Busy Day Home Bodyweight Workout

By Chris Freytag

Running here and there. Driving everyone everywhere. Work, dinner, laundry—who has time for a workout? You do! That’s right. This busy day home bodyweight workout provides simple, easy-to-follow but challenging moves that give you a complete workout in 15 minutes. Plus, you can do it in the comfort of your own home, or pretty much anywhere you can claim a small square of space. If you can carve out 15 minutes, you can pack in this quick and effective at-home workout!

Can 15 Minutes Really Be Effective?

Absolutely. The first answer could easily be “15 minutes is better than nothing.” But it is so much more than that. In fact, more often than not, a short, intense workout is more effective and long-lasting than a longer, more moderate bout of exercise. The reason? Studies show that interval training—that is, short, high-intensity bursts of exercise in a workout—kicks the body’s metabolic state into high gear and not only burns more calories DURING the workout, but also burns more calories AFTER the workout is over. Todd Astorino, a professor of kinesiology at California State University San Marcos, was quoted in a Time Magazine article stating that we now have more than 10 years of data showing the effectiveness of HIIT training (“HIIT” stands for high-intensity intervals). This means that the intense work you do during these 15 minutes is not only effective, but might even last longer into your day, giving you more productivity than a less-intense, longer workout. Score!

Does Bodyweight Really Work?

You only have to try it once to believe it. Using your own body as resistance can be one of the most challenging physical activities of all. Take the basic push-up. How many people do you know that love them? Not many, right? That is because they are hard! Pushing the weight of your body up and down is a huge challenge—so much so that for our purposes, make sure any time a push-up is prescribed, you allow yourself to go onto your knees and modify if needed. Bodyweight work fights both your own weight and gravity combined. This is no easy task. Take a look at some of the benefits of Bodyweight Training below:

    • Bodyweight uses gravity

Bodyweight uses gravity when equipment isn’t available. Since you don’t have dumbbells or equipment to lift or push, bodyweight exercises challenge your muscles to work against the force of gravity instead. Push-ups, squats, tricep dips… it’s all a push away from the gravitational pull.

    • Bodyweight can be done anytime, anywhere

No equipment means no gym or special location. “Drop and give me 20” isn’t just a line. It’s a real thing. At home, at the park, in a hotel room, waiting for your kids at practice, bodyweight is always with you.

    • Bodyweight is for all fitness levels

Beginners like bodyweight moves because they are less intimidating than trying to figure out how to use new equipment. A kneeling push-up or wall push-up can be done to make a push-up easier. On the other hand, add a plyometric or change your position (i.e. decline push-ups), and now you have something for advanced workers to thrive on.

    • Bodyweight moves mimic real-life moves

Pushing, pulling, lifting—these are all things we do in daily life. If you slip and fall, those push-ups you practiced will help you get yourself back up again. And your squats? Think about how often you squat down to get something or pick something up.

    • Bodyweight moves make it easy to shift quickly to cardio

The workout below is a great example of this. When you aren’t fumbling around with equipment, you can do a strength move and burst right into a cardio challenge without a hitch. This makes it easy to get a complete workout all at one time.

Other At-Home Workout Ideas

The below workout is amazing, but there are other simple ways to get a short, challenging workout done in just a few minutes right at home. Here are a few ideas:

Climb Stairs

Whether you run them, walk them, or skip every other step to the top, stairs are an often-overlooked tool for getting a quick workout done without going to the gym. I recommend mixing it up. Start by walking up and down a few times. Then run fast up the stairs, hitting every step, and walk slow down. Then skip every other step to the top and walk down. Keep mixing and interchanging what you do and in no time, you’ll have a short but challenging workout under your belt.

Obstacle Course

Create your own obstacle course! Get creative with the space in your home. Start with the stairs as discussed above. Then find a chair for some tricep dips. Now put your feet on a towel and hands on the floor over a non-carpeted surface and do some ab tuck pull-ins. There are so many ways to be creative with the space you own. You can even make it fun to do with your kids!

Go Online

We have over thirty 10-minute workouts right here for you! Not to mention, we also have a variety of indoor walking workouts, super fun dance routines, cardio, yoga, and so much more! Our instructors are the best in the business and they will keep you motivated with their “Yes You Can” attitude as well as plenty of modifications provided when needed.

The Workout

So here it is: Your Busy Day Bodyweight Home Workout. This is super simple to follow. All you need is a little space and a timer of any kind to keep track of your intervals. The warm-up will get your heart rate to climb, then you’ll spend 1 minute on a strength move, followed by 30 seconds of a high-intensity cardio move and then a 30 second rest. THE KEY? GO HARD during your 30 seconds of cardio. Don’t hold back. Feel your heart rate rise and notice you have to breathe heavy through your mouth! That is the difference maker that will give you the workout you need. By the time you are done, you’ll have conquered strength, cardio, core, and stretch, and be on your way to an even more productive day!

Start by jogging in place for one minute, going from easy to moderate. The go right to the following:

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2 Responses to “Busy Day Home Bodyweight Workout”

  1. Ann Allen

    Looking for the link referenced

  2. MOLLY

    The workout isn't linked here?