I’m doing a little something different today by offering up some ideas for at-home workouts (see videos & tutorials below). I feel it’s my job to do my little part to help others during this difficult time of uncertainty, fear and cabin fever. Globally, we are vulnerable to coming out of this pandemic more at risk for obesity-related issues. The time has come to figure out once and for all how to exercise at home. My sincere hope is that once we all figure it out, we won’t be so saddled with the age-old excuses like “I don’t have time to exercise.”
I’m no videographer so these shots from my home office are very basic, but they are educational. Hopefully they can help you learn how to combine exercise movements for time-efficient, full-body workouts. Side note – Please forgive the pop-up appearance of my curious little yorkie and the missing “pizzazz” of professional lights/music/editing. It’s the time to give each other some grace and keep it real, right? Feel free to do 1-3 sets of 10-15 reps per exercise. Even just one set can prove beneficial so no need to shy away or be intimidated! All you need is a mat (or the carpet) and a set of dumbbells. Quick heads up – it’s a little easier to view the instructions and videos simultaneously from your desktop instead of mobile.
Let’s battle this coronavirus the best way we can – with good health! Stay well, everyone!
Exercise Combo #1: Down Dog with Leg Tuck + Chaturanga + Upward Dog
Target Muscles: Lower – tightens quadriceps, lengthen hamstrings and calf muscles; Upper – lats, traps, deltoids, pec major and triceps; Core – rectus abdominus and transverse abs
Benefits: What doesn’t this exercise cover?! It’s a great warm-up but can also be quite challenging after enough reps. It stretches tight hamstrings, works the entire upper body and challenges the core.
Exercise Combo #2: Double Leg to Single Leg Crunches + Overhead Pull
Target Muscles: Lower – Lightly engages quadriceps; Upper – triceps and anterior deltoids; Core – rectus abdominus
Benefits: Great way to get more done with core work. Overhead pulls target the triceps while also ramping up the challenge of this exercise.
Exercise Combo #3: Alternating Lunge w/ Twist + Alternating Side Lunge w/ Twist
Target Muscles: Lower – glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and abductors; Upper – pec major, traps and rhomboids; Core – obliques
Benefits: This is an excellent way to hit all three planes of motion in one sequence! The chest and obliques benefit from a nice stretch and the lower body muscles work isometrically during each twist.
Exercise Combo #4: Curtsy Lunge + Bicep Curl
Target Muscles: Lower – all major leg muscles including adductors and abductors; Upper – biceps; Core – transverse abs for stability
Benefits: Strengthens hips and soft tissues surrounding the knees. Challenges lower leg muscles and ankle stability, especially if you hold the low position for a slow bicep curl.
Exercise Combo #5: Plank + Alternating Single Arm Row + Alternating Single Arm Twist
Target Muscles: Lower – all muscles working for isometric support; Upper – deltoids, trap, rhomboids, biceps; Core – rectus abdominus, transverse abs, obliques, QLs and multifidus
Benefits: The entire body gets a great workout with a focus on stability, the core and muscles that support posture.
Exercise Combo #6: Static Hip Bridge + Chest Fly
Target Muscles: Lower – glutes, hamstrings; Upper – pec major, biceps; Core – transverse abs, QLs
Benefits: Hip bridges are a wonderful way to engage the major glute muscles and open tight hip flexors. Chest flies are a nice alternative to push-ups.
Exercise Combo #7: Alternating Weighted Lunges + Single Leg Balance + Bicep Curl to Shoulder Press
Target Muscles: Lower – all major muscles are involved; Upper – biceps, deltoids; Core – tranvserse abs for balance
Benefits: Balancing exercises train the nervous system to be sharp. This specific sequence challenges your center of gravity and gets the heart pumping!
Exercise Combo #8: Static Plie Squat + Upright Row
Target Muscles: Lower – Adductors, quadriceps; Upper – medial and rear deltoids; Core – transverse abs for stability
Benefits: Excellent workout for those hard-to-tone inner thighs. (P.S. – do you hear my 1-yr old starting to cry in the background? ha! #reallife)
Exercise Combo #9: Balancing Side Leg Lift + Lateral Raise + Single Leg Balance + Frontal Raise
Target Muscles: Lower – Abductors; Upper – frontal and medial deltoids; Core – transverse abs for stability
Benefits: Stable abductors support your hips and low back making this a go-to for tight, weak back muscles and hips in need of some TLC.
Exercise Combo #10: Single Leg Reach + Reverse Fly + Straight Arm Tricep Kickback
Target Muscles: Lower – glutes, hamstrings; Upper – rear deltoids, triceps; Core – transverse abs used for balance
Benefits: Improves balance & posture thanks to working the posterior kinetic chain (i.e. muscles in the back of the body)
If anyone has questions or needs help modifying form then feel free to contact me or drop it in the comments.
Yours in health & wellness,
Maggie
