Home Workout for Weight Loss: 7 Best Cardio Exercises and 10-Minute HIIT

Cardio Exercises, short for cardiovascular exercises, are physical activities that increase your heart rate and improve cardiovascular health. These exercises are an essential part of any fitness routine as they help strengthen the heart, increase lung capacity, burn calories, and improve overall endurance. Here are some common cardio exercises:

7 Cardio Exercises for Home Workout

1. Jumping Jacks

Jumping Jacks are a popular and simple cardio exercise that involves jumping while simultaneously moving your arms and legs. They provide a full-body workout and help increase your heart rate, improve cardiovascular endurance, and burn calories.

Tips from Fitness with Nidhi for Jumping Jacks Exercises

• Keep a soft bend in your knees to absorb the impact when landing.
• Engage your core muscles to stabilize your body during the exercise.
• Keep your movements controlled and maintain a consistent rhythm.
• Land softly to minimize the stress on your joints.
• Modify the intensity as needed: If you’re a beginner or have joint issues, you can perform modified jumping jacks by stepping one foot out to the side while raising your arms overhead, alternating sides with each repetition.

2. Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are a dynamic and challenging exercise that targets multiple muscle groups while providing a cardio workout. They are often incorporated into HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts or used as a standalone exercise. 

Tips from Fitness with Nidhi to perform Mountain Climbers

• Keep your core engaged throughout the exercise to maintain stability and proper form.
• Maintain a straight line with your body, avoiding any sagging or raising of your hips.
• Keep your hands firmly planted on the ground and distribute your weight evenly.
• Engage your glutes, quads, and core muscles to maximize the benefits of the exercise.
• Start with a slower pace and gradually increase the speed as you become more comfortable and conditioned.

3. Scissor Jumps

The scissor jump exercise is a plyometric exercise that combines jumping and leg movements to target multiple muscle groups, including the lower body and core.

Tips from Fitness with Nidhi to perform Scissor Jumps

• Land softly on the balls of your feet to absorb the impact and minimize stress on your joints.
• Keep your knees in line with your toes to avoid excessive stress on the knee joints.
• Engage your core muscles throughout the exercise to maintain stability and control.
• Start slow and gradually increase the intensity as your strength and endurance improve.
• If you have any knee or joint issues, it’s advisable to consult with a fitness professional or healthcare provider before attempting scissor jumps or any high-impact exercises.

4. No Push up Burpees

Burpees are a full-body exercise that combines multiple movements, including a squat, plank, push-up and jump. They are great for cardiovascular fitness, strength training, and calorie burning. No push-up burpee eliminates the push-up part and is best for beginners.

Tips from Fitness with Nidhi to perform a Burpee

• Keep your core engaged to maintain stability.
• Perform the push-up with proper form, ensuring your elbows are at a 45-degree angle and your body remains in a straight line.
• Land softly when jumping and maintain good landing mechanics to protect your joints.
• If you’re new to burpees or have any physical limitations, you can modify the exercise by omitting the push-up or reducing the jump height.

5. Jump Squats

Squat jumps, also known as squat jumps or jump squats, are dynamic plyometric exercises that combine a squat and an explosive jump. This exercise primarily targets the lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. 

Tips from Fitness with Nidhi to perform a Squat Jump

• Keep your knees aligned with your toes throughout the movement to protect your knee joints.
• Land with a slight bend in your knees to absorb the impact and protect your joints.
• Maintain a neutral spine and engaged core.
• Start with a lower jump height and gradually increase the intensity and height as your strength and technique improve.
• Perform squat jumps on a soft surface, such as a mat or grass, to reduce the impact on your joints.
• Squat Jump is an intense exercise that puts stress on your joints and requires good lower body strength. If you have any joint issues, don’t perform the exercise.

6. Plank In and Out Jumps

This exercise combines elements of the plank and mountain climbers with an added jumping movement. It is an advanced variation that targets multiple muscle groups, including the core, shoulders, arms, and legs.

Tips from Fitness with Nidhi for Planks in and out

• Keep your core engaged throughout the exercise to maintain stability and control.
• Land softly on the balls of your feet when jumping to minimize the impact on your joints.
• Maintain proper form in the plank position, with your hips in line with your shoulders and avoiding sagging or raising your hips too high.
• If you find the jumping motion too challenging, you can modify the exercise by stepping your feet in and out instead of jumping.
• Start with a lower number of repetitions and gradually increase the intensity and volume as you become more comfortable and stronger.

