Workouts

Okay, so you have done some of the 5 minute workouts I have here in my site. And they have worked well for you, but now you feel you may be at the point where you can take the workout up a level? Then this workout is for you. Slightly more advanced than the beginner workouts but same 20 second exercise, 10 second rest format. Try this Intermediate 5 Minute Workout

1/ Tricep Press
2/ Back Plank – elbows
3/ Renegade Row
4/ Upright Row
5/ 1 arm plank

Tricep Press

Position:
Lay face up with knees bent and cans in hands.
Technique:
Press cans towards ceiling and bring back down as quickly as possible.
Keep elbows tucked in towards your ribs.
Points To Remember:
Keep elbows slightly bent as you extend arms up.

Back Plank – elbows

Position:
From face up, raise body up resting on elbows and heels of your feet.
The straighter you able to get your legs the harder the exercise becomes.
Technique:
Squeeze hips as high as possible and hold still.
Points to Remember:
Don’t let hips drop down.

Renegade Row

Position:
Raise up on your hands and toes holding your body up.
The further forward your arms go and further back your legs go the more difficult it becomes.
Technique:
Raise hips so your whole body is in a straight line.
Raise 1 arm off the floor alternately, raising elbow as high as possible.
Points To Remember:
Make sure your back remains flat, i.e. your hips don’t sag down or raise up too high.

Upright Row

Position:
Stand upright with stomach braced and cans in hands.
Technique:
Drive your elbows towards the ceiling as high as possible, with your arms in front on you.
Keep your hands directly below your elbows.
Points To Remember:
Ensure you lift through the elbows and shoulders not the hands.

1 arm plank

Position:
Raise up on your elbows and toes holding your body up.
Technique:
Raise up 1 arm in front of you and hold position still.
After 10 seconds change to the other arm.
Points To Remember:
Make sure your back remains flat, i.e. your hips don’t tilt to 1 side.
Make sure your elbows stay directly beneath your shoulders and don’t slide further forward.

Conclusion – Intermediate 5 Minute Workout

First and foremost, keeping consistent with your exercise is the absolute most important thing. So if you try this and it’s a bit too hard, don’t worry, just go back to the beginner ones for now and try this again in a few weeks. But at the same time its important to try and progress your workouts when able, so give it a go. As I say you can always revert back to the beginner ones if its too hard.

nsureDon’t use lack of gym membership or not having fitness equipment not to exercise. You don’t need any of that. Try this 5 minute home workout. Do each exercise for 20 seconds, 10 seconds to get in position for the next. Do the circuit twice in one of my no equipment home workouts.

1/ Wide Wall Squat
2/Lateral Pulldown
3/ Prisoner Squats
4/Half Side Plank Raise
5/ Half Side Plank Raise

Wide Wall Squat Hold

Position:
Stand with your back flat against the wall and feet slightly forward in a double hip width stance.
Slide down wall so your knees are bent and you feel your quad (thigh) muscles working.
Technique:
Hold position as still as possible.
Slide as far down the wall as you can.
Points To Watch Out For:
Keep head flat against wall.
Don’t let your knees goes further forward than the end of your toes.

Lateral Pulldown

Position:
Kneel with arms out straight and wrists over a chair.
Technique:
Pull down through your arms and stomach, pushing as hard as possible against the chair.
Points To Remember:
Keep arms and back straight.
Drive through the stomach muscles.

Prisoner Squat

Position:
Stand in upright position with knees slightly bent and feet hip with apart. Brace stomach and have both hands behind your head with elbows pulled back.
Technique:
Squat down towards the ground, pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
Lower yourself as far down as you can before pushing back up through your heels.
Points To Remember:
Make sure your weight is through the heels of your feet at all times.
E sure your knees don’t go forward further than the end of your toes.
Make sure you back remains straight.

Half Side Plank Raise- 1

Position:
Lay on your side with knees bent and your elbow directly beneath your shoulder.
Technique:
Push hip off the floor, resting on your knee and elbow.
Squeeze the hip as high as possible then bob up and down, lowering your body until just off the floor before pushing back up again. Keep bobbing up and down.
Points To Remember:
Keep your body straight, i.e. don’t lean forward or backwards.
Make sure your elbow remains directly beneath your shoulder and doesn’t slide forward.

