It’s always a challenge to wake up early in the morning knowing that you have to workout for at least half an hour. I know that I dread the prospect, especially when my bed feels so cozy and warm and it’s still dark-thirty outside. I don’t exercise every morning, mostly because when I’m doing a kickboxing routine or any Jillian Michaels’s DVD, I feel like I’m going to die. I’m out of breath with my muscles burning and lungs feeling like they’re ready to burst. However, once I get in a good workout and a hard sweat going (and after a lengthy cool-down and a good stretch), I feel energized and awake.
It’s always nice when you have time to get in a workout that is over half an hour, but with most busy schedules, it just seems like there isn’t enough time in the day. You’re working full time, fixing meals for yourself and family members, doing household chores, and other daily necessities. Exercising for long periods of time doesn’t seem that probable. So, to make sure you’re staying active and living a healthy lifestyle, here are five 10-minute workouts that you can do in your spare time. They can be found on Pinterest under the search “Monday-Friday workouts.” (Note: they all instruct to do 20 minutes of cardio as well, but if you don’t have the time, you can just do the targeted group exercises.)
Monday (Target your butt, legs, and abs)
- 20 squats (Stand with your hands by your sides. Sit back while raising your arms in front of you for balance until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Resume your starting position.)
- 20 lunges (Stand with your hands on your hips. Step forward with your right leg until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Resume your starting position, then step forward with your left leg.)
- 25 dead lifts (Stand with your arms hanging in front of your body with a three- to five-pound weight in each hand. Bend forward from your waist until your knuckles touch the floor. Resume your starting position.)
- 40 crunches
- 40 reverse curls (Lie on your back with your arms by your sides. Raise your legs toward the ceiling until the are perpendicular to it. Raise and then lower your butt two to four inches off the floor.)
Tuesday (Target your arms and chest)
- 15 to 20 regular or bent-knee (modified) push-ups
- 20 chest presses (Lie on the floor with a three- to five-pound weight in each hand, arms bent, hands by your shoulders, palms facing each other. Push and rotate the weights towards the ceiling until your arms are straight and your palms are facing your toes. Slowly resume your starting position.)
- 20 chair dips (Sit on the edge of a chair with your knees bent, feet flexed, toes up with your weight on your heels. Grab the front of the seat, wrapping your fingers underneath. Keeping your back straight, use your arms to lower your torso in front of the chair until your elbows are shoulder-level. Resume the previous position.)
- 40 bicep curls (20 per arms holding a five- to eight-pound weight)
Wednesday (Target your back and shoulders)
- 25 jumping jacks (Hold a one- to three-pound weight in each hand)
- 20 lateral raises (Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a three- to five-pound weight in each hand. Turn your palms toward each other, then raise your arms straight out to each side until they are at shoulder-height. Slowly lower them.)
- 40 front raises – 20 per arm (Stand with your hands by your sides, holding a five-pound weight in each hand. Raise your right hand in front of you until it’s at shoulder-height. Slowly lower it, then raise and lower your left hand.)
- 20 shoulder presses (Stand with your hands by your sides, holding a three- to five-pound weight in each hand. Bend your arms and position your hands in front of your shoulders, palms facing forward. Raise your arms above your head until they are straight, then slowly lower them.)
Thursday (Target your butt, legs, and abs)
- 30 donkey kicks – 15 per leg (Get on all fours. Keeping your back straight, bring your right knee into your chest, then kick it straight out and up. Resume your starting position, then switch legs.)
- 15 squats (Stand with your hands by your sides. Sit back while raising your arms in front of you for balance until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Resume your starting position.)
- 20 pelvic lifts (Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, arms by your sides. Raise your butt toward the ceiling, only about three to five inches off the floor), then slowly lower it.)
- 40 oblique twists – 20 per side (Lie on your back with your knees bent, hands behind your head. Using your stomach muscles, lift your head and shoulders off the floor as you rotate your torso to the right. Switch sides.)
Friday (Target your trouble spot)
- If your arms need more sculpting than other areas of your body, repeat Tuesday’s workout.
- If your back and shoulders feel especially weak, do Wednesday’s workout.
- If your butt, legs, and abs need even more work than they got on Monday and Thursday, do Monday’s workout again.
If you feel like you’d like even more variations on ten-minute workouts, feel free to check out these: Bob Harper’s 10 Minute Toned Workout and Get Fit in 10 Minutes or Less.
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