Engaging in regular cardio offers numerous benefits for your body. It burns calories, strengthens your heart, helps manage chronic conditions, boosts your mood, and builds overall strength. If you're looking to reap the rewards of this form of training, we have the best cardio exercises to build lower-body strength—and so much more.

Many people associate cardio with better heart health, and while that's a significant aspect, there's more to consider. "The muscles in your legs and glutes are some of the largest muscles in your body," explains Alissa Tucker, NASM-CPT and master trainer for AKT studios. "Working these muscles elevates our heart rate because it takes a great deal of effort to engage these muscle groups. Anytime we elevate our heart rate, we improve cardiovascular health by strengthening our heart and enhancing the efficiency with which it pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout our body."

Cardio workouts aren't limited to jumping movements. "While plyometric exercises can be excellent for building lower-body strength, elevating heart rate, and improving stamina, there are also several low-impact options that might be more accessible for some people," explains Alissa Tucker, NASM-CPT and master trainer for AKT studios. "[Low-impact exercises can] focus more on building endurance because you may be able to perform them for a longer duration at a slightly lower percentage of your max heart rate."

Now, let's explore Tucker's best cardio exercises for building lower-body strength. She outlines five high-impact exercises to boost heart rate and stamina, and five low-impact moves to enhance cardiovascular endurance.

5 high-impact, lower-body cardio exercises:

1) Squat Jumps

"This move targets the glutes and quads while building power and spiking the heart rate," explains Tucker.

  1. Start in a squat position with your weight in your heels.
  2. Lower into a squat, then jump up.
  3. Land back in a squat position.
  4. Raise your arms overhead as you jump.

Complete three sets of 30 seconds each.

2) Squat Jacks

"This exercise targets the glutes, quads, and inner thighs while elevating the heart rate," Tucker explains.

  1. Start standing tall with your feet together.
  2. Jump your feet out as if doing a jumping jack, but lower into a squat.
  3. Reach one arm to the opposite foot to engage your core.
  4. Jump your feet back to the start position and repeat, reaching to the other side.

Complete three sets of 30 seconds each.

3) Switching Lunges

Switching lunges activate your quads and glutes while increasing power and raising your heart rate.

  1. Start in a lunge position.
  2. Jump off both feet, switching legs in the air, and land with the opposite leg in front.
  3. "Aim to jump from the bottom of your range of motion each time," Tucker instructs.

This move targets the glutes and quads while building power and spiking the heart rate. Aim for three sets of 30 seconds each.

4) Skater Jumps

The skater jump targets your outer glutes while enhancing balance and agility.

  1. Start standing and balancing on your left foot.
  2. Extend your right leg to the side as you jump to your right.
  3. Land on your right foot.
  4. Repeat on the other side.

"There are many variations of this exercise, but I like to encourage clients to focus on traveling from side to side and then finding balance on one foot as they land," says Tucker. "If needed, you can always tap the other toe down to help you stabilize."

Perform three sets of 30 seconds each.

5) Box Jumps

Box jumps engage your quads and glutes. You'll need a sturdy workout bench or box that won't slide.

  1. Stand on the floor behind the box with your feet hip-width apart.
  2. "Bend your knees and jump up from both feet, landing on the box in a squat position," instructs Tucker. "Make sure to strike the box with your heels and avoid letting them hang off the edge."
  3. From the squat position on the box, either jump or step down and repeat.

Complete three sets of 30 seconds each.

5 low-impact, lower-body cardio exercises:

1) Knee Repeaters

Knee repeaters engage your hamstrings, glutes, and rectus abdominis.

  1. "Begin in a staggered stance with the front leg slightly bent and your torso hinged forward at a 45-degree angle; arms extended overhead," Tucker instructs.
  2. "Exhale and draw the back knee into your chest as you pull your arms down, bending at the elbows. Then, return the leg back and repeat."
  3. Maintain the bend in the front knee and the hinge in the body the whole time while keeping the weight in the front heel.

Complete 32 reps per side.

2) Walking Lunges

You can perform walking lunges with or without weights. Start by standing with your feet together. Take a big step forward with your right foot and bend your knees to descend into a lunge. Press off your left (back) foot to step forward into another lunge.

"Holding weights for this exercise will increase the cardio challenge, but you will get your heart rate up and work your glutes and quads without weights as well," says Tucker.

Perform eight to 12 lunges on each side.

3) Box Step-Ups

"This exercise targets the same muscles as the box jump (glutes and quads) while eliminating the jumping to be gentler on the joints," Tucker explains.

To perform box step-ups, you'll need a workout bench or box.

  1. Start standing behind the box or bench.
  2. Step onto the stable surface with your left foot, followed by your right foot.
  3. Step down with your left foot, then your right foot.

Complete 16 reps per side. Rest, and repeat one to two times.

4) Lateral Lunges

Get ready to work your outer glutes, gluteus maximus, inner and outer thighs, and quads with lateral lunges.

You can perform this exercise with or without weights.

  1. "Begin standing with your feet together. Take a big step to the side with your right leg, bending deeply into it, sending your hips back, and keeping your legs parallel," instructs Tucker.
  2. "Step your feet back together and repeat on the other side."

Complete 16 reps per side. Rest, and then repeat one to two times.

5) Alternating Curtsy Lunge

The alternating curtsy lunge engages the inner and outer thighs as well as the glutes.

"Begin standing with your feet together," says Tucker. "Take a big step to the right with your right leg, cross your left leg behind while keeping your hips square, bend both knees, and lower your back knee toward the floor, just hovering it off the floor."

Complete 16 reps per side. Rest, and then repeat one to two times.

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