# Bodyweight Cardio Intervals

A no-equipment interval circuit that raises your heart rate in short, repeatable rounds. Keep each move crisp and land softly.

- URL: https://formaroutines.com/routines/bodyweight-cardio-intervals/
- Duration: About 11 min
- Admin slug: bodyweight-cardio-intervals

## Before you start

Move gently and stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, numbness, or symptoms that feel unsafe. This routine is general fitness guidance, not medical care.

## Exercises

### 1. Mountain Climber

3 sets · 20 reps · 30s rest

Drive the knees without letting the hips bounce. Slow the feet down before the plank position breaks.

#### Steps
- Set up in a high-plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and arms locked out.
- Brace your core hard and squeeze your glutes to keep your hips level with your shoulders.
- Drive your right knee toward your chest, keeping the foot off the floor at the front of the motion.
- Snap the right leg back as you drive the left knee forward in a smooth, alternating rhythm.
- Keep the hips low and the shoulders stacked over the wrists the entire set.
- Continue for 20 to 40 seconds at a controlled pace, prioritizing form over raw speed.

#### Cues
- Hips stay low.
- Quick feet.
- Shoulders over hands.

#### Common mistakes
- Letting the hips bounce up and down, which removes the core demand and breaks the plank shape.
- Sagging the lower back as the legs drive, which strains the spine instead of loading the core.
- Putting the hands too far in front of the shoulders, which collapses the plank and stresses the wrists.
- Going too fast and losing range of motion, with knees barely moving instead of driving toward the chest.

### 2. Jump Squats

3 sets · 10 reps · 30s rest

Land quietly through the whole foot. Swap to a fast bodyweight squat if the knees prefer it.

#### Steps
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms relaxed at your sides.
- Drop quickly into a quarter to half squat by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
- Swing your arms back as you lower to load momentum for the jump.
- Explode upward by extending the hips, knees, and ankles all at once, throwing your arms up overhead.
- Land softly with bent knees and immediately absorb back into the squat position to cushion the impact.
- Reset for half a second at the bottom and launch into the next rep with the same explosive intent.

#### Cues
- Small jump.
- Soft landing.
- Knees track toes.

#### Common mistakes
- Landing with locked-out, straight legs, which slams force through the knees and ankles.
- Squatting too deep before the jump, which kills the spring and slows down the movement.
- Letting the knees cave inward on landing, which strains the knees and shifts work off the glutes.
- Slumping the chest forward at the bottom, which makes the launch weak and stresses the lower back.

### 3. Burpee

3 sets · 8 reps · 40s rest

Step the feet back instead of hopping to keep it repeatable. Skip the jump at the top if you are short of breath.

#### Steps
- Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart, arms relaxed at your sides, and core braced.
- Drop into a low squat and place your hands on the floor just in front of your feet.
- Kick or step both feet back so you land in a high plank position with arms straight.
- Lower your chest to the floor in a controlled push-up, then press back up to the high plank.
- Jump or step both feet back up under your hips into the squat position.
- Explode upward into a jump with arms reaching overhead, land softly, and reset for the next rep.

#### Cues
- Step, don't jump.
- Chest tall at the top.
- Steady rhythm.

#### Common mistakes
- Skipping the push-up at the bottom and turning the burpee into a squat-thrust-jump instead.
- Sagging the hips in the plank position, which strains the lower back over volume.
- Landing the jump with stiff legs instead of absorbing softly into a quarter squat.
- Going so fast that form collapses — turns a conditioning lift into a sloppy injury risk.