If there was ever a time to start releasing endorphins to boost your mood [1], now is the time to do it. But if you're feeling lost because you can't get to the gym or barre studio [2], you can still get a good sweat right at home with no equipment at all.
Follow this five-day plan from Mauro S. Maietta, a certified personal trainer and district fitness manager at CRUNCH Fitness [3]. You'll do the same quick warm-up and cool down each day followed by a mix of strength training moves and cardio to build muscle and burn calories. We start this plan on Monday, but you can begin at any time, just make sure to give yourself two full rest days. Build on the plan each week by increasing the reps of each exercise and shortening the rest time between circuits.
Warm Up and Cool Down
For a full body prep (and recovery at the end of this workout) start with these exercises before getting into your circuit work each day:
Warm Up: 20-30 seconds per exercise if not otherwise stated, moving clockwise and counter clockwise.
- Neck circles
- Wrist rolls
- Shoulder rolls
- Arm circles
- Hip circles
- Leg kicks: Forward, back, and side to side for each leg.
- Ankle circles
- Jumping jacks: 1 to 3 minutes (rest as needed).
- Rope-less jump rope: 3 rounds of 30 seconds (rest as needed).
Cool Down
- Repeat the warm up.
- Follow with a full body stretch [4], making sure to hold each stretch for 1 to 2 minutes.
Monday
Do 12 reps of each exercise with a 20 to 30-second rest between exercises. Complete four total runs of each circuit, taking a 2-minute rest between them.
Circuit 1
- Bodyweight squat
- Push-ups
- Bent-over row [5]: Use household items like water jugs if you don't have dumbbells for an added resistance.
Circuit 2
- Reverse lunge [6]
- Plank
- Hip bridge
Circuit 3
- Side lunge [7]
- Lying knee tuck
Cardio Circuit
- Stair sprints: 3 to 8 stair sprints for 10 to 20 seconds with a 1-minute rest in between sprints.
Tuesday
Do each exercise for 45 seconds followed by a 15-second rest between exercises. Complete four total reps of each circuit, taking a 2-minute rest between them.
Circuit 1
- Reverse lunge [8]
- Side plank
- Push-ups
Circuit 2
- Step-ups [9]
- Bent-over row [10]: Use household items like water jugs if you don't have dumbbells for an added resistance.
- Hollow hold [11]
Circuit 3
- Wall sit
- Biceps curl: Use household items like water jugs if you don't have dumbbells for an added resistance.
- Lying leg raise with hip thrust [12]: You can do this on the floor, keeping hands on the small of your back.
Cardio Circuit
- Stair Sprints: 3 to 8 stair sprints for 10 to 20 seconds with a 1-minute rest between sprints.
Wednesday
This is an active rest day (not to be confused with your two total rest days at the end of this plan), so there's no cardio circuit included. Do 8 reps of each exercise followed by a 30-second rest in between exercises. You'll complete three total reps of each circuit, taking a 1-minute rest between them.
Circuit 1
- Single leg deadlift
- Bodyweight squat
Circuit 2
- Jumping jacks
- Crunches (try one of these variations for an added challenge [13])
- Side step and squat
Circuit 3
- Push-up with shoulder tap [14]
- Flutter kicks
Thursday
Do each exercise for 45 seconds followed by a 15-second rest between exercises. Complete four total reps of each circuit, taking a 2-minute rest between circuits.
Circuit 1
- Bodyweight squat
- Push-ups
- Bent-over row [15]: Use household items like water jugs if you don't have dumbbells for an added resistance.
Circuit 2
- Reverse lunge [16]
- Plank
- Hip bridge
Circuit 3
- Side lunge [17]
- Lying knee tuck
Cardio Circuit
- Jog: Jog the stairs in your building for 5-10 minutes or at a moderate pace for 10 minutes.
Friday
Do 12 reps of each exercise followed by a 20 to 30-second rest between exercises. Complete four total reps of each circuit, taking a 2-minute rest between circuits.
Circuit 1
- Reverse lunge [18]
- Side plank
- Push-ups
Circuit 2
- Step-ups [19]
- Bent-over row [20]: Use household items like water jugs if you don't have dumbbells for an added resistance.
- Hollow hold [21]
Circuit 3
- Wall sit
- Biceps curl: Use household items like water jugs if you don't have dumbbells for an added resistance.
- Lying leg raise with hip thrust [22]: You can do this on the floor, keeping hands on the small of your back.
Cardio Circuit
- Stair Sprints: 3 to 8 stair sprints for 10 to 20 seconds with a 1-minute rest in between sprints.