15-Minute Full-Body Cardio Home Workout

Most of you have spent a number of weeks in isolation already?

and with the world coming to a haul no one is going to blame you for feeling a little bit demotivated with anything. So if you are thinking about some time off, that's okay,take however long you need.

It can be overwhelming on your mental health if you are trapped inside all day. Luckily exercise is a brilliant therapy for your mind and not just your body.

In the past decade or so, studies have shown that regularly making time for a sweat session provides some massive psychological benefits – including easing symptoms of depression and reducing stress.

And don't forget that just because the gym's are closed your summer body plans or your fitness lifestyle should be cancelled too.

You don't need to workout for hours to get any benefits from exercise. If done right and given a high enough intensity, even as little as a 15 minute full-body home workout can be a super effective way to energise, get your muscles working and your heart pumping.

After all a 15 minute cardio home workout vs zero minutes will always be better, especially if you do it consistently. Convinced yet? Then let's get started

Jumping Jacks - (40 sec on) 10 sec rest

Target: Abs, Shoulders

Begin by standing with your legs straight and your arms to your sides. This is is your starting position.
Jump up and separate your feet just beyond hip-width apart while bringing your arms above your head.
Jump up again, lowering your arms and bringing your legs together. Return to the starting position.
Repeat for as many repetitions as is required.

Tips

Do your jumping jacks on a flat, even surface.

Wear supportive shoes.

Keep your core engaged and your back straight throughout the motion.

Keep your arms controlled and pay attention to their position as you perform the exercise.

High Knees - (40 sec on) 10 sec rest

Targets: Quadriceps, Abs

Strand straight with legs hip width apart.
At a continuous pace, lift one knee then the other as high as you can towards your belly. Swing your arms if you're running on the spot
Bring your legs to at least 90 degrees angle if you can
Bounce on your toes but flatten your foot against the ground before lifting off with it.
Try to keep your footfalls as quiet and gentle as you can, it will help protect your knees as well as make sure you are engaging the right muscles

Tips

Look straight ahead keeping your chest raised.

Slow it down to get a good warm-up before moving on to other exercises. Or speed it up to get your heart pumping fast and do some cardio training.

Bounce on your toes but flatten your foot against the ground before lifting off with it.

Try to keep your footfalls as quiet and gentle as you can, it will help protect your knees as well as make sure you’re engaging the right muscles.

Bring your legs to at least a 90 degree angle, if you can.

Jumping Lunges - (40 sec on) 10 sec rest

Targets: Glutes

Starting in a standing position, step back with your right leg and dip down into a low lunge.
With your hands at your side, jump and straighten both legs while swinging your arms down to help propel yourself upward, landing back down into your lunge.
Continue jumping for the required reps, or set a timer for 10-30 seconds and see how many you can do.
Repeat with your leg position switched.

Tips

Focus on keeping your weight on your front foot, with your weight evenly distributed across all four corners of your foot.

Keep your chest raised, and your neck and head straight and looking forward. Try not to slump your shoulders or look too far up or down during the exercise.

Keep your core engaged.

Ensure your feet stay about shoulder width apart. If your feet get too close together, or track one behind the other in a line, you risk teetering over.

Mountain Climbers - (40 sec on) 10 sec rest

Targets: Triceps, Abs, Quadriceps

Start in a plank with your hips slightly elevated.
Rock forward as you bring your right knee centrally up between your arms.
Straighten your leg and return your foot to the floor while rocking back to your plank.
Repeat on the opposite side.
Alternate sides at a steady pace.

Tips

Take it at your own pace.

Keep your core engaged

Bring your arms and legs closer together for a more cardio based workout. To ease off the cardio, set your arms and legs further apart.

Keep your spine as neutral as possible. Don’t let your hips dip down or rise up.

Stay controlled through the movement.

Push into the floor through your hands to stay elevated.

Straight Arm Plank Jacks - (40 sec on) 10 sec rest

Targets: Triceps, Abs, Obliques

Start in a plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your feet together. Ensure your core is engaged and your hips are level.
As if you’re doing a jumping jack, hop your feet apart so they’re either side of the mat, or just over shoulder width apart.
Hop your legs back together. Set a timer and keep the pace up for a cardio, stamina based workout, or work based on reps.

Tips

Keep your hips slightly higher than you would in a static plank. But not too high! Keeping them slightly elevated will give you some room to jump through the movements, but too high and it turns into a down dog, losing that core engagement.

Try to track your shoulders over your hands as much as you can. You don’t want to lose that 90 degrees between your body and your arms, you’ll strain your shoulders and lose power.

Keep your neck as neutral as possible to avoid strain.

Your core should be continuously engaged, don’t let your lower back sag.

That's one round done, now rest for 45 seconds and start all over again. Repeat three times and if that's too easy, add an extra round or two.

The circuit can also be added on to your regular workout sessions if you want to improve on endurance and burn some extra kcals.

If you are looking for more ideas on home workouts check out the advanced abs exercises as well as best resistance bands for a full body workout. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Download GymStreak, and a get tailored workout plan suited to your body type and personal training goals. The app has motion captured bodyweight exercises that you can do at home when you can't get to the gym.

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