This one is for all the crazy busy people out there! I am currently working a job and trying to write my thesis for my masters degree involving so many little things that it’s hard to wrap my head around. However, exercise is so important and I know I definitely need to get back in the habit of making time for it. Something I’m sure many of us are guilty of.
But now there is no excuse! Now we know we can exercise effectively in short amounts of time we can surely save ourselves 20 minuets to squeeze in a little movement.
How it works
There are 4 rounds, each round contains two exercises, each exercise will be carried out for 40 seconds one after the other continuously for 3 sets- which means no rest!
After each round you get 1 minute rest before starting the next round.
You are working at your pace, you can’t physically work harder than your maximum, this doesn’t mean try and go as fast as you can it means put in as much effort as you can. Some of these exercises are harder when you are controlling the movement slowly.
ROUND ONE
Curtesy lunge and squat combo
The first move in this combination is a squat, so feet just over shoulder-width apart, bending at the hips and the knees and taking the booty back as if going to sit on a short chair! As you come up from the squat, take one foot behind and across the other to perform a curtesy lunge, you don’t want the feet to close together, just across and far enough back to be able to bend both knees! As you come up bring both feet to the start position and perform another squat repeating the whole movement on the other side. Think “squat, lunge, squat, lunge” alternating sides as you go!
Heel Clip Jump Squats
This move brings me joy. Start in a squat position, push yourself off the floor as hard as you can, as you do squeeze your inner thighs and click your heels together. Then take your feet apart in time for your landing, making sure you’re landing and bending your knees at the same time, taking you straight into your next jump squat…all nice and smooth!
ROUND 2
Back Extension
Lying on the floor face down, take your hands to your temples. The tricky part here is to keep your legs and top of your feet on the ground, wedge them under something if you need to for stability. Now using your back muscles lift your shoulders and chest off the floor as high as you can, then control the movement back to beginning position.
Commandos
Start in a plank position on the elbows. Place one hand on the floor followed by the other pushing yourself up to a full plank position with the arms straight (not locked!) then reverse and repeat. Think about trying to prevent the hips from twisting (harder than you think!)
ROUND 3
Walkouts
Start from standing, lower your torso until your hands touch the floor, then shifting your weight, walk your hands forward until you are in a full plank position. Then reverse and repeat! You can do this with bending your knees or keeping the legs straight depending on how flexible you are, I feel more work in the legs when I chose to bend the knees.
Eccentric press-ups
Starting in a full plank position you are going to bend the elbows and perform the first half of a press up, however you are going to do it as slowly and as controlled as you can manage and take yourself all the way to the floor. Once you’ve reached the floor you can get back to the full plank position however you need to. The aim is to get slower and slower really controlling the eccentric phase of the press-up.
ROUND 4
Mountain Climbers
Start in a full plank position, bring one knee as far up to your chest as you can while maintaining your torso position, place the foot back and repeat on the other leg. Then repeat and repeat as fast as you can go the full 30 seconds!
Step-overs
Using a bench, step or even a chair. Stand beside your bench with the closest foot on it. Step onto the bench with both feet, take the foot that was originally on the bench and step down to the other side. Repeat the other way….as fast as you can. 30/40 seconds depending on your fitness level.
(These clips are sped up, you don’t have to go crazy fast!)
So give it a try, squeeze it in to your morning routine when you first wake up, or make it the first thing you do when you get home from work before you let yourself sit on the sofa in your comfy clothes. Whenever you can fit it in, most people will have 20 minutes somewhere in their day that could potentially get them moving.
