Choosing a workout is like picking out an outfit for a special occasion. When your closet is full of options it’s much more difficult to decide on what to wear. When you have fewer options the choice is pretty simple.
There are many exercises, pieces of exercise equipment, and workout programs that are available to you. It’s tough to know which one is best, what equipment to use, how to fit in time for it, the list goes on and on.
With so many choices it’s chaos. Exercise in itself becomes extremely complex, like some puzzle that you just can’t figure out so you put it away until you have more time to solve it. The problem is the extra time rarely comes around and eventually you forget about it as it gets buried in the closet. More time goes by and the exercise routine you wanted to start gets pushed to the bottom of the never-ending to-do list yet again.
Well, I believe that simplicity is best. Exercise isn’t as complex as everyone makes it out to be. The goal is to get your heart rate up to burn more calories, and try to maintain an elevated heart rate with enough intensity. Your body knows what to do from there.
There’s a millions ways to do this, but to be honest you don’t need much. Just your bodyweight will do. A major perk is that you don’t have get in your car and go anywhere. You don’t even need a lot of space. Oh, and it gets better… you don’t even need a lot of time. About 20 minutes is all it takes.
With just 5 basic exercises you can scorch calories, get stronger, and have more energy. Try out one of the 5 workouts below to get your heart pumping. Perform 1 of the workouts 3-5 days per week. The choice is easy.
The Exercises:
Squat:
Body Weight Squat
Stand with your feet hip width apart. Bend at your knees and lower your hips down towards knee level keeping your back flat, chest up. Press through your heels as you rise back up to a standing position.
Sit-up:
Take a seat on the floor. Lie down arms over your chest or overhead. Knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Use your abdominals as you curl up to a seated position.
Pushup:
Pushup starting position
Come down to the floor. In a prone position, legs hip distance apart come onto your hands, spread your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart with just a slight bend in your elbows to start. Draw your abs in and keep your back flat as you bend at the elbows and lower your chest 1-2 inches above the floor. Keep your body in alignment as you press back up to the starting position.
Knee Tuck:
Knee tuck
From a pushup position jump your feet up towards your hands and immediately jump back to the starting position. Repeat.
Burpees:
Burpee finishing position
From a pushup position jump your feet up towards your hands, keep your knees over your ankles as you come to a standing position with arms overhead (option to jump up), squat back down, bring your hands to the floor, jump your feet back to the pushup starting position (option to perform a pushup), repeat for specified number of repetitions.
The Workouts:
The Calisthenic Countdown!
Perform 10 reps of all exercises in a circuit going from one exercise to the next with no break in between. Rest for 30 seconds and then repeat subtracting one repetition from each round. Keep working your way down in reps. 10, 9, 8…until you complete only 1 repetition of each exercise in the circuit.
Example:
10 squats, 10 sit-ups, 10 pushups, 10 knee tucks, 10 burpees
Rest 30 seconds
9 squats, 9 sit-ups, 9 pushups, 9 knee tucks, 9 burpees…
Tabata Time
20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest for a total of 8 rounds per exercise. Try to get as many repetitions in as possible in each 20-second segment. Keep track of your reps and try to beat or match it every round. Rest for 2 minutes between each exercise.
Example:
Complete as many squats as you can with good form for 20 seconds.
Rest for 10 seconds
Repeat for a total of 8 rounds
Rest for 2 minutes
Complete as many sit-ups as you can with good form for 20 seconds
Rest for 10 seconds
Repeat for a total of 8 rounds…
100’s
Complete 10 reps of each exercise. Go from one exercise to the next with no break in between. Complete a total of 10 rounds resting only 45-60 seconds between rounds.
Cardio Blast
Perform 10 repetitions of each individual exercise. Perform 30 seconds of jogging in place, high knees, or jumping jacks after each exercise before moving on to the next. Complete 2-3 circuits.
Example:
10 x Squats
30 seconds jog in place
10 x Sit-ups
30 seconds jumping jacks…
5 for 5 + 5
Complete the 5 exercises in a circuit format for 5 rounds increasing reps by 5 each round. Start at 5 reps and then increase to 10, 15, 20, and finally 25 reps per exercise for the 5th and final round. Rest for 45-60 seconds between each round.
Example:
25 Squats, 25 sit-ups…
Rest 45 seconds
20 Squats, 20 sit-ups…
High Five! Great job in your workout!
I’m Kelly Gonzalez. “Eat smart and train hard!”
