How to Optimize Cardio Equipment at the Gym

Cardiovascular workouts play a key role in any fitness plan, offering benefits ranging from improving heart health to burning calories and increasing overall endurance. But don’t get it twisted – simply hopping on a cardio machine a few times a week won’t necessarily get you the results you seek.

To make the most of your time and effort, it’s imperative that you optimize your use of cardio equipment. Below, our fitness team is sharing their top tips on how to get the most out of your cardio workouts!

Simply put, cardio – also known as aerobic exercise – includes any movement that increases your heart rate for a prolonged period of time. Its impact is measured by the body’s ability to supply oxygen to the lungs, muscles, and organs during a workout. Examples of cardio workouts include brisk walking, running, biking, swimming, or participating in a Method Gym group fitness class.

In addition to its ability to burn extra calories, cardio also greatly reduces your risk of conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, and stroke.

Cardio workouts can take on many forms. While steady-state cardio certainly has its place in your fitness plan, there’s so much more you can do to maximize the impact of your workout!

Our top ways to get the most out of your cardio workout:

Understand Your Goals

First and foremost, it’s important to get clear on your health fitness goals. If you’re training for a marathon, your cardio goals can look very different from someone who’s wanting to lower their risk of diabetes. Whether you’re aiming for weight loss, improved endurance, or cardiovascular health, tailoring your cardio routine to align with your objectives is key. This will allow you to select the best equipment and adjust its settings accordingly.

Focus on Technique

Prioritizing proper form will ensure that you’re targeting the intended muscles and reduce risk of injury. The last thing you want to happen when beginning your fitness program is to have a fitness-derailing injury that takes you off your plan! Using proper technique also allows you to perform exercises more efficiently – meaning you can go for longer periods of time without fatigue.

Adjust Resistance

A simple way to elevate your workout is to vary the resistance on your cardio machine. Increasing resistance offers many benefits, including:

• Muscle engagement that can add a strength training component to your cardio.
• Increased calorie burn as your body works harder to supply oxygen to the lungs during times of increased intensity.
• Progression in your workouts over time, as you continually challenge yourself with higher resistance levels.
• Simulation of outdoor conditions, which can prepare you for hills and other types of terrain when running, hiking or biking outdoors.

Incorporate Speed Intervals

Mix up your workout by alternating between bursts of high-intensity exercise and recovery periods. This technique is known as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and offers many benefits, including:

• Increased calorie burn, both during the working and post-exercise due to the “afterburn” effect caused by your body’s need to regulate its temperature and replenish oxygen stores.
• Improved cardiovascular health through an increase in endurance, lowering of resting heart rate, and improved heart rate recovery time.
• Weight management through improved insulin sensitivity and increased metabolic rate.

Use a Variety of Machines

Let’s face it, a treadmill workout is going to hit your body differently than a rowing or elliptical workout will. Try switching up your machines to keep your body challenged – and keep you from getting bored! You could try a different machine everytime you hit the gym, or incorporate multiple machines into each individual workout (10 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the recumbent bike, and so on).

6 Cardio Workouts to do at the Gym

Try one or more of the cardio workouts below to maximize your use of your gym’s cardio equipment. Just be sure to begin each workout with a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down to reduce your risk of injury and burnout!

Treadmill Speed Interval Workout

• Warmup (5 minutes)
  Start slow, gradually increasing to a comfortable pace you feel you can maintain for the full workout
• Speed Interval (30 seconds)
  Walk or jog at a quickened pace
• Recovery (1 minute)
  Reduce speed for one minute (or until heart rate lowers significantly)
• Repeat Speed and Recovery for a total of 15-20 minutes
• Bonus Tip: In addition to speed, you can play with the incline on the treadmill, allowing you to get your heart rate up with less impact on your joints

Elliptical Hill Climb

• Warm-up (5 minutes):
  Being at a comfortable resistance level
• Hill Climb (5 minutes):
  Increase resistance to a challenging level and maintain a steady pace
• Recovery (2 minutes):
  Reduce resistance to a comfortable level and maintain a moderate pace
• Alternate between Hill Climb and Recovery for a total of 20-25 minutes

30-Minute Endurance Workout

Choose the cardio equipment of your choice for this steady-state endurance workout:

• Warmup (5 minutes):
  Start slow, gradually increasing to a comfortable pace you feel you can maintain for the full workout.
• Steady pace (20 minutes):
  Maintain your pace for 20 minutes. You want your heart rate to be up, but not so high that you can’t complete a conversation. Breathlessness is not the goal here!
• Cooldown (5 minutes):
  Slowly lower your pace, coming to an end after 5 minutes.

Stationary Bike HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training):

• Warmup (5 minutes):
  Start slow, gradually increasing to a comfortable pace you feel you can maintain for the full workout
• Sprint Interval (30 seconds):
  Increase resistance and pedal at maximum effort
• Recovery (1 minute):
  Reduce resistance and pedal at a comfortable pace
• Repeat Sprint Interval and Recovery for a total of 15-20 minutes

Rowing Machine Pyramid Workout

• Warmup (5 minutes):
  Start slow, gradually increasing to a comfortable pace you feel you can maintain for the full workout
• Pyramid:
  • Row for 1 minute at a moderate pace
  • Rest for 30 seconds
  • Row for 2 minutes at a slightly higher intensity
  • Rest for 30 seconds
  • Row for 3 minutes at a challenging intensity
  • Rest for 30 seconds
  • Continue increasing rowing time by 1 minute increments up to 5 minutes
• Descend the pyramid by decreasing rowing time back down to 1 minute with 30-second rests between each interval

Bonus: No-Equipment Cardio HIIT Workout

No access to cardio equipment? No problem! Try this fun cardio workout requiring no equipment:

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds, with 10 seconds rest between exercises. Repeat the circuit 5-10 times, depending on desired workout time.

• High Knees:
  Run in place, lifting your knees as high as possible.
• Mountain Climbers:
  Begin in a plank position, alternating bringing your knees towards your chest in a running motion.
• Burpees (or Modified Burpees):
  From standing, squat down, kick legs back into a plank, do a push-up (optional), then jump back to standing.
• Jumping Jacks:
  Jump feet out while raising arms overhead, then back to starting position.

Optimizing cardio equipment at the gym is essential for maximizing workout efficiency and keeping your workouts interesting! By understanding your goals, changing up your machine’s resistance settings, and incorporating interval training, you can take your cardio workouts to the next level!

If you need help creating the perfect workout plan, we’d love to help! At Method Gym, we offer a wide range of cardio machines to keep our members engaged in their workouts, including treadmills, ellipticals, recumbent bikes, spin bikes, stairclimber, rowers, and Jacob’s ladders (available at select locations), in addition to fun cardio classes. Contact us to get started now!