When people talk about a lot of bodyweight cardio moves, they reference the usual, tired suspects: jumping jacks, burpees, mountain climbers, butt kicks, fast feet and high knees. And while those are great moves that get the job the done, variety is the spice of life. Same goes for sticking to elliptical machines and treadmills. While stationary cardio is better than none at all, it’s good for the body to switch things up.
You can still get your steps in and work up quite the sweat by trying the following cardio bodyweight moves. We recommend feeling all of the burn by doing five sets of these moves (if you’re feeling froggy), or at least three (if you’re limited on time) each for 30 seconds, maximum speed and energy, before taking a rest for 30 seconds. You’ll quickly realize that cardio doesn’t have to be boring, but it should be demanding.
Knees and Toes
As if you’re preparing to do high knees, touch your right hand to your raised left knee. As the left knee goes down, raise your right knee to your left hand. From there, touch that same right hand to the inside of your left foot before switching to your left hand reaching for the inside of your right foot. The idea is to quickly touch your knees and then your feet while keeping your back upright and bringing up your knees and feet as high as you can.
Speed Skaters
Beginning in a squat, jump sideways to the right, lightly landing on your right foot. Once you’ve gained balance on your right foot (don’t bring down the left one), jump sideways to your left, landing on your left foot. When you jump to your right, the left arm should be in front of you while your right arm is straight, swinging back. The opposite is true for when you jump to the left.
Sumo Squat Punches
Squatting down low with your chest up and your core engaged, turn your feet outwards. From there, rotate your core by using your right arm to punch across the left side of your body. After that, rotate your core again by using your left arm to punch across the right side of your body. Come out of your squat to stand before briefly returning to your squat and alternating punches. Repeat.
Squat Jumps
With your butt going back (as if you were sitting in a chair) and your chest up (and core engaged!), squat down with your arms down to your side before jumping in the air and returning to a squat. Repeat!
A good progression option if this feels too easy for you would be to raise your arms in the air when you come out of your squat to jump.
Box Toe Touches
You could use a bench, a box, or pretty much anything that is elevated off of the ground at a reasonable level for you. Alternate tapping the front of your left and right foot on the box while staying upright and moving at a fast pace.
Image via Bigstock
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