19 Cardio Exercises for a Gym-Free Workout

Frog Jumps

Frog jumps are an advanced high-intensity cardio exercise that gets your heart rate up quickly using low-body power and endurance.

1. Place your feet about hip-width apart, and squat low enough that you can put your hands on the floor in front of you.
2. Explode and jump up, using your glutes, quads, and hamstrings to generate power.
3. Tap your heels together as you jump and take the hands behind your head or up in the air.
4. Land with bent knees to protect your joints and get into your squat to prepare for the next jump.
5. Repeat 10 to 20 frog jumps. Rest and repeat if desired.

Burpees

Burpees are an exercise some of us may remember vividly from high school gym​ class. This full-body cardio exercise is memorable because it gets the heart rate up quickly.

The move is simple but challenging for the heart, lungs, and muscles. Add it to your regular cardio workouts to boost intensity and develop your power, agility, and endurance.

1. Stand with feet about hip-width apart and squat to the floor, placing your hands on the floor in front of you.
2. Jump explosively with your feet out behind you so that you're in a push-up position, on your hands and toes with your body in a straight line.
3. Do a push-up on your toes or knees (this is optional and adds quite a bit of intensity). Take care not to drop your hips.
4. Jump your feet back to start, stand up, and repeat for 10 to 15 reps or 30 to 60 seconds.

Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are an advanced, high-intensity cardio exercise that raises your heart rate and adds intensity to your workouts. This move will build leg endurance and help your agility, making it a great overall exercise.

If you've never tried mountain climbers, take your time and ease into it with slow reps. If you feel discomfort or pain, avoid this exercise. You'll need core strength and upper body endurance.

1. Begin in a push-up position on your hands and toes, back flat, and abs engaged.
2. Bring your right knee toward your chest with your opposite foot on the floor.
3. Jump up and switch feet in the air, bringing the left foot in and the right foot back.
4. Continue alternating the feet for 30 to 60 seconds.

Squat Jumps

Squat jumps are a great way to add intensity to your workouts and raise your heart rate. Add this cardio exercise to the end of your regular workouts for a boost or perform them in between sets during resistance training.

This is a high-impact cardio exercise, so protect your joints by landing with soft knees. Perform the move without jumping if the impact is too intense. If you've never tried squat jumps, take your time and ease into it with small hops. If you feel discomfort or pain, avoid this exercise.

1. Begin with feet hip-width apart and engage your core.
2. Squat as low as possible, touching the floor with your fingertips. Keep your hips back to avoid putting too much pressure on your knees.
3. Jump up as high as you can while sweeping your arms overhead.
4. Land with soft knees back into your squat and repeat for 30 to 60 seconds.

Jumping Jacks to a Step

Jumping jacks are great, but adding a platform or step is a great way to add intensity and spice things up. This is a high-impact cardio exercise, so protect your joints by landing with soft knees. If you feel discomfort or pain, avoid this exercise.

1. Stand facing a step or platform and jump onto it with both feet.
2. Jump back to the floor, or step down if jumping feels unsafe or uncomfortable.
3. Perform a jumping jack on the floor and jump back onto the step once you pull your feet together.
4. Continue alternating a jump on the step and a jumping jack for 30 to 60 seconds.

Toe Taps With Jumps

Toe taps are great for adding intensity and improving agility. If you've never tried this cardio exercise, take your time and ease into it with slow taps without the jump. If you feel discomfort or pain, avoid this exercise.

You can do this without a step or you can tap on any sturdy object like a BOSU or the lowest step on a staircase.

1. Stand facing a step or platform.
2. Touch the right toe to the step, jump up, and switch your feet in mid-air, touching your left toe to the step.
3. Continue alternating toe taps as quickly and safely for 30 to 60 seconds.

Side-to-Side Jumping Lunges

If you want a great whole-body cardio exercise that raises your heart rate quickly, side-to-side lunges will do the trick. You can perform this exercise with a jump to add more intensity, but doing it without a jump will also work.

Engage your abs to protect your back and avoid touching the floor if you feel back pain. If you've never tried jumping lunges, take your time with slow reps. If you feel discomfort or pain, avoid this cardio exercise.

