Workout of the week: 20-min cardio workout

30th December 2024

ALL LEVELS / cardio workout / 20 minutes

Equipment: Gym mat

With New Year’s Eve just around the corner, an electric sense of anticipation is in the air! To kickstart that fresh energy, we’re bringing you a no-equipment cardio workout that’ll get your heart pumping and boost your endurance for whatever the night holds.

This cardio workout is a challenging and fun training session that makes you do 300 reps of 5 exercises. How? By starting the first round with 100 reps of each exercise and then decreasing 20 reps each round for a total of 5 rounds.

Squat jacks
Mountain climbers
Quadruped shoulder taps
Jumping lunges
Scissors

Ready? Let’s get that heart pumping!

WORKOUT SETUP

5 exercises
5 rounds
100 reps in the 1st round
20 reps less every subsequent round
20 minutes
Equipment: Exercise mat

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

5 rounds

1 – SQUAT JACKS

100-80-60-40-20 reps

Start in a squat position with your feet together, hands almost touching the ground and next to your ankles.
Explosively jump into a wide squat, opening your arms above your head like a jumping jack.
Jump back into the squat part, with both legs together, knees bent, and arms on your sides.
Don’t forget to try to keep your chest up and look ahead while performing the move.

2 – MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

100-80-60-40-20 reps

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

3 – QUADRUPED SHOULDER TAPS

100-80-60-40-20 reps

Begin on your hands and knees, all fours — knees beneath hips and hands beneath shoulders.
Maintain your head in a neutral position.
Lift one hand off the floor and tap the opposite shoulder. Try not to shift your hips or weight.
Repeat the movement, but now with the other hand.
Repeat.

4 – JUMPING LUNGES

100-80-60-40-20 reps

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.

5 – SCISSORS

100-80-60-40-20 reps

Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms crossed over your chest, then lift both legs slightly off the ground.
Engage your core and lift slightly your upper body from the mat.
Cross your right leg over your left, then spread them apart again and cross your left leg over your right.
Continue alternating legs in control for 30 seconds.
Slowly lower your legs back to the mat and rest.