Having a good workout that requires minimal equipment is essential for those days when you don’t want to leave the house, or if the gym is too busy and it’s easier to grab a pair of dumbbells and find a corner to work in.
The exercises
Lateral lunge
Start standing with your feet parallel, step your right foot out as far as possible, bending at the right knee push you hips down and back, keeping your left leg straight. Then push through the right heel to bring the foot back to centre. And repeat on the other side.
Press up
Start in a full plank position, bend at the shoulders and the elbows to lower yourself to the ground (in a very controlled fashion!) and pause before getting to the floor. Then, as you push up, aim to keep your body as flat as possible by holding that core and not letting the hips stay on the floor.
Squat to press
For this you will need two dumbbells or a resistance band. Start with the feet just over hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand, held at the shoulders. Bend at the hips and the knees, drawing the hips back as if you are going to sit on a small stool behind you. As you come back up to standing, drive the weights upwards in a shoulder press. Bring the weights down to the shoulders and repeat.
Renegade row
Step one foot straight back, keeping your torso straight with your shoulders relaxed and core engaged. Lower your hips until your knees are roughly at 90 degree angles, not letting your back knee hit the floor. Then step it back to the other foot, repeat on the other side.
Dumbbell Sit ups
Sit on the floor, holding a dumbell against your chest or just in front of. Lie on your back and put your feet flat on the floor with the knees bent. Slowly contract your core and lift your upper body towards your knees until you are almost sitting upright (keeping the feet flat on the floor). Lower your body slowly, with control, back to the starting position. And repeat!
Try to complete 10-12 repetitions of each exercise (on each side for the one-sided movements) for 3 sets before moving on to the next exercise.
Enjoy!
