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Finding a Workout That Is Feasible with a Busy Schedule
Let’s not kid ourselves. We all know that your couch looks so much more welcoming than your yoga mat at the end of a difficult day. There are times I can’t go to the gym at all, and in that case, a living room workout needs to be really fast, working, and encouraging me just enough to go on. Quite recently, during one such day, I stumbled upon a zero-equipment workout that required only 30 minutes, so I gave it a try. 30 minutes of sweating, no ifs, ands, or buts, and, most importantly, no weights.
What really grabbed my attention was the lack of repeating exercises. I reckoned that it was the most suitable time to break away from my normal gym routine and give that new thing a try. Here’s what happened when I did this 30-minute non-repeat workout.
An Illustration of the 30-Minute No-Repeat Workout
The workout described is not the ordinary one where you perform exercises at a steady pace. It’s more of a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session with periods of heavy work at the beginning that need very little rest in between. The setup is really elementary but productive. You pass through three rounds, each round becoming shorter: the first round (40 seconds per exercise), then the second round (30 seconds), and finally, the third round is just 20 seconds. After each, there is a brief 10-second rest to recover your breath.
You should anticipate a wide variety of bodyweight moves such as squats, lunges, push-ups, and others that will really work your core. Not to mention, you’ll also do planks and so on some very cool variations to work on your abs and obliques. There is no warm-up part in the video, so I suggest you do a few dynamic stretches prior to the actual workout. Believe me; your joints will definitely appreciate it.
My first observation was the honesty of the instructor in the preliminary stages of the workout. She specifically said that the exercise was intended for people who were of moderate or advanced levels of fitness and was she right. The exercises were not the most difficult ones that could be done, but they definitely needed good strength and form to stay safe.
If you are at the beginning of your fitness journey, it is recommended that you change this workout for a bodyweight workout suitable for beginners. Even if you are the fittest person in your circle, it is advisable to take extra breaks or to modify particular movements like burpees to suit your capacity. Your body will be the first to notify you that it’s time to step back.
Plank City: Core Work in Overdrive
Many various exercises of no-repeat are just the thing to keep you interested. That being said, it is a fact that with bodyweight exercises, one can be decidedly less imaginative, especially when it comes to doing them for just 30-minute. It was, therefore, no big surprise that the workout was mainly composed of different plank exercises.
Planks are a splendid kind of exercise for working on your core and at the same time for achieving stability of the entire body. Nevertheless, it is very easy to get bored as the exercises are juicy and at the same time sweaty. I was really on cloud nine while I was doing plank twists, plank reaches, and side planks because my shoulders and abs had a really pleasant pain. It’s a reminder that always the safety of the movement should come first the minute you feel that your technique is getting worse.
A Surprising Burn (And Not Just in My Abs)
At the end of the workout, I realized that compared to the usual 250, I had finished burning 321 calories according to my Apple Watch. That extra burn point only served to reinforce that my body was pushed to the limit. Very frankly, the time went so quickly that I didn’t imagine I had been working so hard.
oh yeah, calorie burning does not sound like the only goal for a good workout. Surely, the feeling of getting more powerful, the increasing of the endurance, and the uplifting of the mood are the same important factors. Yes, certainly I felt all the three after the session.
Well, Would I Do It Again?
Definitely. This 30-minute no-equipment workout was a quick, energy-efficient way that achieved my fitness goals without me using dumbbells, resistance bands, or much space at all. It’s excellent for days when you need a really tough, heart-pumping session but don’t want to go out of the house.
That being said, it remains a fact that this workout is most suitable for people with a firmly established fitness background. For those who are getting started with exercise or have knee pain, see if you can change the workout as needed or follow beginner workouts in the beginning.
When I get to the same situation next time, with only my mat and willpower at home, the workout video will be the one to watch again, of course, it will be completely new. There will be no regret over it.
