10 Minute At Home Cardio Workout
One of the best things you can do for your body is work on your cardiovascular endurance. This is because having good endurance and a healthy cardiovascular system can help make daily tasks easier and can reduce the risk of some diseases.
Experts recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. Walking or swimming are examples of moderate activity while running or cycling are examples of vigorous activity.
Some benefits of cardiovascular activity are:
1. Improved cardiovascular health- exercise strengthens your heart and helps it more efficiently pump blood throughout your body.
2. Lowers blood pressure
3. Regulates blood sugar
4. Reduces asthma symptoms
5. Reduces chronic pain- cardiovascular exercise may help your body get its muscle function and endurance back.
Take a look at this 10 minute at home cardio workout for a quick and effective way to get your blood pumping and your heart rate up!
Jumping Jacks
Targets: glutes, quads, hip flexors, cardio
Jumping jacks are a traditional move that works your glutes, quads, and hip flexors, as well as your cardiovascular endurance.
Jumping jacks are a plyometric exercise (meaning it is a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training,) and are intended to help people run faster and jump higher. Plyometrics work by rapidly stretching the muscles then rapidly shortening them.
Jumping jacks can be a good alternative to doing miles on a treadmill or stationary bike. All of these exercises help raise your heart rate, but jumping jacks also get your body to move out of its comfort zone.
How To Do Jumping Jacks:
- Begin by standing with your legs straight and your arms to your sides.
- Jump up and spread your feet beyond hip-width apart while bringing your arms above your head.
- Jump again, lowering your arms and bringing your legs together. Return to your starting position.
Do two rounds of this exercise for 30 seconds.
Mountain Climbers
Targets: full body, cardio
Mountain climbers are a great exercise for building core strength, cardiovascular endurance and agility. By working several muscles in one workout, it’s almost like you’re getting a total body workout in one exercise.
As you do mountain climbers, your shoulders, arms and chest are working to stabilize your upper body while your core stabilizes the rest of your body. Your quads get a great workout too, and since it’s a cardio exercise, you are working your heart health and burning calories.
How To Do Mountain Climbers:
- Get into a plank position. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart, your back should be flat and your core should be engaged.
- Pull one knee to your chest, then switch legs and do the same thing with the other while bringing your other leg out.
- Keep your hips down and run your legs through these motions as fast as you can.
Do two rounds of this exercise for 30 seconds.
Squat Jump
Targets: thighs, hips, glutes, core, cardio
This exercise is a great way to increase your explosive power, improve upper and lower body strength, and burn calories quicker than regular squats. Explosive power helps you take off faster and move quicker, which is extremely beneficial if you are an athlete in sports like football or tennis.
But even if you don’t play any sports, explosive power is still needed for daily life activities like lifting heavy objects or standing and sitting multiple times a day. Additionally, the flexibility that is gained in the ankles and hips will prevent injuries during other exercise routines.
While regular squats are great too, squat jumps will instantly activate your legs muscles. You’re going to feel these in your quads!
How To Do a Squat Jump:
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Hinge at the hips to push your butt back and lower down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then press your feet down to explode off the floor and jump as high as you can.
- Allow your knees to bend 45 degrees when you land, and then immediately drop back down into a squat, and jump again.
Complete 3 sets of 10 reps of this exercise.
Burpees
Targets: full body, cardio
Burpees are renowned exercise known to burn fat while building muscle. Burpees work your arms, back, chest, core, glutes and legs- essentially your whole body. Burpees also spike your heart rate as much as sprinting does.
Not only do burpees work a range of muscles, they help you become more functional too, so you’ll notice the improvements to your strength and mobility in your daily life, not just in the gym. A gym isn’t required to do burpees, you can do these from the comfort in your own home.
How To Do Burpees:
- Start from a standing position, then squat down and place your hands on the floor in front of you.
- Quickly kick both feet out behind you so you are in a push up position, and then do one push up.
- Bring your legs forward to go into a squatting position again, and jump up.
Do two rounds of this exercise for 30 seconds.
High Knees
Targets: calves, quads, hamstrings, abs, cardio
If you’ve never tried this exercise, you are in for a treat! This plyometric exercise will help strengthen your body and burn calories, helping you achieve your goals even faster.
High knees work your calves, quads, hamstrings, abdominal muscles, and cardio. When more than one muscle is being worked at the same time, you will burn more calories than if you were just doing an isolation exercise such as crunches.
How To Do High Knees:
- Stand up straight and place your feet hip-width apart.
- Place your hands palms down facing the floor.
- Quickly bring your right knee up to meet your right hand, bring the same leg back to the ground and immediately bring the left knee up to meet your left hand.
- Alternate knees with a hopping motion.
- Make sure you are engaging your abdominal muscles as each knee comes up to meet the hands.
Do two rounds of this exercise for 30 seconds.
You’re done! You just completed an extensive cardio routine in just 10 minutes. Great work!