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Fitness expert shares 20-minute home workout plan that you can easily add to your daily routine for weight loss
If your schedule is jam-packed and going to gym is not an option anymore, try adding these workouts to your daily routine.
Following up your workout routine at the gym takes a backseat when your schedule's packed tighter than the metro during rush hour. But persistently skipping workouts is an invitation for a sedentary lifestyle and potential health concerns. One solution to staying active is through home workouts. You can squeeze in a good 20-minute workout in your day without really moving things around in your calendar or fussing over which commute to focus on- work or gym.
Spoorthi S, fitness expert at Cult, shared with HT Lifestyle a detailed 20-minute workout routine that includes full-body workouts to get your heart rate up, along with mobility exercises to rest and recover with stretches:
Sample routine for a quick 20-minute workout
1. Full body workout
- Bodyweight squats (15 reps)
How to do: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lower your hips back and down as if sitting on a chair, keep your chest up, and knees behind your toes. Repeat it again in sets of 15 reps. The exercise targets the thighs, hips, and glutes.
- Push-ups (10 reps)
How to do: To do push-up, start in a high plank position, lower your chest toward the floor by bending your elbows. Keep your body in a straight line and push back up. The move focuses on the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core.
- Bodyweight reverse lunges (8 reps each leg)
How to do: Stand straight, step one foot backwards and lower your knee toward the floor while keeping the front knee over the ankle. Then return to standing. Lunges help in strengthening the legs and glutes while improving balance.
- Supermans (30 seconds)
How to do: Lie face down with arms extended in front of you. Simultaneously lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor, hold briefly, then lower. It targets the lower back and helps improve posture.
- Plank hold (30 seconds)
How to do: Hold a push-up position with your forearms on the ground and body in a straight line from head to heels. Keep your abs tight and don’t let your hips sag. Plank hold is a full-core exercise that engages the shoulders and glutes. Repeat the entire circuit 3-5 times.
2. Mobility/Reset
- Cat camel (30 seconds)
How to do: Start on hands and knees while arching your spine up toward the ceiling and then dip it down while lifting your chest and tailbone. Move slowly between these two cat and camel positions. This helps in relieving tension and enhancing mobility.
- World's greatest stretch (60 seconds each side)
How to do: From a lunge position, place both hands on the ground inside the front foot, rotate your torso to reach one arm to the ceiling, then bring the elbow down towards the ground. Repeat and switch sides. It activates the glutes, strengthens the lower back, and opens the hips.
- Glute bridges (30 seconds)
How to do: Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat. Press through your heels to lift your hips off the floor, squeeze the glutes at the top, then lower back down. It activates the glutes, strengthens the lower back, and opens the hips.
- Bent over Y T W raises (60 to 90 seconds each)
How to do: Bend forward at the hips with a slight knee bend. Perform three different arm movements: Y-raises (arms up and out in a Y shape), T-raises (arms straight out to the sides), and W-raises (arms up with elbows bent, forming a W). These target your rear delts and upper back muscles. The bend opens the hips, hamstrings, spine, and shoulders.
- Child's pose to cobra (30 seconds)
How to do: Start in child's pose (sitting back on your heels with arms extended forward). Flow into cobra pose by sliding forward, lifting your chest, and arching your back while keeping your hips on the ground. Move between these positions to stretch your back and hips.
- Pulse squats (30 seconds)
How to do it: Lower into a squat and hold the bottom position. Perform small, controlled up-and-down pulses without standing fully up. Pulse squats are a variation of squats to build endurance and burn out the quads and glutes. Repeat 2-3 rounds of each to get better results.
What your workout routine can include
Workout routine doesn't always have to follow a template. Based on your likes and preferences, you can switch things around in the week.
Spoorthi S shared some basics that you can add to your routine:
1. Strength training
- Strength training is recommended for benefits at least 3-4 times a week.
- Regular strength training can help improve confidence and resilience.
- Strength training offers tangible, trackable progress.
2. Cardiovascular training
- Running, cycling, swimming, or even brisk walking increases heart rate and oxygenates the brain.
- It reduces cortisol (the stress hormone) and boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports memory and mood regulation.
- Cardio offers a space to clear the head, often working like ‘moving meditation.’
3. Yoga and meditation
- Yoga slows down the nervous system, teaches conscious breathwork, and enhances body awareness.
- This is especially powerful for managing anger, anxiety, and emotional suppression.
4. Non-traditional workouts
Apart from traditional workouts, combat training, sports, and dance-based sessions also offer powerful health benefits.
- Dance-based formats not only offer great health benefits but also emotional release, improving mood through movement.
- Similarly, combat workouts and sports also make one sweat it out.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
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