Workout of the Week: 30-Minute Full Body Bodyweight Circuit

The anticipation for the end of this God forsaken year is growing faster than our winter leg hair, and with that comes the inevitable journal entry/Apple Notes app/Google Doc list of New Years resolutions. It’s my guess that most of us have some variation of “be healthier” on our list...for the fifth consecutive year. No shame! The search for wellness, especially for college-aged women, is eternal and ever-changing. So we decided to start a “Workout of the Week” column to help you reach your goals.

This week, since it’s the start of 2019, the gyms are still closed for the holiday, and most of us are at home with a new-found beer belly (or is it from all the cookies?), we’ll target all the major muscle groups with eight moves that just use bodyweight. Meaning, you can literally do this in your living room while you watch Bird Box or Bandersnatch or whatever Twitter is talking about this week.

What you’ll need: approximately 30 minutes of free time, an exercise/yoga mat if you have one, and a flight of stairs (to throw yourself down after you’re finished, naturally).

Here’s the workout:

Circuit 1:

24 alternating lunges (12 per leg)

50 jumping jacks

20 straight-leg sit-ups with torso rotation (10 per side)

20 push-ups (take knee modification if needed)

Repeat 2x, then take a 1 min. water break

Circuit 2:

24 knee-ups on stairs (12 per leg)

20 up-down planks (10 per arm)

1 min. wall sit (bonus burn: clench a pillow between your legs)

50 mountain climbers

Repeat 2x, then take a 1 min. water break

Repeat both circuits, but just once instead of twice, unless you want a bigger challenge!

Don’t know how to do all of the moves? Here are photo tutorials of each exercise (click to advance the slide):