Workout of the week: 20-min cardio workout

ALL LEVELS / cardio workout / 20 minutes

Equipment: Gym mat

Lacking some emotion in your life this week? Don’t worry; we have a cardio workout that will make your heart race. But first, let us briefly tell you why, once in a while, you should include cardio in your training plan. They improve heart health, increase endurance and stamina, and help you lose weight. Also, they can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.

With all those benefits, saying no to this cardio workout is hard. It has 10 exercises, each to do for 30 seconds. You’ll only get 5 seconds to rest between the exercise. Complete 3 rounds, and you’ll complete this workout in 20 minutes.

Side to side
Burpees
Mountain climbers
Side shuffle
Butt kicks
Jumping jacks
Lunge jump
Squat jump
Jab cross
Long jump

Let’s bring the heat!

WORKOUT SETUP

10 exercises
30 seconds each
5 seconds rest
3 rounds
20 minutes total
Equipment: Gym mat

WORKING OUT FROM HOME? NO PROBLEM

EVO nurtures natural movement and our workouts, such as this one, usually require little to no equipment and minimal training space, making it easy to perform them everywhere.

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

3 rounds

1 – SIDE TO SIDE

30 seconds

Start with your legs more than hip distance apart, with your core tight and a soft bend in the knees.
Sit back into your hips and gently hop sideways to the left with your left leg leading.
Reach your right hand towards your left leg and touch the floor. This is one rep.
Use your core and upper legs to bring yourself back up and hop sideways to the right, reaching your left hand toward your right foot.
Increase your speed to intensify that cardio power.

2 – BURPEES

30 seconds

Start in a standing position and engage the core.
Begin the movement by quickly bending down, reaching the hands towards the floor in front of the feet.
As you do this, simultaneously jump, bring your legs back and land on the floor in a push-up position.
Perform a push-up and, on the way up, drive the hips up rapidly and jump into a squat position.
Return to upright and repeat.

3 – MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

30 seconds

Start with your hands on the floor at shoulder-width, with arms extended. The hands must be aligned with your chest line.
Try to maintain your trunk straight while you pull your knee to the projected chest line on the floor.
Alternate pulling your knees to the projected chest line.
Make sure you’re standing on your hands with a tight core.

4 – SIDE SHUFFLE

30 seconds

Start with your legs more than hip distance apart, with your core tight and a soft bend in the knees.
Then, sit back into your hips and gently hop sideways to the left with your left leg leading.
With a little pause to create momentum, do the same in the opposite direction.
Repeat for 30 seconds.

5 – BUTT KICKS

30 seconds

Run on the spot and pull the heel to your butt.
Aim to keep the hamstrings as relaxed as possible – that will maximize the efficiency of this exercise.
Keep your core tight during the whole movement, and always look straight ahead.
Maintain a quick tempo.

6 – JUMPING JACKS

30 seconds

Start in a standing position with your arms by your sides. Engage the core slightly and set the shoulders, ready for movement.
Keeping arms and legs straight (but not locked out) simultaneously jump the legs out to the sides and raise the arms to shoulder height. Stabilise the hips, core and shoulder girdle.
Return to start and continue at a controlled rhythmic pace.

7 – LUNGE JUMP

30 seconds

Stand with feet hip-width apart, core engaged, and shoulders set
Jump straight up and split the legs into a lunge, allowing the back knee to drop close to the floor. Keep the core engaged and the torso upright. Use the arms in opposition to the legs to counterbalance the movement (if necessary).
As soon as you hit the lowest point, explosively jump upwards and split the legs on the other side. Maintain your balance and position throughout the movement.

8 – SQUAT JUMP

30 seconds

Find some space and stand with feet hip-width apart. Engage the core and set the shoulders slightly, ready for movement.
Quickly bend the knees and hips (to about a ¼ squat position) as you move the arms backwards. Keep the knees over the toes throughout this part.
As soon as you hit the lowest spot, rapidly extend the hips and drive the arms up to straighten the body and perform a small jump.
Keep the core tight and remain balanced as you land, allowing the knees and hips to bend slightly to absorb the force.
Reset the body and repeat.

9 – JAB CROSS

30 seconds

Start in a standing boxing position, holding both hands in front of the chin and cheek in a protective shield.
Keep the torso twisted slightly and your feet ready to turn to push the weight towards the target.
Make sure you keep your head down and protected by one hand as you throw the punches.
Keep your weight on the back foot until it’s time for the transfer to gain speed and momentum.
Begin the combination of jab and cross. The jab goes straight out, aiming for the opponent as the right hand protects the chin.
The cross is the power shot of the right hand in a full-body motion that propels the torso and shoulder forward – if you are left-handed, adapt the jab-cross combination to what feels most natural.

10 – LONG JUMP

30 seconds

Find a space where you have 2-3m in front of you, and stand with feet hip-width apart. Engage the core and set the shoulders slightly, ready for movement.
Quickly bend the knees and hips (to about a ½ squat position) and swing the arms backwards. Keep the knees over the toes throughout.
When you hit the lowest position, rapidly extend the hips and drive the arms forwards and up (about a 45-degree angle) to straighten the body and jump forwards.
Keep the core tight and remain balanced during the leap. As you land, drive the legs forward allowing the knees and hips to bend slightly to absorb the landing.
Repeat.