In case you are looking for a way to improve your heart functioning, burn calories and also build strength then you should definitely consider cardio workouts. Cardio workouts can play an important role in helping you maintain your health and can keep loads of diseases away.
So in case you plan to start cardio workout from today below I have covered a few warm up exercises that I personally love to do before hopping on my rowing machine (read about the best rowing machine here)
Skipping
If you thought skipping was just for children then you are wrong. In fact skipping is a great way to get warmed up before an intense cardio workout. All you have to do is lift your left knee near to you hip and then lift your right hand over your head. Start with the skipping motion and then keep changing your hands and legs after a few jumps. You should do around 10-15 skips and jump as high as possible.
Climbing Stairs
I am sure many of you may not know this but climbing stairs can also help you get warmed up for your cardio workout. All you have to do is climb and get down the staircase. Make sure you do it at a brisk pace until you start sweating. You should climb the whole length of the stairs so that there is less turning as it will help you avoid feeling dizzy. Try and take the stairs every time you get home or are at the office to maintain fitness levels.
High Knees
This warm up exercise as the name suggests is about lifting your knees. All you really have to do is stand straight and create some gap between your feet. Once you do that you just have to lift your left knee as high as you can and then put it back on the ground. After this do it with your right knee and keep doing it for about 25-40 seconds straight without stopping.
Alternate Leg Bounding
Well for this warm up exercise you are going to need a good amount of straight space so make sure you find a place like either a hallway or a track before you attempt this warm up since you will need to move forward. Here what you have to do is stand straight and then lift your left leg and then reach ahead for your knee and then jump and land on your other foot. Jump a far as you can. You should do at least 10 of these jumps.
Butt Kick
Well this literally means kicking your butt, not in a bad way though. To complete this cardio warm up exercise all you have to do is jog where you’re standing and while doing that you need to kick your heels back towards the glutes. An important thing here is that the force should come from your hamstrings. You should continue to do is warm up for at least a minute before you go ahead and start your cardio workout.