapt to the exercises you do. Incorporate a variety of cardiovascular activities to maximize effectiveness and eliminate boredom. Vary the cardio within a workout or from one workout session to the next.
- Focus on your breathing. Never hold your breath. If you feel your heart rate increasing, take a deep breath (or a few) to get it under control. You may surprise yourself by not needing to reduce the intensity if you focus on the power of the breath.
- Lie prone (face down) on the floor.
- Support your body with your forearms and toes. You may want to place a towel or mat under your forearms for comfort.
- Focus your eyes on a point on the floor just in front of you.
- Keep your spine straight.
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>Challenge: Add alternating leg raises.
- Lie prone on the floor with your arms and legs fully extended.
- Continuously alternate lifting your right arm/left leg and your left arm/right leg.
- If possible, do not rest any of your limbs on the floor during the minute.
>sumo deadlift. Executing this movement using good form will teach your body to recruit the appropriate muscle fibers when you pick up your dive gear, minimizing the risk of injury. It will also stretch your hamstrings, which tend to tighten up after some cardiovascular exercises.
- Stand with your feet comfortably wider than shoulder width and your eyes looking forward.
- Push your hips back, place your hands just above your knees (as if catching your breath), and keep your neck neutral.
- Track your hands from inside your knees straight toward your ankles, trying to touch the floor while bending at the knees and hips.
- Stand up, extending your knees and hips, and squeeze your glutes at the completion of the movement.
>Feel free to spice it up by substituting exercises that have been introduced in previous issues of Alert Diver. Just be sure to focus on form and have fun.
>© Alert Diver —Spring 2014