A Quick Do-Anywhere Cardio Workout That Feels Really Damn Good

The workout below is Day 2 of the Just Enough Workout, a four-week workout plan. Today’s routine is pretty great on its own, but you can also check out the full program right here or browse the calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails featuring these workouts, you can do that here. 

Today marks your second day of the Just Enough Workout, and we have something a little different on the schedule. While your first day was all about full-body strength, we’re going to switch gears and focus on cardio for Day 2.

Each week in the Just Enough Workout, you’ll have two cardio days. Your first of the two will focus on cardio endurance, which you’ll build with a steady-state routine. That means no intervals, no hard pushes, and no need to keep checking your watch for what to do when. Instead, it’s all about sustained, moderate effort, which you’ll be holding throughout the duration of your workout. That means 10 minutes if you’re choosing Just Enough Movement, and 20 to 30 if you’re looking for Just a Little More. (Your second cardio routine will include interval work, which we’ll talk about on Day 6!)

To make these routines individualized to all kinds of fitness levels, we’ll recommend basing your intensity on ratings of perceived exertion, or RPE. This is a helpful no-tech-required way to gauge how hard you’re working. Essentially, RPE is your interpretation of how hard your work feels at any given time. RPE works on a scale of 0 to 10, with 1 as a very light effort—think: a leisurely stroll—and 10 as the absolute maximum that you can push yourself (an all-out sprint). 

For today, since moderate intensity and sustained work are the names of the game, you won’t be going above an RPE 5.

The scale below is based on one from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and we’ll include it with each cardio workout for your reference:

• RPE: 0 – At rest.
• RPE: 1 – Very light effort. You can easily hold a conversation.
• RPE: 2–3 – Your warm-ups, cooldowns, and recovery intervals. You can speak comfortably in full sentences. 
• RPE: 4–5 – Moderate effort. Talking in more than a sentence or two at a time is difficult. 
• RPE: 6–7 – High, vigorous effort. You can only speak a few words or phrases at a time—not full sentences.
• RPE: 8–9 – Very hard effort. Talking is almost impossible. Maybe you can muster a breathless “yes” or “no.”
• RPE: 10 – All-out, maximum effort. Talking is out of the question.