Improving fitness without running, cycling or swimming
Being popular doesn't make them right for you
Running, cycling and swimming are many peoples’ go-to options for improving cardiovascular fitness and form the basis of their training programs. Most people have experience with one or more of these activities from some stage of their life, which makes them popular options when building an initial training program.
But just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s the best option for you. Some people find running, cycling and walking monotonous or boring, or they have done them in the past and didn’t enjoy them.
Today, I’m going to discuss some of the other ways to improve cardiovascular fitness without running, cycling and swimming. Some are pretty obvious, like walking, but a few might get you thinking differently and how you can mix up your routine.
I’ve broken these into three categories - outside, in the gym, and a few left-field options you may not have considered.
Taking your training outside
Walking
Walking is a simple form of physical activity that is familiar to most people, as it forms part of their daily routine. Walking at a steady pace helps to increase heart rate and improve fitness, which makes it a valuable form of exercise.
Walking can be made more intense by adding hills, walking sections faster or carrying some additional weight (i.e. hand weights or backpack). However, the lower-intensity nature of walking makes it harder to continue overloading without increasing duration, which is challenging when many people have time constraints for exercise.
For those people who don’t have time to walk for an hour or more daily, making another more intense form of cardiovascular fitness training can be more appealing. But there are many ways to design and implement a training program where walking is the primary form of cardiovascular fitness training.
This includes alternating 2-3 resistance training sessions with 20-40 minutes of daily walking or breaking the walking down into smaller chunks with higher frequency.
Another great option is to keep walks short during the week and schedule a longer walk/hike on the weekend. This multi-hour walk could include hills and carrying loads to ratchet up the intensity.
Social sport
The great thing about playing sports is that the fitness challenge becomes part of the game, which makes each session much more enjoyable.
Non-contact sports such as tennis, basketball and netball are great ways to increase the heart rate and build fitness. Contact sports such as football and rugby tend to have higher injury rates, which can be an issue for long-term fitness alongside impacting other areas of your life.
Another benefit to organised social sports is that there is a scheduled time and location for the event. This makes it much harder to skip the session because there is no other game until next week.
Getting fitter in the gym
Elliptical
The elliptical machine is a great way to build cardiovascular fitness while minimising the impact on your joints compared to running. The elliptical machine is well-suited to short, interval and longer-duration workouts, just as you might do with running, cycling or walking.
The elliptical machine is excellent for people with hips, knees and ankles that don’t handle repetitive loading but still want to maintain their cardiovascular fitness.
Another benefit of the elliptical machine is that you can plug in your headphones to watch a show or listen to a podcast. While watching a show during exercise might seem indicative of low intensity, flip it around and consider the benefits of being active while watching your show instead of sitting on the couch!
Rower
My favourite thing about the rowing machine is that it challenges the upper body and core while building cardiovascular fitness, whereas many other options focus on the lower body.
The downside of rowing is that the correct technique can take a while to learn and it’s not always the best option for people with lower back issues. It’s also not the most entertainment-friendly and is best suited to audio only with wireless earphones (make sure you put your phone on the ground, not in your pocket).
The rower can be used for intervals and steady-state training and can be an enjoyable place to build fitness once you get into a rhythm.
Ski-erg
The rowing machine isn’t for everyone, especially if they have a lower back prone to aggravation. The ski-erg machine can be an excellent alternative for these people if your gym stocks one.
The ski erg involves pulling two handles from overhead and bending forward to complete the movement. The heart rate quickly elevates and muscles.
The arms and shoulders tend to fatigue quickly, making the ski erg better suited to short bursts of activity followed by a break. You could use the ski erg for longer-duration cardio, but your arms will likely give out before the heart and lungs do.
Left field options
Paddle boating
Paddle boating is a great way to build cardiovascular fitness while developing upper body and core strength, just like rowing in the gym, with the social and fixed-time benefits of social sport.
Various forms of paddle boating are growing in popularity, and there are many introduction groups for beginners. Many people who start paddle boating love it, so if you think it could be right for you, give it a try!
Martial arts
Another option to consider is martial arts. Brazilian jiu-jitsu has become popular over the past decade with gyms popping up nationwide. It provides a great way to build fitness and strength while developing new skills.
BJJ comes with a slightly higher injury risk than other sports, and while it does involve contact, it’s mostly well-controlled. If you want to try something completely different or learn new skills, this can be a great place to start.
What about golf?
Golf is a great physical activity but not ideal for building fitness. The walking tends to be slow, and the frequent stopping prevents cardiovascular fitness from being challenged. While it’s common to feel tired towards the end of a round, which can be improved by developing cardiovascular fitness, this is more to do with the total time spent standing.
Play golf because you enjoy it, but make sure you’ve got other forms of activity to build or maintain your cardiovascular fitness.
Another great option that’s different from your typical running--trail running. It’s helped me rediscover my love of running and is more like a combo between running and hiking!
I really enjoyed this. There is a wide variety of sports for people to make the right choose for them and maybe try something new. I’d never thought about structuring walking like this and will be giving it a go. Thank you