Do you want to lose excess fat with the help of physical exercises? Abs workout  isn’t a solution. You should do heavy compound exercises (such as killer back workout  and cardio. In this article, we will tell you about effective cardio workouts for women & men. It should be noted that cardio workouts presented below may be performed within 30 minutes or even less.

Best cardio workout at home for men

There are many cardio workouts for men, but we choose one of the most optimal.

This training program can be performed at home, since it requires only a skipping rope and uses its own body weight for training. Exercises:

• Jumping Rope;
• Mountain Climber;
• Squat Jumping;
• Crunches;
• Squats.

How to perform this workout routine? The program is cyclical, that is, exercises are performed in circuits. Rest between exercises for 10 seconds. Such a short rest is necessary to change the exercise. It takes minimum time in order not to slow down the pace. The rest between cycles should be 2 minutes.

Thus, in one round you should do:

• Jumping Rope – 100 reps;
• Mountain Climber – 30 reps;
• Squat Jumping – 15 reps;
• Ab Crunches –20 reps;
• Squats – 25 reps.

So you need to perform 4 cycles (circle).

How often to perform the routine? This program is designed to perform 1 time in 2 weeks with other sports activities. You can also use it as an intermediate chain, when changing the basic training cycles.

Best Cardio Workout at Home for Women

Here’s the best cardio workout at home for women.

• Warm-Up –  5 minutes;
• Jumping Rope – 2 sets of 5 min;
• Х-Jumps – 2 sets of 2 min;
• Jogging in Place – 2 sets of 2 min;
• Airbike Exercise – 2 sets of 2 min.

Rest between exercises to lose weight should be 20 seconds. You can do a circuit training, doing a full range of exercises in one set, then take a break of 1 minute, and repeat the circuit. In addition to running and jumping, your cardio workout at home can be diversified by the following exercises:

• Push-Ups

Females may perform supported push-ups, while men can perform ordinary ones.

• Sit-Ups

There are several types of squats. The most effective are:

• Ordinary Squats — make a move like you sit on a chair;
• Sumo Squats – stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned out.

• Crunches

A good aerobic load for burning excess fat on the abdomen is given by exercises on the abs. Straight and lateral crunches, captain leg raises, reverse crunches – there are many variations.

• Plank

This is a very effective exercise for all muscle groups, the performance of which can be the final step in cardio training. It is not recommended to perform the same exercise for a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to gather them in the cardio complex. The above exercises with the addition of running and jumping make up an effective interval training to burn fat.

Read more about high-intensive exercises in our article about HIIT gym workout.

Best cardio workout at gym for men

Part 1:

• Ordinary running – 5-7 min.
• Sidestep – 1 min for each side (2 minutes in total)
• High jog – 1 min.
• Jogging – 3 min.
• Speed-up – 30 sec.
• Jogging 1 min (repeat the fifth and the sixth step 3 times).
• High jog – 1 min.
• Ordinary running – 3-5 min.

Part 2:

• Standing dumbbell press – 20-25 repetitions; core extension – 1 min; standing dumbbell flyes – 20 to 25 repetitions.
• Sit-ups – 20 – 25 repetitions; sit-ups with jumps – 10-15 repetitions; lunges – 10-12 reps (for each leg).
• Plank – 1-1.5 min; spider plank – 20 repetitions.
• Side plank – 1-1.5 min for each side; pelvic lift in plank position – 15-20 reps for each side.
• Dumbbell curls – 40 reps for each arm; two-arms tricep extension – 40 reps.
• Crunches – 25 to 30 reps; side crunches – 25 to 30 reps.
• Jumping rope – 3 to 5 min; squats with dumbbells – 18 to 20 reps.

Best Cardio Workout at Gym for Women

If a woman visits a gym for the first time, it is impossible to train without the help of an experienced trainer. Cardio on sports machines will help to quickly restore the form and get rid of chronic fatigue, while excessive loads are contraindicated even for people with good health. After each such marathon, the female body will respond with pain in each muscle, and will show irritability of the nervous system to any external factor.

The most popular and effective gym machines for women are:

• treadmill machine;
• stairmaster;
• mini-stepper;
• elliptical machine;
• cycling machine.

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Your gym cardio workout plan may include the following exercises:

• Walking;
• Running Stairs;
• Kettlebells;
• Jumping Rope;
• HIIT;
• Cycling;
• Rowing.

You can also try Body Revolution Cardio with Jillian Michaels.

Universal 30-Minute Cardio Workouts

Are you looking for 30-minute cardio workout? We have some perfect options for you.

1. 30-Minute Low Impact Workout to Torch Calories. If you have contraindications to intensive loads, try the Low Impact Workout program. Trainers Justin Norris and Taylor Gainor offer a high-intensity interval training without jumping, which will be safe for health and effective for the figure. In the first half, you will perform cardio exercises without inventory, in the second half you will need an expander and a short elastic band for the legs. Even the exercises with a resistance band  in this program are held at a fast aerobic pace. In the last five minutes, you should perform a cooldown with a special roller (foam roller), but if you do not have it, you can do any other cooldown. You can find a video with this training on Youtube.

2. 30-Minute Full-Body Cardio and Toning Workout Even a Beginner Can Do. The star trainer Lacey Stone offers one more quality cardio training for fat burning at home. The program is declared as easily performed even for beginners, but we would not recommend carrying out this program without at least minimal physical training. In the first 10 minutes of this workout, you should perform dynamic exercises without jumping and shock loads, and then you should move to plyometric movements. But due to the alternation of intensive and less intensive work, the workout is performed quite easily. The last 8 minutes should be spent on the floor, you will perform exercises for muscle tonus: push-ups, planks, bridges, the Superman, etc. Sports equipment is not needed. This workout can be performed before or after the main workout (strength training), but the most preferable option is after the main workout.

3. 30-Minute Cardio-Boxing and Core-Tightening Workout. If you are positive about programs based on elements from different martial arts (you might be interested in steroids in MMA), then try the video routine from the charming personal trainer Christa Dipaolo. She offers a kind of cardio boxing, in which you will find a large number of boxing movements with dumbbells. Take the minimum possible weight (1-2 lbs), but if you do not have such dumbbells, you can perform exercises without them (or replace with weighting agents). In addition to arm and leg kicking, you will perform simple jumps for additional burning calories. Also, you will perform several exercises on the floor to develop the core muscles (beginner core workout, link to article 47). You may also be interested in Manny Pacquiao and steroids.

We should focus your attention on the importance of sleep and nutrition, especially during periods of intensive training sessions. This is a separate topic, but you definitely should know: cardio exercises can be done actively only if the amount of carbohydrates the body receives. In the human body, poor quantities of carbohydrates may lead to increased fatigue. And finally, pay attention to the fact that as the physical form is restored it will become more difficult to achieve the necessary intensity of cardio training. At times, simple walking or climbing stairs makes the heart beat violently, especially if you have not done sports for a long time. Do not despair, literally in 1.5 – 2 months of persistent workouts you will feel the whole strength of the natural recovery of your body. You can also use special supplements, which help to boost testosterone naturally and, consequently, improve muscle recovery and growth.