Five Easy Exercises You Can Do Without a Gym: Cardio

Get up off your couch and throw on your favorite workout clothes, it’s #FitnessFriday with Elliott Beach Rentals!

In addition to preventing weight gain, regular physical exercise is vital to boosting one’s immune system and mental health. With gyms around the country temporarily closing their doors, it is more important than ever that we take time out of our daily lives to increase our activity levels with a few simple at-home workouts.

Each of the five cardio exercises that we will be detailing in this blog are easy to do, require no gym equipment, and only a minimal amount of space. We’ve also included short videos detailing the proper techniques for your convenience.

So, without further ado, let’s get ready to sweat!

Jumping Jacks

Sometimes, it’s the simplest of exercises that offer the greatest reward. Nowhere is this more evident than with the humble jumping jack.

In addition to working muscles throughout your arms, legs, and core, Jumping Jacks also boost cardio health. Just doing a few jumping jacks every day is a great way to increases your heart rate, stimulate blood flow to a variety of muscle groups throughout your body. According to the MyFitnessPal app, a minute of jumping jacks can burn between eight calories and 16 calories.

Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are an excellent exercise for building cardio endurance, core strength, and agility. When done correctly, mountain climbers engage several different muscle groups at once—including glutes, quads, abdominals, hamstrings, triceps. It’s almost like getting a total-body workout with a single exercise.

First, lower yourself into a standard planking position–making sure to distribute your weight evenly between your hands and your toes. Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart, back flat, abs engaged, and head in alignment. Next, pull your right knee into your chest as far as you can. Then, switch your legs, pushing your left knee out and bringing your right knee into your chest. Keeping your hips down, run your knees in and out as far and as fast as you can.

Skaters

Looking to get your heart racing like a speed skater? Then add a few minutes of Skaters to your workout routine. In addition to working your glutes, outer thigh and core, Skaters is an incredible cardiovascular exercise for people with a limited amount of space and time.

Start with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart and arms at the sides. Bring one leg behind at a slight angle into a reverse lunge. The front knee will come to a 90-degree angle. Swing your arms in front of your bent knee and leap the back leg forward to switch sides in a skating motion. Be sure to alternate your arms as you switch sides.

Skaters are great for a high-calorie burn due to intensity. The harder and faster you push yourself during this workout, the more calories you will burn.

Burpees

There are many different variations of the burpee workout. For this blog, we will be looking at the pop-burpee (demonstrated in the above video.) Pop-burpees are considered lower impact and more manageable for beginners.

Start the exercise in a standing position. First, squat down and put your hands on the ground. Keeping your hands on the ground, kick your feet back one at a time until you are in a planking position. Next, return your feet to your initial squat position. Lastly, stand up and squat twice.

If you would like to increase the intensity of this exercise, simply kick your feet out in a single explosive motion instead of one at a time and do a push up before returning to your prone squat position.

Walking Lunges

Start in a standing position with your feet roughly hip-distance apart—your torso should be upright and tall, core engaged, shoulders back and chin lifted. Take a wide step forward with your right foot and plant it about two feet ahead, allowing your left heel to lift naturally as you step forward. Be sure to keep your core engaged and upright. Bend both knees and lower your back knee toward the floor—stopping just before it touches down.

Press firmly through your right heel and extend your right knee to rise to stand as you lift your left foot from the ground, swinging your left foot forward to plant it about two feet ahead of your right foot. Avoid leaning your torso forward from your hips as you take this step. Continue stepping forward with each lunge, alternating sides as you do.

If you find yourself losing balance as you walk, pause at the top of each lunge when your feet are next to each other.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and as always,

We’ll Sea You Soon!