One of the best ways to burn calories as well as build muscle strength and endurance is by incorporating a few heart-pumping bodyweight cardio exercises. These exercises are enough to do a full-body workout. The routine of bodyweight cardio exercises can include burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, etc.
If you want to add a twist to your daily workout routine, here’s a comprehensive guide to the best bodyweight cardio exercises you can do at home or in the gym.
What does bodyweight cardio exercise mean?
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Bodyweight cardio exercises are exercises that increase your heart rate and improve cardiovascular fitness. They are done using one’s own body weight as resistance, i.e they can be done without the need for any equipment or weights. These exercises work on large muscle groups primarily.
The best bodyweight cardio exercises
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Examples of bodyweight cardio exercises include jumping jacks, burpees, high knees, mountain climbers, and squat jumps, among others. These exercises can be included into a cardio workout routine to increase endurance, promote fat loss, and improve overall fitness.
Here is a list of the best bodyweight cardio exercises that can raise your heart rate as well as help in strength building.
1. Jumping Jacks
2. High Knees
3. Butt Kicks
4. Burpees
5. Mountain Climbers
6. Jump Squats
7. Skater Jumps
8. Box Jumps
9. Jumping Lunges
10. Plyometric Push-Ups
Comprehensive guide to the best bodyweight cardio exercises
1. Mountain climbers
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Mountain climbers are a kind of bodyweight exercise that focus on multiple muscle groups at the same time, including the core, arms, shoulders, and legs.
They are a full-body exercise that requires you to get into a high plank position and then rapidly bring each knee towards the chest alternately in a running motion.
Here’s a step-by-step instruction guide to do mountain climbers correctly.
How to do mountain climber exercise?
1. Starting in a high plank position with your hands positioned wider than your shoulders on the floor and your feet together behind you, form a straight line with your body with your core engaged.
2. Bring your right knee towards your chest, while keeping your left leg straight and stretched behind you. Your right foot should land on the ground near your right hand.
3. Switch your legs rapidly by bringing your right foot back to the original position while simultaneously bringing your left knee towards your chest. Your left foot should land near your left hand.
4. Keep on alternating your legs in a running movement as fast as you can while keeping your hips level stable and your core engaged.
5. Each time you bring your knees towards your chest, ensure to touch them to your chest or as near as possible.
Mountain climbers are an effective cardio exercise that engages multiple muscle groups at the same time. They can be incorporated into your workout routine as a warm-up or in a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) routine, or as a standalone cardio exercise.
Benefits of mountain climbers
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Mountain climbers offer several benefits in weight loss as well as overall fitness. Here are some of the primary benefits:
1. Cardiovascular fitness: Mountain climbers are a high-intensity exercise that elevates your heart rate up rapidly, which makes them an effective exercise to improve cardiovascular fitness.
2. Fat loss: Since mountain climbers are a full-body exercise that requires a lot of energy and engages multiple muscle groups, they are an excellent workout to burn calories and promote fat loss effectively.
3. Strengthens core and tones lower body: Mountain climbers need you to keep your core stable while moving your legs, which helps to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles and lower back. Additionally, the exercise focuses on your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings.
4. Improves coordination, balance, and agility: The alternating leg movements in mountain climbers require effective coordination and agility, which can help to enhance your overall physical performance.
5. Can be done anywhere: Mountain climbers require no gym equipment and can be done anywhere, making them a convenient workout to add to your routine when you don’t have access to a gym or cardio equipment.
6. Increases metabolism: Mountain climbers can boost your metabolism and promote fat loss, even after you’ve completed the exercise. This makes them an excellent choice for those looking to enhance their metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day.
2. Burpees
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Burpees are a full-body exercise that involve multiple movements, including a squat, a plank, a pugs-up and a jump. They are a challenging workout that engages the full body, including legs, core, chest, arms, and shoulders. They are often used in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) circuits and are an effective way to enhance cardiovascular fitness, promote fat loss, and elevate overall strength of the body.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to perfect burpees.
How to do burpees?
1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart from each other and arms relaxed at your sides.
2. Squat and place your hands on the ground in front of you, just outside of your feet.
3. Jump and bring your feet back and land in a plank position, with your arms stretched straight and your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
4. Lower your chest but not so much that it touches the floor, then do a push-up to return to the plank position.
5. Jump your feet back up towards your hands, landing in the original squat position.
6. From the squat position, jump up, with arms stretched overhead.
7. After landing on the ground, quickly repeat the entire sequence for the number of repetitions you desire.
Benefits of burpees
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Burpees offer numerous benefits for your overall fitness and well-being. Here are some of the significant benefits of this exercise:
1. Full-body workout: Burpees are a full-body exercise that work on multiple muscle groups. This makes them an effective way to involve your entire body in a short period of time.
2. Promotes fat loss: Burpees are a high-intensity exercise that requires a lot of energy, making them an effective way to burn calories and promote weight loss.
3. Improves cardiovascular fitness: Since burpees get your heart rate up quickly, they are an effective way to better cardiovascular fitness.
4. Improves coordination: The combination of movements in burpees requires coordination and agility, which can help to improve your overall physical performance in any sports or physical activity.
5. Can be modified: From simple to difficult, burpees can be modified to make them suitable for different fitness levels, making them an effective workout for everyone.
6. Requires no equipment: Burpees require no equipment and can be done anywhere, making them a convenient exercise to incorporate into your workout routine.
3. Jumping jacks
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Jumping jacks are a kind of calisthenic exercise that involve jumping while simultaneously lifting your arms and spreading your legs apart. Jumping jacks are commonly used as a warm-up exercise before a workout.
They are a great way to up your heart rate and increase blood flow to your muscles. They also focus on multiple muscle groups, including legs, core, and shoulders.
How to do jumping jacks?
1. Stand with your feet together and your arms at your sides.
2. Do a high jump while spreading your legs apart, lifting your arms above your head, and clapping your hands together simultaneously.
3. Land on the balls of your feet while bringing your arms back down.
4. Immediately jump again, bringing your feet back together and raising your arms back above your head.
5. Repeat the sequence for the required number of repetitions.
Benefits of jumping jacks
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Jumping jacks have many benefits for your physical health and endurance. Here are some of the main benefits:
• Increases blood flow: Jumping jacks can help to increase blood flow to your muscles, which can improve circulation in the body and help the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to your cells.
• Requires no equipment: Jumping jacks need no gym equipment and can be done anywhere and any time, making them an excellent exercise to add to your routine.
• Engages multiple muscle groups: Jumping jacks involve multiple muscle groups, including your legs, core, and shoulders, making them a great way to work your entire body in a short duration.
• Good for cardiovascular fitness: Jumping jacks are a high-impact exercise that gets your heart rate up, making them one of the effective ways to improve your heart health.
• Burns calories: Jumping jacks are a full-body exercise that require a lot of energy, making them an effective way to promote fat loss and lose weight.
• Can be modified and added in different workouts: Jumping jacks can be modified and added in different exercises to suit different fitness levels and make them more challenging. It helps in building endurance.
Overall, jumping jacks are a simple yet effective exercise that offer a wide range of benefits for your physical health and fitness.
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