I’m always looking for workouts that are under 20 minutes. While I have to fit anything longer than 30 minutes into my schedule, I can usually fit a quick workout in before work or during my lunch break. Short cardio sessions are great for getting your heart rate up, kick-starting your metabolism, and keeping you from running out of energy during the day.
So when I came across this no-jump cardio workout on the popular YouTube channel Rachel’s Fit Pilates, I was eager to give it a try. If you’re coming back from an injury or don’t want to put too much strain on your joints or pelvic floor, you may want to avoid jumping and opt for a low-impact workout. Maybe you live in an apartment and don’t want to disturb your neighbors. I’m in my third trimester, so I’m heavy and get out of breath easily, so a no-jump workout is appealing. I aim to fit some exercise in most days, so a short cardio session is an ideal way to fit in some movement between work.
You’d think the lack of jumps would make this an easy workout, but it’s certainly challenging, even if both feet don’t leave the floor at the same time. By the end of the workout, I was out of breath, drenched in sweat and needed a 20-second break to recover. I was happy to see that even the super-fit Rachel was visibly out of breath by the end of the video.
Rachel’s Fit Pilates: A short, intense cardio workout without jumping
The main part of the workout features 10 exercises, performed for 40 seconds each, followed by 20 seconds of rest, preceded by a four-minute warm-up, the exercises progressed at a gentler pace, and finished with a three-minute stretch.
Fast-paced standing jacks, jump rope steps, and high knees will get you a hard workout without jumping, but you can also add jumps to some of the moves if you want.
There are also some squat and lunge variations: “These may seem like strength moves, but they’re done quickly to get your heart rate up,” Rachel says in the video.
Rachel recommends finding a pace that works for you. I tried to keep up with her but found myself getting too out of breath so I slowed down. I found that the beat of the music helped with this as well.
In the video, Rachel says that “how deep you squat is up to you” when doing squats, but I adjusted the depth of my squats to suit my desired intensity, sometimes spreading my feet a little wider for more comfort.
There was a short stretching session at the end which was a very satisfying ending. I felt great after the workout, like I had worked hard and my heart rate was up but not completely exhausted. My energy levels were pretty good as well for the rest of the day. I would definitely do this workout again when I need a bit more movement during the day.
