This 5-Minute Beginner Dance Cardio Routine Works Your Full Body and Is so. Much. Fun.

Each month, a new trainer takes us through four of the best workouts they have in their back pocket. Follow along weekly for new ways to sweat it out with us. See All

Welcome to Trainer of the Month Club, a fitness series where we tap the coolest, most in-the-know fitness leaders to create a month-long fitness challenge. On Mondays, we have our “sweat drops” where you’ll get access to the week’s workout that you can follow along at home. This week, AK! Fitness Founder Amanda Kloots leads us through heart-pumping dance sequences.

As Meredith Grey and Cristina Yang (ILYSM) once taught us, dancing it out it out is one of the best possible forms of self-care. It is literally impossible to be in a bad mood after a few minutes of bouncing around to "Where Does the Good Go." I personally once spent a month going to non-stop dance cardio classes, and am convinced it made me a happier human being—not to mention the fact that I was in tip-top physical shape at the end of it all.

There are a seemingly endless number of benefits to sweating it out by way of dance cardio: It improves brain function, it helps you feel more connected to other people in the room, it elevates your mood, and it gives your full body a serious workout. But reaping the (science-backed!) benefits of dance cardio doesn't have to mean twerking in a studio. Thanks to our November Trainer of the Month, AK! Fitness Founder Amanda Kloots, you can dance it out in your living room to whatever song—and, bonus, in whatever outfit—you like. Personally, I'm going with "Truth Hurts" in my undies, but that's just me.

For this week's workout, she's put together an easy-to-follow routine—which you can check out in the video above—that will have your heart racing. She breaks down every move beat by beat to help make any dance newb feel like a pro. And once you've got it down, you can do it on your own, either at home, or, ya know, out on a Friday night to impress your friends.

And don't forget to check back next week for an entirely new workout from Kloots, which will undoubtedly be worth adding to your nightclub living room underwear dance party routine.

Supplement your cardio with some strength training with this 6-minute core workout, and don't forget to stretch when you're done. 

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