When building your beginner workout plan, it’s essential to include cardio workouts. Cardio workouts are crucial for your health and wellbeing. You can make an effective indoor workout plan and execute it. You can work out in a minimal-spaced area and without any equipment. A beginner cardio workout can be simple.

Which indoor cardio workouts are there for beginners? There are several indoor workouts a beginner can do. You can exercise with or without a machine. Without a personal trainer, it is advisable to work out without any equipment. Some exercises include high knees, butt kicks, lateral shuffles, crab walk, standing oblique crunch, speed skaters, jumping jacks, toe tacks, squats, burpees, vertical jump, and jumping rope.

This article will make you understand the meaning of all these workouts, how they are done, and their importance on your heart, and body. We are also going to discuss how a beginner can achieve their goals. Let’s dive in.

Beginner Cardio Workouts

Cardio workouts will boost your health. They will burn a lot of calories. If you are a beginner planning your cardio workout, ensure you adhere to your exercise’s frequency, intensity, time, and type. Change your routine frequently to stay motivated. This way, you will reap the best cardiovascular endurance results. We are going to discuss the cardio exercises a beginner can do.

1. High Knees

High knees are a cardio workout performed at a fast pace. You can do this exercise when indoors and no equipment is required. It engages the core and strengthens all the muscles in your legs and speeds your heart rate. High knees also improve momentum, coordination and flexibility.

How to do high knees

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your knee to the chest.
• Switch to the other knee. Lift it to your chest. Alternate your legs and move at a running pace.
• Take it slow to modify your high knees. Lift one knee slowly to your chest and switch to the other knee. This helps to understand the motion without placing much pressure on your muscles and cardiovascular system.

Benefits of high knees

• High knees elevate your heart rate.
• They strengthen your knees, lower muscles and core.
• They also help in burning calories and losing weight.

2. Butt Kicks

Butt kicks are cardiovascular exercises often used as a warm-up because they increase the heart rate. They involve using the bottom of your foot to kick your butt. The exercise utilizes the hamstrings while stretching the flexors and quadriceps. Butt kicks are useful in building glutes and are suitable for all fitness levels.

How to do butt kicks

• With your legs wider than your hips stand straight. Lift your leg towards your glutes. At the same time, match the movement with your opposite-side hand coming up towards your shoulder as if you are running.

• Repeat the movement using your other side of the arm and leg. Repeat your movement for one minute. When moving slowly, you will strengthen your cardio. Moving faster will boost your cardio. You can increase your duration with time.
• Beginners are encouraged to start with a smaller range of movement and control your kicks.
• If your knees are weak or injured, keep your legs parallel and work on a deeper bend in the knees. Do not work while in pain.

Benefits of butt kicks

• Butt kicks will work on your cardiovascular system, strengthen your muscles, and endurance using your body weight as resistance.
• They also help in increasing the hamstring contractions speed. This helps to run faster.
• Butt kicks can be used as a dynamic stretch for your quadriceps.
• You can work on your core, arms, and back muscles when you pump your arms while doing your exercise.

3. Lateral Shuffle

Lateral shuffle works on calves, hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, and glutes muscles. This exercise increases coordination and mobility. Lateral shuffle is an excellent cardio exercise that boosts your metabolism and increases blood flow. This gives you a healthier heart and burns calories.

How to do lateral shuffle

• Bend your knee slightly, keeping a tight core. Your hips should be back. Take a light sideways hop to the right.
• Put your left hand almost on your right foot and touch the ground.
• Get back up and hop sideways to the left. Put your right hand almost on your left foot. To intensify your workout, move faster.
• Do as many lateral shuffles as you can in a minute.

Benefits of lateral shuffle

• Lateral shuffle is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise. The exercise gets your heart pumping and makes you breathe heavily.
• You will use your outer and inner thigh when moving from side to side. This ensures the glutes and quads are shaped and toned.
• Lateral shuffle improves body mechanics and movement patterns. Moving sideways balances the body. It also improves reflexes and neuromuscular response time.
• This exercise burns calories and fat.
• It also increases speed and quickness. Lateral shuffle improves one’s confidence.

4. Crab Walk

Crab walk pushes your body beyond its comfort zone. It is a full-body workout that tones and works on your muscles. It is suitable for beginners. This type of exercise balances your weight on your arms and legs. Do not use your hips in this exercise.

There are four different types of crab walking exercise. They will all give you a fit and a healthy body. You do not require equipment for a basic crab walk. These types of crab walk include:

Supine crab walk

This is the basic crab move. If you practice it for a few days, you will become better and faster. Supine crab walk works on triceps, upper arm, shoulders, back, abdominal, hamstrings, and upper legs. This is how to do supine crab walk:

• Sit on the ground and put your legs in a comfortable position. Your palms should be on the ground behind your hips.
• Engage your abdominal muscles. Pull your body from the ground. The weight between your feet and hands should be balanced.
• Using your left foot and right hand, walk a step forward. Repeat the exact process with the other side.

