Formula for a Quick At-Home Workout

Lately I've been meditating on how truly blessed I am.  

This is not meant to be a brag - I apologize if it comes off like that. I just want to remember to be grateful for the abundance I have. 

One of the things I am most grateful for during the Era of COVID is my home gym. The gym is my happy place, and I know my health, both mental and physical, would have suffered much more without it (especially during the nationwide, you-shall-not-leave-your-house lockdowns we've had recently where I live).  

I was thinking, though, about what I would do if I didn't have the gym - if I didn't have all the equipment at my disposal. Early into all of our stay-at-home phases, gym equipment online quickly sold out and that trend has continued. 

So I've come up with a quick formula anyone can use to design your own workout at home. I think it'll be effective and sufficiently challenging without sacrificing good programming. You aren't going to put on slabs of muscle, if that's your thing, but you can get in a solid workout. I use this formula myself to switch it up from my standard lifting sessions.   It's great for muscular endurance or cardio training. 

Here's the set-up.

Take a look at the chart below - I've given examples of lower body, upper body and core-centric moves. 

Pick one exercise from each column, set an interval timer for 1 minute each, and go to work. You'll do one minute of the first (lower body) exercise, one minute of the second (upper body), and one minute of the third (core) exercise.  

Repeat for 5 rounds for a total of 15 minutes. 

And that's it!

If you want to do another round, pick three new exercises and do another 15 minutes. Repeat as much as you like and take a 2-5 minute break in between rounds. 

The exercises in the chart are just examples - you can pick any exercise you can think of to follow this formula. My suggested set-up is also just one way to do it. You can also try doing a set number of reps for each exercise instead of for time, and see how many rounds of the circuit you can get through in 15 minutes. 

Switch it up by adding weight or bands if you have them (even a Camelpak with a water bladder works). Try comprehensive moves like burpees, or even add in categories like a cardio interval (jumping jacks, high knees, etc.).  Be creative - a box you can step or jump onto and a towel or sheet thrown over a door can open up new moves to try. 

I designed the above workout to hit all major muscle groups in a way that was dynamic, customizable and simple. This is not what I would term a comprehensive workout program, however, it's a nice way to start and can be incorporated into your routine in whatever way you like. 

Let me know if you try this and if you have suggestions or questions!