Cardiovascular exercise is vital for maintaining a healthy heart and lowers the risk of heart diseases. It keeps your blood pressure and weight in check and makes your heart more robust. The healthier the heart, the more it can pump blood to the arteries. The most preferred way to get your heart pumping and start sweating are compound exercises, including several joints and many muscle groups. Through these exercises, you get every part of your body in action and burn extra calories.
Most Effective Cardio
Cardio workouts a couple of times a week has tremendous health benefits. It helps reduce weight, but the body’s metabolism also gets improved, flexibility increases along with better heart health and immune system, improved sleep patterns, and improved mood.
These workouts require no gym or machines, so they are accessible and easy for starters and experts. Take a rest of 30-60 seconds in between exercises.
Begin with the high plank, shoulders over wrists, and activated tight core. Bring the right knee towards the chest, then go back to high plank with both the feet on the floor. Repeat the same with your left leg. Alternatively, continue legs as fast as you can. The quicker you move, the exercise intensity gets higher.
We have created this list of the best cardio workouts to make a whole slew of heart-pumping exercises that involves the full body. These exercises can be done anywhere. Approximately, it takes 20 minutes. For this exercise equipment, you can use a mat, jump rope, kettlebell. These exercises are suitable for full-body cardio.
Select six to eight exercises from the list. Completing a given number of reps for every single move, then continue quickly to the next. Once you have finished all of your activities, and then rest for 30 seconds to 1minute. After that, repeat twice for at least three rounds.
High Knees
Begin with standing on the mat; arms are bent at 90 degrees, elbows close to the body, hands in front of your body at hip height. Bending the right leg and lifting the right knee to touch the palms, back right knee towards the floor, and immediately on the left side repeat the same. That’s a total of one rep. Keep alternating sides, simultaneously raise your speed for more challenge. After performing 20 reps, continue to your next move; after completing all exercises, rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute and repeat the same twice for a total of three more rounds.
Jump Rope
You can perform this heart-pounding activity with or even without a real jumping rope.
Begin with arms and feet together by the sides. Keep elbows near to the body. Now bend your elbows to spread broad forearms, up to the height of the hip. Start making small circles in a forward motion from both forearms and meanwhile taking swift hops with your feet. If you have a jump rope, the target is to revolve the cord around the body and let it pass under your feet with each hop. Here one rep is one jump. Keep jumping at least 20 reps, then quickly continue to the next move. Once you are done with all of your exercises, take a rest for 30 seconds to 1minute, and repeat the same twice for three more rounds.
Squat Jump
Begin with sitting in a squat position with your feet under your shoulders, thighs are parallel to the floor, forward-facing toes, with an upright torso and clasped hands in front of the chest. Press your feet to stand up and jump off the floor while your arms are swinging behind the body. Come back in the squat posture. That’s a total of one rep. Keep doing the same for ten reps, then quickly continue to move next, do at least six to eight counts. When you complete this exercise, take a rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute, repeat the same twice for three more rounds.
Plank Get-up
Begin by a low plank with forearms on the floor and parallel, elbows under the shoulders. Take the upright forearm and press it with the palm to spread the arm straight. Then repeat the same with a left to come into high plank posture, as level as possible keep hips. Reverse the whole movement back to start; that’s one rep. Keep doing ten reps, and alternating with arms, then quickly continue to your next move. Do at least six to eight total, as and when you complete all exercises, take a rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then repeat the same twice for a total of three more rounds.
Kettlebell Swing
Begin with a hinge; knees bent a little, hips at the back, torso forward leaned at forty-five degrees catching the handle of a kettlebell with both the hands, extended arms straight to the floor and bell in between knees. In one movement, squeeze glutes, legs are straighter, raise your torso, and push hips forward while swinging the whole weight at chest height by keeping consecutive arms and tight core. Reverse this movement by bringing the kettlebell in between thighs one at a time as you hinge. That’s a total of one rep. Do a total of 10 reps, then quickly continue to your next move. Do at least six to eight. When you are done with all exercises, take a rest for 30 seconds to 1minute. After that, repeat the same cycle twice for three more rounds.
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are a great total body exercise. Don’t go by the name; the good news is you don’t need to climb any physical mountain. All you need to do is get into a high plank position, with your hands a little wider than your shoulders, abdominals braced, and then draw one knee in without lifting the hip. You should keep alternating your legs; the faster you go, the faster your heart rate will shoot up. But the key is to keep your arms over the wrists to be able to maintain the plank.
100 Meter Sprint
While you may not be an athlete, however, you can still attempt a 100-meter sprint as it improves your overall health too in a short time. First, you should do some warm-ups for about 5-10 minutes and then get your body into a lunch position. Sprint off as hard as you can. Some 3-4 sprints are good enough to get you sweating.
Inchworm
This exercise involves your core, hands, shoulders, and legs. First, you should stand with your feet apart and abs tight. Get into a high plank position, with your hips high and hands stretched out. Now without bending your knees, walk your hands forward. Walk your hands back towards your feet and stand up. Repeat. The key is to move your hands fast and your shoulders away from your ears.
Let’s Wrap Up
Cardiovascular exercise gets your heart thumping and gets you sweaty. Weight loss is not the only goal. Your heart health, sound sleep, robust immune system, and a happy mood are what you should aim for. It is beneficial for your overall health, and your body will thank you for doing so. We have recommended some of the hassle-free, gym-free, weight-less, and machine-less exercises in this article.
It would be good to keep a routine of 10-15 minutes in the beginning and take a rest of about 30-60 seconds between each exercise. You can gradually scale up to a rigorous routine. But, always remember overtraining may have some serious repercussions on your health, and also don’t forget to step up on your nutrition to support your body for a fitness regime. Eat healthily, munch on healthy carbs, exercise well, and most importantly, be happy.
