New Year New You Cardio Workout
New Year, New You Beginner Cardio Workout
The second workout of my beginner workout series is a beginner cardio workout! Yay! We all know how much I love cardio… I’m not a huge fan. But I know its a great way to burn some major calories! So, I came up with a no jumping (and no running) beginner cardio workout for the fitness beginner!
This workout has a few of my favorites… like BURPEES and sumo squats and side lunges but also some a new move I haven’t done yet on my blog! Since there is no jumping, we are going to do some of these exercises a bit differently. For example, instead of sumo squat jumps, we will do a sumo squat to toes. Meaning you will squat down in a wide leg squat and then push up through your heels and when you reach standing you will go to your toes.
Cardio Workout
I have made a video for this beginner cardio workout so you can follow along and you will be able to see the exercise in full speed! I love pictures but sometimes a video is just better to get the full process of the exercise. 🙂
Just like the Total Body workout, this beginner cardio workout will be in 30 second on and 15 second off intervals! So you will do each exercise for 30 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds and move onto the next exercise. If you do 3 rounds of this, it will take you 18 minutes! Add other round and you will be under 25 minutes! Don’t forget to warm up and cool down!
Step by Step Instructions:
Knees to elbow
- First, start with your feet hip width distance apart
- Next, put your hands behind your head
- Then, With control pull your left knee up towards your elbow and bring you left elbow towards your knee (doing a crunching motion with your obliques)
- Next, controlled bring your left foot back down to the ground
- Then, with control pull your right knee up towards your elbow and bring your right elbow towards your knee (doing a crunching motion with your obliques)
- Next, controlled bring your right foot back down to the ground
- Repeat
Sumo squat to toes
- First, step your feet out to wider than your shoulders and pointed out at a 45 degree angle
- Then, lower down into a squat
- Pushing through your heels raise up past standing to the tips of your toes
- Next, lower your heels back down and lower into a squat
- Push through your heels to raise up past standing to the tips of your toes
- Repeat
Right Side lunge pulse
- First, start with your feet wider than shoulder distance apart
- Then, leaning towards the right side, lower into a side lunge
- Slowly raise up an inch or 2, then lower back down
- Repeat
Left Side lunge pulse
- First, start with your feet wider than shoulder distance apart
- Then, leaning towards the left side, lower into a side lunge
- Slowly raise up an inch or 2, then lower back down
- Repeat
Skaters
- First, start with your feet hip distance apart
- Then, bring your left foot behind you and your left arm crosses over to the right side
- Lower down into the position (like a curtsy lunge)
- Next, stand back up and step over to the left
- Then, bring your right foot behind you and your right arm crosses over to the left side
- Lower down into the position (like a curtsy lunge)
- Next, stand back up and step over to the right
- Repeat
Heisman shuffle
- First, start with your feet together
- Next, bring your right knee up towards your chest and bring your left elbow towards your right knee
- Then, with control lower back down
- Next, side shuffle 2 steps (feet closer together and quickly) towards the right
- Bring your left knee up towards your chest and bring your right elbow towards your left knee
- Then, with control lower back down
- Next, side shuffle 2 steps (feet closer together and quickly) towards the left
- Repeat
Burpees
- First, start with your feet hip distance apart
- Next, Lower back into a deep squat and put your hands on the ground
- Then, step back into plank one foot at a time
- After getting into plank, step back up towards your hands, one foot at a time
- Then, pushing through your heels, stand back up
- Repeat
Plank step outs
- First, start down in plank, with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees on the ground (If you can hold a plank on your toes, Go for it!!)
- Then, step your left foot out to the left
- Next, bring your left foot back to the center
- Then, step your right foot out to the right
- Next, bring your right foot back to the center
- Repeat
What do you think of this cardio workout addition to the beginner New Year, New You workout series? I have 3 more workouts to complete this series coming this month!
Hi there! I’m Amanda! I founded Fueled by Coffee and Fitness to guide you on your fitness journey with short but sweet workouts, easy food ideas, fitness fashion and family friendly fun!
Once my vacation is over I plan on getting back into working out, so I am totally pinning this for later. Thanks so much for sharing!
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it!
Oh, I like this routine! It looks a bit tough, but a great workout. And I love that it can all be done at home without equipment.
You can do it! The best part, no jumping or running and my heart rate got up to 145! YES!
Thank you so much for this! I’m really trying to get healthy this year as I had a bit of a health scare recently. Right now, I’m focusing on arms and core but I think this will be perfect for to start with!
This is a great cardio addition! I will be sharing an upper body, core, and lower body focused workouts for beginners very soon!!
Great cardio beginner workout! I am committed to 3x work out classes at my gym and so far so good. These are perfect for the days I don’t plan on going.
That’s great! I love the classes at my gym! So fun!
The little perfectionist voice in me says “all or nothing” but the sane me says these would be great – even if I only did one or two of them a day. You have a great way of explaining how to do them!
I am the same. All or nothing but just a little bit a day is beneficial as well!
I really need this cardio workout for my body goals I need to save this website to apply this cardio workout thanks for sharing!
Oh I hate sumo squats but they are so effective! What a great cardio workout! Cardio is definitely something I struggle with!
Sumo squats are the best! 😀
So loving this! I will be saving this to my phone and trying it at the gym asap!
Yay!
This is such a comprehensive workout! I really love how you include photos of every step and a video. It really helps to ease intimidation.
I love owrkouts that you can just do at home while the kids are napping or getting ready for school. This look like an easy one for nearly everyone. Starting the year off right always makes me feel good.
Great workout series- this is a tough cardio workout!
Awesome detailed workouts! Pulses are one of those exercises where you look at it and are like “Oh, that is easy” and then 10 seconds into the routine you are like “OMG How can I possibly sweat this much!”
YES! Love them because they hurt so good! 😉
Thanks for sharing this workout! I’m trying to work out more at home, so this is perfect!
Love the combination of the cardio exercises. I have recently paid for the gym fee. Squads are my favorite and burpees are my least favorite exercise.
It seems like Burpees are everyone’s least favorite exercise. I love them because they are a total body exercise and amazing cardio!
Thank you for sharing these! I love easy, yet effective workouts!!
I was consistently working out before the New Year until I got a little sick. That felt sooo good. I remember that amazing feeling. So, now I am going to go back to that consistency. It is not easy, but I know that it will pay off in the end.
It would definitely be worth it in the end! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this work out 🙂 need to try it out!
As always, I appreciated your detailed explanations as well as the photos and video! I must admit that I absolutely despite burpees. But I do like cardio and know that burpees are an essential component. I like your variations as well. I do planks regularly, but the plank step outs is a good way to mix it up and get more out of the workout.
Burpees are amazing cardio… its probably why most of my cardio workouts include them. 🙂
Great workout! I’ll look forward to trying it out.
These are all such great detailed workouts! I should start doing these 🙂
This is a great workout. I love that it’s something easy and you can do it at home.
This is a great set of workout to help the entire body. I love the fact that it can be done at home 🙂
This is great! I need to get serious about working out again. I basically just use the bike and treadmill and will do a few squats. It’s been a while since I’ve done more than that.
Omg what a killer workout!!! I really need to get back on my fitness grind!!! I always feel like my best self when I’m working out all
The time
I love lunges and planks. those are my favorites. I just feel better after I do them. Great video!
Great workout to do at home when I don’t have time to go to a class! Adding it to my repertoire straight away!
Yay! I hope you enjoy it!