Traveling this week?
Stuck indoors, and feel like the walls are already caving in?
Out of your typical routine?
No longer.
Just because your schedule is a little off kilter this week—or for the weeks to come—does not mean your health and fitness has to suffer.
In fact, the holidays can be the perfect time for a much needed break in your usual routine, and a chance to spice things up with a little bit more unconventional training methods (like hotels, globo gyms, bodyweight movements and at-home simple routines).
To kick off the Thanksgiving Holiday, I celebrated with a 12-day of Thanksgiving Workout the other day that went a little something like this:
“12 Days of Thankfulness”
1 250 Meter Row
2 Muscle-Ups
3 Dumbbell Thrusters (55/35 lbs)
4 Burpee Box Jumps (24″/20″)
5 Strict Handstand Push-Ups
6 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
7 Kettlebell Swings (32/24 kg)
8 Single-Arm DB or KB Snatches (4 each arm)
9 Toes to Bar
10 Walking Lunges with Dumbbells (55/35 lbs)
11 Ring Dips
12 Man-Makers (55/35 lb DBs)
“Perform like the 12 Days of Christmas song…250 Meter Row + 2 Muscle-Ups…then back to the 250 Meter Row…then 3 Dumbbell Thrusters, 2 Muscle-ups, 250 m. row…then 4 Burpee Box Jumps, 3 Dumbbell Thrusters, 2 Muscle-Ups, 250 Meter Row….and so on and so forth.” (Note: I subbed 6 ring rows + 6 pushups for the 2 Muscle-Ups.” It’s a fun one!
Outside of the gym, here are 13 different minimal-equipment workouts to keep things fresh with your busy, or random schedule during the holidays. Get inspired to sweat—and perhaps inspire the rest of the fam to join in on the fun!
Basic Warm-Up
- 2 min jog or jump rope or burpees
- 2-3 min stretching
- 10 leg swings per leg
- 10 forward to back rolls (lie on back and bring feet back behind your head, then roll forward into a straddle)
- 10 arm circles both forwards and backwards
- 3 rounds:
- 10 air squats
- 10 pushups
- 10 situps
*Minimal equipment; 1-2 pairs of dumbbells for some of these (varying weights), yoga mat (optional)
Workout 1 (Dumbbells)
20-minute AMRAP
20 Dumbbell Thrusters
20 Burpees
20 Pullups/TRX or Ring Rows/Bent Over Rows (with dumbbells)
Workout 2 (Bodyweight)
3 Rounds, 1 minute each of:
Jump Squats
Push-ups
Lunges (weight optional)
V-Ups
Burpees
Workout 3 (Bodyweight)
10 rounds:
100-meter Sprint
20 Hand-Release Pushups
Walk back to start after each sprint
Workout 4 (Dumbbells)
15-Minute AMRAP
5-Pushpress
10 Deadlift (with dumbbells)
15 Step-ups (with dumbbells)
Workout 5 (Bodyweight)
Tabata (20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest x 8 rounds); complete each movement before moving on:
Jump rope/Jumping Jacks
Squats
Sit-ups
Push-ups
Prisoner Lunge (hands behind head)
Workout 6 (Bodyweight)
100 Burpees, for time
+
21-15-9
Lunge jumps
Push-ups
Bear Crawl x approx. 20-30 meters between rounds
Workout 7 (Dumbbells)
100 Thrusters for Time
*At the top of each minute, beginning at 1:00, perform 5 burpees
Workout 8 (Bodyweight)
AMRAP 20
Run 5 flights of stairs, perform 30 air squats
Workout 9 (Dumbbells or other odd equipment)
3 rounds:
50 squats
40 sit-ups
30 push-ups
20 burpees
10 ground to overhead (use what you can find, like a bag or rock)
Workout 10 (Bodyweight)
50-40-30-20-10
Sit-ups
Mountain Climbers
Bonus: 3 Hotel or Globo Gym Routines (Minimal Gym Equipment)
Workout 1
5 Rounds for Time
200 m run Treadmill/Track or 250-meter row
10 Dumbbell Snatches (5/5 each arm)
15 Burpees
Workout 2
50 Box Jumps/Step ups
50 Jumping Pullups
50 Kettlebell Swings
50 Walking lunges
50 Knees to Elbow
50 Push presses
50 Back Extensions
50 Wall balls
50 Burpees
Workout 3
5 Rounds For Time
12 DB Deadlifts (challenging weight)
9 Hang Power Cleans
6 Push Jerks
+
1000 m row, 800-meter sprint, or 5-minute Stair Climb (stair stepper)