5 Cardio Exercises for People Who Hate Running

Are you someone who hates running? If yes, try considering some other cardio exercises that are as great and beneficial as running.

Running is, indeed, a great form of cardio workout that offers several benefits. It's a full body exercise that strengthens the bones and joints, boosts athletic performance, elevates heart rate, and improves mood as well. Meanwhile, running is tough, and not everyone is a fan of it.

Also, it's just one of the many ways for people looking to achieve a full body workout – there are many other cardio exercises that can get your heart pumping and offer you plenty of cardiovascular benefits.

On that note, here're a few alternatives to running for people who simply hate this high-impact wxercise. The following exercises can help you burn a lot of calories and give you amazing health benefits too.

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Stairmaster and Other Non-Running Cardio exercises

Here’s a look at five cardio exercises that can be done as alternatives to running. These exercises are as beneficial as running and are worth adding to your workout routine. Let's get started:

1) Stairmaster

The stairmaster is a very popular exercise machine that's found in most gyms. It has moving stairs that let you climb, enabling your heart rate to pump up. Using this machine for as few as ten minutes can give you many health benefits.

Apart from improving your cardiovascular health, a stairmaster can challenge your balance, boost core strength, and increase endurance. For an added benefit, try not to hold the handlebars when using the machine.

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2) Jump rope

It's one of the best cardio exercises that are easy and very low impact. It's highly effective, offers full body benefits, and the best part is – it can be done anywhere with enough space.

Studies suggest that ten minutes of skipping every day is as productive as 30 minutes of jogging and also helps burn about 300 calories. All you need is a good pair of shoes and space to swing the rope.

While skipping, ensure that your elbows are close to your body and the core muscles are engaged at all times to maintain proper balance. For an added challenge, try different variations, like skipping from side to side, alternating feet, etc.

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3) Swimming

Swimming is a great full body exercise.

Swimming is yet another alternative to running that’s considered one of the best low-impact cardio exercises for people with sensitive joints. It helps burn about 500-800 calories per hour, but that depends on your swimming pace and type of stroke.

The best thing about swimming is that it's fun and something that you can learn very easily. It gets your heart rate up and also strengthens the back, chest, legs, and core muscles.

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4) Dancing

Dancing is a great cardio exercise.

Dancing is a full body workout that offers amazing cardio benefits. It's great for the heart; it's fun and makes the muscles and bones healthier and stronger.

Dancing also helps with coordination and balance and burns a lot of calories. It's estimated that a 30-minute dance session can burn about 300 calories, which is equivalent to running.

While all forms of dancing are great for physical health, fast-paced forms are more intense and help burn more calories.

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5) Kickboxing

Kickboxing is also a good cardio exercises that's high-impact and offers a plethora of physical benefits.

While most kickboxing includes plyometrics and bodyweight elements, the exercise mostly combines karate and boxing and helps with stability, power, and strength. In addition, boxing helps release anger and stress and improves the body’s agility too.

To make your kickboxing session more beneficial and fun, try adding different types of punches and kicks to work on your upper and lower body muscles at the same time. For an added challenge, use an ankle weight or light-weight dumbbell to add more resistance to your kickboxing practice.

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Takeaway

Apart from the aforementioned cardio exercises, there are many other ways to get a cardio workout if you hate running. That includes cycling, HIIT, circuit training (medicine ball, dumbbell, or kettlebell training), rowing, Tabata, etc.

The key is to choose an exercise you love, and mix and match accordingly to keep your workout session fun and interesting. You can hire a trainer for each of the aforementioned exercises if you're not sure about the basics.