Over 110 Cardio Workout Ideas

You all probably know how great aerobic activity is for your heart, body and mind. After all, regular cardio exercise has been shown to reduce body fat, decrease total cholesterol, boost mood, lower resting heart rate, and improve heart and lung function. It's almost like a magic "health" pill when you think about!

So why don't more people do cardio regularly? Well, some think it has to extremely hard or miserable, and others just don't set aside the time to make it a priority. Both camps are misguided, as aerobic exercise doesn't have to be back-breaking (it can actually be fun!) and being active is a cornerstone to living a long, healthy life. When you get right down to it, what do we have if we don't have our health?

The really fantastic news is that cardio doesn't have to take you forever and it doesn't have to be at the gym--nor does it have to include running or other high-impact exercises (although those are great forms of aerobic activity if you like them!). There are hundreds of cardio options out there. The trick is picking a few that you like and then doing them intensely enough to count as cardiovascular exercise.

How does one particular thing go from "activity" to "cardio?" It just has to meet two principles.

1. The first is intensity: It only counts as cardio when you elevate your heart rate into an aerobic zone, which is 55% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. You can calculate your target heart rate here. Simply check your pulse during any activity to find out if your activity counts as exercise.
    
2. Second is time: For any activity to count as cardio, it has to last at least 10 minutes per session. Shoot for a minimum of 10-20 minutes per session, building up to a full hour over time. And remember, time can be cumulative, so 10 minutes here and there throughout the day is a perfectly fine and convenient way to squeeze in your cardio!

Lastly, for best results, you need to do at least 3 days of cardio—with no more than 2 days off between sessions—per week. As you get stronger, you can work towards doing cardio 5 to 6 days a week.

Anything from the extensive list below that meets the intensity and time guidelines above can count as aerobic exercise!

At The Gym


1. Elliptical trainer
2. Stair stepper (Stairmaster)
3. Stationary or recumbent bike
4. Jacob's ladder (the climbing "treadmill" often seen on "The Biggest Loser")
5. Arm ergometer (arm cycle)
6. Rowing machine
7. Circuit training
8. Treadmill walking or running
9. Kettlebells
10. Interval training
11. Box jumps
12. Step ups
13. Plyometrics
    
    Household Chores
     
14. Vacuuming
15. Scrubbing floors
16. Cleaning the bathtub
17. Washing windows
18. Mopping
19. Changing sheets
20. Painting
21. Heavy renovations (pulling carpet, knocking down walls, etc.)
22. Moving furniture
23. Raking
24. Gardening
25. Cleaning the gutters
26. Washing the car
27. Mowing the lawn with a push mower
28. Shoveling snow
29. Sweeping the patio and walkways
30. Cleaning out the garage
31. Heavy landscaping such as planting trees, shrubs and bushes
    
    The Great Outdoors
     
32. Cycling
33. Hiking
34. Snowshoeing
35. Downhill skiing
36. Cross-country skiing
37. Water skiing
38. Wakeboarding
39. Rock climbing
40. Jogging / Running
41. Power walking (brisk walking)
42. Rollerblading
43. Paddling a canoe
44. Nordic walking
45. Surfing
46. Paddle boarding
47. Swimming
48. Water jogging/running
49. Skateboarding
50. Bleacher running
51. Ice skating
    
    Sports
     
52. Tennis
53. Flag football
54. Hitting balls at the driving range
55. Soccer
56. Hockey
57. Basketball
58. Lacrosse
59. Boxing
60. Martial arts
61. Kickboxing
62. Kickball
63. Karate
64. Jiu-jitsu
65. Racquetball
    
    Group Classes
     
66. Spinning
67. Step aerobics
68. Jazzercise
69. Zumba
70. Bootcamp
71. Power yoga (Ashtanga and/or Vinyasa)
72. Salsa dancing
73. Dance classes or lessons
74. Cardio kickboxing
75. Hi-lo floor aerobics
76. Water aerobics
77. BODYPUMP
78. Silver Sneakers
79. Gliding
80. Hip hop dance
81. Sports conditioning
82. CrossFit
83. Krav Maga
84. StrollerStrides or StrollerFit classes
85. Turbokick
    
    Popular Workout Videos
     
86. P90X
87. Insanity
88. Chalean Extreme
89. Cardio Blast with Coach Nicole
90. Hip Hop Hustle
91. Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred
92. The Biggest Loser workouts
93. Tae Bo
94. Walk Away the Pounds
95. Sweatin' to the Oldies
96. Turbo Jam / Turbo Fire
97. Hip Hop Abs
98. Gilad's Bodies in Motion
99. Dancing with the Stars workouts
100. 10 Minute Solution cardio titles
101. Coach Nicole's 10-Minute Jump Rope Cardio video
102. Coach Nicole's 10-Minute Jump Start Cardio video
103. Coach Nicole's 10-Minute Cardio Kickboxing video
     
     Play Time
      
104. Walking the dog
105. Playing with your children
106. Dodge ball
107. Tag
108. Hooping (hula hooping)
109. Obstacle courses
110. Jump rope
111. Water games in a pool
112. Playing with your dog
113. Skipping
114. Hop scotch
115. Taking the stairs
116. Jumping jacks
117. Trampoline jumping (rebounding)

See? There's no shortage of options! Have fun finding some new favorite cardio exercises from the list above. With this many choices, there's never an excuse to get bored or dread cardio ever again!

This article has been reviewed and approved by certified personal trainers Jen Mueller and Nicole Nichols.  

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