12-Minute Cardio Blast

12-Minute Cardio Blast 

Try these explosive moves to jumpstart your fitness.

By Kim Miller and Shannon Dougherty

Photos by Stephanie Heymann

Moves like jumping and lunging help improve your cardiovascular abilities and build strong muscles. They can be done inside or outside and require no gym equipment. You can even get children involved and do these moves as a family. Try the following four exercises. Repeat the series three times, or more if desired. If necessary, take a one-minute break in between each round.

Frog Jumps

Set Up: Start in a squatted position with your feet hip-width apart, torso upright, and arms in front of you.

Action: Jump forward a few feet keeping chest up and head high. Repeat forward and backward for one minute.

Lunge Jumps

Set Up: Start with your feet staggered in a lunge position.

Action: With your core engaged, push off the bottom of both feet into a jump, switching the position of your feet in midair, landing in a lunge with your right leg in front. Repeat for one minute.

Power Step Ups

Set Up: Place one foot on a step and the other foot on the floor.

Action: Forcefully push off the foot that is on the step into the air and land softly with the opposite foot on the step. Repeat for one minute.

Mountain Climbers

Set Up: Get in plank position with hands on a step or the floor, legs extended behind you, core in tight.

Action: Pull one knee up and in toward your midsection, alternate driving both knees between the front of your body and the floor. Repeat for one minute.