We can literally come up with a thousand excuses to avoid working out, but one very legit one is the whole hair washing issue. Can we please address this?! Like, no one wants to wash their hair everyday, so it doesn’t make sense to get all sweaty and then deal with this awful predicament. Plus, your hairdresser even told you it’s bad for you, so you basically have a doctor’s note to avoid the gym. If you’re looking for a workout you can do that doesn’t require sweating through your blowout, find a very air-conditioned room and try this one. Do each exercise for 45 seconds with about 20 seconds of rest in between each move. Try to repeat the circuit four times total.
1. Squat To Lunge
Squats and lunges are two of the best lower body moves, so by combining both into one exercise, you’re basically working your butt and legs from every angle. Starting with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, squat down, getting your butt low and making sure your knees don’t extend over your feet. Then, stand back up and bring one leg back into a reverse lunge, stepping into a 90 degree angle. Bring that leg back up to standing position and do the same thing on the other leg. Then, go back into your squat. Keep this pattern going for the full 45 seconds, aiming for about eight reps total.
2. Spiderman Crunches
The idea of doing anything with the word “Spiderman” in it sounds like some traumatic third date memory, but these crunches will literally destroy your abs without making you break a sweat. It’s actually more of a plank than a crunch, so you’ll start in a regular plank position with your feet behind you, about shoulder-width apart. Then, you’ll take your right leg and crunch it inward toward your right elbow, creating a Spiderman-esque shape with your body. Make sure to squeeze your abs as your knee hits your elbow. Bring the right leg back into place and do the same move on the left leg, alternating between the two legs the entire time.
3. Tricep Dips
Tricep dips are the kind of exercise that can be SO easy if you’re doing them wrong, but if your form is right, it’s almost impossible to do them for 45 seconds straight without breaking. Basically, you’ll need a bench or a couch behind you to put your hands on. You’ll need to sit with your feet out in front of you, with your butt about an inch away from the bench. Then, using your tricep muscles in your upper arms, you’ll move your body up and down, keeping your butt off the floor the entire time. The key here is to make sure your chin isn’t facing downwards and to keep your butt as close as you can to the bench. If you’re doing it right, you’ll have trouble lifting your arms to brush your hair tomorrow.
4. Walking Lunges With Pulse
We did reverse lunges in the first exercise, but this time we’re doing forward lunges and adding a pulse, just because extra pain equals extra amazing-looking legs for leggings season. So, instead of taking a step backwards, you’ll just step forwards with your leg, creating a 90 degree angle, and then pulse up and down at the bottom for a few seconds. Then, step forward with the other leg, basically walking across the room in lunge-position. Remember to take big steps and keep your knee super close to the ground when pulsing. It shouldn’t be easy to do for 45 seconds straight.
5. Shoulder Tap To Mountain Climber
This is the one time we’re putting in a cardio move, but mountain climbers shouldn’t get you too sweaty because they’re mostly for your abs and arms. Starting in a plank position, you’re going to tap your right hand to your left shoulder and then put it back on the ground and repeat the same on the other side. Then, go directly into four mountain climbers, jogging your knees into your chest while staying in the plank. Alternate between the shoulder taps and mountain climbers to keep your arms and abs burning for the full 45 seconds. Feels good, right?
6. Bodyweight Plank
Ending a full-body workout with a plank is always a good idea, because planks actually target every muscle in your body, not only your abs. Start on your hands or forearms, and keep your feet close together while your body stays in one straight line. Make sure to squeeze every muscle in your abs, butt, and back, keeping your entire body engaged. Planking at the end of a workout can burn up to 80 more calories, so don’t bail early on this one. Hold the perfect plank for 45 seconds, and if you want to make it even harder, lift your feet onto an elevated surface, like a box or a medicine ball. It may be the longest 45 seconds of your life, but you’re saving time by not washing your hair, so stop complaining.
Have you ever scrolled through Instagram, found a picture of some fitness model’s ridiculously chiseled six-pack, and wondered how the hell her body looks like that? So like, same. You’ve probably been told that “abs are made in the kitchen,” and while that’s depressingly true, doing the right core exercises makes a huge difference when it comes to seeing ab definition. Like, if you’ve been doing 50 sit-ups a day and wondering why your abs don’t exist yet, it’s time to rethink your core routine. All of the following moves target different sections of your abs, so do each one for 45 seconds and repeat the circuit 2-3 times, or just like, until your abs feel like they’re literally on fire.
1. Entire Core: Bodyweight Plank
Regular bodyweight planks get a lot of hate because they look pretty easy, but if you feel that way 45 seconds in, your form is probably wrong. When done right, planks activate your entire core from top to bottom, so you need to make sure you’re doing it correctly if you want to feel the burn in the right places. Start on your hands or your forearms with your elbows below your shoulders and your arms parallel to your body. Make sure you feel like you’re pulling your belly button in toward your spine and activating your back muscles under your armpits. Your spine should be straight, but make sure your hips aren’t sagging downward and your butt isn’t lifting upwards. Your back should be straight enough for someone to balance a glass of wine on top of it. I wouldn’t recommend trying it, though.
2. Lower Abs: Lying Leg Raises
Leg raises are ideal for your lower abs. If you’re not sure what that means, here’s five seconds of science for you: you have your first cousins, then you have your second cousins transverse abdominus, your rectus abdominus, and your external obliques. Those muscles make up your core, and leg raises tone the bottom half of them, which people tend to neglect. Lying flat on your back with your legs straight out in front of you, keep your feet touching while you slowly lift your legs up to the ceiling until your butt is slightly off the floor. Then, lower them back down until they’re a few inches off the floor. Do as many reps as you can, and remember to breathe in between the lifts.
3. Obliques: Bicycle Crunches
Bicycle crunches target your oblique muscles, which are the sides of your abs that pop out when you’re wearing a crop top. Basically, your stomach will look toned as fuck if you do enough of these. Lie on the floor with your hands behind your head and reach your right leg out as far as possible while crunching your left elbow to your right knee. You should feel like you’re twisting through your core, so the goal is really to get your shoulder off the ground as close to the knee as possible. Alternate from right to left, starting off SLOWLY and getting faster toward the end. But not super fast, otherwise you’re just using momentum and not your abs and this move will do nothing for you.
4. All Over Core Strength: Opposite Arm & Leg Extensions
You can do crunches and oblique bends all day long, but in order to tone the deeper muscles in your core, you need to do some stability work. Opposite arm and leg extensions might not feel like you’re working your abs at first, but with the right amount of control and balance, you’ll gain a ton of core strength, which will help all the other ab exercises seem a lot easier. Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Then, engage your core while extending your left arm out in front of you and reaching your right leg behind you until both are parallel to the floor. Slowly bring them back to center and do the same to the other side. This move should be done slower than the rest, so don’t worry if you only get a few reps in 45 seconds.
5. Obliques, Upper & Lower Abs: Scissor Kicks
Scissor kicks are named appropriately considering the fact that you’ll probably want to stab yourself with a pair of scissors once you start doing these. With that being said, the pain is worth it because this move targets your obliques, your upper abs, and your lower abs at the same time. Start lying on your back, similar to your leg lifts position. But this time, alternate kicking each leg out in front of you, keeping your legs off the ground the entire time. Keep your core engaged and your back on the ground the entire time as you kick your feet like a 6-year-old at her first swimming lesson. You’ll feel the burn pretty fast, but try not to let your feet hit the ground so you can really burn out the muscle. Oh, and heads up: simple instincts like sneezing and laughing are gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow. I mean, there’s a reason you’ve never seen Jillian Michaels crack a smile.
