Personal trainer Joey Bull shares her quick full body workout at home to get you fit in a flash…
Words & Images: Joey Bull
I love a quick and complete full body workout at home. All you need is a towel and a little elevation, such as a ledge, step, sofa or bed. This is a great combination of exercises that will work all muscles in no time. Each of these moves works a few groups at once, and the more muscles recruited in a move, the more it raises the heart rate so there’s a double bonus in getting more into your short workout time slot!
Warm up
Start with a mini warm up of anything that raises your heart rate a little: jog on the spot, perform step ups, do some skipping, or bend and touch toes and reach up, for a minute or so.
Wide Z squats
- Stand in front of a ledge or seat.
- Separate your feet and make a nice deep squat, perching your backside onto the seat. Stick your bottom out and hinge your back forward a little to get the glutes working.
- Lower down at a normal speed but come up slowly to the count of 5. Repeat this move 10 times.
Split lunges
- With the ledge behind you, place one foot on it, then shift the supporting leg forward and slightly wide to help stability.
- Bend the front knee and lower into a deep lunge with steady contro.
- Hinge forward from the hips as you lower down if you wish to work the glutes more in this move. Otherwise, stay upright.
- Repeat 8 times on this leg, then switch sides.
Close split lunges
- Begin in the same position as with the split lunges, but shuffle the supporting leg back towards the ledge so that it is beneath your hips.
- Lower yourself into this close stance lunge and focus on the front thigh.
- Repeat 8 times on each side.
Upper Chest press
This is great for emphasising strength on the upper chest.
- Get both feet, shins or even thighs onto the ledge or bed. Position your hands on the floor into a wide press-up position. Push up until fatigue, 10 to 15 reps.
- To make it harder, straighten the legs and balance on the balls of the feet. To make it easier, shuffle backwards and get more leg weight onto the ledge.
Squat jumps
To add some power and aerobic benefit to this routine, do 10 squat jumps with a hip-distance foot stance. Spring up then squat low.
6 simple stretches for flexibility this spring
Power shoulder presses
- Place feet and hands at shoulder-width distance on the floor. Position your weight in the hands and bend the elbows, lowering your crown to the floor.
- Feel the shoulders engage and then push yourself up with power, allowing the weight of the legs to load and leave the ground. This is an intense move, so you might find 4-6 repetitions is plenty.
Tip! Be sure to do this correctly so you activate the shoulders and not the chest.
Back strengthener
- Get a towel, strong tie or belt and loop it round a banister, strong door handle, railing or post so it’s anchored in place. Position your feet close to the anchor and allow your body weight to pull back with straight arms. Hold on tight to avoid falling back.
- Bend the knees slightly and pull yourself in with your arms towards the anchor, then slowly extend your arms out.
- Keep going until you can feel this in your biceps and lats (the back muscles).