Prone crab walk

It is the opposite of crab walk but equally beneficial. This exercise will work on your inner and outer thigh, arms, and the abdominal. This is how to do prone crab walk:

• Stay in a push-up position (face the ground).
• At the same time, bring your left arm and foot.
• At the same time, walk with your right arm and foot to the left of your body. Do the same process with the other side of your body.
• Repeat the same exercise for 60 seconds.

Sumo crab walk

You have to be standing for this exercise. This works on inner thighs and quadriceps.

When doing sumo crab walk, stand with your feet apart, toes facing out and knees bent.

Your arms should be at the back of your head.

Walk a step forward as far as you can. Turn around to get back to your initial position.

Turn your toes and keep your inner thighs busy while walking.

Work on your quadriceps and hold them in bent-knee position. This position is called the isometric hold.

Traditional crab walk

This is the ancient way of crab walking, and it is favorite among kids. This exercise works on glutes and the butt.

To start this exercise, stand with your toes forward. With your left foot, come out to the left and take your right foot inward. Do the step in reverse.

In a squat position, continue this style with bent knees.

To simplify this step, straighten your legs. You can use a resistance band to hold your ankles and make it challenging.

Benefits of crab walk

• Crab walk strengthens your hamstrings, triceps, shoulders, and abdominal muscles.
• Small children can do it. It gets rid of boredom.
• It is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise.

5. Standing Oblique Crunch

This exercise is performed while standing upright and putting your legs sideways. You do not have to apply pulling motion at your neck, making it suitable for beginners with back and neck pain. It works on your core and improves balance.

 When doing a standing oblique crunch, keep your hands at the back of your head. Stand straight in a shoulder-width posture. Balance your weight on the right foot, lift the left leg up to your side, while initiating movement.

Bend to your left side to lower your elbow and lift the left knee until they both make contact.

Straighten your back up to the initial position and repeat the process.  Switch to the other side and follow the same pattern.

Benefits of standing oblique crunch

• They improve your core strength, balance and help in building abs.
• They are cardio workout and burns calories.

6. Speed Skaters

Speed skaters work like squats, but they are more fun to do. You will burn fat when doing this exercise. They also work on your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Speed skater mimics the motion a skater makes when moving. The exercise is more intense on your heart rate.

How to do speed skaters

• Bend your knees, lean your back forward, and leap onto your right leg.
• Put your left leg behind past your right leg.
• Push your right foot to land on the opposite of your left foot.
• Alternate your feet from side to side.

7. Jumping Jacks

It is simple to do jumping jacks. They are a great deal in keeping fit, boost metabolism, burn calories, and works on your cardio. They are suitable for beginners. Jumping jacks engages every muscle in your body. They also tone muscles.

How to do jumping jacks

• Begin with standing up and put your legs together. Slightly bend your knees and let your hands rest on your thighs.
• While your legs are bent, jump with open arms and legs out to the sides. Raise your arms over the head and legs wider than shoulders.
• Close your arms and legs back to the initial. Repeat the process for a minute.

8. Toe Taps

Toe taps is a great cardio exercise. This exercise warms up body tissues and challenges their speed and agility.

To do toe taps:

• Start by standing facing a step, short bench or a box that is 12” high.
• Bend your elbows to 90 degrees angle. Put your left arm forward and right arm back. Place on the step.
• Keep the chest up, core engaged, and alternate your feet that your right foot is on the ground and the toes are on the step.
• Keep on switching your feet and arms very fast.

Toe taps may seem, easy but it gets hardened by the 30^th second. A beginner can make some modifications and get the benefits. Some modifications include:

• You can go slower at a sustainable pace.
• Keep one foot on the ground always. Keep a slower pace.
• You can also choose a lower target. Find a smaller step.

9. Squats

A beginner should include squats in their to-do list. Squats help in weight loss, tone and build muscles, burn calories, and work on the heart rate. They are useful for quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and the core. Squats will make you functional in daily life.

How to do squats

• Keep your feet wider than hip-width. You can keep them shoulder-width apart. This depends on your flexibility.
• Place your toes a little bit outward.
• Your chest should be up. Do not look up or down. Just look forward.
• Squeeze your glutes. Ensure your hips are in the front.
• Bend your knees, drive your hips behind you to squat.
• Straighten the legs when exhaling. Drive your hips while your body is getting back to its original position.

Conclusion

You now know different types of indoor cardio workout for beginners. No matter what your current interest is, you can find the best cardio workout. You can also workout at any time you wish. It is always good to do different exercises to break boredom and explore more. Plan a monthly workout plan and keep on re-evaluating yourself.