“Muscle Awakening” Workout

Good morning and happy new week!

Sometimes your body really needs to take it easier. It's smart to listen to it when that happens… 

I've been a bit under the weather for the past couple of days. Because of that, I haven't really worked out. My last few workouts have been the following: Yoga on Thursday, a long-ish walk on Saturday, and a very sort walk on Sunday.

It's really physically hard to stay inside and between the four walls for too long, and what's even worse, in the seated position. That has happened because I've been trying to use this time and catch up on work…

Gotta see the bright side in being sick, right? I got some things done that had been on my list for too long already.

So, yesterday I did a super simple workout in my backyard, just to wake up my muscles. No specific number of reps, no certain number of rounds. I just did what felt good. The goal wasn't to make it a calorie-burning HIIT or test my limits 🙂 I admit, I'm far from that right now.

But, you can definitely turn it into a calorie-burning hardcore workout if you want to! Just do each exercises for 45 seconds, 3 rounds, and take minimal rest in between. Similar scheme to what you find in my Holiday Travel Workout Guide (read more about it here).

If you're like me and feel like you're not exactly ready to kick butt right now, but still want to give your body much needed movement, you may like this workout. Take it slow and remind your muscles that you're still using them.

Low Intensity “Muscle Awakening” Workout

Equipment:

Bodyweight and a chair or bench.

Time:

I took me about 12-15 minutes to slowly go through all the exercises.

If you want to make it a higher intensity workout, you can absolutely do that. Do 45 seconds of each one of them, three rounds. Rest as little as possible and as much as needed and between the exercises. In that case, you'll be done in about 15-20 minutes.

Place:

You can do it inside our out. I did this one in my backyard.

Noisiness:

It's a very quiet workout. No jumping involved.

Workout:

You’ll be doing five exercises, plus a bonus stretch / strengthening exercise;

• Legs Elevated Push Ups
• Triceps Dips
• Squats
• Split Squats
• Prone Leg Lifts

Additional Bonus (stretch + strengthening)

• Bridge hold

See how the exercises look like:

Here’s How to Do the Exercises:

Legs Elevated Push Ups

Put your feet up on a chair, table or other higher surface. Get in the plank position, shoulders over the wrists. Bend the elbows and lower your upper body. In this variation, its very common to drop the hips, but try not to do that. The body should move as one unit.

Triceps Dips

Start with you back facing the bench. Put your hands on the bench, so that your fingers are towards you, not away. Keep the legs straight. Bend your elbows enough to almost touch the ground with your butt, then extend the arms and push yourself back up again.

Squats

Stand with your feet hip-width or slightly wider apart. Keep the chest open, shoulder blades pulled together and core tight. Bend the knees, keep the heels firmly on the ground and squat as low as you can. Your knees and toes should be following the exact same direction during squatting and coming back up; make sure the knees are not turning in.

Split Squats

Start with your back facing the chair or bench. Put one leg on the ground and the other one up on the bench, hands behind the head. Now, bend your front knee and squat as low as you can. As you do so, your knee should not go past the toes. If that happens, take a step forward with the front leg, and make sure you keep the upper body upright.

Prone Leg Raises

Prone means on the stomach.
Lie down on the stomach and let your forehead rest on your hands. Lift the legs up as much as you can, squeeze the butt and put the legs back down.

Bridge Hold (feet elevated)

Lie down on the back and put your feet up on a slightly higher surface (the higher the surface, the harder this exercise will be). Bend the knees. Raise your arms overhead, bend them and put the palms down on beside your ears. Place your palms flat on the ground with your fingers facing your toes. Push your shoulders, legs, hips, back, and chest off the ground.

Conclusion

I'm not doing hard workouts when I'm not feeling well, because that way I may need extra recovery time later. A little bit of movement can go a long way!