How To Do a Cardio Workout at Home, No Equipment Required

 


One of the best cardio workouts you can do at home uses plyometric moves, such as mountain climbers, squat jumps, and high knees. Plyometric exercises involve brief, intense bursts of movement. These movements are credited with improving muscle power.1

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week, which can include this at-home cardio workout.2 It requires no equipment, just your body weight.

9-Move Home Cardio Workout

This home cardio workout only requires your body weight and includes the following moves:

  • Mountain climbers
  • Burpee
  • Lunge jumps
  • Squat jumps
  • Pike-ups
  • Skater jumps
  • Tuck jumps
  • Lateral hurdle hops
  • High knees

Do each exercise for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds if you're opting for the high-impact plyometric moves. If you prefer to skip the jumps, follow the modified moves for 30 seconds each, with just 15 seconds of rest between. 

Do two to three rounds with 60–90 seconds of rest between each round. The more you practice, the less rest you'll need.

These plyometric exercises also have a low-impact variation for anyone jumping back into fitness after a long hiatus or starting a regular exercise routine for the first time. You can also use these modifications if you have an injury. 

1. Mountain Climbers

Here's how to do this exercise:3

  1. Start in a plank position, shoulders over your wrists, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
  2. Keep your core tight and your back flat. Drive one knee in toward your chest, then place it back down.
  3. Immediately drive the opposite knee toward your chest and then place it back down. Continue alternating.

Modification: Eliminate the hop and slow down your pace, still driving one knee at a time toward your chest.

2. Burpee

Here's how to do this exercise:4

  1. Start standing, your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Place both hands flat onto the ground in front of you and hop your feet behind you into a plank. Keep your hips and core tight, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
  3. Quickly hop your feet back up toward your hands.
  4. Jump up to stand, bringing your arms above your head and exploding off your feet. Repeat.

Modification: Place your hands flat on the ground, step your left foot back, then step your right foot back and pause in the plank. Step your left foot in and right foot in, and stand back up, bringing your arms overhead.

3. Lunge Jumps

Here's how to do this exercise:

  1. Start standing, your feet together.
  2. Step your left leg back and lower into a lunge, both knees bent 90 degrees, your back right knee hovering off the floor.
  3. Push through the heel of your front left leg to explode up, switching feet in the air.
  4. Land softly back into a lunge position, right foot forward. Repeat with the right foot forward and continue alternating.

Modification: Drive through the front leg heel and bring the back knee up toward the chest instead of jumping up from the lunge. Kick it straight out in front of you. Place the foot back down and step back with the opposite foot. Continue alternating lunges with a front kick.

4. Squat Jumps

Here's how to do this exercise:5

  1. Start standing, your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
  2. Push your hips back and down, keeping your weight in your heels as you lower into a squat.
  3. Explode off your feet, extending your hips to jump into the air.
  4. Land softly back into a squat position, knees bent. Repeat.

Modification: Eliminate the jump and push the pace of a regular bodyweight squat.

5. Pike-Ups

Here's how to do this exercise:

  1. Start in a plank position, shoulders over your wrists, forming a straight line from shoulders to heels.
  2. Hop your feet in so your hips drive straight into the air and hit a reverse V-shape.
  3. Hop your feet back to a plank position. Repeat.

Modification: Walk your feet up toward your hands from your plank position to create the reverse V-shape, and then walk them back to a plank. Repeat while pushing your pace.

6. Skater Jumps​​​​​​​

Here's how to do this exercise:

  1. Start standing, your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Push off your left foot to hop to the right, landing with a bent knee. Keep your hips back and chest up, and bring your left foot behind your right foot.
  3. Push off your right foot, hopping to the left. Continue alternating.

Modification: Alternate curtsy lunges by stepping one foot diagonally behind you, lowering into a lunge position with your knees bent 90 degrees. Step back up to standing and repeat on the other side. Continue alternating.

7. Tuck Jumps

Here's how to do this exercise:6

  1. Start standing, your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Lower into a shallow squat position and then explode into the air, driving your knees up into your chest.
  3. Land softly back down with bent knees. Repeat.

Modification: Start in a kneeling position. Step left forward and then right, coming into a low squat position. Stand up and then lower back into a squat. Place your left leg back down to kneeling, followed by your right leg. Repeat, starting with the right leg. Continue alternating.

8. Lateral Hurdle Hops​​​​​​​

Here's how to do this exercise:

  1. Start standing with your feet together.
  2. Place a yoga block, band, or a small object next to you (or pretend there is a hurdle next to you). Bend your knees slightly and drive up and over, hopping over the "hurdle" as you drive your knees up.
  3. Land softly with bent knees. Repeat, hopping to the other side. Continue alternating.

Modification: Step over the "hurdle" instead of jumping over it, starting with your knee closest to the hurdle and still driving your knees up toward your chest. Keep your arms straight overhead as you go.

9. High Knees

Here's how to do this exercise:7

  1. Start standing, placing your feet together.
  2. Drive one knee toward your chest, with your opposite arm driving forward (elbows bent 90 degrees).
  3. Quickly place your foot back down and drive your other knee up and your opposite arm forward.
  4. Continue alternating, landing lightly with each step like you're running in place.

Modification: March your knees up toward the chest, eliminating the hop.

Benefits of Cardio Exercise

Cardio exercises have several benefits, including:89

Plyometric moves are a type of cardio exercise that uses the speed and force of different movements to build muscle power. The workouts ignite fast-twitch muscle fibers, made for short, powerful bursts of energy.1 Plyometric moves can save time since they require maximum effort for short periods.

Contraindications

It's generally safe for anyone to do cardio workouts. Some people may want to practice caution when doing plyometric exercises.10

Talk to a physical therapist if you have any of the following before starting this cardio workout:10

  • Acute or sub‐acute sprains or strains
  • Inflammation
  • Pain
  • Recent surgery

Plyometric exercises are high-impact, meaning they can place a lot of pressure on the joints.11 A healthcare provider can make recommendations so you can do cardio workouts at home without stressing your joints.

Medically reviewed by Amy Kwan, PT

A Quick Review

These nine bodyweight exercises are perfect for getting in a challenging cardio workout at home. They require maximum effort but less overall time. Plyometric exercises use the speed and force of different movements to build muscle power. These high-impact and intense cardio exercises increase your heart rate and burn calories.



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