Ok, I’ve been slacking on the workout posts lately. Mainly because our home gym setup is pretty dialed in. So, I’ve just been getting after it, and have forgotten to write stuff down or remember what the heck I did. Also, the lack of beach means lack of beach workouts, which are usually my favorite sweat sessions to share. Lame excuse, I know.
But, I do have a few go-to’s in the 20-minute workout department that I use year round – Home gym or not, near the beach or landlocked. And I figured any of these would be great to have up your sleeve for days when you need some motivation, an idea, or just need to figure out get some sort of quick butt kicking sweat session in. Because I swear the key to all of this is consistency. Trust me, 20 minutes a day can, and does, make a difference. Or at least it has for me, especially mentally. Feeling blah, well a quick workout makes your soul go ahhhhhh. Can’t focus, it’s like my sweaty Adderall.
Before I write a post on the benefits of working out, that takes 20 minutes to read, here are the workouts.
1: 5 move, 20-minute Tabata:
This is pretty much my g0-to. You need five different moves, and you do a full round of Tabata for each move. Each move should be something that kicks your butt after 20 seconds of going after it (think: burpies, squat jumps, push-ups, mountain climbers, kettlebell swings, tuck jumps, etc.)
One round of Tabata = 20 seconds on/10 seconds rest 8 times. Which = 4 minutes. (Which means lots of reps of whatever move you’re doing. Trust me, the tuck jumps are brutal.)
• 5 moves. One round of Tabata for each move (with zero to minimal rest in between rounds.) 5×4 = 20-minute workout, done.
My workout is usually this: a round of Squat jumps, mountain climbers, burpies, kettlebell swings, and tuck jumps. Give it a shot. You’ll get hooked.
2: 20-minute Timer Countdown
This is a good “my brain is fried and I just need to move” workout. Set a timer for 20 minutes, crank up some good tunes, grab some resistance bands, dumbbells, kettlebells (usually what I grab), a TRX, or whatever floats your boat. Then, you just start moving and DO NOT STOP MOVING until the timer stops. It’s great because you don’t overthink things, you get creative (which is exercising your mind in a great way), can try new moves, different reps, or just have fun. Plus it’s euphoric when the timer goes off.
3: 5-minute circuit x 4
Think typical circuit training, but with very little rest. Figure out five moves, and do one minute of each move. Take a small break, then repeat. Do four rounds in all.
My circuit usually looks something like this: 1 minute of dumbbell squats, 1-minute medicine ball slams (this doubles as therapy), 1-minute dumbbell/kettlebell thrusters, 1-minute inverted rows, 1-minute plank hold. Rest 1-2 minutes, repeat. Ok with the rest it’s more like a 24-28 minute workout, but still, it’s hardly that much time out of a 24 hour day.
4: 4 Ladders
Because I love ladders. The more ladders the merrier. A ladder is when you do 10 reps of something then 9 reps, 8, 7, 6, 5….all the way down to 1. Once you get to 5 I swear it’s smooth sailing. Not gonna lie – 10, 9, and 8 are usually quite brutal. So a typical ladder takes about 5 minutes to complete. So I say why not pick 4 moves and do a ladder of each. Oh yeah.
So the workout would look like this:
• A ladder of Burpies
• A ladder of Thrusters (dumbells, barbell or kettlebell)
• A ladder of Pull-ups (brutal but possible – can do inverted rows or bent over rows too)
• A ladder of Mountain Climbers (I like the wide ones where your knee touches the outside of your elbow. 1 rep = both sides)
• A ladder of V-ups or body saws (aka my least favorite therefor most done ab moves)
Once again, once you get to 5…it’s all smooth sailing. Sorry about 10, 9, 8… and sometimes 7.
5: Sprints and Stuff
It just feels WRONG not putting in a good ‘ol barefoot/get sandy beach one (That you can also do in a park/backyard.etc.)
Walk out 50 yards from your starting point and leave a “marker”- a shoe, bag, water bottle, kid’s toy, etc.
Sprint down to that marker and back, then do 5-10 push ups, squat jumps or burpies.
Rest for 20 -30 seconds.
Repeat.
And repeat
And repeat
…until you reach 20 minutes.
Done.
Boom. There you go. A few ideas to add to your quick butt kicking repertoire, which will hopefully come in handy this summer…and the rest of the year. (I’m sure I’ll be adding some more.) They’ve worked wonders for me, and as I said before, consistency is key. And it’s only 20 minutes out of your day. Your mind, body, and soul will thank you for it.
Rockin With Love From Paradise Sports Bra and Biker Shorts (They even have pockets) -I’ve learned wearing tropical print kind of makes me feel like I drank a RedBull too.