As the holiday season quickly approaches, many of us are busy making travel arrangements to see family and friends. But if you consider yourself a gym rat, a fun and festive trip out of town often comes with one major downside: no access to your regular gym or workout space.
Truth be told, a little time off from pumping iron isn’t going to totally derail your fitness or aesthetic goals (in fact, it’s a good idea every now and then). However, daily exercise is beneficial beyond just improving your strength, endurance, or body composition — it can also boost your mood and even lessen anxiety and depression symptoms, according to this study.
So if the thought of missing your daily sweat sessions is…well, making you sweat, try this 30-minute workout that can be done in your childhood bedroom, your grandmother’s basement, your in-laws’ garage, or just about anywhere you can imagine. You won’t need any equipment — just your body, a chair if you’ve got one, and a mat if you prefer.
What are the exercises?
Let’s do a quick review of the proper form for all of the exercises found in this workout:
Leg swings
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Lift your right foot off the ground and swing your leg back and forth, in a natural range of motion.
- Repeat with the left leg.
Arm circles
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Keeping your arms straight, lift both arms in front of you and make a wide circle with your fingertips.
- Repeat the motion going in the other direction.
High knees
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Lift your right foot off the ground and bring your right knee toward your chest.
- Quickly place your right foot back to the starting position while lifting your left foot off the ground, bringing your left knee toward your chest.
- Continue alternating quickly between the two sides.
Butt kicks
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Bend your right knee and lift your right foot behind you, aiming your right heel toward your glutes.
- Quickly place your right foot back to the starting position while lifting the left foot off the ground, aiming your left heel toward your glutes.
- Continue alternating quickly between the two sides.
Squat
- Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
- Aim your hips behind you, as if you were about to sit down in a chair.
- Bend your knees and lower your tailbone toward the floor.
- Once you’ve reached the end of your range, press your whole foot into the floor and stand back up to the starting position.
Push-up
- Come to all fours on the floor, with your hands underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips.
- Step your feet back behind you, about hip-width apart. Keep your shoulders aligned directly over your wrists, and your core engaged.
- Bend your elbows and slowly lower your whole body toward the floor, keeping your spine neutral.
- Once your body has reached the floor, push back up to the starting position.
- The push-up can be modified by performing the exercise on your knees instead of your toes, if needed.
Plank
- Come to all fours on the floor, with your hands underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips.
- Place your elbows onto the floor, keeping your shoulders aligned directly above them.
- Step your feet behind you about hip-width apart. Engage your core and keep your spine neutral.
- Hold in this position, without allowing the back to arch.
- The plank can be modified by performing the exercise on your knees instead of your toes, if needed.
Jumping Jacks
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Jump both of your feet out to your sides about shoulder-width apart, while bringing both arms above your head.
- Jump back to the starting position.
- The jumping jack can be modified by stepping one foot out along with the opposite arm, then bringing them back to the starting position and switching sides, if needed.
Alternating reverse lunges
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Step your right foot behind you.
- Keeping the spine neutral and the core engaged, bend both of your knees, aiming the right knee toward the floor.
- Once you’ve reached the end of your range, press your left foot into the floor and stand back up.
- Step your right foot back to the starting position.
- Repeat on the left side, continuing to alternate between the two sides.
Chair tricep dips
- Sit down on the edge of a chair, with your hands pressed into the seat.
- Slide your hips off of the seat so that your tailbone is hovering over the floor.
- Keeping the core engaged, the shoulders rolled back, and the spine neutral, bend your elbows and aim them toward the wall behind you, slowly lowering your hips toward the floor.
- Once you’ve reached the end of your range, push yourself back to the starting position.
- If you don’t have a chair, perform tricep dips on the floor: sit on your tailbone and place your hands behind you, with your legs extended in front of you. Press your hands into the floor and lift your hips off of the ground, keeping your shoulders rolled back. Bend the elbows behind you and lower your hips toward the floor, pushing back up to the starting position once you’ve reached the end of your range.
Bicycle crunches
- Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat, and spine neutral.
- Place both hands behind the back of your head and engage your abdominals, lifting your head and shoulders off of the floor.
- Lift both knees to a table top position, aligned directly above your hips.
