If you’re looking for a quick but efficient at home workout, this stair workout for runners fits the bill!  With beginner, intermediate, and advanced options available, you can customize this workout to your current fitness level and progress as needed.  A simple, no-equipment workout, this AMRAP workout is a strength + cardio workout.

I’m excited to bring you another workout on my blog.  I’ve posted about health and wellness a lot lately given my current cancer diagnosis and health protocols.  However, I actually wrote this workout last summer, just a few days after I received my diagnosis.  I had met a friend at the track for some sprints and stairs, and then I tailored the workout to make it at-home friendly.  

Did anybody quit their gym in the last year due to the current situation in the world?  We did.  It was closed for six months, and by the time it reopened, we had outfitted our basement with more equipment, loved the time savings of not driving to the gym, and just stayed home.  There are certainly a few things that we miss (saunas, the huge pool for the kids, lap swimming any time, cables), but mostly we don’t miss it.

I’m a big believer that you do NOT need a gym to get a terrific workout.  Use what you’ve got and get creative, and you’ll be amazed at what you can do.  I’m also a big believer in the power of short workouts!  It’s amazing what you can do in 10-20 minutes!  In fact, I did these 12-minute workouts for quite a while when I was really getting into strength training more.  12 minutes, and I was toast! [Read more…]

All you need is 1 pair of dumbbells to get a quality, full body workout at home.  With beginner to advanced recommendations and modifications, you can quickly complete this workout in 20-35 minutes.

I created this workout while on vacation, staying with family.  Naturally, I couldn’t bring a lot of equipment in a carryon, so I had to work with what was available.  I found a pair of ten pound dumbbells, a yoga mat, and a chair and got to it!  In 30 minutes, I was a sweaty mess!  Not to mention, I was really sore the next few days! [Read more…]

A fast and efficient, 30 minute home workout focusing on chest, shoulders, and legs. Beginners may even complete it in 20. Minimal equipment needed!

As I mentioned in this post, I like to strength train three days per week.  Often I do a chest/shoulders/legs day, arms/back/abs day, and a leg day.  Those splits work well for me to give my muscles adequate rest between workouts, and allow me to do some sprint, HIIT, or active recovery days in between.

In this workout I target the chest and shoulders (the larger upper body muscles) as well as my legs to get a workout I will feel the next day as well as a solid cardio component and a great sweat.  This provides a solid metabolism boost in addition to building strength.  And since I am a real person with other things to do in a day, I wrote this workout for myself and other real people who like 30 minute home workouts.
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Need a quick upper body workout to do at home?  Here’s a super efficient arms, back, and abs workout you can do at home in 30-40 minutes!  Beginners may even complete it in 20.  

Generally, I like to strength train three days per week.  Often I do a chest/shoulders/legs day, arms/back/abs day, and a leg day.  Those splits work well for me to give my muscles adequate rest between workouts, and allow me to do some sprint, HIIT, or active recovery days in between.

I hate wasting time on single muscle exercises which don’t build “real life” strength and don’t burn many calories.  I like to keep my heart rate up throughout my workout and get a great sweat, often working several muscles with each exercise.  This is working out smarter rather than harder for a person that has a real life.  I’m not looking to compete in bikini competitions or something, so I don’t need to meticulously train each individual muscle.

Fitness FAQ’s

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Well, we’ve wrapped up week one of the stay-at-home executive order.  It has been interesting.  This is truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

I’m not going to get into my thoughts and opinions on the whole thing right now.  There are plenty of people doing that.  But, let’s face it.  We’re home.  For weeks.  And we’ve got to stay busy and stay active to stay sane!

I’m a very self-motivated person to begin with, and my main job is “stay-at-home mom,” so this is not that far outside of normal life for me.  However, I do enjoy the gym, and go there several times each week, generally in the mornings before my kids get up.  Well, that ship sailed, so I’m very, very thankful that I have what I need for a pretty decent home gym.  (If you want to see my go-to equipment list for a minimal but fully functional home gym, click here.)

Even if you’re not typically a “gym rat,” what better time to start a workout routine?

Here’s what you’ll need for equipment: [Read more…]

I’m looking forward to adding more workouts to my blog in 2020.  It’s been a long time coming even though I am constantly writing workouts to post here!

