The 30 minute workout with no gym or equipment required
Many of us lead incredibly busy lives. Meetings stack one on top of the other, while the next deadline is always looming overhead. A requirement of the modern world it may be, but in such jam-packed lifestyles, something has to give.
Unfortunately your body won’t take neglect for an answer. Weight gain, bad posture and poor muscle tone will bite you hard it you don’t keep your psychical affairs in order.
Many people I talk to see exercise as an unscalable mountain. They think fitness requires huge clumps of time. But exercise doesn’t have to be time consuming or difficult to plan. In fact, you don’t even have to leave the office!
My 30 minute office circuit offers a total body workout (it even leaves time for a warm up and warm down). Each exercise is a compound movement, which means they work several different muscle groups all at once.
All you need is an area of space approximately 5ft x 5ft. That's it. No equipment. No training buddy. And no more time than you already have.
Perform each exercise for one full minute, followed by one full minute of rest. Once you've finished the circuit once, do it once more, then be back at your desk before your boss has even noticed.
Exercise 1: Body Weight Squat
What It Works : Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings
The bodyweight squat is a bread and butter exercise that will help you develop your legs, strengthen your lower back and develop your core. Try to make sure that your knees stay in line throughout the movement without rolling in or pushing away from each other.
Exercise 2: The Abdominal Plank
What It Works: Abdominals, Trunk, Lower Back
This is a brilliant exercise for developing you core strength and abdominals.
Holding a plank for one minute without rest may be challenging at first. Don’t be deterred if you have to take a knee: rest for a moment and get straight back up! Work hard and you’ll soon see your hold times improve.
Exercise 3: Reverse Lunge with Overhead Clap
What It Works: Hamstrings, Glutes, Abdominals, Quads
The reverse lunge works many of the same muscle groups as the squat. However its far more difficult to coordinate. Brace your abdominals throughout this movement to aid balance and stability.
Exercise 4: Push up
What It Works: Chest, Torso, Shoulders Triceps
The push up is an excellent test of your upper body strength.
We’re going for military style press-ups here so be sure to keep your elbows tucked in and take your chest all the way down to the ground.
Most people find they can't do a full minute of press-ups without their muscles giving in to begin with. If your muscles fail on you, don't think of it as a point of no return. Instead, take a moment to rest and continue with the exercise for as long as possible, just as you did the abdominal plank. Bit by bit, you'll find your press-up stamina improving.
Exercise 5: Burpee
What It Works: Full Body, Cardiovascular System
I’ve included the burpee at the end of the circuit to enable you to try your hand at some high intensity cardio. A full minute of this exercise is not for the feint of heart, so pace your minute slowly at first. Should you find the burpee too hard, attempt a slightly less intensive exercise like mountain climbers or squat thrusts as a replacement.
How to Progress
Once you get used to this circuit you may want to incorporate some progressions to provide further stimulation. Try reducing the rest time to 30 seconds between exercises or even remove the rest altogether. You could even perform the circuit three times without rest for a very tough 15 minute express workout.
Scott Laidler is a film industry personal trainer from London. Visit Scott at www.scottlaidler.com for online personal training and free fitness resource