Half Side Plank Raise – 2

Same as above on opposite side.

Conclusion – No Equipment Home Workouts

I have loads of these 5 minute workouts, all highly effective and easy to do. Check them out and get exercising!

You don’t have to jump into the deep end with exercise. Building a positive relationship with it is vital. If you can do that you are much less likely to hate it and much more likely to make it a permanent fixture in your life. This is a simple, yet effective way to start. There is plenty of time to do longer and more advanced workouts down the road when you are fitter, stronger and more confident. Do each exercise for 20 seconds, and you have 10 seconds to get in position for the next one. Do the exercises 1 through 5, then repeat them all. Giving you a 5 minute workout. Try my new year beginner workout!

New Year Beginner Workout

1/ Wide Wall Squat
2/Lateral Pulldown
3/ Prisoner Squats
4/Half Side Plank Raise
5/ Half Side Plank Raise

Wide Wall Squat Hold

Position:
Stand with your back flat against the wall and feet slightly forward in a double hip width stance.
Slide down wall so your knees are bent and you feel your quad (thigh) muscles working.
Technique:
Hold position as still as possible.
Slide as far down the wall as you can.
Points To Watch Out For:
Keep head flat against wall.
Don’t let your knees goes further forward than the end of your toes.

Lateral Pulldown

Position:
Kneel with arms out straight and wrists over a chair.
Technique:
Pull down through your arms and stomach, pushing as hard as possible against the chair.
Points To Remember:
Keep arms and back straight.
Drive through the stomach muscles.

Prisoner Squat

Position:
Stand in upright position with knees slightly bent and feet hip with apart. Brace stomach and have both hands behind your head with elbows pulled back.
Technique:
Squat down towards the ground, pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
Lower yourself as far down as you can before pushing back up through your heels.
Points To Remember:
Make sure your weight is through the heels of your feet at all times.
Ensure your knees don’t go forward further than the end of your toes.
Make sure you back remains straight.

Half Side Plank Raise- 1

Position:
Lay on your side with knees bent and your elbow directly beneath your shoulder.
Technique:
Push hip off the floor, resting on your knee and elbow.
Squeeze the hip as high as possible then bob up and down, lowering your body until just off the floor before pushing back up again. Keep bobbing up and down.
Points To Remember:
Keep your body straight, i.e. don’t lean forward or backwards.
Make sure your elbow remains directly beneath your shoulder and doesn’t slide forward.

Half Side Plank Raise – 2

Same as above on opposite side.

Conclusion – New Year Beginner Workout

Just get started with exercise. It doesn’t have to be awful. Build yourself up slowly and make exercise a part of your life rather than something you hate and resent doing. More beginner workouts available on my blog.

All you need for this home workout is 2 cans from your cupboard. Do each exercise for 20 seconds followed by a 10 second rest/get in position for the next. Do each exercise twice in this quick home exercise workout.

1/ Tricep Press
2/Diagonal Lunge
3/Diagonal Lunge
4/ Upright Row
5/ Straight arm plank

Tricep Press

Position:
Lay face up with knees bent and cans in hands.
Technique:
Press cans towards ceiling and bring back down as quickly as possible.
Keep elbows tucked in towards your ribs.
Points To Remember:
Keep elbows slightly bent as you extend arms up.

Diagonal Lunges–1

Position:
Stand upright with knees bent and stomach braced.
Technique:
Take a big stride forward at a 45 degree angle with 1 leg.
Bend the knee as you make contact with the floor and push back up through the heel of your foot.
The more you are able to bend the knee the more difficult the exercise becomes.
Points To Remember:
Lunge diagonally, i.e. at a 45 degree angl
Keep your back upright and straight throughout.
As you bend the front knee, ensure it does not go further forward than your toes.
Make your stride forward as far as possible for maximum benefit.

Diagonal Lunges– 2

Repeat above on opposite leg.