All of the workouts that I’ve ever posted have been strength training workouts.  Mostly, because you all seem to be looking for those the most!  Lots of you want to know how you can strength train at home with minimal equipment, or you just don’t quite know what to do at the gym once you get there.

I am a big believer in strength training–particularly for women.  Personally, I’ve noticed a huge difference in my body (inside and out) since I made lifting a priority.  However, I am first and foremost a runner. [Read more…]

It’s no secret around here that I’m a fan of supersetting.  Now, by that I don’t mean the “traditional” way of doing supersets that is common, mostly for guys trying to get their “huge on.”  I mean, the kind of supersets that let you work pretty much every major muscle group in your body in a very quick and efficient manor so that you can get on with your day.  You could say that’s my style.  Because, guess what?  I don’t actually love strength training (although, I do have to admit that it’s growing on me).  I’d so much rather head out for a nice, relaxed run (I know, it’s weird).  But, I do absolutely love the benefits of strength training.  I love, love, love what it does for hormone balance, metabolism boosting (read: fat burning and thyroid health!), and the challenge to my cardiovascular system without the stress of repetitive motion (e.g. running).  So, I keep at it, and it’s a big priority in my training.  (Side bonus: all the cardio-focused activities I love have benefited from strength training, too!)

So, I want, no, I need to strength train, but I just don’t want to be there all day, okay?  And the best part is, I don’t have to.  20-30 minutes, and I’m done.  Heck, even 12-15 minutes will work in a pinch.

So, back to my supersets. [Read more…]

 

This workout is fun because it really challenges the core without a lot of concentrated ab exercises.  I like to work my whole core.  Not just my abs.  I like to work my lower back, pecs, obliques, intercostals, transverse abdominis, etc.  Not just the “six pack” part of abs that everyone thinks of when they “work their core,” but the whole way around (hey, it’s called a core, not a plate!).  Also, I don’t do crunches.  Like, ever.  I hate them.  They’re painful.  They’re terrible for your back.  They only work one or two muscles in your core and neglect everything else.  I don’t find them at all necessary to looking or feeling great, so I ditched them a long time ago.  But, I do like to challenge my core, and I do think having a strong core (including a strong pelvic floor!) really helped me with pregnancy (zero back pain!), labor (5 hours!), delivery (he just sorta popped out), and postpartum recovery (back to my regular clothes within the week) when I had my son.

So this workout?  Yeah, it works your core, but only two of the exercises are core-ish exercises.  So here’s my big secret about how to secretly work your core without trying.  [Read more…]

There are lots of weeks when I want to work every single muscle in my body in each workout, but there are also times when I split up my workouts for the week into upper body and lower body days.  One common driving reason for this upper body/lower body split would be that I’m just plain sore from a previous workout and not ready to work those muscles again.  Enter: the lower body workout.

I like lower body workouts because they are a bit easier to do at home or while traveling where equipment may be limited.  (It’s a bit more challenging to do an upper body workout with minimal equipment, although it can be done!)

So, this workout?  It targets the entire lower body: glutes/low back, hamstrings, inner and outer thighs, and calves.  Extra bonus if you do the workout barefoot to strengthen the muscles of your feet and lower leg stabilizers.  (I’m a huge fan of working out barefoot and haven’t had a single injury since I started incorporating barefoot training and yoga into my workout regimen.  This is saying a lot for someone who was basically just always in pain from the knee down all throughout my college career of cross country/track!) [Read more…]

There are a few tools that I love, love, love having on hand for my at-home workouts.  (You can read about my favorite home gym essentials here.)  Well, #3 on that list of essentials is my suspension trainer.    (The most common suspension trainer out there is definitely the TRX, but I believe there a few other brands out there now, too.)

I love my suspension trainer for a few reasons…

1.  It’s a simple piece of equipment.  It has just two adjustable straps that hang from a single loop.  That’s it.

2.  You can use it virtually anywhere.  You can mount it to the ceiling with ceiling mounts, attach it to a swing set with the clips at the top (been there done that while my son plays in the sandbox!), or you can use the door anchor to hang it from the top of any door (this is how I’m using it in the GIFs you’ll see below). [Read more…]