1. Take your right leg to the side as you bend your left knee, turning your body to the left in a runner's lunge. Touch your right fingers to the floor, if you can.
2. Jump up quickly to shift your feet and lunge to the right side, touching your left hand to the floor.
3. Continue alternating sides for 30 to 60 seconds.

Prisoner Squat Jumps

Though similar to squat jumps, prisoner squat jumps focus more attention on the core. Place your hands behind your head and lean your torso forward to engage your abs and back and challenge your core.

This is an advanced, high-impact cardio exercise, so protect your joints by landing with soft knees. If the impact is too much, do the move without jumping. If you've never tried this cardio exercise, take your time and ease into it with small jumps. If you feel discomfort or pain, avoid this exercise.

1. Begin with your feet wide and your hands behind your head.
2. Squat as low as you can, taking your torso slightly forward without rounding the back.
3. Jump up high, keeping your hands behind the head.
4. Land with soft knees and repeat for 30 to 60 seconds.

Long Jumps

A simple way to increase the intensity of your workouts is to incorporate long jumps. With long jumps, you jump forward as far as you're able, landing with both feet. You'll feel your core and heart working hard during this cardio exercise.

To keep this move safe, land with soft knees. If you need to modify, try a staggered landing (one foot lands a bit before the other one). As always, skip this move if you feel pain or discomfort. This cardio exercise can be hard on the knees, so try landing with the weight in your heels and keeping your jumps short at first.

1. Stand with your feet together and make sure you have plenty of space in front of you.
2. Lower into a squat and jump forward in an explosive movement.
3. Land with bent knees to protect the joints.
4. Jump forward again, continuing for the length of the room, turning around, and going the other way.
5. Repeat for 30 to 60 seconds.

Plyo Jacks

Plyo jacks, or plyometric jumping jacks, are another option for getting your heart rate up and challenging your body in a new way.

Plyo jacks are slow jumping jacks. You jump out but then slow things down and add a deep squat. When you jump your feet back together, land in another deep squat.

This cardio exercise challenges your hips, glutes, thighs, and heart rate. Circling the arms adds some intensity to the move as well.

1. Begin with feet together and lower into a squat, bringing your arms in front of you.
2. Jump your feet out, land in a squat, and circle your arms up and over your head.
3. Jump up again, bringing your feet together and circling your arms back down.

Plyo Lunges

Plyo lunges are another great plyometric move that will help build power and strength in your lower body.

This move is excellent for burning calories, getting your heart rate high, and working the hips, glutes, and thighs. This high-impact, high-intensity cardio exercise is challenging, so stick with static lunges if this move is too much for you.

1. Stand in a split stance, right leg in front and left leg in back.
2. Bend your knees and lower into a lunge.
3. Jump explosively into the air and switch your legs, landing so your left leg is in front and your right leg is in back.
4. Land with soft joints, lower into a lunge, and repeat, jumping and switching sides.
5. Repeat for 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 60 seconds each.

Jogging in Place

Jogging in place is one of the simplest ways to get your heart rate up if you're stuck inside. It doesn't have the same intensity as jogging outside, since there's no forward motion or wind resistance. But using your arms and adding forward motion by jogging around the house or up and down the stairs can help you sweat more during this cardio exercise.

1. March in place, lifting your knees and swinging your arms.
2. Move into a light jog, keeping your feet close to the ground as you get a feel for the exercise.
3. Bring your heels closer to your glutes each time you jog.
4. Pump your arms overhead as you jog faster, or raise your knees.
5. Repeat for 30 seconds to as many minutes as you can. You can also do this exercise in a cardio circuit.

Jogging With High Knees

To add intensity to jogging in place, try lifting your knees high. Bring your knees to hip height to engage your core, quads, and hip flexors.

1. Lift your knees high each time you jog in place.
2. Try lifting the knees to hip level, keeping your core tight to protect your back.
3. Increase the challenge by holding your hands at hip level and try to touch your knees to your hands each time you jog. Bring the knees up toward your hands rather than bringing your hands down to the knees.
4. Add intensity by pushing your arms overhead.
5. Repeat for 30 seconds to as many minutes as you can. You can also do this exercise in a cardio circuit.

