13 Cardio Exercises Guaranteed to Get Your Blood Pumping and Muscles Firing

Published on 12/7/2018 at 7:49 PM

POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Lloyd

We're all about saving time in the gym. To help make your at-home and gym workouts more effective and easier to plan, we curated a list of our favorite high-intensity, strength-building cardio exercises. Yup, you read that right. You'll be getting your heart rate up while strengthening your muscles. Now, before you go any further, we need to advise you not to do all 13 exercises in one workout. If you do, prepare to be extremely sore tomorrow.

Instead, choose five to 10 exercises that are either body-part specific or a variety of moves that work your entire body. Consider doing each move for a designated amount of time (30-45 seconds is a good starting point) or for reps (10-20 is a good place to begin). As always, don't forget to warm up and cool down to prevent injuring yourself.

If you're ready to get your blood flowing and your muscles working, continue reading.

Jumping Jacks

Jump your legs out as you bring your hands overhead, then jump back to standing.
Add in some cross jacks to work your inner thighs. Open your arms out to the sides as you jump your legs wide. Cross your feet as you jump your legs together while crossing your arms in front of your chest.

Drop Squat

Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, feet parallel or toes slightly turned out.
Jump your feet out as you lower into a squat. At the same time, bring your left hand in front of you, making contact with the ground. Your right arm should be relaxed, behind your back.
Jump your feet back in, returning to the starting position. This counts as one rep.
Repeat and be sure to alternate the hand that touches the ground.

High Knees

Run in place while lifting your knees high to the level of your waist. Engage your abs as the knee comes up.
Pump your arms to warm up your upper body.

Frogger

Begin in a plank position. Jump your feet to the outside of your hands, coming into a deep squat and keeping your hands on the floor.
Jump your feet back to a plank.

Split Lunge Jumps

Stand with your feet together and your knees soft. Jump and come into a lunge with your left leg forward.
Push off with both feet, jumping them together, then hopping into a lunge with your right leg in front.
Jump your feet back together to complete one rep.

Cross Jacks

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and extend your arms straight out to either side with palms facing down.
Jump and cross your right arm over your left and your right foot over your left. Jump your legs to the sides and open your arms, then cross with the opposite arm and foot.

Plank Jacks

Begin in the plank position, with your shoulders over your wrists, your body in one straight line, and your feet together.
Like the motion of jumping jacks, jump your legs wide apart, and then back together to complete a rep. Jump as quickly as you want, but keep your pelvis steady and don't let your booty rise toward the ceiling.

Side Skater

Start in a small squat. Jump sideways to the right, landing on your right leg. Bring your left leg behind you, but don't let your left foot touch the floor. Keeping your chest up, deepen the bend in your right knee to work your glute muscles even more.
Reverse direction by jumping to the left leading with your left leg, allowing your arms to swing to the sides as you jump sideways, landing on your right foot. This completes one rep.

Mountain Climbers

Start in a traditional plank — shoulders over hands and weight in your toes.
With your core engaged, bring your right knee forward under your chest, with the toes just off the ground. Return to your basic plank. Switch legs, bringing the left knee forward.
Keep switching legs and begin to pick up the pace until it feels a little like running in place in a plank position.

Squat Jump

Start in a squat with your arms by your sides.
Swing your arms to the ceiling, and jump.
Land quietly as you return to the squat position. This completes one rep.

Box Toe Touches

Using a box, step, book, or stool, lightly tap your left toes to the box, then jump to switch feet, bringing the right toes up.
Continue alternating feet. No box? No worries. Hop from foot to foot, aiming toes onto an imaginary step.

Reverse Lunge and Hop

Come into a lunge with your right leg back. Swing your right leg forward to hop up on your left foot, and land softly back in a lunge.

Tuck Jump

Begin in a squat position with your legs hip width apart and arms behind you, making sure your knees don't go past your toes.
Swing your arms forward and jump into the air, bringing knees up to meet elbows in front of your core.
Land softly back on your feet.