5 Quick Workouts When It’s Too Cold to Go to the Gym

In the article Healthy Habits for the New Year we suggested getting up 15 minutes earlier to do a quick morning workout.  If your day is packed and finding time for activity is difficult, getting up a few minutes early will be beneficial.

At home workouts can be very beneficial to your day.  Getting the body moving early has a great effect on your mind for the rest of the day.

At the end I have a list movements that can be combined in anyway to create a great quick at home workout.

Workout bands are incredibly versatile.  They are also great to travel with and very cheap.

In some of the movements below a pull up bar is required.  Almost all sporting good stores have the door hanging pull up bar. The ones that require no installation and grab onto the door frame work great and are cheap.

Here are 5 workouts that increase in difficulty.  The first is easiest and the last is the most difficult. (See blow for diagrams on each movement)

Lower the time of the workouts to scale down the difficulty.

Workout 1

Repeat 1 – 3 for 15 minutes.

1. 20 Stair Step Up (10 per leg)

2. 20 Band Rows

3. 20 Band Curls

Workout 2

Repeat 1 – 4 for 15 minutes.  Count your rounds, see if you can beat it the next time you do this workout.

1. 10 Chair Squats (Remove the chair for greater difficulty)

2. Plank – Hold for 10 seconds, rest for 10 seconds. Do 6 total holds before moving on.

3. 10 lunges (5 per leg)

4. 10 Push up (Increase the height of your hands to the appropriate height, as high as placing your hands on the wall

Workout 3

Repeat 1 – 4 for 15 minutes.

1. 30 second wall sit

2. 20 band presses

3. 10 Split squats (if you do not have good balance do regular lunges)

4. 20 band rows

Workout 4

Repeat 1 – 3 for 15 minutes.

1. 5 Pullups

2. 5 Pushups

3. 10 Crunches

4. 10 Hanging Knee Raises

5. 20 Squats

6. 20 Split Squats

Workout 5

7 minutes of Burpees!  Start the clock and try to complete as many burpees as you can. This might seem too simple but this is very difficult.  Over 50, well done!  Over 75, you’re the real deal. Over 100, you have a very impressive fitness level.

All of these workouts can be modified for greater or less difficulty.

Have fun!

Post any questions in the comments section.

Movements:

Burpee

Lunge

Side Lunge

Step Ups

Squat

Chair Sit

Squat jumps

Plank

Push Up (hands elevated for an easier version, feet elevated for greater difficulty)

Sit Up

Pull Up

Hanging Knee Raise

Wall Sit

Band Press

Band Row

Band Curl

Band Tricep Extension

Band Squat

Bulgarian Split Squat