13 Creative Ways to Get a Cardio Workout in Your Bedroom
Of course you know one way to rev up your heart rate in your bedroom. But for those times when you don’t have a, er, gym partner, there are other ways to get a legit cardio workout in a relatively small space. Try all or any combination of these moves below from CosmoBody trainer Astrid McGuire to break a quick sweat and boost your metabolism when you lack the motivation to go to the gym. Stick with each move for 30 to 60 seconds, then move on to the next exercise.
1. Heel Kicks: Bend both elbows to a 90-degree angle. Stand on your right foot as you kick your left heel back toward your butt and bring your right arm forward. Then drive your right elbow backward and bring your left arm forward as you hop to your left foot and kick your right heel back to your butt. Continue to alternate arms and legs.
Where you’ll feel it: Your hips and quads.
RELATED:26 Mistakes You’re Making on Cardio Machines
2. High Knees: Bend each elbow to a 90-degree angle. Stand on your right foot as you lift your left knee to hip height and bring your right arm forward. Then swing your right arm backward and bring your left arm forward as you hop to your left foot and lift your right knee to hip height. Continue to alternate arms and legs in quick succession.
Where you’ll feel it: Your quads, butt, and core.
3. Alternating Reverse Lunge With Cross-Body Punch: Stand with both feet together and your hands in fists at chest level. Keeping your left knee behind your left toes and your shoulders stacked over your hips, take a large step backward with your right foot and lower down into a reverse lunge. At the same time, twist your upper body toward the left and punch diagonally across your chest with your right fist. Turn back to center and bring your right fist in toward your chest, as you push into your left heel and come up to stand with your feet together. Repeat on the opposite side, this time stepping backward with your left foot, twisting toward the right, and punching diagonally across your chest with your left fist. Turn back to center and come up out of the lunge to complete one rep. Continue to alternate sides, punching toward the front leg’s side.
Where you’ll feel it: Your quads, hamstrings, and butt, plus your core, arms and back.
4. Reverse Lunge Knee Pump: Start with your feet together. Take a large step back with your right foot. Keeping your left knee behind the left toes, bend your front knee and lower your body straight down toward the floor until your front thigh is nearly parallel to the ground. With a soft bend in the elbows, bring both arms straight overhead. From this position, press into your left heel as you straighten your left leg, bring your right knee in toward your chest, and swing both arms down toward your sides. Return to starting position to complete one rep. Continue for up to 60 seconds, then reverse legs and repeat for the same amount of time on the opposite side.
Where you’ll feel it: Your butt, quads, hamstrings, arms, and core.
5. Reverse Lunge Cross-Body Punches: Take a large step back with your left foot. Keeping your right knee behind the right toes, bend your front knee and lower your body straight down toward the floor until your front thigh is parallel to the ground. Without coming up from this position, make a fist with each hand and bend your elbows to bring your fists up to your chest. Twist to the left as you punch diagonally across your chest with your right hand. Twist back to center and bring your right fist back in to your chest, then twist to the right and punch diagonally across your chest with your left fist. Come back to center to complete one rep. Continue to alternate for up to 60 seconds, then reverse legs and continue to punch with alternating arms for the same amount of time.
Where you’ll feel it: Your butt, quads, hamstrings, core, and back.
6. Sumo Squat Jumps: Stand with your feet wider than shoulders-width apart and point your toes about 45-degrees outward. Keeping your shoulders stacked over your hips, reach both hands down toward the floor as you bend your knees to lower your torso straight down until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor. From this position, press up through the soles of your feet as you extend your legs and jump straight up. Land lightly with soft knees and your feet in starting position to complete one rep.
Where you’ll feel it: Your butt, quads, hamstrings, and calves.
RELATED:3 Cardio Exercises That Work Better Than Jumping Jacks
7. Plank to Frog Jump: Get into push-up position with your feet about shoulders-width apart and your shoulders stacked over your wrists. Your body should form a straight line between your head and heels. From this position, engage your core and bend your knees to jump both feet up to frame your hands. Press into your palms as you jump back to starting position to complete one rep.
Where you’ll feel it: Your core, back, chest, and legs.
8. Mountain Climbers: Get into push-up position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists. From this position, engage your core as you drive your left knee in toward your chest. Place the left foot back on the ground in push-up position, then drive your right knee in toward your chest. Continue to alternate in quick succession.
Where you’ll feel it: Your core, back, chest, and legs.
9. Standing Mountain Climbers: Stand on your right foot as you lift your left knee to hip height and drive your right arm straight up into the air. Then release your right arm and drive your left arm straight up as you hop to your left foot and lift your right knee to hip height. Continue to alternate arms and legs.
Where you’ll feel it: Your legs, butt, and core.
RELATED:11 Exercises to Sculpt Strong, Sexy Legs
10. Lateral Lunges With High Knee Hop: Stand on your left foot and bring your right knee in toward your chest as you drive your left arm up for balance and drive your right elbow behind you. From this position, step your right foot out to the side and bend your right knee to lower into a side lunge as you drive your right arm forward for balance and bring the left elbow behind you. Press into your right foot as you alternate arms and extend the right leg to lift up out of the lunge. Bring your right knee back in to your chest to complete one rep. Continue lunging to the right for up to 60 seconds, then lunge to the left for the same amount of time.
11. Bob Weave Punch: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulders-width apart, and bend your knees to lower your torso toward the ground. Make a fist with each hand, and bring both fists in toward your chest. From this position, stand as you lift your right heel off the ground, twist from the waist toward the left, and punch your right first across your chest to punch toward the left. Turn back to center, and bring your right hand and heel back to starting position as you bend both knees and lower down to starting position. Then straighten your legs as you lift your left heel off the ground, twist from the waist toward the right, and drive your left fist across your chest to punch toward the right. Turn back to center to return to starting position and complete one rep.
Where you’ll feel it: Your thighs, butt, core, arms, and back.
12. Alternating Toes Shuffle: Stand with both feet together and bend your knees about 45 degrees. Bend both elbows and bring both hands up near your chest. Keeping your chest high and body low to the ground, lift your right heel up off the ground, as you drive your left hand up. Then release your right heel and lift your left heel up off the ground as you reverse arms, this time driving your right hand forward. Continue to alternate in quick succession.
Where you’ll feel it: Your calves, quads, and core.
13. Knee Drives: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulders-width apart and your weight in your right foot. Drive both arms straight up over you right shoulder. Engage your core as you bring both arms down toward your left hip, and lift your left knee in toward your chest. Return to starting position to complete one rep. Continue for up to 60 seconds, then repeat for the same amount of time on the opposite side.
Where you’ll feel it: Your core, arms, and legs.
More from Cosmopolitan.com:
11 Quick Moves for Insanely Sexy Arms
12 Surprising Ways to Sculpt Sexy Abs
6 Exercises for a Rounder Butt
By Elizabeth Narins
