This Low-Impact Cardio Workout Is Perfect for Beginners

Break a healthy sweat in just 8 minutes of cardio.

A cardio workout is the go to weight loss formula! An elevated heart rate and proper breathing is the key to a productive cardio session. Beginners should move at their own pace but at the same time giving max effort to fully benefit from the workout. This cardio session doesn't require a treadmill or miles of running space, all these workouts can be done from your living room.

Fitness instructor Kara Liotta demonstrates a beginner cardio workout she designed to make you sweat. Prepare to jump, jog, squat, and get your heart rate up in only 8 intense minutes. Having a fulfilled cardio workout is all bout effort, when jumping, jogging and squatting make sure to be explosive and breathes so enough oxygen is getting to those overworked muscles!

Show Less

This video features Kara Liotta.

Duration: 8:32. Last Updated On: Nov. 8, 2017, 6:14 p.m.

Transcript

00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
01:30 [MUSIC]
01:32 For everyone out there just starting to workout and developing your own
01:36 personal fitness routines, trust me on this one, cardio, cardio and more cardio.
01:40 [MUSIC]
01:44 Hey guys, I'm Kara Liotta, and I've developed this workout to make you sweat.
01:49 Seriously, we're going to be jogging, jumping, squatting, and
01:52 even making our way down to the floor.
01:54 The idea is to keep the heart rate up, so jump in, and let's get started.
01:58 We have an active recovery with 15 reps in between.
02:01 All right. Let's go ahead and
02:02 start our active recovery of jogging in place.
02:04 So you're just kinda moving the arms and the legs.
02:06 So it's a nice, easy swing and just get the heart rate up.
02:09 Just shifting the weight.
02:10 Right leg, left leg, shoulders rolled back and loosen up your neck a little bit.
02:14 We'll just be here ten, nine, eight, seven,
02:18 six, five, four, three, two, jumping jacks.
02:23 Here's the first one.
02:23 Up and up.
02:24 So a little wider, we took our arms all the way up to the ceiling on this one.
02:28 We got ten, nine, eight, seven, six more.
02:33 Five, four, three, two, nice.
02:38 Back to those jogs.
02:39 Okay, so keep it moving, try not to take a break in between.
02:41 Let the arms just kinda keep pumping, shoulders back.
02:45 Just easy here, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five more, last four, three.
02:53 We're coming into a knee pull here.
02:54 Step one leg forward, take the opposite leg back, swing your arms up by your ears,
02:59 and pull the knee in.
03:00 [MUSIC]
03:00 As you swing the elbows down, nice job you guys, we haveten, nine,
03:06 eight, seven, six nice job you guys, last four.
03:10 Three, let's switch sides, here we go, swap it out, pull.
03:14 So use the lower abs to pump that leg in.
03:16 Pull, ten, nine, eight, seven more.
03:21 Six, five, four, three, two, last one and jog it out.
03:28 Nice, all right. We've got halfway through.
03:30 Relax the shoulders and bounce it out.
03:31 Ten more, easy.
03:34 Eight, six, five, four, three, two.
03:40 Let's take it into a squat.
03:41 So let the knees face forward.
03:43 Separate the legs, sink down, hold it here.
03:46 We jump in, jump out.
03:48 So you wanna try and keep the hips nice and low here.
03:52 In, out, pull.
03:53 Let's go eight more.
03:55 Eight, seven, six, five, just four.
04:00 Three, two, and jog it out.
04:02 All right, you guys.
04:04 So last part of this first circuit.
04:06 Relax your shoulders, keep moving.
04:08 Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, let's take it down to the floor here.
04:15 So we're coming into a mountain climber.
04:17 You're in a low plank.
04:18 Pull the right leg in and the left leg in.
04:21 So keep a soft bend in your elbows.
04:23 Try to keep the hips low.
04:25 Ten, nine, eight, seven.
04:28 Pull the shoulders back from the ears.
04:30 Pull.
04:31 Three, two, and one.
04:33 Pick it up standing, and let's jog it out.
04:35 That's the end of that first circuit, and
04:37 I'm gonna repeat the circuit one more time.
04:40 We have eight, seven, six, five, four, three.
04:45 Jumping jacks, here we go, pick it up, swing the arms.
04:49 Huh, really reach the fingertips all the way up to the ceiling.
04:54 Eight, here's six, nice job you guys, four, three, two, jog it out, simple.
05:01 All right, breathe, start coming to that leg pull here in four,
05:06 three, two, let's rock and roll.
05:08 Front leg up, back leg extends, pull, pull, pull, awesome.
05:14 Really reach energy through the arms.
05:16 You have eight, here's six, just four, three, two, switch sides.
