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Yes, I'm talking about the most underutilized piece of equipment that you have ever left idle in your basement for years at a time. Nothing is better at providing a good cardiovascular workout than the treadmill.
For treadmill routines, you will want to start by walking 30 minutes the first week at a moderate pace. If you have not run for a long time, you do not want to injure your knees or pull a muscle by starting out too quickly.
After the first week, continue a treadmill routine that constitutes of at least 30 minutes every other day, or at the very least three days each week such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
A general routine for a basic treadmill (no incline capabilities) will be as follows: 2 minutes walking, 6 minutes at a moderate jog, 12 minutes at an increased jog, down again to 6 minutes at a moderate jog, and then the final 2 minutes walking.
There are more advanced treadmill machines that have programmable settings that will adjust the speeds for you and also add an incline for an increased workout. At the very least, you would need a treadmill that allows you to adjust the incline without getting off of the machine. A good incline workout is to start with a standard 2-minute walk and then 10 minutes at a comfortable jog. Increase the incline to a moderate level (5-10 percent) and run at the same speed for 2-3 minutes. Drop the incline back down to 0 percent and run just long enough to recover, which should be about 2 minutes. Repeat the cycle 3 to 6 times.
Your specific settings will depend on your exercise skill. Always be cautious of warning signs from your body in the form of pain in the ankles, knees or hips. Consult your doctor if you feel you may have injured yourself. -
To hit a heavy bag properly, you need to acquire a heavy bag (size appropriate) from any local sporting goods store and place it in a room or basement that is out of the way. Always wear punching or workout gloves or else you could seriously injure your hands.
To warm up, start out with basic jabs. This is a punch that is thrown from the shoulder straight forward to the bag. Throw the punch with your left hand while stepping into the punch with your left foot. Do 10 repetitions on each hand for three sets. Be careful to gauge the distance carefully as you do not want to hyperextend your arm.
The second part of your heavy bag workout will include hitting the bag for three rounds of about 4 minutes each round. You should move around the bag, staying on your toes while throwing combinations of punches in the form of a left hand jab-jab and following up with a right cross.
A right cross is thrown with your left foot forward and right foot back. Twist your hips and shoulders to the left while your left foot twists to the right. The punch should be thrown parallel to the floor and at a 90-degree angle at the elbow. After throwing the right cross, return to your starting position and begin a jab-jab-cross sequence again.
