Fitness
Including HIIT-based routines and some kickboxing.
For a cardio workout you can always go for a run, pedal on a bike, or swim a few laps. These options get the job done, but let’s be honest — a monotonous cardio exercise isn’t always the most exciting or inspiring. It’s one reason why cardio workout videos tend to be a hit on YouTube, especially the ones that feature fun, high-energy moves that keep you guessing.
That’s the whole idea behind Joanna Soh’s YouTube channel. Soh is an ACE-certified personal trainer, NASM-certified women’s fitness specialist, and a nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience — and a dedicated following of over 2.9M subscribers. Her channel, Joanna Soh Official, is loaded with at-home workouts, strength training routines, as well as recipes and mindset tips.
Soh is always coming up with unique ways to inspire her followers to exercise, whether it’s with a 10,000-step walk interspersed with HIIT moves or a barre-based dance workout you can do at home. Her cardio routines, in particular, are designed to keep you moving so you get a heart-pounding workout without ever feeling bored.
Scroll below for some of Soh’s best cardio workouts for a fun and sweaty exercise sesh.
1
15-Minute Cardio & Abs
This quick 15-minute cardio workout combines explosive movements and ab-focused exercises designed to build your power and endurance. Each exercise lasts 30 seconds with no rest in between, so you'll get your heart rate up fast.
In the first circuit, you’ll do exercises like in-out squat jumps and flutter kicks. Circuit two focuses on core-burning mountain climbers and plank tucks, and circuit three is all about side-to-side shuffles and jumping jacks that are guaranteed to get you sweaty.
2
15-Minute Low-Impact HIIT
In a small apartment with downstairs neighbors? No prob — you can still get your cardio workout in with this video that keeps you firmly on the floor, no jumping required. You’ll do two rounds of 45-second exercises with 15-second breaks in between. Get ready to do curtsy lunges with side kicks, low-impact burpees, and push-ups with a heel tap. As a bonus, this workout is easy on the joints.
3
20-Minute 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Challenge
This 20-minute option features five minutes of cardio, four minutes of lower body exercises, three minutes of upper body exercises, and two minutes of core work before ending with a tough one-minute plank. You’ll target all areas of your body with moves like lateral bear crawls, reverse lunge kickbacks, and staggered push-ups, but it’ll be over before you know it.
4
20-Minute Total-Body Session
Get a cardio challenge and all the benefits of HIIT as you do exercises for 45 seconds with 15 seconds of rest in between each. Each circuit is repeated twice so you end up working your entire body while getting your blood pumping. Look forward to knee drivers, plank jacks, squat jumps, and punches with explosive lunges, to name just a few.
5
30-Minute No-Equipment HIIT
Get ready for lots of jumping in this intense HIIT-based cardio routine. It’s an intermediate workout that’ll keep you moving for nearly 30 minutes as you do power burpees, jumping lunges, and power skaters. (In other words, it’s all about leaping through the air.) If you don’t want to jump, look to Soh for modifications.
6
35-Minute Cardio Step
This super fun step workout keeps you moving to the beat of high-energy tunes for an effective full-body cardio session. There are heart-pounding moves like lateral jump squats and clock kicks as well as your more traditional step workout moves. If you don’t have a platform, that’s totally OK — you can still follow along without one.
7
36-Minute Kickboxing
If you’re a fan of boxing, try this workout that’ll have you punching and ducking to your heart’s content. It features plenty of kickboxing moves that get your heart rate up like hooks, jabs, and crosses, as well as the classics like high knees and mountain climbers.
8
1,000 Rep Challenge
Traditional cardio — like running or cycling — isn’t everyone’s thing. If you fall into this camp, check out this cardio challenge in which the goal is to add more reps to your routine each week until you eventually hit 1,000.
To start, you’ll aim to complete 25 reps of 10 different exercises — like jumping jacks and skaters — for a total of 250 total reps. You’ll then build up to 500 and 700 each week until you reach your goal. Soh recommends coming back to this workout three times a week so you can progress safely.
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