One of the most common excuses for skipping exercises is that we do not have enough time in the day. It happens to the best of us, even the most time conscious people can get behind on their schedules. But on those days when we simply can not squeeze in a home workout, we have a 5 minute series that not only is effective, it is crazy challenging! This will be the longest five minutes of your life, yet I can assure you that it will not just give you a great workout but a sudden energy boost and sense of accomplishment for the day. Of course we are not expecting you to do a solid 5 minutes of planks and the exercise can be modified for those who are more of a beginner in their workouts or for those more advanced. The goal is simply to have the most serious 5 minutes of your day!
To begin, get your mat and timer out, I like to use the stopwatch over the timer, but it is up to you. Set your timer and start with 30 seconds of jumping jacks. After your 30 seconds come down to the mat for a plank.
Initial Plank - 1 minute
For those who are more advanced you can go straight into your one minute plank, for less advanced, break it up into two 30 seconds or even four 15 seconds sets. Shoot your legs straight back, stretching through your heels, abs pulled in, hips lower than your shoulders, arms nice and straight, hands directly under shoulders and long neck with shoulders pulling away from your ears. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth and watch your timer.
Push-ups - 1 minute
Straight from your plank begin your push ups, going all the way down and all the way up 5 times. If push-ups are a challenge for you to do properly, do knee push-ups. It is important to keep your push-ups exactly as you were in your plank position if you are doing full push-ups. Even if you are doing knee push-ups, form matters. Go all the way down and up and keep your abs tight and do not allow your hips to rise at all. After five pushups, hold a plank for 10 seconds, if you are in a knee push-up, shoot your legs back for full plank then return to the knees for your push-ups. After your plank, repeat 5 push ups and continue to do the whole combination until you are done with your minute.
Child's Pose - 30 seconds
Push your hips back and collapse into child's pose. Breathe in deeply for 3 counts and come back to all fours.
Bear Plank - 1 minute
Now, staying on all fours, hands directly under shoulders and knees directly under hips, curl your toes under and hover your knees off the ground. When you do this, be sure to keep a flat back and abs pulled in. After 30 seconds of straight plank, start twisting the knees. Bring the knees right, left, right, left for 15 seconds, then 7 seconds just twisting to the right repeatedly and 7 seconds just repeating to the left repeatedly, come down to all fours.
Cat/Cow Stretch - 30 seconds
Staying on all fours, arch your back and raise your head and hips (just like a cat!) and then curve your back, tucking your chin in and your hips. Repeat 3 times.
Plank with Variations - 1 minute
Come back to your high plank, legs straight back, stretching through your heels, abs pulled in, hips lower than your shoulders, arms nice and straight, hands directly under shoulders and long neck with shoulders pulling away from your ears. Lift one foot off the ground and draw the figure “L” on the wall behind you with your big toe, going up an inch and over an inch. Do this for 10 seconds, repeat with the other foot. Put both feet on the ground and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth and hold 10 seconds. Come down to your knees and elbows, interlocking your fingers together. Shoot your feet back to a low plank, balancing on your forearms. Start with knee taps, alternating knee taps right and left for 15 seconds. Straighten your legs and give yourself one more deep breath and hold for your last 15 seconds and you're done!
Stretch (optional) - 30 seconds
Come down to the mat and put your hands under your shoulder and straighten your arms, lifting your upper body while keeping your hips and legs glued to the floor. Hold this stretch feeling the release in your abs. Push back to child's pose and roll up to a sitting position.
And that's it! Seriously, it is a challenge but it is possible to fit into your schedule anywhere no matter how busy you are. If this exercise felt too easy, simply remove the two 30 second rests, if it seemed too challenging add 5 second rests in as needed. And don't forget to share with us your favorite workouts for busy days. Reach out to us at info@bullionite.com with any questions or comments.