05:23 Reset, arms up, let's go.
05:25 Pull, nice, so 15 each side.
05:29 Your weight is staying in the front leg.
05:32 Here's eight, you have six, yeah, go four, three, yep, let's jog it out.
05:39 Okay, guys, so we're halfway through the second circuit.
05:42 Keep the energy up.
05:43 We'll take it back to our squat, right here.
05:46 Sink down, hips back.
05:47 Now stay low.
05:48 Let's jump it in, out.
05:50 Here we go.
05:51 Boom.
05:52 In.
05:53 So you wanna keep the hips hovering low.
05:55 Lift through your lower abs.
05:57 Spine is long.
05:58 Boom.
05:59 Five, four, three, awesome, let's jog it out.
06:02 Good. Okay.
06:04 Guess what? We're at
06:05 the very last set of the second circuit you guys.
06:08 Keep pumping.
06:09 Just a couple more pushes.
06:11 Four, three, two, on the floor.
06:14 So reset.
06:16 Spread the hands out wide.
06:17 You're in a plank position, your abs are lifted.
06:20 Pull your shoulders back.
06:22 Soften up your elbows.
06:24 Pull one knee.
06:25 Pull the other knee, pull and pull.
06:28 Awesome. Let's go ten from here.
06:29 Ten, nine, eight, seven, just six,
06:35 five, last four, three, two, jog it out.
06:39 Awesome, you guys.
06:40 All right, so you made it through two circuits.
06:42 We've just got a little push.
06:43 At the end, where we'll take it is do some core work.
06:45 Let's take it down, ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
06:51 five, four, three, two, you got it.
06:55 Bring yourself down.
06:56 So one more set here, final push, give me some energy.
07:00 Come on to your back.
07:02 We'll lift the knees, so our knees are right on top of our hips.
07:05 Go ahead and peel back for the toes so your feet are flexed.
07:08 Bring your hands to support your head, and then lift yourself up.
07:11 So we're curling and lowering.
07:14 Pull, down.
07:15 Try to make sure that you don't bring the knees too close in.
07:18 So you wanna balance your knees right on top of your hips.
07:22 Press, up, and up.
07:25 Ten, you have nine, eight.
07:29 Try to relax the neck.
07:30 Don't pull on it with your hands.
07:31 We're almost there, you guys.
07:33 Yup.
07:34 Let's go for four.
07:35 Last three.
07:37 Last two.
07:39 Final one.
07:39 Hold it up and relax.
07:42 Now flip over.
07:42 We'll come onto a forearm plank and we'll take a hold right here.
07:45 So let's the elbows plant onto the floor.
07:47 Can interlace your hands here.
07:49 Send your legs back, the tailbone is gonna be nice and low.
07:52 Stack your shoulders right on top of your elbows.
07:55 Activate the core and just hold.
07:57 So this is the end of this workout.
07:59 Really push yourself to stay in it.
08:00 Try not to raise the hips.
08:01 I'm gonna ask you to keep your hips nice and low.
08:04 Shoulders pull back, we are holding.
08:08 Take a couple deep breaths and then just start to rock it forward and back.
08:11 Push, pull, awesome.
08:13 We have ten counts here.
08:15 Here we go.
08:16 Ten, nine, eight, try to relax the quads, use the core.
08:22 Press.
08:24 Yup. We have five, just four,
08:27 awesome set, three, two, hold it in the center.
08:32 Yep! Nice job, you guys.
08:33 Put your knees down.
08:35 Lean back, and you made it.
08:37 Let's take a cool down.
08:38 We'll stretch it out.
08:41 All right. Go ahead and lift yourself up.
08:42 We'll step one leg forward to a lounge.
08:44 So, when you lounge, make sure your knee is going right in the middle of the foot.
08:47 Your knee is right over your ankle.
08:49 Hands to the front leg and then just sink your hips down and forward.
08:53 Try to lean back slightly to open up upper back and your chest.
08:57 And then from here we'll pull it into the hamstrings.
09:00 Flex your front foot, place your hands on the floor.
09:03 Send your hips up and back.
09:05 Just lean forward.
09:07 Nice you guys.
09:08 So just slow it down and we'll swap sides.
09:11 Coming into the lunge, opposite side.
09:13 Swing your leg around, lean forward.
09:15 So let your hands press down into the front leg.
09:18 A couple deep breaths.
09:21 [SOUND] And then from here, we'll flex to the front food.
09:25 Hands to the floor.
09:26 Send the hips up, send the hips back.
09:28 And just take a final stretch here to lengthen out the back of the other leg.
09:31 [MUSIC]
09:34 All right you guys.
09:35 Just come to your knees.
09:37 Take a big shoulder roll.
09:38 Relax the tension out of the neck.
09:39 [SOUND]
09:40 [MUSIC]
09:42 I want you guys to always make cardio a part of your workout.
09:46 You wanna lift the heart rate up even if for only five short minutes.
09:50 I'm Kara Liotta and this is Hit This.
09:53 [MUSIC]