Imagine: your 5 p.m. meeting dragged on (but why are they scheduling 5 p.m. meetings?!), taking with it any hope of getting to the gym. Do not panic ! You can just as easily do bodyweight training and work on your cardio in your living room! Here’s how.
Two-part workout:
Part I: perform 2 sets of the first 4 exercises (40 seconds per exercise, with a maximum of 1 minute rest between sets). Then do 2 sets of the same exercises, for 20 seconds each..Take a 2 minute break.Part II: perform 3 sets of 5 to 15 repetitions of the last 3 exercises.
1. Alternate lunges
Muscles worked: hamstrings and glutes
Stand up, hands on hips.This movement will bring your right knee down to the floor. Note: your left knee should be above your ankle. Press down on your left foot to return to a standing position, then switch sides by taking a big step forward with your right foot. Alternate the right leg and the left leg throughout the exercise. If that’s too difficult, do reverse (backward) lunges. If that’s too easy, grab any weights (dumbbells, kettlebells, water bottles) or place your back foot on a chair or couch to do Bulgarian lunges.
2. Push Ups.
Muscles worked: pectorals, triceps, shoulders
Get into a high plank position, with your hands under your shoulders and your feet together. Your heels and your head should be aligned. Your gaze should be directed downward. Your elbows should stay close to your body. Then push on your arms to return to the initial position. If it’s too difficult, work against gravity: descend as slowly as possible from the starting position, as low as possible. Once at the bottom, put your knees on the ground and extend your arms to return to the initial position. If it’s too easy, you can try doing the same exercise with your feet resting on a yoga block or on your couch.
3. Sideplank ( side plank )
Muscles worked: obliques, shoulders, abductors.Lie on your side, resting on your forearm, elbow under your shoulder, forearm perpendicular to your body, palm of your hand facing the floor and feet side by side. other. Push off the floor with your forearm and raise your hips toward the ceiling. Hold this position for 5 to 15 seconds. Count one repetition. 5 reps = 1 set. Perform all reps on one side before switching to the other. If it’s too difficult, bend the knee of the bottom leg for more stability. If it’s too easy, raise and lower your top leg during the exercise.
4. .Hollow Hold.
To start, lie on your back with your arms together and stretched above your head and your legs straight with your feet together Only your buttocks and lower back should still be in contact with the ground. Your gaze should be directed towards your thighs. Hold this position for a few seconds. Then return to the starting position. If it’s too difficult, bend your knees slightly. If it’s too easy, rock your body back and forth slightly to create an imbalance.
5. Peak Push-up
uscles worked: shoulders and triceps.Start in a downward facing dog position, with your buttocks up, arms and legs straight, looking down at the floor below your body. Shift the weight of your body forward, bend your elbows to lower your head towards the floor until your forehead is at the level of your fingers, then return to the initial position. If it’s too difficult, stay in downward facing dog. If that’s too easy, elevate your feet on a yoga block.
6. Single Leg Glute Bridge
Muscles worked: hamstrings, glutes, lower back.Start in a lying position, knees bent and feet on the ground. Press your heels into the floor and raise your pelvis toward the ceiling until your shoulders, pelvis, and knees are aligned. Next, raise your right leg so that you create a straight line between your right heel and your right shoulder. These 2 movements together represent one repetition. If it’s too difficult, don’t lift your legs, just your pelvis. If it’s too easy, elevate the foot that stays on the ground on a yoga block or a pile of books.
7. Plank Row
Muscles worked: latissimus dorsi, back of the shoulders, obliques and rectus abdominis
Get into a high plank, hands under your shoulders, feet slightly apart, with your heels and head aligned. Without turning your hips, raise one hand to touch your chest and then lower it to the floor. Do the same with the other hand, and continue like this, alternating one hand after the other. If it’s too difficult, spread your feet wider. If that’s too easy, bring your feet together or hold a weight in your hands, like a dumbbell or a large tin can.
