Best indoor workouts to keep you warm in the winter

I know, it’s the time of the year when you do not want to go outside to work out, because it is cold and wet and at home it’s just so cozy. Maybe you are feeling a little bit lazy and the weather makes you not want to get out of bed or off the couch. If that is the case, I have the perfect solution for you:  you just have to get down on the floor for this indoor workout – and I guess that’s not too big of a deal. 😉

Here are some of my favorite exercises to do at home without any equipment. But before you start, remember to do a short warm up! To learn more about warm ups and why they are important, read our last blog post.

For Your Abs

Plank crunches:

1. Start in a plank position, make sure your body is in a straight line and your hands are directly beneath your shoulders.
2. Bend one leg and bring the knee toward your shoulder on the same side, crunching your obliques as you do so. Keep the upper body stationary throughout the movement.

-Do three sets, 15 repetitions on each side –

Bicycle crunches:

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground (pull your navel in).
2. Put your hands behind your head, then bring your knees in towards your chest and lift your shoulder blades off the ground, but be sure not to pull your neck.
3. Straighten your right leg out to about a 45-degree angle to the ground while turning your upper body to the left, bringing your right elbow towards the left knee. Make sure your rib cage is moving and not just your elbows.
4. Now switch sides and do the same motion on the other side to complete one rep.

– Do three sets of 20 repetitions –

For Your Booty

Sumo squat:

1. Start in a standing position with your feet wide apart and your toes pointing at 45° angles. Wide means wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Drop into a squat, bending the hips and knees and sitting back. Keep your chest up and knees out. Keep lowering your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or even slightly below parallel if you are able to. Then stand back up to the starting position. Make sure you don’t lift your feet off the ground or round out your lower back as you perform the sumo squat.

– Do three sets of 20 repetitions –

Squat jumps:

Start by doing a regular squat, then engage your core and jump up explosively. When you land, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one repetition. Land as quietly as possible, it’ll require a lot of control.

– Do two to three sets of 10 repetitions –

For Your Legs

Plié squat calf raise:

1. Start in a sumo squat position, with your feet in a wide stance, your toes pointing out to the side and your thighs parallel to the floor.
2. Raise your heels off the floor and squeeze your calves.
3. Lower your heels and return to the starting position.

– Do two sets of 12 to 15 repetitions –

Lunges (standard):

Stand upright. Step forward with one foot.

1. The toes of both feet should be facing straight ahead.
2. Make sure your legs are aligned – your front knee should be aligned with the foot.
3. Lower your back knee towards the floor.
4. Push back up to the starting position.
5. Concentrate on squeezing your buttocks to push yourself up, and keep the abdominals tight and the lower back in a neutral position.
6. Throughout the exercise, maintain the body in an upright position and avoid leaning forward.

– Do two to three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions –

With these basic exercises you can create a great quick workout for yourself and  if you want to keep going, there is always more inspiration on Youtube or Instagram.

Agreat feed to check out is the Youtube channel of our instructor, Claudia.

And maybe you can motivate a friend to come by and exercise, suffering together is better than alone.

After your workout, don’t forget to do a cool down.

Why? Check out our post on the reasons why taking time after a workout is important to relax.