This article was originally published on DailyBurn.com. If you want to kill two workout birds (cardio and strength) with one stone, compound exercises are the way to go. Combo exercises mesh at least two moves into one continuous flow, so you work multiple muscles and build functional strength. Pick up the pace to kick your heart rate into high gear, adding cardio benefits, too. Or, intensify your workout by adding dumbbells. “Compound movements access multiple joints and muscle groups, thereby offering a more complete workout in less time,” says Dara Theodore, one of the three lead trainers for Daily Burn’s Power Cardio program. “The moves in Power Cardio are total-body, which makes them very beneficial for building strength and burning calories.” Theodore likes using dumbbells over weight machines for compound exercises, because they challenge your stability. This forces you to use more muscles to maintain proper form. “Dumbbells are really accessible and c...
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