Thanks to the recent stay at home orders and general uncertainty going on in the world in response to COVID-19, most of us have stopped going to the gym either by choice or due to closures — but you don’t need a gym membership or access to a trainer to get moving while working from home.
In fact, a quick 10-minute home workout can provide great results — if you know what to focus on.
Getting the most out of a short workout means doing something intense that will work out a large number of muscles at once—and while some of these workouts may seem intense, you can do anything for ten minutes if you set your mind to it.
Here, we spoke to a handful of personal trainers and fitness experts to get their top 10-minute home workout routines that will help you shed fat and get results quickly and safely — without having to spend endless hours at the gym.
Be sure to keep your workouts interesting by picking a different combination of exercises each time and don’t forget to make time for stretching afterwards.
Burpees
“The one I recommend most of the time is burpees,” explained Rex Freiberger, fitness expert and CEO of Discuss Diets.
“Burpees engage your total body, especially your core. They require a great deal of core engagement and control.”
Note that burpees are often hard for beginners to do, though, especially in a long set — so be honest with your current fitness level and be sure to mix in other exercises from the list below.
Push ups
“If you can’t do burpees, I recommend doing what you can with body weight exercises,” said Freiberger.
“These rely on the mass of your own body to provide resistance and engage your muscle groups.”
Freiberger suggests finding a good mix of V-ups, and knee push-ups. If you have the equipment for it, you can consider adding pull-ups or chin-ups into the mix, too.
Bear crawls
ACE certified personal trainer Monica Straith suggests trying bear crawls.
“Bear crawls work your shoulders, chest, upper arms, back, core, and legs,” explained Straith.
“You can do them front to back and side to side… the key is to keep your knees from touching the ground.”
Squat jumps
This plyometric exercise will raise your heart rate and burn calories in no time.
“Again, you don’t need a lot of space and can be done by most fitness levels,” said Straith. “Plus, no equipment required.”
Straith suggests making sure you’re using your entire foot to take off into your jump instead of just the front of your foot and toes. Then, land as softly as possible to protect your joints.
Pulsing glute bridge
The simple glute bridge strengthens your glutes, back muscles, and core. You’ll also feel it toning your hamstrings and hip muscles!
“If you spend a lot of time sitting, this exercise is perfect for you, explains Straith.
“It’ll help improve posture over time and protect your back against injuries.”
Mountain climbers
“Mountain climbers are typically part of core workouts, but they also tone your shoulders, arms, legs, back, and glutes,” said Straith.
“Keep all these areas of your body engaged throughout the exercise for maximum benefits!”
According to Straith, mountain climbers also get your heart pumping so they’re a great cardio exercise too. Be sure to try and focus on maintaining proper form with each repetition. Like planking, you want to keep your body in a straight, flat line.
Planking
Planking may seem like a simple exercise but it’s surprisingly effective; working your core, arms, legs, and glutes all at once and when done right, planking can help improve balance, posture, spinal strength, and pelvic strength.
“The key to working all these areas at once is to keep them engaged while you’re holding the plank,” said Straith.
“Try variations like a side plank and twisting plank to work different abdominal muscles. And remember to keep your bum down, not raised!”
This article was originally published on The Ladders.
