At Home Workouts to Stay Fit and Raise Your Heart Rate

Even if you are stuck at home with limited equipment, there are still plenty of things you can do to exercise, stay in shape, and elevate your heart rate.

Easy workouts to do at home

The most effective way to reach an athletic goal is to follow a plan that creates a specific stimulus and progressively works toward your desired result. With higher stress and daily strain, now is a great time to switch your approach and focus on the process rather than the end result. Even with limited equipment at home, you can exercise, stay in shape, and elevate your heart rate.

Here are several simple and quick at-home workout moves to boost your cardiovascular health and keep your muscles toned (click links to watch video demonstrations).

How to structure a 10-minute home workout

A 10-minute workout can still provide meaningful cardiovascular and muscular stimulus when you minimize rest and maximize movement quality. Choose three to four exercises from the progressions below, alternating between upper body, lower body, and full-body movements. Perform each movement for 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds, and repeat the circuit twice to keep your heart rate elevated and build Strain.

Burpee progression for full-body conditioning

Burpees have variations that fit all skill and fitness levels. They are an outstanding way to get the entire body involved. If you have no equipment at all, try this: Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes, complete 10 burpees (or the equivalent of 30-35 seconds of reps).

• Get ups (simply lay down and stand back up)
• No push-up burpee
• Full burpee
• Burpee to a 6-inch target above outstretched arms
• Burpee box jumps

Jumping exercises for at-home cardio

Continuous jumping spikes your heart rate or gets you into a steady state of cardio, offering an alternative to running, cycling, or rowing. A pattern of high box jumps will burn the legs and lungs equally. Watch those feet on the edge of the box when you start to get fatigued.

• Box step ups
• Box jumps (you can use stairs, a bench, table, etc)
• Jump rope
• Jump rope double unders

Squat progression for lower body strength

Squats are foundational movements that build posterior chain and midline strength. To take it to the next level, add in challenging tempos to your progressions, especially if you have limited access to equipment.

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• Air squats
• Jumping squats (this will really get your heart rate up quickly!)
• Goblet squats (with a weighted object like a kettlebell or dumbbell)
• Front squats (with double kettlebells, double dumbbells, a barbell or sandbag)
• Thrusters (a front squat + push press over your head--also very good for a quick HR bump)

Lunge progression for multi-planar movement

Lunges build cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength at home. Adding weighted objects in various positions taxes your core and builds stabilizing muscles.

• Standing split squat
• Alternating forward walking lunges
• Alternating reverse lunges
• Alternating lateral lunges
• Alternating jumping lunges (this one and everything that follows will elevate your HR rapidly)
• Weighted walking lunges (with weight at your side)
• Front rack walking lunges (using a kettlebell, dumbbell, barbell or sandbag)
• Overhead walking lunges (with a kettlebell, dumbbell, barbell, sandbag or plate)

Push-up progression for upper body strength

Push ups fit all fitness and ability levels. Start with the scaled versions and build through to more difficult iterations. Work towards finding a variation that you can complete 5-8 unbroken reps for 5 sets as a starting place.

In general, push-ups tend to bring your heart rate back down, as you will likely experience muscular failure before achieving a long enough duration to keep your heart rate elevated.

• Incline push up on a surface (like a box or table)
• Kneeling push up
• Strict push up
• Hand release push up (where you pull your hands off the ground between each)
• Deficit push up (with your hands on plates or dumbbells)
• Weighted push ups (try a weighted vest or plates on your back)

If you can only do two things, a squat progression followed by a push-up progression is a great quick at home workout.

How to measure your muscular load and strain at home

Bodyweight exercises and light dumbbells create internal load that traditional cardio tracking misses. WHOOP measures your cardiovascular and muscular load to give you a complete picture of your effort.

Using Strength Trainer, you can log the specific movements, weights, and reps of your home workout. WHOOP quantifies the muscular load of your squats, push-ups, and lunges, factoring them into your daily Strain. This ensures you get credit for the work you do in your living room and helps you understand how these workouts impact your Recovery the next day.

Frequently asked questions about home workouts

What are the most effective home workouts?

The most effective home workouts combine cardiovascular intensity with muscular resistance. Movements that engage multiple muscle groups at once, like burpees, thrusters, and jumping lunges, elevate your heart rate quickly while building strength. Consistency and progressive difficulty matter more than the specific equipment you use.

What is the 3 3 3 rule for workouts?

The 3 3 3 rule is a simple framework to build a balanced fitness routine. It involves completing three days of cardiovascular exercise, three days of strength training, and three days of mobility or active recovery per week. You can easily adapt this rule for home workouts by alternating between jumping progressions for cardio and squat or push-up progressions for strength.

How do home workouts impact your long-term health and biomarkers?

Consistent home workouts improve your cardiovascular efficiency, lower your resting heart rate, and increase your VO max. Over time, these adaptations contribute to a slower Pace of Aging and a longer Healthspan. Regular exercise also positively influences metabolic health markers, and WHOOP Advanced Labs allows you to monitor these internal changes by analyzing key biomarkers alongside your daily Strain and Sleep data.