- Elongate your right leg and bring your right elbow toward your left knee.
- Elongate your left leg, bring your left elbow toward your right knee, and continue alternating between the two sides.
- The bicycle crunch can be modified by keeping both feet on the ground and lifting the knee toward the opposite elbow, if needed.
Mountain climbers
- Come to all fours on the floor, with your hands underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips.
- Step your feet back behind you, about hip-width apart. Keep your shoulders aligned directly over your wrists, your spine neutral, and your core engaged.
- Without allowing the hips to raise into the air, bring your left knee toward the center of your chest.
- Quickly step your left foot back to the starting position while bringing your right knee toward the center of your chest, and continue alternating between the two sides.
- The mountain climber can be modified by placing your hands on an elevated surface, like a chair or table, if needed.
Alternating side lunges
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Step your right foot out to the right, beyond your shoulder.
- Keeping your left leg elongated, slowly bend your right knee and aim your hips back, as if you were about to sit down into a chair.
- Once you’ve reached the end of your range, press your right foot into the floor and step back to the starting position.
- Repeat on the left, continuing to alternate between the two sides.
Alternating shoulder taps
- Come to all fours on the floor, with your hands underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips.
- Step your feet back behind you, about hip-width apart. Keep your shoulders aligned directly over your wrists, your spine neutral, and your core engaged.
- Without allowing your hips to twist, lift your right hand off of the floor and tap your left shoulder.
- Place your right hand back to its starting position and repeat with the left hand, alternating between the two sides.
- The shoulder tap can be modified by performing the exercise on your knees instead of your toes, if needed.
Scissor kicks
- Lie on your back with your legs long and spine neutral.
- Place both of your arms at your side.
- Engage your abdominals and lift your right leg off of the floor.
- Lower your right leg while lifting your left leg off of the floor, quickly alternating between your right and left legs in a “scissor” motion.
- Scissor kicks can be modified by keeping the knees in a tabletop position and lowering your right and left heels toward the floor in an alternating pattern, if needed.
Squat jumps
- Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
- Bend your knees and aim your hips behind you, as if you were about to sit on a chair.
- Press your feet into the floor and jump into the air.
- Land softly, allowing your knees to bend naturally.
- Squat jumps can be modified by rising onto your toes instead of jumping into the air, if needed.
This 30-minute workout can be done from just about anywhere
If you’ve just begun exercising regularly, pace yourself — feel free to take a little more rest between sets if fatigue is causing your form to suffer. And if you start to feel dizzy, lightheaded, or nauseated, stop the workout immediately.
Warm up
Leg swings: 30 seconds each leg
Arm circles: 15 seconds seconds each direction
High knees: 30 seconds
Butt kicks: 30 seconds
Circuit 1:
Standard: Perform each exercise for the specified time, resting for 60 seconds at the end of each circuit. Repeat the circuit for three rounds.
Advanced: Perform each exercise for the specified time. Repeat the circuit for four rounds. Rest for 60 seconds at the end of the fourth round.
Squat: 30 seconds
Push up: 30 seconds
Plank: 30 seconds
Jumping Jacks: 30 seconds
Rest: 60 seconds
Circuit 2:
Standard: Perform each exercise for the specified time, resting for 60 seconds at the end of each circuit. Repeat the circuit for three rounds.
Advanced: Perform each exercise for the specified time. Repeat the circuit for four rounds. Rest for 60 seconds at the end of the fourth round.
Alternating reverse lunges: 30 seconds
Tricep dips: 30 seconds
Bicycle crunches: 30 seconds
Mountain climbers: 30 seconds
Rest: 60 seconds
Circuit 3:
Standard: Perform each exercise for the specified time, resting for 60 seconds at the end of each circuit. Repeat the circuit for three rounds.
Advanced: Perform each exercise for the specified time. Repeat the circuit for four rounds. Rest for 60 seconds at the end of the fourth round.
Alternating side lunges: 30 seconds
Alternating shoulder taps: 30 seconds
Scissor kicks: 30 seconds
Squat jumps: 30 seconds
Rest: 60 seconds
Cool down:
Perform a few of your favorite stretches for 60 seconds
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