15 Best Cardio Workouts for Increasing Your Heart Rate

Cardio is shorthand for cardiovascular training, and it encompasses any physical activity—such as running, cycling, or dancing—that elevates your heart rate. Cardio is also considered aerobic exercise, meaning it demands elevated oxygen flow, which causes you to breathe harder. Cardio is essential if you want to strengthen your heart and lungs and be healthier overall.

Find a cardio workout routine that fits into your lifestyle so you can experience the following health benefits.

1. 1. Heart health: This includes reduced blood pressure, a lower risk of heart disease, and overall improved heart health.
2. 2. Longevity: By making your heart and lungs stronger, you improve your overall fitness levels and cardiovascular health. Your heart develops a lower measure of beats per minute (BPM) than it would if you otherwise led a sedentary lifestyle, which suggests your body has an improved ability to handle different stressors.
3. 3. Muscle growth: Even with no equipment, cardio workouts employ a wide range of motion that can help build strength in your hamstrings, quads, and glutes. For a powerful whole-body workout, consider implementing a workout plan that incorporates weights—such as dumbbells, a barbell, or kettlebells—with high-intensity cardio exercises like the kettlebell swing.
4. 4. Mental health: There are emotional and mental benefits to doing regular cardio. Working out improves blood flow throughout your body, including in your brain, which can improve your cognitive functions. Working out also releases endorphins—naturally occurring chemicals in your body that make you feel good.
   

Get your heart pumping with these popular cardio exercises.

1. 1. Biking: In addition to being a good cardio workout, biking exercises muscles in your legs, glutes, and hips. You can do it anywhere your bike can go or on a stationary bike in your home.
2. 2. Burpees: Burpees are a full-body, high-intensity exercise designed to raise your heart rate. Start in a standing position, then squat down and place your hands flat on the ground. Hop your legs back so you’re in a push-up stance. Do a push-up, then hop back into a squat. Stand up and repeat the exercise for your desired number of repetitions.
3. 3. Brisk walking: Work the largest muscle groups in your body (your glutes and other muscles in your legs) by briskly walking. You must move fast enough (covering about three miles per hour) for walking to qualify as moderate-intensity exercise. This is a great choice for cardio beginners.
4. 4. Circuit training: The premise of circuit training is to combine strength training and cardio into one routine. Talk to a personal trainer at your local gym to build one of these routines.
5. 5. Climbing: With the proper safety gear, you can practice rock climbing in the wild or in a gym. There are even climbing cardio machines that work similarly to a treadmill. Climbing is a great way to improve your cardio while building upper-body strength.
6. 6. Elliptical: An elliptical trainer is a popular piece of gym equipment that requires you to move your legs back and forth as though you’re skiing or skating. Exercise on an elliptical machine is low-impact, and many users can watch TV or read a book while using this equipment.
7. 7. High-intensity interval training: Also called HIIT workouts, this type of training involves alternating short bursts of exercise with brief periods of rest. You do them in 30-second intervals—for example, 20 seconds of high-intensity training followed by 10 seconds of rest—before the cycle repeats. For a classic HIIT workout, do 30 seconds of burpees followed by 30 seconds of rest 10 times for an effective 10-minute workout.
8. 8. Jumping jacks: Jumping jacks are considered a plyometric exercise. They'll get your heart rate up and help build strength in your lower body. To perform a jumping jack, stand with your feet together and your hands at your sides. Jump up while simultaneously spreading your legs shoulder-width apart and reaching your arms up until they touch above your head. Do jumping jacks for your desired number of reps or amount of time.
9. 9. Squat jumps: A jump squat, also known as a squat jump, is a plyometric exercise (a jump-training exercise) that adds a jumping motion to a traditional squat. This bodyweight exercise involves leaping directly upwards at the top of the squat position. With proper form, jump squats can be a great way to improve strength in your lower body.
10. 10. High knees: Similar to jogging in place, this simple but effective exercise involves lifting one knee at a time up to your hips in quick succession. Do a few minutes of high knees as a warm-up exercise before you go for a run or start a more intense cardio workout.
11. 11. Jumping rope: The only thing you need to jump rope is the rope itself. Hold one end of the rope in each hand and rotate it in an arc over your head. Jump over the rope as it sweeps close to the ground and repeat, as the rope circles underneath you and over your head in a circular movement. You can practice jumping rope with the rope moving in one particular direction, then try perfecting your technique with the rope moving in the opposite direction.
12. 12. Lunges: To work out your glutes while elevating your heart rate, perform forward or backward lunges. To get into the lunge position, place your hands on your hips and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Keeping your shoulders and hips square, step backward with your right leg so that both of your knees bend in 90-degree angles and your right knee lightly grazes the ground. Return to your original standing position and then repeat, this time stepping backward with your left leg. Alternate legs for your desired number of repetitions.
13. 13. Push-ups: Push-ups are one of the best at-home workouts. A basic push-up involves moving from the ground into an extended-arm high plank position and then back down again. Push-ups work your arms, shoulders, core (abdomen), and other muscles.
14. 14. Rowing machine: Gyms commonly feature rowing machines, but models are available for private home use, too. Rowing is a good exercise if you are looking for a low-impact activity since it requires no jumping or other explosive movements.
    
15. 15. Mountain climbers: To perform mountain climbers, get in a high plank starting position with your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees off the ground. Bring your right knee to your chest, then switch sides and bring your left knee to your chest. Repeat this movement pattern as quickly as possible for an intense cardio workout.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

To see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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