While many of us are motivated to get fit and look fabulous this season, the weather can make melting those pounds away a challenge. If you don’t have an extra room to spare for an at-home gym, or extra cash to buy high-tech machinery, all you really need are a few small pieces of gear and 30 to 45 minutes. Check out these six simple indoor exercises!
For a simple indoor workout, Scott Keppel, president, CEO and certified fitness instructor at Scott’s Training Systems in Arizona, recommends this total body workout to burn fat in minutes flat.
Gear needed: Stability ball, three pairs of small dumbbells in three different weight increments (five, eight, and 12 pounds for beginners; and eight, 12, and 15 pounds for intermediate level).
The Workout
First, warm up your muscles by doing jumping jacks or jumping rope for 10 minutes.
Bulgarian squats:
Extend left leg back, placing toes on top of the bench while standing a few feet in front of it with the right leg. Dip down into a lunge, keeping the right knee in line with your heel, until the thigh is parallel to the floor.
Shoulder press squats:
While standing hip width apart and holding a five- or eight-pound dumbbell in one hand near the shoulder, bend knees and dip into a squat, keeping the knees in line between your heels and toes. On the way back to standing, press the arm holding the dumbbell straight up into the air over head.
One-leg dead lifts:
Stand hip width apart with a five- or eight-pound dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Bend forward from the waist while allowing the hands to flow freely towards the floor. Meanwhile, lift one leg off the floor until it is in line with your torso, eventually coming parallel to the floor. Move back to regular standing position. Continue with the same leg and then switch.
Incline dumbbell press:
Holding a 10- or 12-pound dumbbell in each hand, sit on stability ball and allow it to roll under your back until you are squatting and your upper back is leaning on it. Hold the dumbbells near your shoulders press straight up towards the ceiling and bring back to starting position.
One-arm rows:
Arrange yourself in a push-up position with your left hand on the ground and your right hand holding a five- to eight-pound dumbbell. Pull the dumbbell up to your side and release back down.
Pop-up abs:
Lie on back with arms extended on the ground overhead and legs extended on ground. Sit up and pull into a fetal position, touching heels to glutes.
Scott recommends that beginners do 15 to 20 repetitions of each exercise for a calorie- and fat-burning workout that is easier on the tendons and ligaments. If you’re at an intermediate level and want to build more lean muscle, do eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise. Do two to three sets of each exercise.
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