Cabin fever? We hear ya. With COVID-19 ravaging the planet, and upending people’s schedules, you’d be right to be going a little crazy while stuck at home. In the last few weeks, millions and millions of people have had to adjust to being stuck at home 24 hours a day.
We here at Modern Oats tend to be outdoorsy folk, and being stuck inside is a nightmare for us. Far too often I’m waking up with my adrenaline pumping from my 2am dream of conquering my favorite local trail. For a fleeting moment I’m ecstatic before realizing that I’m trapped in my room, where I’ll remain for the foreseeable future.
The best we can do for now are home workouts. However, many of us were used to visiting gyms, hiking trails, or spin classes to fulfill our daily exercise requirements. Because of this, we didn’t bother spend the money on $1,000 workout bikes to keep at home. Thankfully, there’s countless workouts you can do at home with little to no equipment, and they’re suitable for people of any fitness level.
Even better? You can knock this routine out in just 17 minutes including two 1-minute breaks.
Put on your favorite playlist, and set a 17 minute timer on your phone where you can see it.
Minutes 1 - 5: Warm Up Phase
00:00 - 00:59
Running in place
Do 1 minute of light jogging in place. While doing so, stretch your arms and engage your upper body by doing windmills with your arms. Starting with both hands at your sides, swing your arms in a vertical circle all the way around in a continuous fashion. Switch directions every few rotations or so.
01:00 - 01:59
Jumping jacks
Fire off as many jumping jacks as you can for 1 minute straight. A good pace is 1 per second.
02:00 - 03:59
Lunges
For 2 minutes straight, do lunges at the best pace you can. Start with your feet shoulder width apart, and take one large step forward with your right foot. Move your left knee down until it gently touches the ground, then step back with your right foot to make your feet shoulder width apart again. Repeat with your left leg.
04:00 - 04:59
Jumping Jacks
1 more minute of jumping jacks to complete your warm up phase. Heart should be pumping by now.
1 minute water break. The next 5 minutes are tougher.
06:00 - 06:59
Push Ups
Get in the push up position, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width. You may choose to do knee pushups depending on your upper body strength. Do as many as you can in a one minute period, even if it means laying down for a few seconds to catch your breath in between.
07:00 - 08:59
Jump Lunges
Begin on one knee as if you are halfway through a regular lunge. With force, push off your front foot to jump, and in one motion bring your back leg forward, and bring your front leg back. Land in the same lunge position, but with the opposite foot forward, making sure your dropped knee gets within 10 or so inches of the ground. Immediately pop back up and switch legs again.
If this is too difficult, doing regular lunches as described in the warm up phase is a good alternative.
09:00 - 09:59
Tricep Dips
Locate a chair, couch, or other solid object similar in height. Squat down in front of it facing away, and put your palms facedown on the edge. Extend your legs outward so your arms are carrying your weight. Bend your arms until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle, then push yourself back up again. Repeat for 1 minute straight.
10:00 - 10:59
Scissor Kicks
Lay flat on your back, and place your hands under your butt, palms facing down. Keeping your legs straight, lift your feet a few inches off the ground. Alternating legs, raise your feet in the air roughly 12-18 inches while keeping your legs straight. Keep this kicking motion going as fast as you can for 1 minute.
1 minute rest.
12:00 - 12:59
Push Ups
Get in the push up position, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width. You may choose to do knee pushups depending on your upper body strength. Do as many as you can in a one minute period, even if it means laying down for a few seconds to catch your breath in between.
13:00 - 14:59
Jump Lunges
Begin on one knee as if you are halfway through a regular lunge. With force, push off your front foot to jump, and in one motion bring your back leg forward, and bring your front leg back. Land in the same lunge position, but with the opposite foot forward, making sure your dropped knee gets within 10 or so inches of the ground. Immediately pop back up and switch legs again.
If this is too difficult, doing regular lunches as described in the warm up phase is a good alternative.
15:00 - 15:59
Tricep Dips
Locate a chair, couch, or other solid object similar in height. Squat down in front of it facing away, and put your palms facedown on the edge. Extend your legs outward so your arms are carrying your weight. Bend your arms until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle, then push yourself back up again. Repeat for 1 minute straight.
16:00 - 17:00
Scissor Kicks
Lay flat on your back, and place your hands under your butt, palms facing down. Keeping your legs straight, lift your feet a few inches off the ground. Alternating legs, raise your feet in the air roughly 12-18 inches while keeping your legs straight. Keep this kicking motion going as fast as you can for 1 minute.
Done!
If you made it through this, pat yourself on the back. Some of you might have read this thinking it’d be easy, but by 10 minutes in any athlete should be sweating.
The nice thing about it, is you can go as fast or as slow as you’d like with each set, meaning the more fit you are the more you can push yourself. Besides, don’t try to pretend like you DON’T have 17 minutes to kill during this quarantine.
Try knocking this out a few times per week to help stay physically fit during this time. Your body will thank you.