The 20 Best Cardio Workouts You Can Do At Home
1. Jumping Jacks
Muscles Worked: Calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors, shoulders, and core.
Why It Works: Jumping jacks provide a full-body movement that elevates your heart rate while improving coordination and flexibility. This simple yet powerful move also helps improve cardiovascular endurance and agility.
How to Perform:
Stand upright with your legs together and arms at your sides.
Jump while spreading your legs shoulder-width apart and bringing your arms overhead.
Jump again to return to the starting position.
Repeat rapidly for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Difficulty: Easy
2. High Knees
Muscles Worked: Core, hip flexors, calves, quads, hamstrings.
Why It Works: High knees are an effective cardio movement that helps improve lower-body coordination, core engagement, and agility. They also help develop better balance and endurance over time.
How to Perform:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Run in place while driving your knees up toward your chest as high as possible.
Keep your back straight and pump your arms in rhythm.
Maintain a quick pace for 30-60 seconds.
Difficulty: Moderate
3. Burpees
Muscles Worked: Chest, arms, quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core.
Why It Works: Burpees are a high-intensity, full-body exercise that combines strength and cardio in one explosive movement. They’re excellent for calorie burning and endurance.
How to Perform:
Start standing. Squat down and place your hands on the floor.
Jump your feet back into a plank position.
Perform a push-up (optional).
Jump your feet back to the squat position.
Explode upward into a jump, reaching your arms overhead.
Land softly and repeat.
Difficulty: Hard
4. Mountain Climbers
Muscles Worked: Core, shoulders, triceps, quads, hamstrings, and calves.
Why It Works: Mountain climbers mimic running in a plank position, combining core stability with fast-paced cardio. It’s a great exercise to get your heart rate up quickly.
How to Perform:
Begin in a high plank position with shoulders stacked over wrists.
Drive one knee toward your chest.
Quickly switch legs, pulling the opposite knee in.
Continue alternating at a rapid pace.
Difficulty: Moderate
5. Jump Rope (Real or Imaginary)
Muscles Worked: Calves, shoulders, forearms, glutes, and core.
Why It Works: Jumping rope is excellent for coordination, rhythm, and cardiovascular conditioning. Even mimicking the motion without a rope can be beneficial.
How to Perform:
Hold an imaginary or real rope in each hand.
Jump off the ground with both feet, using your wrists to spin the rope.
Land softly and repeat rapidly.
Keep your elbows in close and bounce lightly on your toes.
Difficulty: Moderate
6. Butt Kicks
Muscles Worked: Hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core.
Why It Works: Butt kicks are a dynamic way to stretch and activate your hamstrings while also giving your heart rate a boost. They’re ideal for warm-ups or intervals.
How to Perform:
Stand upright and start jogging in place.
Bring your heels up toward your glutes with each step.
Swing your arms to maintain momentum.
Keep a quick, controlled pace.
Difficulty: Easy
7. Skaters
Muscles Worked: Glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, and core.
Why It Works: This lateral movement simulates speed skating and enhances balance, coordination, and leg power. It’s also great for improving agility and stability.
How to Perform:
Start standing, then leap to the right.
Land on your right foot while swinging your left foot behind.
Jump to the left, landing on your left foot.
Continue alternating sides in a rhythm.
Difficulty: Moderate
8. Stair Running or Stepping
Muscles Worked: Quads, glutes, calves, hamstrings, and core.
Why It Works: Running or stepping on stairs increases intensity due to elevation changes. It strengthens your legs and glutes while providing a cardio boost.
How to Perform:
If using stairs, run up and walk or jog down.
If using a step platform, step up with one foot, then the other.
Step down in reverse and repeat.
Keep your back straight and core engaged.
Difficulty: Moderate
9. Jump Squats
Muscles Worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core.
Why It Works: This plyometric exercise increases leg power and cardiovascular endurance. It’s an advanced movement that challenges balance and strength.
