Bodyweight Cardio Exercises
Bodyweight conditioning gets your heart rate up without a machine, a membership, or a warm-up longer than the session. Running and jump-rope variations train sustained output, burpees and skater hops train repeat efforts under fatigue, and bear crawls and mountain climbers keep the shoulders and core working while the lungs do. Because there is no equipment to set up, these are the easiest finishers to actually complete at the end of a lifting session.
Why train cardio with bodyweight
- Raise the heart rate anywhere with no machine and no membership
- Mix steady-state and interval work from the same movement pool
- Crawls and climbers condition the shoulders and core while you breathe hard
- Short finishers you will actually do after a lifting session
All 16 bodyweight cardio exercises
Every guide below includes an animated GIF demonstration, numbered form cues, the muscle it targets, and sets and reps for strength, hypertrophy, and endurance.
Astride Jumps (male)Cardiovascular System · Body Weight · Beginner
RunCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Beginner
Short Stride RunCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Beginner
Ski StepCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Beginner
Run (equipment)Cardiovascular System · Body Weight · Beginner
Swing 360Cardiovascular System · Body Weight · Beginner
Push To RunCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Intermediate
Semi Squat Jump (male)Cardiovascular System · Body Weight · Intermediate
Skater HopsCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Intermediate
Jack BurpeeCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Intermediate
High Knee Against WallCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Intermediate
Mountain ClimberCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Advanced
BurpeeCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Advanced
Scissor Jumps (male)Cardiovascular System · Body Weight · Advanced
Bear CrawlCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Advanced
Wheel RunCardiovascular System · Body Weight · Advanced
Bodyweight Cardio Training FAQ
How long should a bodyweight cardio session be?
Twenty to forty minutes for steady work, or ten to twenty minutes for intervals. Intervals of thirty seconds hard and thirty to ninety seconds easy, repeated eight to twelve times, deliver most of the conditioning benefit in a fraction of the time. If you are also lifting hard, keep hard conditioning to two or three sessions a week.
Will cardio hurt my muscle gains?
Not at these volumes. The interference effect shows up with long, frequent, high-intensity endurance work, not with two or three short conditioning sessions a week. Separate hard cardio from leg day by several hours if you can, eat enough to cover both, and the two goals coexist fine.
Is jumping rope better than running?
It is easier on the knees at the same heart rate for most people because the impact is lower and better distributed, and it takes almost no space. Running builds more sustained aerobic capacity and is easier to do for long durations. Use rope work for intervals and warm-ups, running for longer steady sessions.