7. Lateral Shuffles and Pop Squats

Lateral running, also known as side shuffling or lateral shuffling, is an exercise that targets the muscles of the lower body, including the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. It also improves coordination, agility, and lateral movement capabilities.

Pop squats, also known as squat jumps or jump squats, are plyometric exercises that combine a squat with an explosive jump. They are an excellent way to work your lower body muscles, increase power, and improve cardiovascular fitness. In this exercise, I have combined the two, lateral shuffles and pop squats. So you run laterally and then at the end perform pop squats and repeat.

Tips from Fitness with Nidhi

1. Focus on staying low and keeping a slight bend in your knees to maintain a stable base.
2. Keep your movements quick and controlled, avoiding any excessive twisting or rotation of the upper body.
3. Be aware of your surroundings to avoid tripping or colliding with objects or people.
4. For pop squats, focus on maintaining proper form throughout the exercise, including a neutral spine, engaged core, and knees aligned with your toes during the squat position.
5. Land softly on the balls of your feet to absorb the impact and minimize stress on your joints.
6. Engage your core muscles throughout the exercise to maintain stability and control.
7. Start with a lower jump height and gradually increase the intensity as your strength and endurance improve.

Other Forms of Cardiovascular Exercise include

1. Running/Jogging: Running or jogging is a popular cardio exercise that can be done outdoors or on a treadmill. It’s a high-impact exercise that engages multiple muscles and helps burn calories.
2. Cycling: Whether you prefer outdoor cycling or using a stationary bike, cycling is a low-impact exercise that provides a great cardiovascular workout. It strengthens the leg muscles and is suitable for all fitness levels.
3. Swimming: Swimming is a low-impact, full-body workout that is gentle on the joints. It engages all major muscle groups and improves cardiovascular endurance.
4. Jumping Rope:Jumping rope is an easy but powerful aerobic exercise. It improves coordination, burns calories, and can be done almost anywhere with a rope.
5. Rowing: Whether on a rowing machine or in a boat on water, rowing engages the upper and lower body muscles, providing an excellent cardio and strength workout.
6. Stair Climbing: Climbing stairs is a great way to get your heart pumping. You can climb actual stairs or use a stair climber machine for a challenging workout.
7. Dancing: Dancing is an amusing and exciting manner to enhance cardiovascular fitness. Various dance styles, such as Zumba, hip-hop, or aerobic dance classes, can help elevate your heart rate.
8. Kickboxing: Kickboxing combines martial arts techniques with cardio exercises. It involves punches, kicks, and other movements that provide a full-body workout while improving cardiovascular endurance.
9. Hiking: Hiking on trails or uneven terrain not only engages your leg muscles but also gets your heart rate up, making it a great cardio workout.

Health Benefits of Cardio Workouts at Home

• Calorie Burn: Cardio exercises elevate your heart rate and increase your overall energy expenditure. The more intense the exercise, the extra energy you burn. This can help create a calorie deficit, which is essential for weight loss.
• Fat Burning: Cardio workouts primarily rely on stored fat as a fuel source. As you engage in sustained aerobic activity, your body utilizes fat stores to provide the necessary energy. Over time, this can lead to a reduction in body fat percentage.
• Boosts Metabolism: Cardio exercises can temporarily increase your metabolic rate, even after the workout is finished. This effect, known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) or the “afterburn effect,” means your body continues to burn calories at an elevated rate for some time after you finish exercising.
• Appetite Regulation: Regular cardio workouts can help regulate appetite hormones, such as ghrelin and leptin. This can help control hunger cravings and prevent overeating, supporting weight loss efforts.
• Improved Insulin Sensitivity: Cardiovascular exercise can enhance insulin sensitivity, which means your body can better regulate blood sugar levels. Improved insulin sensitivity can facilitate better fat-burning and weight management.

To maximize the benefits of a cardio workout, it’s recommended to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week, along with strength training exercises for overall fitness. However, it’s essential to consult certified Fitness Trainer like Nidhi Gupta before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or concerns.

Conclusion

It’s important to note that while cardio workouts can be effective for weight loss, they work best when combined with a balanced diet and other forms of exercise, such as strength training. Strength training helps build muscle, and having more muscle mass can boost your metabolism, leading to increased calorie burning even at rest.

Additionally, it’s essential to consider overall lifestyle factors, including nutrition, sleep, and stress management, when aiming for weight loss. Sustainable weight loss is best achieved through a holistic approach that combines regular physical activity, a nutritious diet, and healthy lifestyle habits.