Let’s get straight to the point. There are 1440 minutes in a day and all you need is 20-30 minutes from those 1440 minutes for exercises. And you don’t even have to go to the gym. Let me explain how…
You must have seen the vegetable vendor with his cart, starting out in the morning to sell the vegetables or the paper guy on his bicycle every morning delivering the newspaper. There is something common in the way they carry out their daily work. What is it? You must know the answer already… A lot of moving around that is. Then there is a person who works from his desk, where he has access to the computer, phone and everything else right there on his desk, even the coffee machine is not so far away and the only time he walks is to go to the washroom and the parking area where his vehicle is parked. Like these, there are thousands of other jobs that demand physical efforts and thousands of jobs that demand just the brain power. And most of the times it turns out that the people with sedentary jobs are unhealthy and the reason behind that is they do not have enough time to exercise and sometimes they are too lazy to do any physical activity.
Let’s try and change this. Let’s not wait for an event to occur because of this unhealthy life. Let’s start and get some physical activity from now on. And in a couple of months you will see that you are feeling stronger, healthier and less stressed than you usually are. I have designed a 20 weeks program for those who cannot go to the gym because of time constraints. It takes only 20 to 30 minutes. Just do the exercises 3 times in a week. In this post you will find workout for 8 weeks. In my future post I will write on continuation to this workout program where you will find the remaining 12 weeks program.
*Please consult your Physician before doing any of the following exercises.
*Exercises when done in a wrong way can be injurious. Learn the proper technique and always warm up before doing the exercises.
*Read the instructions given below and view the exercise videos through the links provided.
Week 1-4
Exercises | Set 1 | Set 2 |
10 reps | 10 reps | |
10 reps | 10 reps | |
Stair climbing | 15 steps | 15 steps |
20 reps | 20 reps | |
10 reps | 10 reps | |
15 reps | 15 reps |
*BW=Body Weight, DB=Dumbbell, Reps=Repetitions.
Week 5-8
Exercises | Set 1 | Set 2 |
BW Squats with DB Press | 15 reps | 15 reps |
BW Push ups | 15 reps | 15 reps |
Stair climbing | 20 steps | 20 steps |
Knee Ups | 30 reps | 30 reps |
Bridges | 15 reps | 15 reps |
Crunches | 20 reps | 20 reps |
*BW=Body Weight, DB=Dumbbell, Reps=Repetitions.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Warm up before doing the exercises. For warm up you can do some mobilization exercises. You can also do a few repetitions of the same exercises before doing the actual workout.
- Do all the exercises slowly.
- Learn the form of the exercises by clicking on them (video links). You don’t have to use the Dumbbells if you don’t have them. Just do the movement.
- Learn proper breathing technique while exercising. Exhale while exerting force and inhale while coming back to the starting position.
- Keep your core (abdominal muscles) activated throughout the exercises at the same time remember to breathe.
- Take it slow. Don’t rush.
- Rest for 30 to 60 seconds between sets. If you are too tired take a longer rest and take deep breaths. Deep breaths will help in taking in oxygen and avoiding hyperventilation (abnormal loss of carbon dioxide).
BW Squats with DB Press
Control the exercise movement. Inhale while going down and exhale while coming up, pushing through the heels and don’t let your hips drop lower than your knees and don’t let your knees go past your toes while going down.
BW Push ups
Do them very slowly. Inhale while going down and exhale while coming up (pushing). Women can do the modified version of the push ups.
Stair climbing
Climb the stair slowly. Climbing the stairs very fast can increase you blood pressure very quickly. Stair Climbing can be done using the stairs at work or at home. Take the stairs instead of the lift. You don’t have to climb three stories right away. Just stick to the program and you will see results.
Knees Up
In the video there are two versions shown; Low impact version and High Impact version. Do the low impact version. The high impact is bad for knee joints incase in bad knees. Control the movement while doing the knee Ups.
Bridges
While doing the bridges, squeeze your gluteus muscles to lift your butt off the floor.
Crunches
Remember to breathe during crunches. Exhale while crunching up and inhale while going back to the starting position. Don’t pull yourself (neck) up with your hands.
Let’s start living a healthy life. And remember, nutrition also plays a vital role. So along with exercising, make the right food choices. Healthy New Year 2011!!!
Stay Healthy!
