Top 21 Cardio Workouts to Boost Your Heart Health

We detail the basics including how much and how often to do it and share the best cardio classes to get your heart pumping anytime, anywhere.

8 min read

Health & Wellness

Top 21 Cardio Workouts to Boost Your Heart Health

If you’re looking to level up your heart health, there’s nothing more powerful than establishing a regular cardiovascular routine. Your heart is a muscle. Like how your biceps respond to bicep curls by adapting and getting stronger, your heart responds to cardiovascular exercise by becoming stronger, more efficient, and more resilient.

The best news? There’s about a million and one ways to do it. Whether you walk, run, bike, row, hike, step, swim, dance, or box you’re stressing your heart; and thus, improving your heart health and overall longevity in the process.

If you’re wondering exactly how to break it down, don’t sweat it. Below, we detail the basics including how much and how often to do it and share the best cardio classes to get your heart pumping anytime, anywhere.

 

How to do Cardio for a Healthier Heart

For optimal heart health, the American Heart Association (AHA), recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate cardio, 75 minutes of vigorous cardio, or a combination of the two per week (1). If you aren’t hitting your minimums, make that your starting goal. But, research shows the more, the better (1).

As far as how you schedule your workouts, the breakdown matters less than getting it in. Many people subscribe to the simple 5 days a week of 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio. It’s practical, straightforward, easy to achieve, and it works. But, research shows even 10 minute bouts of exercise is enough to start accruing benefits (2). So, if you’re busy, feel free to space out your workouts into small “snack”-sized sessions throughout the day.

As far as intensity, we recommend a blend. The science shows completing around 80% of your workouts in a low to moderate zone, and 20% in a high intensity zone is the ideal blend for both recovery and performance (3). Why? High-intensity or vigorous activity is higher impact, puts more stress on the body, and thus requires more recovery. While it’s an extremely powerful tool for building your VO2 max, endurance, and speed, overdo it and you run the risk of overtraining—which can have a negative impact on heart health (4, 5).

To safely start adding high-intensity activity into your routine, try this simple twist to your 5 days a week of 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio: swap out one moderate-intensity session for sprints or HIIT.

 

How to Know What Heart Rate Zone You’re

In Scientists have defined five training zones to help you understand your exercise intensity. Zone 1 is the lowest intensity and involves activities like sitting down and walking around your house. Zone 5 is the highest intensity and is assigned to activities like all-out sprinting, and squatting a heavy set of five reps.

 Zone Intensity Heart Rate
Zone 1 Very Ligh 50 to 60% HR max
Zone 2 Light 60 to 70% HR max
Zone 3 Moderate 70 to 80% HR max
Zone 4 Hard 80 to 90% HR max
Zone 5 Maximum 90 to 100% HR max

 

Moderate intensity

For moderate intensity activity, you want to be somewhere in zone 2 to zone 3—that’s about 60 to 80% of your max heart rate. If you’re wearing a heart rate monitor, or have one on your cardio machine, you can simply calculate the bounds of your zone by:

  1. Determine your max heart rate (HR) by using the equation: 208 - (0.7 x age) = HR max
  2. Multiply your max heart rate by your target heart rate. Since our target heart rate in this case is a zone, we’ll multiply it by both the high and low bounds of the zone. For example, max heart rate x 0.6 = 60% HR max, and max heart rate x 0.8 = 80% max.

If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, no biggie. You can check you’re working out at the right intensity by doing a talk test. In the moderate zone, you should be able to talk, but not comfortably. If you can speak in full sentences without a breath you’re not working hard enough. If you have to take a breath in between every word, you’re working too hard.

 

Vigorous intensity

For vigorous intensity activity, we’re aiming for zone 5 and zone 6—that’s anywhere from 80 to 100% of your max heart rate. You can calculate your zone bounds by repeating the steps above. If you’re using a talk test, this time, you might be able to squeeze a word in between breaths, or you can’t talk at all.

 

Best 21 Workouts to Boost Heart Health

We’ve gathered our best cardio workouts from walking, running, cycling, rowing, the elliptical, or bodyweight routines. Each class is led by a Sunny instructor, there to help you every step of the way, and get the most out of your workout. Just press play.

 

Walking Workouts for Heart Health

1. 20-Minute Power Walk

Best For: You’re in the mood for intervals but want to walk with no incline.

Trainer: James King

Intensity: Moderate

 

2. 15-Minute Beginner Interval Walk

Best For: You want a spicy walk that will deliver incline, speed, and your daily dose of fun.

Trainer: Eloisa Sachs

Intensity: Moderate

 

3. 20-Minute Interval Walk

Best For: You’re a true beginner. This class will give you the perfect opportunity to start playing with different speeds and intensities and get a feel for walking on your treadmill.