Front Kick Lunge

This is a great cardio exercise to raise your heart rate with no equipment. It is low impact, but that doesn't mean low intensity. Adding a low lunge while touching the floor will engage your glutes and thighs and help to raise your heart rate.

1. Stand with feet about hip-width apart and bring your right knee up.
2. Extend your right leg out into a front kick, but avoid locking or hyperextending the knee.
3. Bring your leg back and immediately take it behind you into a straight-leg reverse lunge, keeping your balance on the left leg.
4. Lunge low, touching the floor with your fingertips.
5. Stand up, bring your right leg forward again, and kick.
6. Repeat the kick and low lunge sequence for one minute and repeat the sequence on the other side for one minute.

Speed Skaters

Speed skaters are great for getting your heart rate up and working the body with lateral movement, something we often don't spend much time doing. 

This cardio exercise is great for the heart while targeting your outer thighs. This is a great complement to exercises that have you going forward and back, such as long jumps. 

1. Start with the feet together and jump to the right.
2. Land on your right foot and cross your left foot behind you for a balance challenge.
3. Jump to the left, again taking a wide step, and land on your left foot.
4. Continue going from one side to the other, keeping the movement low and wide rather than jumping up in the air.
5. Continue alternating sides for 30 to 60 seconds.

Modified Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are great for cardio and core strength but what if you're not ready for that level? Modify this cardio exercise by elevating your upper body, taking some of the weight off your arms, and placing it on your lower body, which is stronger. 

1. Stand facing a raised platform: a weight bench, a step (as shown), a chair, or even a railing. 
2. Place your hands on the platform wider than the shoulders and walk your feet out so your back is straight, similar to a push-up position.
3. Bring the right knee toward the platform while keeping the rest of your body in place.
4. Take your right leg back and switch sides, bringing your left knee toward the platform.
5. Continue alternating knees, speeding up if you can.
6. Complete 1 to 3 sets for 30 to 60 seconds each time.

Lunge Jumps

This cardio exercise will build power and strength in the lower body while increasing heart rate and intensity. The key is to land softly. Try to absorb the impact with your muscles rather than your joints.

Lunge jumps are different from plyo lunges in that you don't switch your feet in the air.

1. Begin in a staggered stance, right foot forward and left foot back.
2. Bend your knees into a lunge.
3. Spring into the air, keeping your hands on your hips or taking them up for more intensity.
4. Land softly on the balls of your feet and lower back into your lunge.
5. Complete 8 to 16 reps before switching sides.

Speed Skaters With Weights

Speed skaters are great for getting the heart rate up, but adding some light weights can increase the intensity and put more emphasis on your glutes. 

Because you're moving quickly, you don't need heavy weights for this cardio exercise. That can cause strain and injury. The idea is to add a little intensity with light weights to get a little extra calorie burn. 

1. Start with your feet together and hold light weights in both hands.
2. Take a wide lateral jump to the right while crossing the left foot behind you and bringing the left weight toward the floor.
3. Keep your core engaged to protect your back.
4. Push off the right foot and jump to the other side, taking the right weight toward the floor.
5. Continue going from one side to the other for 1 to 3 sets, working for 30 to 60 seconds each time.

Jumping Jacks With Resistance Band Lat Pulls

Jumping jacks are often a staple of any home cardio exercise routine. Adding a resistance band is a great way to add intensity and engage your upper body, which helps burn more calories. As you pull down the band, engage your back to make this a multi-purpose exercise.

1. Hold a resistance band in both hands straight up overhead. Make sure your hands are close enough to get tension on the band when you pull it down, but not too tight.
2. Jump your feet out in a jumping jack and, at the same time, open the band, pulling your elbows down to either side of your body.
3. Focus on squeezing your back as you bring down your arms.
4. Jump your feet together as you take your arms back overhead and repeat for 60 seconds.
5. Try not to use momentum to pull the resistance band down. Also, don't let the resistance band jerk your arms back overhead to avoid shoulder injury.