You don’t need a gym membership to be in great shape. All you need is some flat ground, some good shoes, and -when it comes to cardio- an exercise stepper. With this simple set up you can do 5 very different exercises and burn a ton of calories quickly and in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
Here’s a rundown of the five different exercises you can do for your legs, glutes, and the overall best cardio workout at home:
Lateral Step Jump
Start with one foot up on the stepper and the other foot on the floor. Keeping your back straight, bend down and touch your opposite hand to the foot on the bench (left hand to right foot). From this position you’re then going to want to explode upwards, jumping off the bench to the side (laterally) in such a way that you then land with the other foot on the bench where you’ll once again cross the body to touch the foot with your opposite arm.
Repeat these jumps going back and forth and you’ll really feel the burn in your quads.
Mountain Climbers
Place your arms shoulder width apart on the stepper as if you we’re going to do elevated pushups (and in fact pushups are another great strength and cardio workout at home but we’ll save those for another day).
From this position you’re going to want to start “running”, bringing your knees into your chest alternating from leg to leg.
Burpee Into Step Jump
Once again you’ll be starting from an elevated pushup position with your hands shoulder width apart placed on the stepper.
First, bring both legs in towards the base of the stepper on the ground. Then swinging your arms for extra thrust you’re going to want to jump up onto the stepper. Make sure you land on your feet on the bench in a squatted position as to maintain your balance.
Now jump back down off the stepper, placing your hands back on it and kicking your legs back out to repeat the entire burpee.
In-and-out Step Jump
Start off with the stepper into between your legs and crouch down into a half squat.
With your back straight and your core kept tight, use your glutes and thighs to jump onto the bench with your feet placed together and your body standing up straight and then immediately ump back down into the starting, half squat position.
Jumping Step Up
With one foot on the stepper and the leg bent so that the knee is behind the toe, explode upwards and alternate legs. To make this the best cardio workout at home that it can possibly be, you’re going to want to try and pick up the pace and really go for height!
To watch this in action, check out my video:
