2022 New Year’s Cardio Challenge

Ready to get sweaty? 

Welcome to your 2022 New Year’s Workout Challenge. We’re psyched that you’ll be joining us for the next month of workouts.

Sweat your way through this fun cardio workout. You can do it from absolutely anywhere—at home or on the go. Keep scrolling to browse the workout and learn how to perform each exercise correctly. Let’s go!

Cardio Circuit

This workout requires no equipment. You’ll repeat this workout a total of 5 times in the month of January. Each week, you’ll add on 5 to 10 seconds—the requirements are listed below. 

How to Do Jumping Jacks

1. Stand upright with your legs together, arms at your sides.
2. Bend your knees slightly and jump into the air.
3. As you jump, spread your legs to be a bit wider than shoulder-width apart. Stretch your arms out and over your head.
4. Jump back to the starting position.
5. Repeat until time expires.

How to Do High Knees 

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Drive your left knee to your chest. Your legs and arms should be doing opposite motions.
2. Switch to drive your right knee to your chest. 
3. Continue the movement, alternating legs and moving at a sprinting or running pace until time expires.

How to Do Butt Kicks

1. Start by standing with your feet about hip-distance apart, with your arms at your side. Your legs and arms should be doing opposite motions.
2. Quickly drive your right heel to your butt by contracting your hamstring muscle.
3. Place the ball of your right foot back on the ground, and drive your left heel to your butt. 
4. Repeat until time expires. 

How to Do Skaters

1. Start in a slight squat, both feet together.
2. Transfer your weight to your right leg. Then, push off your right leg, jumping as far as you can laterally to the left. Land softly on your left leg and bring your right leg behind it into a curtsy lunge.
3. Tap the right toe to the ground and immediately jump to the right to repeat on the opposite side. Stay low and keep your legs bent at all times. Repeat until time expires. 

How to Do Scissor Jumps 

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with a slight bend in your knees. 
2. Hop your right leg towards the far end of the mat, then reverse that movement and hop the other leg forward. Your legs and arms should be doing opposite motions, so as your left arm goes forward, your right foot goes forward. 
3. Try to keep your legs straight and extended, without bending your knees, so they look like the blades of a pair of scissors. When you land, bend your knees slightly to help cushion the impact.
4. Keep repeating until time expires. 

*You’re not really moving forward with this exercise—you’re moving your legs back and forth to imitate scissors. 

If jumping isn’t an option for you, try a low-impact version of each exercise.

Jumping jacks modification: Step to the right and raise both arms in the air, similar to a normal jack. Step right leg back to the middle, lower arms and repeat with the left leg.

High knees modification: March in place while driving your knees (one at a time) as high as possible. Keep one foot firmly planted on the ground and alternate legs.   

Butt kicks modification: March in place while driving your heels to your butt (one at a time). Keep one foot firmly planted on the ground and alternate heel drives. 

Skaters modification: Replace with side lunges. 

Scissor jumps modification: Replace with alternate front lunges.

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