Bodyweight Squats
Tyler Nice ’23, Sports Editor
Forget the squat rack — Bodyweight squats target almost every muscle in your lower body, including your quads, hamstrings and calves. It’s important to sit back on your heels and keep your core tight through the entirety of the rep. Five sets of 12 reps should have you feeling the burn!
Inner and Outer Thigh Lifts
Domenica Pillo ’23, Copy Chief
Sculpt your inner and outer thighs to give your legs that “legs for days” look. Superset this workout with three rounds of as many reps you can do in 30 seconds on each leg, alternating legs for each exercise. For example, perform 30 seconds of inner thigh raises on the right leg, then switch to the left leg. Don’t stop! Switch back to the right for outer thigh lifts, and finish the set with the left leg. Take a 30 second break and repeat.
Desk Dips
Christopher Kline ’23, Hawk Staff
Dips are a great upper body workout that target your chest, triceps, shoulders and back, and also provide a great stretch after sitting behind a desk all day. To do dips at home, simply find a flat and stable surface such as your desk or a chair. Put your hands behind you on the desk, and bring your feet a couple steps away from the desk. When you dip down, you’ll feel the tension in your triceps — the further down you can go, the better the dip. Try 3-4 sets of 15-20 dips and you’re good to go.
Just Dance
Tayler Washington ’22, Diversity Editor
My favorite way to get moving is to play Just Dance! The rhythmic beats and songs get me so hyped up to break a sweat. Pull out your favorite gaming device (I use my Nintendo Switch) and freestyle with whatever song you’re feeling at the moment, or follow along with the pre-made workout playlists. There’s also a Just Dance! app you can download and groove along using the Just Dance! website. You can also go old school and find Just Dance! videos on YouTube and track your movements via your phone or smartwatch.
Eight Minute Core Circuit/Ten Minute Plank
Aaron Tully ’23, Assistant Sports Editor
Building core strength will help in almost every exercise you do. This is a quick, convenient workout because all you need is your body and a stopwatch. You can try the eight-minute core circuit or the 10-minute plank for more of a challenge. For the eight-minute circuit, rotate between bicycles, crunches, mountain climbers and scissor kicks, two times through. Spend 45 seconds on each exercise, and rest for 15 seconds between each.
For the ten-minute plank, rotate between a low plank, a right and left side plank and a high plank, two times, and then finish with a low plank and a high plank. Spend a minute on each exercise with no rest in between.
Full-Body Deck of Cards Workout
Leslie Quan ’22, Opinions Editor
If you’re looking for a killer workout, look no further than a simple deck of cards. Before you start breaking a sweat, assign one exercise to each suit in the deck. For example,
diamonds are for squats, hearts are for push-ups, etc. If you’re looking to increase the level of difficulty, assign additional exercises to the aces, jacks, queens and kings. The amount of reps are determined by the number on the card. For cards without numbers, you get to decide the number of reps, or if you can assign a water break to those cards. Try and see if you can make it through the whole deck of cards.
Yoga Flow
Devin Yingling ’22 Editor in Chief
Depending on the poses you prefer and the pace you work at, doing a yoga sequence for your daily workout can be a great way to get your sweat on or a relaxing stress reliever. I prefer the latter, but for those looking for a good core exercise, try to get in a plank flow sequence. Start in a high plank, lower down to Chaturanga Dandasana (a lower plank form with your elbows tight at your sides), lift up into Upward Dog, and finally, press back up into a Downward Dog. While you go through your plank flow, focus on your form and your breathwork, taking the time to focus on your posture and breathing over your speed.
