HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
12 Quick And Easy At-Home Workouts For You To Try
By KAITLYNN BOOT
Warm Up and Cool Down
It is important to warm up before any workout to prepare your body and help to prevent injury. A warm-up needn’t take more than 10 minutes and should combine light aerobics like jogging in place or jumping jacks with a mix of static and dynamic stretching — make sure to also cool down after your workout for optimal recovery.
Simple Bodyweight Workout
Pushups, planks, squats, stationary lunges, and hip bridges are basic, functional movements that are easy to master but provide plenty of intensity. Aim for 10 to 12 reps of each exercise for three rounds, with 1 to 2 minutes of rest between each round; this pattern allows you to focus on your form and make every rep count.
HIIT Workout
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves bursts of intense exercise rounds with short rests in between, aiming to perform at 80% to 95% of your max heart rate. A full-body HIIT workout can be done with a combination of burpees, mountain climbers, jump squats, and pushups, trying to complete as many reps as possible per round.
Lower Body Workout
You can get a great lower body workout in only 20 minutes by performing glute bridges, squats, lateral lunges, and single-leg deadlifts at 10-12 reps each for three rounds. These exercises are great for strengthening the legs and butt; just make sure to pay attention to your form for the best results.
Upper Body Workout
It may seem impossible to strengthen your shoulders, biceps, and triceps without equipment, but you strengthen these muscles effectively using only your body weight and a bench or stable chair. Try combining mountain climbers, bear crawls, and tricep dips in 3 to 5 rounds, and perform each exercise for 60 seconds for an extra challenge.