It’s that time of the year again when you catch yourself wondering “Whatever happened to my new year resolution of working out every day?!” If you’re increasingly finding yourself bogged down by hectic schedules, endless traffic snarls and accompanying distress at not being able to hit the gym every day, fret not.
You can still experience fitness heaven and get your mojo back in just 20 magical minutes with this Hybrid, Fat-blasting, High-calorie Burning Workout, all in the comfort of your home.
Word to the wise, if you have any pre-existing medical condition please consult your doctor before you attempt this workout. In case you’ve eaten a light pre-workout snack, even if it’s a protein bar, a smoothie or a banana allow yourself a gap of at least half an hour before exercising and a gap of two hours if it’s a heavy meal.
So what are we waiting for? Let’s jump right in.
First, The Warm Up
Since this fitness routine is high-intensity a 3-5 minute warm up is a must.
Surya Namaskars when done at a slow to medium pace are a great way to prepare your system for the workout ahead. Not only does it activate all your muscles, but oxygenates your blood as well, allaying feelings of anxiety and restlessness, calming you as you smoothly sink into and ease out of each of the asanas.
If you’re not comfortable with surya namaskars, then even the simplest of exercises like spot jogs or jumping jacks should suffice.
Next, stand tall, feet hip-width distance apart, shoulders rolled back and down, hands on your hips, engaging your core (abdominals), swing your right leg forward and back. Resist the temptation to bend forward as you do this. Next, raise your right leg to the side and swing it across your left leg. Do about 5 reps of these swings, slow and easy, no need to hurry. Repeat the exercise with the left leg.
On to the arms now. Take your arms all the way up and begin rolling them forward. Reverse after a few reps.
Time Now To Burn Those Calories Folks!
Here are some mind-blowing variations to spice up those vanilla squats and lunges that might even catch your gym trainer by surprise. Do as many reps of each exercise as you can.
Quick Tips: Remember to use your arms in conjunction with your feet; know that especially when you raise your arms above chest-level you raise your heart rate and expend a lot more energy, that and keeping your movements big. Keep your knees soft so you don’t inadvertently injure them.
Snowboard Hops
(Image Courtesy: Sindhu Rajkumar, Owner, VO2MAX Workout Station & Fitness Instructor)
Place your right foot in front of the left at shoulder-width distance turning your body to face the front left hand corner of your room at an angle of say 45 degrees. Squat down, leaning forward extend your right hand down and try to touch the ground outside your right foot. Now jump off twisting around so this time your left foot is forward as you squat facing the front right hand corner with the left arm extending down outside the left foot. Jump and twist around yet again to return to the first position.
Skater Hops
(Image Courtesy: Sindhu Rajkumar, Owner, VO2MAX Workout Station & Fitness Instructor)
Jump to the right, swinging both your arms to the right, shift your weight bending your left foot behind the right as you sink into the squat. Try to keep the left foot off the ground if you can.
Jump left, swing your arms to the left, right leg bent behind the left as you squat.
Wood Choppers
(Image Courtesy: Sindhu Rajkumar, Owner, VO2MAX Workout Station & Fitness Instructor)
If the snowboarding and skating have possibly transported you to the Alps and back, this one’s bound to make you feel like a golfer on an adrenaline rush. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, grab a ball (or even a bottle of water will do) in both hands, take it up over your right shoulder.
Now swing it down to the outside of your left knee sinking into a squat twisting your waist as you move. From this position swing the ball or bottle up back to your right shoulder as you get out of that squat pivoting on your left toe and rotating slightly.
Do as many reps as you can before switching to the ball or bottle over your left shoulder and repeating the exercise for an equal number of reps along the left shoulder to the outside of right knee arc.
Explosive Burpees!
This is one of my all-time favourites and a definite winner on the calorie-burn meter. Make every burpee count with this version that starts with, what else - a plyometric jump! Hands high up in the air jump, parking your palms firmly on the ground push back both your feet into plank position, where you can execute alternating mountain climbers with push-ups. That done, in one swift motion, bring your feet back behind your arms and jump up with your arms in the air once again.
Kickbox Cardio Time!
Learn to throw hard punches, jabs, crosses and hooks. Remember always to start with the “guard position” hands balled into fists in front of your face, tucking your chin down a tad little. Power up your hook strikes by pivoting your ankle.
The Lunge Challenge
Clock Lunges
Imagining you’re at the centre of a clock dial, lunge forward with your right leg at 12, side or lateral lunge at 3, diagonal at 4 and reverse lunge at 6. Repeat the same positions with your left leg starting with the forward lunge, lateral at 9, diagonal at 8 and reverse at 6. If you’re feeling particularly experimental you can try the curtsey and crossover lunges as well. Adding resistance like holding a ball up when you lunge forward or back, and to the side in a lateral lunge will help you burn more calories.
Knee-Up Jump Lunge
Take your right knee back in a reverse lunge, as you spring back with a right knee-up, execute a small hop with the standing left leg. Switch legs after a few reps.
After two cycles of these exercises chances are you would have lost about 100-200 calories in a short span of time and experienced the benefits of a full-body workout. Remember to do stretches for your arms, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, abs, obliques and back that you usually do at your gym at the end of a full body workout.
By now you’re most likely feeling s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d (pun intended) to the point of near-exhaustion, but possibly also pounds lighter and hopefully profoundly perkier.
(Aruna Ramesh Balaji is a freelance writer, fitness instructor and former television journalist. She firmly believes that one of the gateways to a happy life is good health made possible by significant lifestyle changes. It’s her most cherished goal to make available the collective wisdom, both ancient and contemporary, of masters and experts in the fields of health and fitness, so readers such as yourself can lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.)
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