Hi guys, Kris from Custom Fitness here, your personal trainer in Amarillo. And today we’re going to be talking about something, being better than nothing. You can watch the video above that this post is inspired by to see all the exercises at work. If you have any questions about today’s post, please give us a call at 806-322-3188
So we have the Christmas holiday approaching very quickly. Maybe you’re out of town and on your way to stay with family, or you’re furiously cleaning because you’ll be the one hosting people. And during this time it might seem impossible to get in a workout. So today I want to give you some workout ideas because it’s always better to do something rather than nothing, especially during the holidays when you’re probably going to be eating more than you usually would. Before digging in, it would be great to get in a workout beforehand, especially if it’s only going to take five to ten minutes. Doing that will rev up your body’s metabolism and get you ready to process those extra calories a little faster.
I’m going to walk you through a six exercise circuit, and you’re going to be doing about thirty seconds of each. I’ll be sure to talk about form, and you’re going to be wanting to do at least two sets. So if you could go up to four sets, you’re going to be rasing that metabolism a little higher, but if you at least get in two, it’s a great start to your Christmas feast.
Exercise #1: Squat-Press 30 Seconds (with weights)
For a squat-press, you’re going to be wanting to start out with your feet out about hip width apart, and have your hands up by your shoulders. Start with the palms in towards each other and sit back into your squat. Then stand back up out of that squat and press the hands up towards the ceiling, then come right back down into that squat again. So, you’ll be moving continuously through that up and down movement: squat to shoulder press.
Exercise #2: Mountain Climber 30 Seconds
Come out of that squat and get into a plank position. Have your hands shoulder width apart on the floor and keep yourself up on your toes. This is a high plank, so you’ll want your back up high, but flat and straight. You’ll then bring one knee in under the chest and then press it back, and do the same with the opposite knee. Now, this doesn’t have to go fast. What you’re really looking for is that core control, focusing on the stomach squeezing in tight, engaging the core and not rocking the body front or back, and keeping your back level and your body still other than the legs.
Exercise #3: Push Up 30 Seconds (weights)
You want to find your push up position, and you can do this one on your knees or toes, it’s up to you. Now to make this a little bit easier, you can turn in those weights a little bit so that your thumbs are in towards each other, and that’ll keep you from rolling out to the side. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, you can turn them vertical and see if you like that.
Take it into a push up, and when you come up you’re going to row one arm up, squeezing the shoulder blades and go back down. Then you do the same making sure to alternate arms. You want to make sure that the body goes with you and that you don’t leave the hips to high in the air.
Exercise #4: T Hold 30 Seconds
From that push up you’ll go down into the T hold. If you know what a superman is, it’s kind of like that. You’ll be laying on the floor and extend your arms out to the side and you’re going to lift your upper body and lower body off the floor. So only your center is touching the ground. You’re going to want to hold this for thirty seconds. The trick here is that if as you hold you squeeze your stomach in, you’re going to get a core workout in the front as well as in the back. You should be feeling the low back working the glutes, hamstrings, and going all the way down the thighs. If you’re squeezing in the stomach at the same time, you should feel that core working in the front as well.
Exercise #5 Russian Twist 30 Seconds
For this one, you’ll want to be in a seated position on the floor, hands clasped at your chest, with your knees up so that your legs look like a upside down V. You can leave your feet touching the ground if you want, or you can have them off the ground to make it more challenging. You’re going to have a tall flat back, and lean back. From there you’re going to be twisting your body from side to side, squeezing and intentionally pulling the body to the sides. So, ribs and hips will be coming together each time, and try to get as little leg movement as possible if they’re up in the air. So you really want the body working from the core up rather than through the legs.
Last One! Exercise #6: Hip Thrust 30 Seconds
For this one, you’re going to be working through the hips and glutes, as well as through the core. You’re going to be sitting on the floor in a similar position as you were for the Russian Twist, but with your hands flat on the ground behind you. Make sure that your fingers are facing towards your hips. They can be out at a slight angle, but not turned backwards.
So you’re going to lift the hips forward and up towards the ceiling making a tabletop position. When you come down, you’re going to put pressure on those hands and see how far back you can go. You might be back at where you started, or you might be able to go back past your arms, and then you go right back up into that thrust. You’re going to want to keep pressure on the hands whether you can get through the arms or not, and maybe if you come down you can rest on the floor and then go back up. But if you can press though to that L sit position, you’re going to end up with much more core work than what you would otherwise. Even just doing half the position and coming up on the front is going to work through the glutes and the back.
So there you have it! You have your six exercises in a circuit format. Six workouts, thirty seconds each, and if you throw that in before Christmas dinner you’re going to start to realise that your metabolism is a little bit different.
Would you like more help with your fitness plan, getting a customized idea of where you should be at, or what would make you feel better? We would love to help you out! You can call us at (806)-322-3188 or email us at info@customfitness.biz. At Custom Fitness, we are YOUR personal trainers in Amarillo, Texas. Have a great day.