Winter At-Home Mom Workout


Skip the gym this winter and use this At-Home Mom Workout!

Skip the gym this winter and use this At-Home Mom Workout!

It’s cold, snowy, and you only have 30 minutes to get a workout in before the kids need to get to practice.  Knowing you need to make time for yourself, you want to take a break and get some stress relief, so what can you do at home with little to no “gym” equipment?

Bodyweight training is great!  There are many ways to get body-part specific as you workout, but what I want to focus on is compound movements.  I’m presenting these options as something you can do at home in a family room, a garage, a basement, a backyard or a park.  Ideally, when you’re ready and able, take it to the gym in the free-weight area and watch your body grow curves, improve metabolism, and lower body fat down the road.  It’s NOT a fast process, but it does have extremely nice paybacks if you’re willing to be consistently invested over time!

Compound moves are going to work many different joints and muscle groups of the body.  The more groups you can recruit, the more effective your workout will be, helping you build muscle and lower body fat.  The more muscles that are involved in each lift, the more calories you burn and the more energy you expend.  Isolation moves (biceps, triceps, calves, for example) will be a nice addition to your routine, but focusing on using compound moves first will be an excellent place to start!

If you’re wanting additional workout how-to, as a part of my weekly E-Letters at fitgalclub.com/exerciseideas, I share my “Favorite Exercise of the Week” demos and also offer you a detailed, Free At-Home Workout Download for even more ideas!

-At-Home Compound Exercises-

Equipment: workout wear, gallon water/milk jugs, sack of potatoes OR, if you’re daring, a younger kiddo’s bodyweight!

Time: 20-45 minutes

Warm-Up: Get your heart rate up for 2-5 minutes by jogging, walking steps, or riding a bike.  Do some dynamic stretches (arm swings, arm circles, walking lunges) to open your joints and loosen your muscles.

Intensity: You can do any of these without weight, holding a gallon jug or sack of potatoes centered on chest, holding a gallon jug in each hand, or with a younger kiddo on your back (except the Dead Lifts…the kiddo is out front!)

Exercise #1: Squat

Skip the gym this winter and use this At-Home Mom Workout!

How To: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and toes out at about a 30-degree angle.  With or without weight, imagine sitting back onto a chair and then hovering just over the seat of the chair to where your quads are parallel to the ground.  Pause at that point and then squeeze hamstrings and glutes to return to the starting position.  You keep chest up and an arch in your lower back with a neutral spine (head looking forward).

Sets x Repetitions: 3 x 12-20

Note: Here I’m squatting with a 70-pound child on my back.  Adding extra weight is only good *after you’ve mastered the form* without weight or with lighter hand-held objects first.  This idea is especially great when you don’t have access to any equipment.  {PS: This was on a summer vacation for us…no gym required!}

 

Exercise #2: Dead Lift:

 

Skip the gym this winter and use this At-Home Mom Workout!

How To: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and practice pushing hips to the rear, keeping back flat, keeping a neutral spine, and lifting the load straight up, against your body.  This is a whole-body, multi-joint move and very effective.

Sets x Repetitions: 3 x 15-20

Note: Here I’m presenting at a family show in Indianapolis in 2013 and I used my daughter as my weight to complete the Dead Lift!  I was looking back, but your head should stay looking forward in the neutral position.

Exercise #3: Bulgarian Lunges

Skip the gym this winter and use this At-Home Mom Workout!

 

How To: These moves work the entire quad, glute, ham, and hip flexors.  If you’re looking to see change in your physique, incorporate these exercises on a regular basis!  The rear leg is elevated on a park bench, stair step, chair seat, or fireplace hearth.  With front leg placed as far out from the back leg as possible, the load is on the front leg and you’ll lower straight down keeping your torso upright and your knee behind the front foot {don’t hinge it forward as commonly believed}.  Get your front leg parallel to the ground and then activate the glute and hams to press up and return to start.  You can do them with or without weight.

Sets x Repetitions: 3 x 12-15; do one round on the same leg and then switch to the other leg to complete that set.  In my opinion, for best results, do not alternate legs after each rep.  It takes too much time to regain your balance and the effectiveness of the exercise can be compromised and is more beneficial when exhausting one leg at a time for the set.

Note: I added a lighter kiddo to this exercise, on the same vacation workout as the squat above!  If you’re having trouble getting parallel and going slow, drop weight to maximize the range of motion of this exercise.  A great workout can be had with little to no weight!

These three compound exercises are very effective when incorporated weekly over time.  Allow 48 hours time between a second workout of this nature.

I can’t say enough about lifting weights, or in this case body weight, and what is has done to change my physique.  If you’re wanting more ideas and access to a longer At-Home Workout, make sure to stop on by for a visit at fitgalclub.com/athomeworkout for the free download!

Whatever you choose, decide to work it regularly over time, making it a part of your lifestyle for the long haul.  That is when the results show up and pay you back for all your hard work.  Happy lifting….#liftlikeagirl!   -Mindy