By Jenn Pacheco, Contributing Blogger
With the holidays upon us, it feels nearly impossible to fit those gym sessions in. There’s just not enough time in a day, what with Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, preparing meals, and tending to everyday chores around the house.
That’s why I like to do an at-home workout during these busy times. I gain back the travel time it would take me to go to and from the gym, and I can get my exercising done at any point throughout the day.
If you’re interested in transitioning to my way of working out, check out my fav series of exercises below. They’re relatively easy - and they definitely work muscles all over your body.
Warm Up Exercise #1: Walking
Cardio is a must for my at-home workouts. It gets my body moving, pushing my heart rate into fat burning mode.
So for today’s session, we’re going to begin by walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes. If you don’t have a treadmill at home, you can do one of the following:
- Cycle at a steady pace for 10 minutes
- Go up and down a set of stairs at a leisure pace for 10 minutes
- Take a walk around the block - and bundle up if it’s cold outside
Warm Up Exercise #2: Jumping Jacks
I like to continue my warm up for 30 more seconds, just to kick my heart rate up a little bit more before I start strength training. That’s why we’re going to continue our workout by doing 30 seconds of jumping jacks.
Now that our bodies are fully prepped and ready to get those muscle groups moving, it’s time to get into the meat of the routine.
Exercise #1: Goblet Squats
I get called crazy all the time for loving goblet squats, but what can I say? They work my quads, calves, glutes, AND core. What more could I want?
We’re going to start by standing straight with our feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart, toes pointed slightly outward. We’re going to hold a kettlebell or dumbbell in our hands, tight against the midpoint of our chest. Take a look at my representational photo.
To proceed into the movement, we’ll go into the squatting position, making sure to dip our hips below parallel to our knees. At this point, our elbows should be on the inside of either knee. Do this motion with a straight back, looking forward, and core engaged. After holding for 2-3 seconds, push through your heels and resume a straight standing position.
Repeat 12 times.
Exercise #2: Tricep Dips
Tricep dips are perfect for shedding extra back arm fat - and they start burning after just one round! If I can feel the burn, I enjoy the workout more.
For these, we’re going to start by sitting flat on the floor with our knees bent. We’ll need some sort of surface behind us, like a flat wooden chair or sturdy (not cushiony) couch.
Now it’s time to place our arms behind us on the surface with our fingers facing forward while we lift our hips off the ground. Our bodies will automatically transfer the body weight to our hands and feet. Then, we’ll lower our body and hips down to the ground by bending our elbows. We’ll end the exercise by coming back up, raising our body and hips, and straightening our arms.
Repeat 12 times.
Exercise #3: Dead Row
I love tightening my back, and what better way to do that than to perform dead rows on the regular?
To start, we’re going to need to grab a barbell or a pair of dumbbells. We’ll set our feet apart at a hips distance and pick the barbell/dumbbells up. We just have to make sure that our hands are holding the weight on either side of our stomach. Check out my representational photo.
Then, we’re going to need to tilt our bodies forward at the hips while slightly bending our arms, extending them outward. Next, we’ll slowly bring the barbell or pair of dumbbells down towards our kneecaps, then pull it back up towards our belly. We need to make sure that our elbows are always facing the back in this exercise. Squeeze those shoulder blades at every pull.
Repeat 12 times.
Repeat the circuit of Exercises 1-3, three times.
Exercise #4: 1-Minute Plank
A good 1-minute plank will get my entire body shaking - if I do it the right way. So let’s get down on the floor and get into position.
We’re going to start by pressing our toes and hands to the floor with our backs straight and our hips low. Take a look at my example. We’re going to make sure our wrists are aligned directly under our shoulders and our necks are parallel with the ceiling.
Hold this position for 1 minute.
Exercise #5: Full Body or Half Body Push Ups
At this point, my body is feeling it. So I’d choose to slow my roll and go with a half body push up.
To start this exercise, we’re going to get down on our hands and knees and assume the standard push up position. Instead of balancing our entire bodies, we’re going to bend at the knees and balance from the hands to the knees. Carry out the traditional push up motion by lowering the body down until it’s halfway to the ground, then push up to starting position.
Repeat 12 times.
Exercise #6: 30-Second Crab Walks
If you like a little bit more complexity, increase timing on the crab walks. For me, I like to stick with a solid 30 seconds.
We’re going to start by sitting on the floor with our feet hip-distance apart. Feet in front of us and arms behind our backs, with our fingers facing our hips.
Slowly lift those hips off of the floor and tighten those abs. Now, we’re going to “walk” forward while in this position. Five steps forward, five steps back.
Repeat for 30 seconds.
Repeat the circuit of Exercises 4-6, three times.
Cool Down Exercise #1: Walking
Repeat warm up exercise #1 for 10 minutes. Other variations can be found under reference: Warm Up Exercise #1.
How did that feel? It takes me about 40-50 minutes, depending on how many breaks my body needs. I hope you had fun!