Trainer: Sydney Bueckert

Intensity: Moderate

 

4. 30-Minute Interval Walk

Best For: You’ve been putting in the time on your treadmill, and you’re ready for a tried-and-true sizzle. This walk always delivers.

Trainer: Sydney Bueckert

Intensity: Vigorous

 

Running Workouts for Heart Health

5. 15-Minute Beginner Interval Run

Best For: You want to build more endurance and speed in a safe space to learn how much to add, and exactly how it should feel.

Trainer: Sam Candler

Intensity: Moderate

 

6. 20-Minute Beginner Pyramid Run

Best For: You want to build up your running base with alternating periods of walking and jogging.

Trainer: Eloisa Sachs

Intensity: Moderate

 

7. 30-Minute Intermediate Endurance Run

Best For: You’re looking to dig into steady-state cardio and want a helping hand or simply a friend to run with.

Trainer: Sam Candler

Intensity: Moderate

 

8. 30-Minute Intermediate Intervals Run

Best For: You’re ready to crush an all-out interval run that will leave you huffing, puffing, and energized for more.

Trainer: Sam Candler

Intensity: Vigorous

 

Elliptical Workouts for Heart Health

9. 20-Minute Easy Elliptical Workout

Best For: You want to check your steady-state cardio off your to do list and are looking for a gentle class to get you there.

Trainer: Brittany Noelle

Intensity: Moderate

 

10. 20-Minute Feel Good Elliptical

Best For: You want an elliptical workout that pushes you—not too hard, but just enough.

Trainer: Wendie Weldon

Intensity: Moderate

 

11. 30-Minute Intermediate Elliptical Workout

Best For: You want to do your cardio, but need a fun distraction to get through it.

Trainer: Brittany Noelle

Intensity: Vigorous

 

Cycling Workouts for Heart Health

12. 25-Minute Intermediate Interval Ride

Best For: You’ve been riding steady, but you’re looking to kick things up a notch.

Trainer: Ashton Roark

Intensity: Vigorous

 

13. 30-Minute Beginner Interval Ride

Best For: You’re a newbie looking to learn all the cycling lingo, get practice in different positions, and a killer workout all in one go.

Trainer: Dana Simonelli

Intensity: Vigorous

 

14. 30-Minute Full Body Sculpt Ride

Best For: You want a combo of strength and cardio on the bike.

Trainer: Ashton Roark

Intensity: Vigorous

 

Rowing Workouts for Heart Health

15. 20-Minute Rowing Workout

Best For: You want to start building endurance on your rowing machine but aren’t sure where to start.

Trainer: Dana Simonelli

Intensity: Vigorous

 

16. 20-Minute Kettlebell Rowing Bootcamp

Best For: You want to strengthen your muscles and heart with a combination class blending strength with a kettlebell and all-out intervals on the rower.

Trainer: Dana Simonelli

Intensity: Vigorous

 

17. 20-Minute Tabata Rowing Workout

Best For: You want an all-out challenge on your rowing machine.

Trainer: Dana Simonelli

Intensity: Vigorous

 

Bodyweight Cardio for Heart Health

18. 20-Minute Full Body HIIT

Best For: You want to knock out your cardio and strength for the day all in one go.

Trainer: Dominique Waninger

Intensity: Vigorous

 

19. 20-Minute Beginner Boxing Basics

Best For: You don’t have workout equipment and are up for throwing some punches.

Trainer: Chaz Lewis

Intensity: Vigorous

 

20. 20-Minute Dance Cardio Workout

Best For: You want to pump up the tunes, get your heart pounding, and dance it out in your living room.

Trainer: Luis Cervantes Duration: 20 minutes

Intensity: Moderate

 

21. 20-Minute Step Aerobics Workout

Best For: You want to challenge your heart and muscles, and don’t mind being transported straight back to the 80’s.

Trainer: James King

Intensity: Moderate

 

1. American Heart Association (2018). American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults. Accessed 3 February, 2023.
2. Saint-Maurice, P. et al (2022). Estimated Number of Deaths Prevented Through Increased Physical Activity Among US Adults. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2788473. Accessed 3 February, 2023.
3. Seiler, K. et al (2004). Quantifying Training Intensity Distribution in Elite Endurance Athletes: Is There Evidence for Optimal Distribution? https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2004.00418.x. Accessed 3 February, 2023.
4. Heart Rate Variability: An Old Metric with New Meaning in the Era of Using mHealth Technologies for Health and Exercise Training Guidance. Part Two: Prognosis and Training. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6304793/. Accessed 3 February, 2023.
5. Johnson, M. et al (1992). A Review of Overtraining Syndrome—Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1317287/pdf/jathtrain00036-0066.pdf. Accessed 3 February, 2023.

 

Top 21 Cardio Workouts

Top 21 Cardio Workouts

 

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