Whilst some of us love training over the Christmas period, for many it’s a time to kick back and take a break from the gym. If you do fancy getting a sweat on we’ve put together 5 workouts for you to complete over the festivities. Each one takes just 15 mins or less and has a slightly different focus. We know getting to the gym can be tricky when you’re visiting friends and family so they good news is they are all bodyweight based meaning they can be performed anywhere. No excuses! BOSH!
Alongside any workouts we always advise trying to move as much as possible over the festive period, mainly for good health but also to work off those extra calories you might consume – consider this damage limitation 101! Take your pick from the selection box of workouts below.
NOTE: Always warm up thoroughly and cool down effectively!
1) The Metabolism Booster
Complete as many rounds of the following full body circuit as possible in 12 minutes. Perform 8 reps of each exercise. The idea here is continuous movement using all the major muscle groups in the body. This will fire up the metabolism, give you a great cardio workout and leave no muscle untouched.
- Air squats
- Jump squats
- Press ups
- Mountain climbers
- Side plank reach troughs right
- Side plank reach troughs left
- Knee to opposite elbow in press up position (alternate reps, do 8 on each side)
- Burpees
2) Build a Better Booty
This one is dedicated to the lower body, paying a fair bit of attention to the glutes, booty, tush, bum, bottom or whatever you want to call it. The glutes should never be neglected. Perform the following circuit back to back, rest for 60 secs and repeat for 3-4 sets.
- Glute bridges 20 reps
- Glute bridge hold 30-60 secs
- Pulsing lunges (don’t fully lock out at the top to maintain tension) 20 each leg
- Single leg glute bridge left 10 reps
- Single leg glute bridge right 10 reps
- Split squat left 15 reps (back foot elevated)
- Split squat right 15 reps (back foot elevated)
3) Arms and Abs
The title is pretty self explanatory for this one. Do the following exercises as supersets, so the 2 exercises are performed back to back before resting for 30 secs. Repeat for 3-4 sets before moving on to the next superset. Keep all the reps nice and controlled.
A1) Wide press ups 10 reps
A2) Plank 45-60 secs
B1) Narrow press ups
B2) Leg lowers
C1) Bicycles 20 reps on each side
C2) Side plank reach though 10 reps on each side
D1) Press ups
D2) Press ups position plank 30 secs
4) Sexy Sprints
Ok we only called it this to get your attention! Now you’re listening I have the perfect opportunity to let you in on a little secret…..sprints are awesome!! They work your abs, glutes and hamstrings, they improve cardiovascular fitness, burn fat, the list just goes on! Ideally find an incline outside (not on the treadmill) and perform 8-10 sets of the following distances depending on your ability level.
Beginners – 20m with 45 secs rest
Intermediate – 30m with 45 secs rest
Advanced – 40m with 45-60 secs rest
Good progressions include:
- Increase the incline
- Increase the distance
- Reduce rest periods
Time yourself on the sprints and log them, it’s a great way to monitor progress and give you something to beat.
5) Press Up, Squat and Ab Pyramid
Here you will perform a repetition pyramid working from 10 -1. You will perform 10 reps on each of the 3 exercises before moving onto the next 3 exercises where you perform 9 reps before moving onto the next 3 exercises and where you perform 8 reps and so on down to 1. Each set of 3 exercises will be a variation of a press up, a squat and ab work however you will notice there are only 5 groups of exercises, this is because once you get the first 5 done (10-6) I want you to repeats the exercises again (5-1).
A1) Wide ups
A2) Jump squats
A3) Leg lowers
B1) Narrow press ups
B2) Air squats
B3) Bicycles (reps on each side)
C1) Partial press ups (only perform the top half of the press up)
C2) Narrow stance squats
C3) Russian twists (reps on each side)
D1) Half press ups (only perform the bottom half of a press ups)
D2) Split squats (back leg elevated, do reps on both legs)
D3) Alternating leg lowers (reps on each side)
E1) Hindu squats
E2) Press ups
E3) Knee to opposite elbow in press up position (reps on each side)
So we said 5 but we have one more bonus workout…..
6) 50/10 full body Bonus blitz
Here you will perform a 3 exercise circuit, perform each exercise for 50 secs before resting for 10 secs and performing the next exercise and so on. The 10 secs is enough time for you to get in position for the next exercise. So based on this each round of all 3 exercises will take 3 minutes so aim to perform for 5 rounds to make the 15 mins. But if you only do 4 rounds that’s awesome going as this is a tough one. Try to complete as many reps as you can in the 50 secs.
A1) Burpees or jump squats
A2) Air squats
A3) Plank ups
So there you have it, 6 super quick but effective workouts you can do in under 15 minutes to keep the blood pumping and the fat burning over Christmas! Now go enjoy your awesome food!
If you’d like to work with team Fitter Food in 2018 to transform your health and be fitter, leaner and stronger head to www.fitter16.com to find out more.
