Okay, so it’s getting to the time of year when all the excuses start creeping up about exercise. The cold and ice seem to be a big factor when it comes to getting outside or to the gym. Well, guess what; today we will go over a workout that can be done in the coziness of your own home, and without the need of any equipment.
1. To begin this workout, you must first get your muscles and joints warmed up. Start with two sets of 50 jumping jacks (or march in place for 3 to 5 minutes if you are unable to jump).
2. Stair Running: If you have a staircase in your house, run (or walk, depending on your fitness level) up and back down eight to 10 times. If you just have one or two steps; standing on the floor, step right foot up, followed by the left, then back down with the right foot followed by the left. Repeat this cycle for 30 seconds as fast as you can go, and then switch up the starting foot.
3. Squats: Grab either a sack of potatoes, a young child (if they’ll let you), or a 10- to 20-pound dumbbell if you have one. Spread your feet out well past shoulder width apart, with your toes facing out. Hold your potato sack, child or weight tight to your chest, and squat down, making sure your knees do not go past the line of your toes. Do two sets of 12 to 20, again depending on your level of fitness.
4. Shoulders: Grab two soup cans (or light dumb- bells). Stand with the cans/weights in your hands at your side, with feet about shoulder width apart. Raise your arms out to the side up to a "T", and slowly lower back down. Do two sets of 12. Standing in the same position, raise your arms to the front and do another two sets of 12.
5. Bicep Curls: Using the same position as in #4, curl the cans/weights up toward your chest, making sure your elbows do not leave the side of your body. Do two sets of 12.
6. Tricep Dips: Find a bed or couch. Standing on the floor, facing away from the bed/couch, place your palms on the edge of the furniture. With knees bent, slowly bend your elbows (letting your seat dip down toward the floor). Straighten your elbows slowly to come back to the starting position. Repeat, doing two sets of 12.
7. Kick-back Glutes: Stand holding onto the back of a chair. Keeping one leg steady on the floor, point the toes of the other foot and squeeze your seat as you slowly kick your leg backward (about two feet behind your standing foot). The key is to squeeze your seat! Repeat for two sets of 12 on each leg.
8. Upper/Lower Back: Lie on your stomach on the floor. Slowly lift your feet, arms and head up making a crescent shape with your body. Try to hold everything up for 2 to 3 seconds, and slowly come back down to the floor. Repeat eight to 10 times.
9. Push-ups: No home workout is complete without push-ups. Do these on your knees or feet, but just make sure your lower back is flat (not dipping down, and making sure your seat is not up in the air). Go for two sets of eight.
10. Abs: Do your choice of abdominal exercises. Three sets of 25, completely recovering between sets.
11. Stretch: Don’t forget to stretch all of your muscles before you finish. Remember, you will get 20 percent greater strength gain when you do. Also, you won’t be as sore the next day!
This entire program should take only about 30 minutes. You don’t need equipment, you don’t have to go out in the cold, and it hardly takes up any time…anymore excuses?
Alright then, get to it!