So, I began searching for some good home workout routines. I was looking, particularly, for routines that didn't require equipment or purchasing lots of videos.
I didn't find anything that suited my needs and situation.
I have a 10 month old son who loves to crawl around and search the entire house (I am absolutely not complaining because we have fun doing it!). I just needed something that could start and stop almost instantly.
I also needed something scaleable. It needed it to be quick, but also expandable if I had a small or large window of time pop open (20 minutes is a large amount of time between a 10 month old and graduate school work).
So I put something of my own together. Perhaps there are some people out there that have already done this and making hundreds of dollars from it, but I think it fits the bill very well. It's nothing fancy or complicated, doesn't require any money or equipment, can be done anywhere, and can be scalable from 5 minutes to 45 whenever you have a chunk of time. To top it all, I have been pleased with the results.
I've called it the 20/20/20 Home Workout Routine because it only requires:
* 20 pushups
* 20 sit-ups
* 20 air squats
That's it! These three exercises successfully work most of the muscle groups and give a solid workout. The best part is that you can do one set of twenty each, or as many sets as it takes to tucker you out or burn you up.
Now, I know what you're thinking, it's way too simple to be effective. I need something long, complicated and overly expensive to work.
Not so. I've been doing it for almost two months now and find it easy, effective, and fun.
I typically start off with sit-ups because I like to do the routine as close to the first thing in the morning as possible. I'm a stay at home Dad and my wife leaves for work most mornings around 8:00-8:30. This is right about the time my 10 month old son has finished breakfast and is ready to play! As soon as he sees his toy box I get on the floor and crank out 20 sit-ups.
I typically do 10 traditional sit-ups with arms behind the head, feet on the floor and squeeze my abs. Then, the last ten are with feet off the ground and pulling my knees toward my chest. The straighter my legs the better the stomach workout.
Then, flip right over (as long my little guy isn't off to the races to pull the dog's tail) and do 20 pushups. These are the traditional ones with hands shoulder width apart, back straight and heels together. Don't worry about them being perfect, just focus on breathing throughout and going as low as comfortable. If you can't do 20 the first try, consider it the number you work up to!
Lastly, hop up and stand with your feet shoulder length apart, toes sticking out, and do 20 air squats. The important things to remember here are to keep your knees over your toes (don't' point feet out and have your knees go straight out in front of you. You'll work your thighs more and save your knees if you 'track' your knees over your toes.
Now isn't that great! You have the routine down. Now, feel free to repeat the routine as many times you need, feel up to completing (some days just once, others may be 3 or 4 or even more), or have the time for.
Something else to consider is spreading out each exercise, or sets of exercises, throughout the day. If you have a few minutes to do sit-ups, get them done and feel good about it. If you want to do more than one set, complete one in the morning, another at lunch, and then at night before bed.
The routine is simple to remember, easy to implement, and can be adapted to incorporate more 'advanced' modifications.
If you abs are getting strong and you'd like to add some difficulty, find a book to put between your feet. The act of holding even a very light book will work a new set of muscles. You can gradually add heavier and heavier books. Some of the statistics textbooks I have will be a major challenge, we'll see if working up to those happens!
If you abs are getting strong and you'd like to add some difficulty, find a book to put between your feet. The act of holding even a very light book will work a new set of muscles. You can gradually add heavier and heavier books. Some of the statistics textbooks I have will be a major challenge, we'll see if working up to those happens!
To do more advanced pushups, try elevating your feet. Put your feet on a step stool, then a couch, and possibly higher elevated things. The higher your feet go, the more shoulder, arm, and chest muscles you'll work.
Lastly, I've found that grabbing my son while doing air squats adds twenty or so pounds, and makes the workout more fun for both of us!
This routine may not be suitable for everyone, and it isn't meant to be. The purpose is to give other stay-at-home types, or those who just like to find ways to exercise at home, an option that fits into tight schedules, doesn't cost anything, and can also be done by anyone in the family (my 10 month does some mean air squats on his own).
Give it a try, if you find something that works better, it's ok. Just find what you like. If you come up with something, write about it and let us know!
