Take this step-by-step full body workout to the gym with you on days when you can’t think straight.
There’s a lot to think about right now, from tier restrictions and whether to see your family for Christmas to what to actually buy for said family members if you do manage to form a bubble. You don’t want to be sweating the small stuff on top of all of that, particularly when it comes to your workouts.
Because there is no worse feeling than when you want to exercise to de-stress, but feel so overwhelmed you don’t even know where to start. So try this workout – a great option for busy days when you just want to sweat it out.
Even better, it’s fitness trainer approved. “Whenever I’m busy, stressed, don’t know what to do or feel unmotivated, I walk into the gym and do this workout,” says Emma Obayuvana, trainer from the Strong Women Collective. “I know I’m hitting multiple muscle groups, getting my heart rate up and it’s structured in a way that you can add things in or take things out depending on how I’m feeling physically or psychologically.”
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The workout is made up of supersets, meaning you perform one exercise immediately after the other with no rest. These layers make what Emma describes as a ‘fitness cake’: “I perform a strength-based move and then follow up with an active rest, where I’m not necessarily lifting but my body is still working hard,” she says.
So with that in mind, bookmark this page for the days when you can barely string a sentence together, let alone a functional workout.
Superset 1: Romanian deadlift and plank hold
This superset works your glutes, hamstrings and core using hinging and isometric moves.
- Perform a Romanian deadlift with a barbell or dumbbells by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and the weight in your hands with your arms hanging naturally.
- Hinge at your hips so the weight lowers towards the floor. Keep your legs straight as you do so, maintaining a straight back throughout.
- Push through your heels to come back up to the starting position.
Repeat 8-10 times.
- Come down into a plank position. This can be done on your knees or toes and forearms or hands. The most important thing is that you keep your bum down and core engaged.
Hold for as long as possible.
Repeat the superset three times, either resting between sets or going straight back in.
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Superset 2: Thrusters and wall sit
The thrusters work your legs, glutes and shoulders, while a wall sit will make your quads burn.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height and keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lower down into a squat position making sure you are keeping a flat back.
- Squeeze through your heels as you push up to standing. As you do so, press your arms up overhead so that the dumbbells come together.
- Bring the dumbbells back down as you lower back into a squat.
Repeat 8-10 times.
- Place your back against a wall and step your feet out until you are lowered into a squat position with your knees bent at 90º.
Hold for as long as possible.
Repeat the superset three times, either resting between sets or going straight back in.
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Superset 3: Renegade row and tricep dip
A renegade row mainly targets the muscles in your back, shoulders and core. And a tricep dip doesn’t just work the arms, but also the abdominal muscles.
- Come into a plank position on your knees or toes, but with your hands gripping two light dumbbells rather than the floor.
- Lift one dumbbell off the floor by pulling your elbow towards the ceiling. Make sure your hips remain still, rather than twist from side to side.
- Lower the dumbbell back to the ground and repeat on the other side.
Repeat five times each side.
- Sit on the floor with your hands behind you either on the floor or propped on a chair, bench or other raised surface. Keep your fingers facing forwards towards your toes.
- Push through your hands to straighten your arms, keeping your torso and hips still.
- Slowly bend your elbows to lower back down to the starting position.
Repeat 8-10 times.
Repeat the superset three times, either resting between sets or going straight back in.
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Finisher: AMRAP
“This is there to push your heart rate up a little bit more, but the moves are all complementary to the strength work you’ve just done by working through the same shapes, like push, pull and plank,” says Emma.
This is a 10-minute AMRAP, meaning you complete as many rounds of the exercises as you can in just 10 minutes. It features squats, snatches, press-ups and shoulder taps, as demonstrated below.
And the good news is, that’s you done, no thinking required. Now all that’s left is to work out what to buy your mum.
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Images: Sarah Brick
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