It can be hard to be motivated to work out if your knees are achy or your back hurts. It’s easy on your joints, you’ll use both your upper and lower body, mad muscles reviews and you’ll get a good cardio workout. You’ll reap the benefits from the resistance of the water, too.
Plank Shoulder Taps
Jumping jacks are a simple exercise that works several muscles. You’ll work your glutes and quads, and if you hold weights in your hands, you’ll also work your arms even more. These get your heart rate up while improving muscle strength. Swimming is especially great for people with arthritis, as it doesn’t put any added pressure on your joints while you exercise. Whether you simply swim laps or take part in a water aerobics class, this is a good way to raise your heart rate — and you don’t have to worry about getting sweaty. There are plenty of ways to get your heart rate up and your blood pumping.
Best Cardio Workouts to Try at Home or in the Gym, According to Exercise Pros
Continue to swing the rope up and over your body and back down to the floor, jumping over it each time. Make sure your muscles are warmed up before doing this, since you will be working out so many of them. Then step your right foot to the right, and bend the right knee, sitting down into a side lunge. Reach the right glute back and keep the left leg straight. Press down through the right heel and come back to center.
Jumping Rope
- Repeat while alternating your legs, keeping a steady pace.
- If you were to add half an hour of brisk walking to your daily routine, you could burn about 150 more calories than you usually do each day.
- Never wonder where you should put your limited time, energy, and effort.
- The faster you go, the more you may feel like you’re running in place — so make sure you focus the movement on kicking your feet toward the glute with every step.
- However, being in a caloric deficit and exercising can contribute to losing weight and, in the process, burn fat.
- Whether it’s shadow boxing, stair sprints, or a good old-fashioned dance party, the best cardio workouts at home are the ones that keep you moving and having fun.
Start with shorter journeys and build up to longer, more intense ones. This cardio workout imitates running but in a much more joint-friendly way. A low-impact exercise, using the elliptical also provides a full body workout. Most machines have pre-programmed workouts that can add variety to your elliptical session.
For a challenge, you can elevate this move by holding light dumbbells. The best at-home cardio workout isn’t going to be the same every day. With a few tweaks, you can keep things fresh and challenging. Running and cycling are the most popular cardio activities for weight loss. Achieve your fitness goals and maintain training consistency with a cycling training plan.
#5: 30-Minute Equipment Free Cardio Workout
Stand with your feet together and you right and left arm at your sides. Jump while spreading your legs and raising your arms overhead. Jumping rope isn’t just for kids—it’s an incredibly effective moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Jumping rope burns calories, improves coordination, and strengthens your calves, quads, hamstrings, and core. If you have a jump rope, hold the handles with your hands at hip height, elbows slightly bent. Rotate your wrists to swing the rope over your head and hop over it with both feet as it passes your feet.
Why Cardio Exercise at Home Works

The goal is to stay low and move quickly to the right then left. Start in a plank position with your shoulders over your wrists. Pull your low abs in as you quickly pike your hips up and back into a downward facing dog. Reach your heels toward the ground and your glutes up toward the ceiling.
How can I do 30 minutes of cardio at home?
Or, if you prefer to move at your own pace, keep scrolling for detailed workout directions and GIFs of each exercise. It can help reduce blood pressure and improve cardiovascular functioning while also delivering a rush of endorphins, as SELF previously reported. Squat Jumps can tone your legs and raise your heart rate, helping you lose fat.
Low-impact cardio workouts
For example, you can do 3 total sets of 1,000-meter rows., aiming to maintain 28 SPM during the first set, 26 SPM during the second set, and 24 SPM during the final set. Reduced Exertion HIIT (REHIT) was developed by scientists looking for the shortest, most effective and accessible way to exercise. CAROL Bike is the only way to take REHIT out of the lab, made possible by AI-personalization and Instant Resistance. Perform as a superset for two to three rounds, with 45 to 60-second rest.
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Bend at the waist to put your hands on the floor right in front of your feet. As your hands hit the floor, jump your legs out behind you into a plank position. Then jump your feet back to your hands and jump up vertically. You can also incorporate a push-up at the plank movement to make the workout more difficult.
Low-Impact Cardio Workouts for Adults Over 40
This is an all-in-one lower body exercising the quads, hamstrings, and glutes, plus a good cardio workout. Towering vertical climbing machines are engineered to reduce the strain on your body as you mimic mountain climbing in a rhythmic motion using your legs and arms. Exercising from a seated position on a rowing machine offers definite perks when it comes to limiting stress on your joints. There’s no such thing as spot targeting when it comes to exercise.