Chris Heria Cardio Training Tips

Chris Heria is known for his calisthenics training routines that build muscle and burn fat. But does Chris Heria do cardio?

The answer is yes. Chris Heria does cardio at least four times per week. A Chris Heria cardio workout involves a treadmill or a stationary bike. He does his cardio workout in the morning for about half an hour. An alternative Chris Heria cardio workout is doing a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) routine, which he claims is as effective as a 30 minute run.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the the Chris Heria cardio training program. I’m going to share with you his top HIIT routines for improving your cardio performance while building muscles and burning fat effectively. 

I’m also going to tell you how Chris Heria improves his cardio performance using a treadmill. So, as Chris would say, let’s get right into this! 

Chris Heria Cardio Workout Routines

The Chris Heria cardio workout routines on his Heria Pro App, the Thenx App, and on his YouTube channel are focused on high intensity interval training (HIIT).

“No matter what you’re training for, it’s always recommended to do at least three or four days of cardio training throughout the week”

Chris Heria

HIIT workouts combine short bursts of intense exercising with short, low intensity breaks. The break period can be a rest, where you do nothing, or it can be a moment when you do very casual exercise. 

To give you an example of a HIIT workout let’s look at running. When doing a HIIT workout while running you switch between high-intensity sprints and light jogging. 

The period of intense exercise can vary in length. For beginners try doing 30 seconds of intense exercise followed by 30 seconds rest. 

As your fitness improves, increase the duration of the intense exercise and decrease the length of time spent resting. 

Chris Heria Cardio HIIT Workout: Benefits

As Chris Heria has explained in his videos, the key benefit of doing a HIIT routine is that you can burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time. 

“Doing one round of [HIIT] is more effective than running on the treadmill for 30 minutes”

Chris Heria

Research has shown that HIIT routines burn as much as 20-30% more calories than other form of training. 

What’s more, your metabolism remains high for longer after the workout. This means your body continues to burn fat long after the workout has ended. Chris Heria says the affect on your metabolic rate can last up to 24hrs. That’s a whole day of increased fat burning form just one HIIT routine.  

Besides burning fat, HIIT routines build more muscle and improve your athleticism compared to traditional cardio workouts, such as cycling or jogging. 

On top of these key benefits, HIIT routines have been shown to reduce blood sugar, improve oxygen consumption, and reduce heart rate and blood pressure 

Best Cardio Workouts

Now we know why HIIT workout routines work, let’s take a look at Chris Heria’s best HIIT cardio workout routines. 

HIIT Cardio Workout

Here is an intense 20 minute cardio workout designed by Chris Heria.

“A complete cardio workout routine to replace the treadmill. Not only burning fat and calories in a faster amount of time than you would on the treadmill, but also building muscle as the same time.”

Chris Heria

Let’s get right into it:

1. Jumping Jacks – 45 seconds | 15 second break
2. Squat Lunge – 45 seconds | 15 second break
3. Burpees (no jumping ) – 45 seconds | 15 second break
4. Explosive Lunges – 45 seconds | 15 second break
5. High Knee Tap – 45 seconds | 15 second break
6. Seated In and Outs – 45 seconds | 15 second break
7. Plank Open and Closed – 45 seconds | 15 second break
8. Bicycles – 45 seconds | 15 second break
9. 9. Low Plank to High Plank – 45 seconds | 15 second break
10. 10. Mountain Climbers – 45 seconds | 15 second break

You’ve now reached the halfway point. Keep it up!

To complete the routine start again from the beginning with jumping jacks and work through all the exercises a second time. It’s an intense cardio workout and results will be worth it. 

“If you feel like you’re going to give up, think about someone who you wouldn’t give up on and dedicate this to them”

Chris Heria

For beginners, Chris recommends taking it easy and doing each exercise carefully, focusing on form. For those of you at the intermediate and advanced level, Chris says: when doing each exercise “try to be explosive”. 

Chris Heria Treadmill Routine

As I mentioned before, HIIT running routines typically involve switching between sprints and light jogging. This is exactly the way Chris Heria trains cardio using a treadmill. 

He stars by alternating between sprints and jogging, 15 seconds of sprinting followed by 15 seconds of jogging, for a total of 15 sets. 

Normally he will complete a mile of sprints. Next he will do a 4-5 mile run during which he runs all out for one minute. 

He will finish off running sideways, switching between each side. This, he says, helps with his boxing and other martial arts sports that require careful, sideways footwork. 

Chris Heria Cardio Abs Routine

Six pack abs. Who doesn’t want them? Here is a Chris Heria cardio abs routine that he promises will give you great results as you work towards getting 6 pack abs. 

“Keep in mind, nutrition plays a big role as well. So the more on point you are your nutrition the better results you’re going to have”

Chris Heria

This workout is done at ground level with no equipment. All the exercises are suitable for everybody regardless of skill or experience level. 

What makes this routine challenging is the intensity and the duration. Chris Heria recommends that beginners and intermediates do each exercise for 30-40 seconds with a 20-30 second break between each one. 

For advanced levels, do each exercise for 45 seconds with a 15 second break between. 

Start a new exercise at the beginning of each minute. 

1. Laying Leg Flutters
2. Reach Ups
3. Jackknife
4. Boat Hold
5. Laying Windshield Wipers  
6. Star Crunches
7. Seated In and Outs
8. Russian Twist
9. Bicycles 
10. Mountain Climbers 
11. High Side Plank Rises (both sides)
12. Plank Reach Through (both sides)
13. Plank Toe Taps
14. Leg Raises
15. Legs Hold (low)
16. In and Outs 
17. Plank
18. Side Plank Hold
19. Chair Sit Ups
20. Switching Mountain Climbers

Phew, all right! What a workout. 

You might have noticed that the workout is divided into active and static exercises. The static exercises, like the boat hold and the plank, give you a chance to catch your breath while still giving your abs a workout. 

This routine packs a 45 minute routine into 20 minutes. It’s super effective and saves time. 

According to Chris Heria, there are three ways to get stronger and fitter: “Increase the weight, increase the repetitions, or decrease the rest time.” 

Using the Chris Heria cardio fitness method, focused on HIIT routines, you are decreasing the rest time. 

Chris Heria Cardio Youtube Videos

Here is a collection of Chris Heria cardio videos from YouTube. Some of the routines mentioned above can be found in these videos. 

Try more Chris Heria Workout Routines.