7 Best Cardio Workouts You Can Do At Home To Lose Weight

When you want to lose some weight, you can enlist the help of cardio workouts. They're arguably the best way to burn calories and also improve your overall well-being.

Cardio exercises are something that can be done just as efficiently at home as in a gym, so it doesn't matter where you do them as long as they provide results. Here's what you need to know about the best cardio workouts you can do at home:

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Best Cardio Workouts At Home For Weight Loss

Here's a look at seven best cardio workouts you can do at home for weight loss:

1) Jumping Jacks

Jumping Jacks is a rather straightforward cardio exercise. To perform this exercise, follow these steps:

• Start with your feet together and arms at your sides, palms facing inward.
• Jump, bringing your legs up and out to the sides; land softly on your toes, with knees bent slightly (the motion is similar to a jumping rope).
• Jump again, keeping feet together and arms at sides as you raise them above head level (arms should be straight if possible).
• Return to the starting position by lowering arms back down so they're parallel with torso while landing softly on toes with knees bent slightly.
• Repeat steps 1-3 till the desired number of reps have been completed (20 or more recommended) or the time limit has been reached (usually a minute).
• To increase the challenge, do it faster. If that's not enough challenge for you, try doing some crunches between each jump; that will help strengthen your abdominal muscles, which can improve balance over time.

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2) High Knees

High Knees is another great cardio exercise that helps burn a tremendous amount of calories. To di it, follow these steps:

• Start with feet together and arms at your sides, palms facing inward.
• Jump, bringing your legs up and out to the sides; land softly on your toes, with knees bent slightly (the motion is similar to jumping rope).
• Jump again, keeping feet together and arms at sides as you raise them above head level (arms should be straight if possible).
• Return to starting position by lowering arms back down so they're parallel with torso while landing softly on toes with knees bent slightly.
• Repeat steps 1-3 till the desired number of reps have been completed (20 or more recommended) or the time limit has been reached (usually a minute).
• To increase the challenge, do it faster. If that's not enough challenge for you, try doing some crunches between each jump. That will help strengthen your abdominal muscles, which can improve balance over time.

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3) Jump Rope

Jumping rope is a fun, yet tiresome cardio workout that you can do with barely any equipment but still have an incredible workout. Follow these instructions to jump rope like a pro:

• Using a jump rope, begin by keeping your knees bent and feet shoulder-width apart.
• Swing your arms back and forth to get the jump rope moving.
• Lift your knees high enough to clear the rope as you jump over it, and land softly with soft feet on the floor. Remember to use your wrists to gain momentum and not your elbows
• The idea is that each time you jump over the rope, you should be able to complete two or three jumps before jumping again (so if you're doing 30 seconds of cardio intervals, that would be about 24 or 25 jumps).
• If possible, start with an easier version of this exercise by just swinging the jump rope in front of yourself without hopping over it. It's important that you master jumping first before progressing to hopping.

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4) Mountain Climbers

Mountain Climbers are a great cardio exercise for people looking to burn some quick calories without any equipment.

To do this exercise, place your hands and feet on the floor in a push-up position. Quickly alternate between moving your right hand and left leg towards each other as you lift your hips towards the ceiling. Continue to alternate quickly, keeping your core tight and back straight. This is an explosive movement that will work both your upper and lower body muscles at once.

Do three sets of 20 reps with 30 seconds of rest between each set (or less if you can't keep up). When you're done with that, switch to one-handed mountain climbers—the same thing but using only one arm at a time. Once again, do three sets of 20 reps before switching over to the other side by doing one-armed mountain climbers with the opposite arm than what you started with.

You'll want to be careful not to hyper-extend either knee; instead, go down till only about 50 percent of each knee is bent from its original resting position before returning back up again into your normal standing position during this exercise. That will help take away any strain from either knee joint.

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5) Burpees

Burpees are one of the most effective cardio workouts you can do. It’s a full-body exercise that works your quads, hamstrings, glutes and core muscles.

To do a burpee:

• Start in the pushup position with hands shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your knees, and place both hands on the floor next to you with arms extended in front of your shoulders.
• Jump back so that you land in a squat position, with feet flat on the floor and arms bent at 90 degrees next to your sides just above knee level.
• Push off from floor using both feet simultaneously.
• Bend down into another squat position with hand supporting chest height at 45 degrees angle making sure not to rest your knees on the ground.
• Continue by jumping up explosively, raising your legs above hip level and bringing your arms overhead before landing back into your original starting position.

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6) Jump Squats

To perform a squat jump, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and squat down as if you're about to sit down on an invisible chair. Jump up as high as possible, landing softly on the ground. Don't land hard on your feet; instead, bend at the knees when you land, and immediately begin another squat jump.

This exercise can be made more difficult by adding weights, such as dumbbells or kettlebells to it. For example, after each squat jump, you could hold on to two five-pound dumbbells for a few seconds before releasing them back into the ground and repeating the movement cycle again with no added weight.

That will keep things challenging without overtaxing yourself too quickly during the cardio workout routine.

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7) Plank Jacks

A plank jack is the perfect cardio exercise to get your heart rate up and work your core. Plank jacks are actually a little more difficult than they sound, so be sure to follow these instructions carefully:

• Starting in a standard push-up position (arms straight and head down), bring one foot under you and back out again. Repeat with the other leg for one repetition.
• Aim for three sets of ten repetitions each, holding each repetition for five seconds before switching sides and repeating on the other side. If that feels easy enough for you, try adding an additional set after completing three sets with ten reps per side.
• If you have any back problems or other physical limitations that prevent you from doing plank jacks safely, do regular pushups instead. However, make sure not to slouch at all during this exercise.

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Takeaway

Cardio workouts don’t have to be boring or repetitive. You can always mix things up by trying new exercises and adding in new moves, something that helps a ton, especially when working out at home.

Moreover, it’s important to keep your cardio routine fresh so that you don’t get bored with it. Remember to stay consistent. It's not your equipment that matters, but it's the way you make use of what you already have.