I love this workout because it can be done in the comfort of your own home. This is perfect in a time crunch, when traveling (easy in a hotel room) or when you just don’t feel like thinking during a workout. The repetitive nature makes it simple and meditative, which is great for focus and stress relief! It’s easy to make adjustments based on your fitness level and is a great cardio strength combination workout as long as you keep the rest periods short. Beginners can start out with lower reps and add more as you gain strength!
How it works:
Choose four exercises. These can be any exercises you like, but I usually go with jumping jacks, squats, pushups and crunches. These are all basic, yet physically challenging body weight exercises that really get your heart rate up and build strength. If you cannot do regular push-ups, they can be modified on your knees. You can use a towel or yoga mat for padding, if needed.
Choose a starting number of repetitions, then count down with each repeated round. I usually start with 20 reps, but you can start with any number of repetitions that you can complete. So a workout with 5 repetitions would look like this:
Round 1: (complete with as little rest as possible in between exercises)
5 jumping jacks
5 squats
5 pushups
5 crunches
Rest: 1 minute if needed
Round 2:
4 jumping jacks
4 squats
4 pushups
4 crunches
Rest: 1 minute if needed
Round 3:
3 jumping jacks
3 squats
3 pushups
3 crunches
Round 4:
2 jumping jacks
2 squats
2 pushups
2 crunches
Rest: 1 minute if needed
Round 5:
1 jumping jack
1 squat
1 pushup
1 crunch
Workout complete!
Starting your workout at 20 repetitions would mean you complete 210 repetitions of each exercise, while starting with 5 would yield 15 total repetitions of each exercise. The important thing is choosing a starting number that is difficult enough to challenge you, but not so lofty that you cannot complete the workout. Remember, with consistency you will build strength and can add repetitions over time. Enjoy!