How to Perform:
Start in a squat position with feet shoulder-width apart.
Lower into a deep squat.
Explode upward into a jump.
Land softly back into the squat and repeat.
Difficulty: Hard
10. Lunge Jumps
Muscles Worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core.
Why It Works: Lunge jumps are an explosive exercise that develops single-leg strength and boosts heart rate quickly.
How to Perform:
Start in a lunge position with one foot forward.
Jump and switch legs mid-air.
Land in a lunge with the opposite foot forward.
Repeat continuously.
Difficulty: Hard
11. Bear Crawls
Muscles Worked: Shoulders, chest, core, quads, and glutes.
Why It Works: Bear crawls improve core stability, full-body coordination, and endurance. The movement mimics natural crawling and engages nearly every muscle group.
How to Perform:
Get on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
Lift your knees slightly off the floor.
Crawl forward by moving opposite hand and foot together.
Crawl backward to return.
Difficulty: Moderate
12. Plank Jacks
Muscles Worked: Core, shoulders, chest, glutes, and legs.
Why It Works: A hybrid of plank and jumping jack, this move strengthens the core while keeping your heart rate up.
How to Perform:
Get into a forearm or high plank position.
Jump your feet out to the sides.
Jump them back together.
Maintain core tension throughout.
Difficulty: Moderate
13. Shadow Boxing
Muscles Worked: Shoulders, arms, chest, back, and core.
Why It Works: Shadow boxing is an excellent cardio activity that also develops hand-eye coordination and upper body strength.
How to Perform:
Stand in a fighting stance.
Throw punches like jabs, hooks, and uppercuts.
Move around as if facing an opponent.
Keep your feet light and rhythm steady.
Difficulty: Easy
14. Frog Jumps
Muscles Worked: Glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and core.
Why It Works: Frog jumps improve explosive power and leg endurance while engaging your cardiovascular system.
How to Perform:
Squat down low with hands touching the ground.
Jump forward using arms to propel.
Land in a squat and repeat in the opposite direction.
Difficulty: Hard
15. Lateral Shuffles
Muscles Worked: Quads, glutes, calves, hamstrings, and core.
Why It Works: Lateral shuffles improve agility, quickness, and lateral strength.
How to Perform:
Stand in a partial squat.
Step quickly side to side.
Stay low and keep your chest up.
Move back and forth across a small area.
Difficulty: Moderate
16. Tuck Jumps
Muscles Worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core.
Why It Works: A highly explosive movement that builds lower-body strength and cardiovascular fitness.
How to Perform:
Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart.
Jump up and tuck knees toward chest.
Land softly and reset.
Difficulty: Hard
17. Jumping Lunges
Muscles Worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
Why It Works: This plyometric move enhances leg strength and coordination while raising your heart rate.
How to Perform:
Begin in a lunge.
Jump and switch legs mid-air.
Land in a lunge with the opposite foot forward.
Difficulty: Hard
18. Wall Sit March
Muscles Worked: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core.
Why It Works: This isometric movement builds muscular endurance and balance.
How to Perform:
Lean back into a wall with knees bent at 90 degrees.
Lift one foot off the floor to simulate a march.
Alternate legs slowly.
Difficulty: Moderate
19. Crab Walk
Muscles Worked: Shoulders, triceps, glutes, hamstrings, and core.
Why It Works: This unusual move activates multiple muscle groups while boosting coordination and endurance.
How to Perform:
Sit in a reverse tabletop position.
Lift hips and crawl backward using opposite hand and foot.
Maintain core engagement.
Difficulty: Moderate
20. Dance Cardio
Muscles Worked: Full-body: legs, glutes, core, arms, and heart.
Why It Works: Fun and accessible, dancing burns calories and improves mood, coordination, and endurance.
How to Perform:
Play upbeat music.
Move freely with big, energetic motions.
Incorporate steps like hops, turns, or squats.
Difficulty: Easy