5 Best Home Cardio Exercises

5 Best Home Cardio Exercises

No Equipment Necessary

Doing your cardio exercising at home is an attractive option, offering convenience as well as a way to save money and time. Luckily, a good cardio workout doesn't have to require a ton of space  or fancy equipment, and with a little creativity, you can put together a fitness routine with a wide range of effective cardio exercises that will ton muscle, burn calories, and help you lose weight. Below are some home cardio exercises you can do anytime, anywhere.

1. Jumping Jacks

What: Repeatedly jumping the feet wide while circling the arms overhead, then back again

Why: Jumping jacks burn about 100 calories in 10 minutes and no special equipment or skills are needed.

Requirements: A good pair of shoes, a conditioned heart

Precautions: Jumping jacks are high impact, which may tax the joints. They may also remind you of elementary or high school gym class traumas.

Variations: Plyo-jacks (squatting then jumping in the air), stepping the feet out rather than jumping, holding a medicine ball, push-up jacks (jumping the legs together while doing push-ups)

Best Ways to Use Jumping Jacks in a Workout:

• In a Cardio Circuit: Use jumping jacks in a circuit, doing them for 30-60 seconds and alternating them with other cardio exercises such as marching, jogging, jumping rope, etc. Try a different variation of jumping jacks each time, repeating the circuit for 10-30 minutes.
• In a Strength Circuit: Alternate 30-60 seconds of jumping jacks with strength exercises such as squats, lunges, push-ups, and dips for 10-30 minutes.In Your Regular Workout: Add a high-intensity blast to your regular cardio or strength workouts by adding a minute or more of jumping jacks throughout the workout or at the end.
• In Your Regular Workout: Add a high-intensity blast to your regular cardio or strength workouts by adding a minute or more of jumping jacks throughout the workout or at the end.

2. Jump Rope

What: Turning a rope with handles repeatedly while jumping over it and (optional) chanting rhymes

Why: It's great cardio, burning about 220 calories in 20 minutes. Jump ropes are inexpensive, travel well, require no special skills, and can be used anywhere you have space.

Requirements: A jump rope, a good pair of shoes, patience, and practice.

Precautions: Jumping rope is high impact and requires practice. It looks easy, but beginners may have all the grace of a pigeon-toed elephant and trip often. For the best results, turn the rope with the wrists, not the arms, and land softly. Only jump high enough to clear the rope.

Variations: Jumping on one foot, alternating feet, crossing the feet, jumping with high knees, double turning the rope.

Best Ways to Use Jumping Rope in a Workout:   

• In a Beginner Circuit: Alternating 10-30 seconds of jumping with marching in place for 5-10 circuits. Gradually work up to longer jumping sessions
• In a Cardio Circuit: Alternate 30-60 seconds of jumping with other cardio exercises such as marching, jogging, jumping jacks, etc.
• In a Strength Circuit: Alternate 30-60 seconds of jumping with strength exercises, such as squats, lunges, push-ups, and dips.  

3. Jogging in Place

What: Jogging in a stationary position

Why: It's simple, accessible, gets the heart rate up, and is a great way to warm up for more intense exercise.

Requirements: A good pair of shoes

Precautions: It's high impact, which may tax the joints, and it can be boring. Because there's no forward motion, it isn't as intense as jogging outside.

Variations: Press the arms overhead, high knees, butt kicks, wide knees. 

Best Ways to Use Jogging in Place in a Workout:

• As a Warm Up: Start by marching in place, and then slowly change that to a jog to prepare your body for more strenuous exercise.
• In a Cardio Circuit: Alternate jogging in place with other cardio exercises, such as marching, jogging, jumping rope, step touches, etc. Do each for 30-60 seconds, repeating the circuit for 10-30 minutes.
• In a Strength Circuit: Alternate 30-60 seconds of jogging in place with strength exercises, such as squats, lunges, push-ups, and dips for 10-30 minutes.

4. Burpees

What: Squatting to the floor, jumping the feel to plank position, jumping back in, and standing up.

Why: Its a killer cardio exercise, burning 100 or more calories in 10 minutes ( if you can stomach 10 minutes of this exercise ).

Requirements: A good pair of shoes, experience with high impact exercise, an iron will.

Precautions: They're really, really hard.

Best Ways to Use Burpees in a Workout:

• Sparingly: As mentioned above, they're really, really hard, so pace yourself.
• In a Cardio Circuit: Incorporate 30-60 seconds of burpees every 3-4 minutes of a cardio circuit that includes other exercises, such as marching, jogging, jumping rope, step touches, etc.
• In a Strength Circuit: Add 30-60 seconds of burpees for every 3-5 strength exercises, such as squats, lunges, push-ups, and dips for 10-30 minutes.
• In High-Intensity Interval Training: Do 30-60 seconds of burpees, rest for 30-60 seconds, and repeat for 10 or more minutes. You can also use burpees in a Tabata workout.

5. Mountain Climbers

What: Running the knees in and out from a push-up position.

Why: Mountain climbers raise the heart rate while building strength and endurance in the core. No special skills are needed.

Requirements: Strong wrists

Precautions: This exercise can tax the wrists, arms, and shoulders, as well as the core.

Variations: Alternate jumping each foot forward and back; use sliding discs, paper plates or towels; combine them with other exercises such as burpees, push-ups, or planks.

Best Ways to Use Mountain Climbers in a Workout:

• In a Cardio Circuit: Add mountain climbers to your cardio circuit, doing them for 30-60 seconds each time.
• In a Strength Workout: Combine mountain climbers with push-ups or planks to add intensity.
• In Combinations: For high intensity, do a series of mountain climbers with burpees, alternate 10 push-ups with 10 mountain climbers, or add them to bear crawls.

Posted in: Cardio, Fitness