9 Indoor Cardio Exercises You Can Do in a Tiny Home

Tiny home living can mesh with your fitness goals, even when the weather outside is frightful and you lack a gym membership. There are plenty of indoor cardio exercises that don’t require a lot of space. Try these nine activities to raise your heart rate. 

1. Burpees 

There are several burpee variations, but all involve moving from standing to a plank position and back to standing. To perform a simple burpee, step back until you are at the top of a pushup. Step or hop your feet back to your hands and return to standing. Once you master that, try doing it several times fast with these funky twists:

• Jump to plank and hop back to your hands, adding a finishing leap as you return to standing. 
• Add a pushup once you reach the plank position. 
• Use a set of light dumbbells to add a pair of renegade rows from the plank. 

The faster you go, the higher your heart rate will climb. Set a timer and track your progress. 

2. Jumping Jacks 

Jumping jacks elevate your heart rate, don’t take much space, and have several variations:

• Split jacks: Add a lunge hop in between each jack. 
• Boxing jacks: Perform a series of six punches with two jacks in between. 
• Clap-squat jacks: Instead of leaping and clapping overhead, keep your knees bent low into a squat as you hop side to side and clap your hands in front of your chest. 

3. Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are a full-body indoor cardio exercise that works your upper body. Begin in a plank position. From there, bring each knee toward your chest in a running motion or as if you were trying to push a football sled. You can include variations, such as moving side to side or bringing your knees to the outside of your elbows instead of straight in toward your chest. 

4. Dance 

Who says you need a lot of room to dance? All that’s required are some sweet tunes. Crank them and make like no one’s watching — even if those who share your tiny home are in residence. This indoor cardio exercise was meant for sharing, so invite them in on the fun. You could have a dance-off or remember that it does take two to tango! 

5. Treadmill 

You might not think you have space for a treadmill in your tiny home, but a foldable model slides easily under the bed or into another storage area when not in use. These devices are ideal for days when inclement weather prevents you from getting in your miles outdoors. 

At-home treadmill workouts are also perfect for when you don’t have a lot of downtime. Why choose between Netflix and fitness when you can have both, logging your miles while you watch your favorite shows? Distracting yourself with entertainment also makes each sweat session seem faster. 

6. Yoga 

If you don’t consider yoga an indoor cardio exercise, you’ve never tried an intense vinyasa, power yoga or Ashtanga flow. Even those who excel in other athletic sports sometimes find such workouts intense. 

However, you don’t always have to go all out. Yoga is also the perfect exercise for recovery days. Alternating hard workouts with lighter ones protects your joints from injury and allows time for your muscles to achieve optimal growth. Try a slower-paced vinyasa flow or a yin or restorative class. 

7. Tabata 

Tabata consists of simple indoor cardio exercises — such as burpees, jumping jacks and mountain climbers — performed for 20-second intervals followed by 10 seconds of rest. You perform each move as many times as you can for five minutes, six rounds each exercise. You can sweat it up big time in just 15 minutes or repeat the circuit one or more times to maximize your burn and meet your daily cardio requirement. 

8. Vertical Climbing 

Vertical climbing may be the perfect indoor cardio exercise for those who live in tiny homes. Such machines consist of a vertical pole with moving pegs for your hands and feet. The result is a full-body workout you can do on any wall. 

Vertical climbers often feature various resistance levels, letting you choose your workout intensity. They’re perfect for developing upper body strength while elevating your heart rate and improving your bouldering skills. 

9. Combo Weight Moves 

You don’t need impact for indoor cardio exercises that get your heart racing like a sprinter’s. The right full-body weight moves go easy on your lower-body joints.

For example, try the following exercises:

• Thrusters: Holding a dumbbell in each hand, dip low into a squat before performing a military press as you return to standing. 

• Upright rows with a plie squat: Plant your feet wide with your knees soft and your toes pointed out to 45 degrees. Hold a dumbbell in each hand directly in front of your body with your palms facing outward. Drop into a plie squat while you raise the weights to your collarbone, then return to the starting position. 

• Lunges with curls and triceps kickbacks: Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Step forward into a lunge as you perform a biceps curl. Return to standing before leaning forward slightly, pushing your booty backward as if you were skiing. Perform a triceps kickback, then repeat on the other side. 

Indoor Cardio Exercises for Tiny Home Dwellers

If you’re a tiny home dweller, you can still meet your weekly cardio requirements in the comfort of your living room. These indoor cardio exercises elevate the heart rate but don’t require much space. However, they do provide the right degree of challenge to help you reach your fitness goals.