Upright Row

Position:
Stand upright with stomach braced and cans in hands.
Technique:
Drive your elbows towards the ceiling as high as possible, with your arms in front on you.
Keep your hands directly below your elbows.
Points To Remember:
Ensure you lift through the elbows and shoulders not the hands.

Straight Arm Plank

Position:
Raise up on your hands and toes holding your body up.
Technique:
Raise hips so your whole body is in a straight line.
Hold position still.
Points To Remember:
Make sure your back remains flat, i.e. your hips don’t sag down or raise up too high.
Make sure your elbows stay directly beneath your shoulders and don’t slide further forward.

Conclusion – Quick Home Exercise Workout

Just because you don’t have much time to exercise or can’t get to the gym doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. Try this quick easy, total body workout that’s done in 5 minutes.

Another addition to my 5 minute workout series. Great if you just want a quick workout that can be done anywhere, anytime. Equally you can add a few of the 5 minute workouts I have here on my site together and make a longer workout!

The format is; do each exercise for 20 seconds and take 10 seconds to get ready/in position for the next exercise. Repeat the circuit twice. Try this new 5 minute workout!

Stick Ups

Position:
Stand with back flat against wall and feet slightly forward.
Place arms flat against wall overhead.
Technique:
Raise and lower arms up and down against the wall.
Points To Remember:
Keep everything flat against wall.
Don’t let lower back arch away from wall.

Seated Twists

Position:
Sit upright with arms forward and stomach braced.
Technique:
Twist from side to side reaching as far round as possible.
Lean back slightly to make the exercise more difficult.
Points To Remember:
Ensure you are twisting through the stomach muscles, not just rotation your arms.

Half Side/Side Press Up

Position:
Kneel on floor with hands just over shoulder width apart out in front of you.
Technique:
Lower your body down as far as you can, lowering your chest towards one hand, then the other.
Points to remember:
Lower your chest over your hands not your head.
Brace your stomach whilst performing the exercise.

Laying Superman-1

Position:
Lay face down on floor.
Raise up opposite arm to leg.
Technique:
Hold position still.
Squeeze the leg and arm up as high as you can.
Points To Remember:
Keep your hips level, i.e. don’t tilt your body to one side.
Keep your head down in line with your body.

Laying Superman-2

Same as above with opposite arm and leg.

Conclusion – New 5 Minute Workout

This workout helps pretty much all the muscles in your body. Give it a go!

If you class yourself as an intermediate exerciser, or have done some of my beginner 5 minute workouts and feel ready to move on to the next level then this is for you! Same format as the beginner level, 20 seconds on each exercise and 10 seconds to get ready and in position for the next one. Do them in a circuit format and do each exercise twice.

1/ Incline Press Up

2/ Transverse lunge

3/ Transverse Lunge

4/Slow Reverse Crunch

5/Box Jumps

 

Incline Press Up

Position:

Raise up off feet with hands just over shoulder width apart on a chair in front of you.

Technique:

Lower your body down as far as you can so your chest goes over the line of your hands.

Push back up to starting position.

Points to remember:

Lower your chest over your hands not your head.

Brace your stomach whilst performing the exercise.

 

Transverse Lunge –1

Position:

Stand upright with stomach braced and knees bent.

Technique:

Step around in an arc with 1 leg reaching back as far as possible.

Bend the knee and press back to starting position through heel of foot.

Points To Remember:

Bend knee as much as possible but make sure your knee does not extent past toes.

Keep opposite leg completely straight.

 

Transverse Lunge- 2

Repeat on other leg.

 

Slow Reverse Crunch

Position:

Sit upright with feet hooked under a chair and brace stomach.

Technique:

Slowly lower your body down until flat on floor.

This should take the whole 20 seconds.

The lower you go the more difficult it becomes.

Points to Remember:

Brace stomach and keep head back.

 

Box Jumps

Position:

Stand upright with feet together.

Technique:

Jump forward; sideways; backwards; sideways in the shape of a box.

Make jumps as far and fast as possible.

Points to Remember:

Make sure both feet land in each corner of the box.

 

Conclusion – Intermediate 5 Minute Workout

Fast high intensity workouts can still have great calorie burning and cardiovascular results. Give this workout a go and find out for yourself!