It's the end of January, and I hope everyone is still doing their home workouts! I've been mixing things up, trying to find the best routines to keep me going. It's not been a flawless month, for sure, but I'm still going, and that's the main thing for me, at least.
Today, I felt good, so I decided to move on to full-body workouts. And since I couldn't be bothered to get any weights from the garage, I opted for the below 20-minute low-impact routine. "Remember: low impact doesn't mean low intensity," says fitness trainer Oliver in the video. "This is still a high-intensity workout, so expect to sweat and burn lots of calories!"
How to do this workout
This high-intensity bodyweight workout consists of two rounds, where you'll cycle through a dynamic sequence of exercises designed to build strength, endurance, and coordination. Each movement lasts for 45 seconds, followed by a 15-second rest, ensuring you maintain intensity while allowing for brief recovery.
You'll start with side-to-side prisoner squats, keeping your hands behind your head to engage your core while strengthening your lower body. Next up, hammer slams fire up your arms, shoulders, and core as you mimic the explosive movement of swinging a sledgehammer.
Transitioning to pike push-ups with shoulder taps, you'll develop upper body strength and stability, emphasizing the shoulders and triceps. Moving dynamically, the side step + kick gets your legs working, enhancing balance and coordination.
Then, you'll engage your core with plank crunches, first on the right side, then on the left, before standing up for standing knee taps, a great way to keep your heart rate elevated.
As you enter the final phase of the round, the knee-to-feet squat with bear walk challenges agility and lower-body explosiveness, while the hollow hold to crab bridge strengthens your core, glutes, and posterior chain.
Once you complete the sequence, take a deep breath and get ready to repeat it all in round two, keeping the intensity high while focusing on controlled movement and form.
Tips and more workouts
You can do this workout both indoors and outdoors, but I'd recommend putting on workout shoes. Some of the exercises (e.g. side-to-side prisoner squats) feel better in shoes. If your workout space is carpeted, feel free to wear socks only.
Once you complete this workout, check out this 30-minute, no-jump, zero-equipment full-body workout also from Oliver. Need some celebrity inspiration? Have a look at Arnold Schwarzenegger's 20-minute workout for full-body gains. There is also this Chris Hemsworth full-body workout that boosts strength, speed and power. Your choice!