Society today is totally convinced they need to spend hours in the gym, or just time in the gym in general, to get the body they want. But, I am here to change your perspective on that! Spending countless hours doing cardio or lifting weights is actually going to push you further away from your goals. We don’t need to spend MORE time, we need to spend our time WISELY. Less can, and usually is, more (when it is done correctly). Check out my previous blog post about overtraining and how it can hinder your results here. Today I am sharing with you an a FULL BODY, at home workout routine for beginners, but really anyone can jump in and join!
This workout is a mixture of cardio and strength based movements, all with just your bodyweight. NO EXTRA EQUIPMENT NEEDED. Yes, It sounds crazy, but just bare with me. Recent studies are showing that spending less time doing high intensity exercises is more beneficial and spending more time doing the same intensity. When we exercise, we are putting stress on the body. This is the same stress we put on our bodies when work has us flooded, the kids have 2342 activities to get to at once, and our car just broke down and we aren’t sure how we will pay for it. Imagine adding all these stressors up AND then adding 2 hours of cardio on-top of that….your body WILL fight back. Fighting back could mean hormone imbalances, injury or even weight gain. NONE of which are ideal. So, I am here to give you an at-home workout that will take you very little time, yet will add up to be extremely effective…but only if you push your own limits!
Remember, NO equipment, NO gym, and NO huge area needed.
Table of Contents
20 Jumping Jacks
10 (each side) Birddog
10 Squat with Calf Raise
20 High Knees
10 Superman
10 Glute Bridge
20 Skiers
15 (each side) Alternating knee with forward punch
10 (each side) angled lunges (2 o’clock direction)
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FULL Video on YouTube!
One of the oldest exercises, yet it’ll make your heart rate rise quickly!
FORM: Make sure you jump your feet wide and your hands touch over your head, core is tight and head is in neutral spine.
MODIFICATION: Tap one foot out to the side while bringing arms up overhead and bring back to center before tapping the other foot out to side and bringing arms overhead.
This is a great exercise for your core, and your pelvic stability. It uses a lot of muscle groups and is great for all exercise levels.
FORM: Keep your core tight and your back flat, like you there is a board on your back and you are trying to touch your low back to it. Lift opposite arm (from the shoulder) and opposite leg (from the hip) and then come back to neutral before switching sides.
MODIFICATION: Focus on keeping core tight and not shifting from side to side. Just lift one arm, set it down, one leg, set it down etc. This will start you with the beginning balance that you can soon work up to lifting both limbs at once.
Incorporating as many muscles at one time is what is going to truly make an exercise effective.
FORM: when squatting, you always want your knees going in the same direction as your toes and you always want your knees behind your toes. AKA, sit your butt back like you are sitting into a chair. Core stays tight as you squat down, drive up through your heels and then onto your toes for a calf raise.
MODIFICATION: You can try sitting onto a chair and standing up (no hands) to get used to the motion. You can also omit the calf raise to make it easier.
Used to get that heart rate up and blood flowing, but make sure they are being done correctly!
FORM: Core is tight, and is what pulls that knee up! Get those knees as high as you can and land softly each time, no locked knees! Constantly think about a tight core and driving those knees up.
MODIFICATION: Take out the jump. Just march in place while driving those knees up to your chest.
Surprisingly, this is a core exercise. Your core is EVERYTHING between the ribcage and the hips. So yes, that means the back, too. Whenever you do any abdominal work, you also want to work the opposing muscle (posterior chain) so that you keep an overall strong core.
FORM: Keep you limbs straight at all times, and your head neutral (looking at the floor). Lift all four limbs off the ground using that low back, squeeze at the top and then relax.
MODIFICATION: Try lifting just your arms, or just your legs if doing all four at once is too difficult.
Your glutes (butt) are the biggest muscle in your body, that means we need to WORK it. We also want to work on those muscles because a lot of us sit all day. Which causes our hip flexors to tighten up and our glutes to overstretch, which can cause all sorts of problems.
FORM: Knees bent and feet just slightly wider than hips. You want to drive ALL weight through the heels as you raise your butt up (keeping that core tight) and squeeze the glutes at the top before returning back down to the floor. You want to try and get your hips high enough that you are a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
MODIFICATION: Don’t bring those hips up quite so high.
More heart rate work! I love incorporating heart pumping exercises with strength exercises, it makes this fast and effective.
FORM: Core tight (yes, for everything) and knees and feet pressed together. Jump side to side, landing soft with bent knees. You want to jump as high as you can and swing your arms to help you.
MODIFICATION: Omit the jump and just step side to side as fast as you can, still swinging your arms and staying in a low/squat position.
More multi-joint movements. These can have a weight added to them, but it is not necessary.
FORM: Use your core to drive that knee up, at a slight angle towards the opposite shoulder, as you punch forward with the opposite arm. Really put some force (controlled of course) behind that punch. You want to think about punching forward and pulling back.
MODIFICATION: Just do one of the two moves. Either side step with the knee, or stay stationary as you alternate punches. You can always work your way up to both movements..but don’t push too hard.
Lunges are one move people tend to hate, and these make them worse. The angle of your step is going to engage MORE muscle groups and really get your heart pumping the blood through your body!
FORM: people thinking a lunge means actually lunging forward, but that is not the case. A proper lunge is stepping out, dropping straight down and coming straight back up. There should be ZERO forward pressure on that knee. For these, you step out at a slight angle (keeping the stationary leg facing forward), drop straight down/straight up and then push off the front leg to step back together. Keep your core engaged and your chest up!
MODIFICATION: Just do forward lunges. Make it a little shallow and work your way up to getting that knee about 1 inch from the floor!
It is incredibly important that you warm-up and cool down with every workout. This is because….
Warm-up:
• You need the muscles to be fully functioning
• You do not want to injure yourself trying to force cold muscles
• Increases overall range of motion and muscle recruitment
• Helps to slowly increase body temperature and dilate vessels
Cool down:
• Decreases soreness
• Improves flexibility (which is important for daily activities)
• Brings your heart rate and body temperature down slowly
• Helps avoid fainting or blood pooling in lower extremities
There you go, a great at-home workout for beginners! Remember, small changes add up to big results. We do not need to push ourselves for hours a day to get the results we want. Just be consistent and determined. If you want more workouts sent directly to your inbox, you can sign-up up to receive my 3 Day Body Burn by clicking the image below!
