There’s a bit of a theme to my articles lately if you haven’t noticed. It’s holiday season and I am all about helping my clients stay fit and strong even over the Christmas season. I understand that during this time there’s a lot of travel or we are preoccupied with social occasions so finding a space or time to train can be challenging. Fear not friends, here are some movements you can do anywhere, any time to build and preserve muscle as well as burning off a few extra Christmas calories. These equipment free moves can be done literally anywhere; in a hotel room, office, park, gym floor etc., and they can be done solo or with the whole family.. there really is no excuse not to train, so let’s jump right in.
Choose a few or all of these movements and run them together in a sequence for reps or time for a heart pumping, muscle building session. As an example, you might do:
A1. Rear Lunges
A2. Tricep Push Ups
A3. Squats
A4. Plank Rocks
A5. Mountain climbers with a push up
Complete each move for 40 seconds with a 10 second transition time. Rest for 1 minute after you’ve executed a total round. Complete 4 -5 x through.
If you are feeling really fancy you might like to add weight in the form of water bottles, logs, people (exercise cation here) or use a set of weights if they are handy. In addition, you can add variety to these movements, for example push ups can be done at an incline or decline, they can be added in a sequence with mountain climbers or be made in to a plyo move with push up claps, you can also move between standard and tricep variations, get creative
1. The Squat
Position your feet shoulder-width apart. Shift your weight onto your heels and the outsides of your feet. Draw your belly in and lower your hips parallel to the ground or slightly lower depending on your range of motion. Keep your back straight and your chest proud. Push through your heels to bring you back up.
2. The Push Up
Place your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Draw your belly in and keep your back flat. Lower your chest as close to the ground as possible, watching that your hips don’t drop first. These can be done on your knees.
3. The Plank
On all fours position your hands directly below your shoulders, shoulder-width apart, and drop down to your forearms, elbows at a 90degree angle. Straighten your legs so that your body is flat, in a push-up position, with the weight on the balls of your feet. Engage your core muscles and lift your torso so that it forms a straight line with your body, ensuring that you keep your butt down.
4. Reverse Lunges
Stand in an upright position, then step back and lower your hips to the ground. Have your weight evenly distributed through your foot, then lower the back knee toward the ground. Drive through your feet to return to a full upright position then repeat the same movement on the opposite side.
5. Strict Burpees
Squat down and place your hands on the floor. Jump your feet back so you are in a plank position. From here perform a push up, then jump your feet back in to your chest. Jump up, reaching your hands over your heat. Rise and repeat friends.
6. Dips
Sit on the edge of a chair, couch or a park bench with fingers gripping the edge of the bench. Shift your body forward so your hips clear the bench on the way down. Keep your knees bent at 90 degrees or straighten them out in front of you depending on your strength level. Lower your body down, keeping your hips close to the bench until your elbows reach 90 degrees. Hinge from the elbow and forearm, extending your arms back to starting position.
Working out during the holidays doesn’t need to require a gym membership or huge chunks of time. As you can see, all of the movements above can be done anywhere, anytime. They are all extremely versatile and the options for movement sequences are endless. By setting aside 15-30minutes of your day to incorporate a few or all of these movements you’ll stay fit and strong over the holiday period with plenty of time left in the day to enjoy with your loved ones.