Last updated on December 21st, 2022
Witten by Sai J.
Category: Health & Fitness
Did you know that a 1.5kmph running (indoor workouts) could burn approximately 550 calories per hour? It boosts your immunity, enhances lung function and lowers the risk of developing blood clots.
“Did you know that a 1.5kmph running could burn approximately 550 calories per hour?
Researchers also point that daily running can help women combat the risk of developing blood cancer. Doctors advise running and jogging for patients suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, depression, high level of stress and low morale.
It is thus a universally agreed fact that running is by far the most effective forms of workout and is good for all age groups. However, there will be days when running is not a feasible option. Imagine a rainy day, cold climate or a difficult terrain.
Running or any form of outdoor exercise in such cases is just an impossible thought. Let us explore the benefits of some alternatives for staying fit even when you can’t run.
6 Best Types of Indoor Exercises With Their Benefits
There are many indoor workouts you can try when running is out of the question, and you need to maintain your physical health.
However, let us look at the top ones, which will enable you to burn calories at the comfort of your home without getting bored.
1. Skipping
I bet that was the first workout that would come when looking at alternatives for running. Imagine the possibility of burning more than 200 calories in a 10-minute workout session.
Skipping makes that possible. Not only that, this form of indoor workouts enhances sprinting speed of athletes, increases their endurance and helps improve your cadence.
Skipping is one of the most effective forms of cardio workout.
You have so many variations to try that you would never get tired of it. Some of the common variations you can try out are:
- Forward skip
- Backward skip
- Cross-over skip
- Lateral skip
- Cyclical and cyclical A-skip
2. Squats
It is worth noting that a half an hour squats workout burns around 112 calories. This exercise works out your buttocks, hamstrings, thighs, and lower-back making it an ideal indoor workouts for running enthusiasts who want to strengthen and loosen their leg muscles.
It enhances your endurance and helps in improving agility and speed. Try jump squats or couple it with an overhead press to get better results and to burn more calories.
3. Cycling and rowing
The stationary cycle and rowing machines found in gyms are your ideal partners for working out indoors. While it gives your body a break from the high impact of running, it specifically targets the quadriceps and shin muscles making you more agile and flexible.
It also strengthens the hip, knee and ankle joints to make it more resistant to injuries. Similarly, indoor rowing machines also provide strength and endurance to your upper body along with your hips, knees, and ankles making it more flexible and toned.
4. Elliptical Trainer
Surprised, aren’t you? An elliptical trainer is an incredible cardio workout and is an ideal substitute for outdoor running.
A half an hour session can do wonders for your lungs and heart, help you tone and develop your core and leg muscles. This being a low impact workout, it does less harm on your joints and can be done alongside other indoor workouts.
Interestingly, using one with arm levers, which involves pushing and pulling movements, enables you to develop stronger and agiler arm swing, which is an absolute necessity for athletes. The next time you are looking an alternative for outdoor running, don’t let all those weights on the elliptical trainer intimidate you!
5. Push ups and Pull ups
These two are the ultimate bodyweight exercise for running enthusiasts. They are known for targeting the large muscle groups and improving your speed, agility, and endurance.
It enhances your overall performance and burns calories quickly. Just like running, these exercises also tone your muscles and boost your strength to a great extent.
If you feel that you can do more than 20 at a stretch try more complex and difficult forms of to get better results while keeping you interested and engaged.
6. Treadmills
I know you’ve got your eyes rolling on this! But believe me when I say that treadmills are not as overrated as you think and it can be worth the time spent if done the right way.
While many running enthusiasts don’t believe in treadmills and prefer the alternate forms of workouts mentioned before, this has its perks as well.
Try different speeds, add hills or add intervals to make your treadmill sessions more challenging and interesting. Unlike normal running, you can’t alter your speed unless you slow down the treadmill while running on it.
You can improve your stride length, ground contact time and work on your agility and endurance level all at once with the help of treadmills. Just give it a chance.
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Conclusion
Running is an excellent workout, but believe me, there are a plethora of options and work out variations available for the running enthusiasts who want to stay fit and in shape. You just need to figure out what works for your body and workout accordingly.
Running is a complete body activity and strengthens your glutes, core, back, arms and legs. Try brisk walking on stairs or do some lunges.
It all depends on your physique, your ability, and endurance level. Indoor body strengthening workouts can definitely save a lot of your time in the gym and give you exactly the same result as your daily quota of running.
