You do not need access to a full gym or a big block of time to get in a good workout. Hopefully we know that by now. Truthfully, I think 30 minutes is my sweet spot when it comes to solo strength workouts (as opposed to group exercise). After that I start dilly-dallying, looking at my phone and wanting a change of scenery. Yet when I go into a workout with a plan, my motivation is stronger and my mindset is more focused.
Tends to happen when you plan in general, right?
Fitness-wise my life has been a little different from normal (I’ll update soon) but the common denominator still is, and always will be, making exercise enjoyable. For me, enjoyable means changing things up and getting out of my comfort zone.
In an effort to bust workout boredom I came up with 26 exercises that start with every letter of the alphabet. I had to get creative with a few letters but that adds to the fun. I’ve seen “alphabet” workouts before but the exercises don’t correspond to the letter, which should be the point of the if you’re going to go from A to Z!
You only need one medium-to-heavy kettlebell (or dumbbell, if necessary). Set a stopwatch close by and complete every exercise for 1 minute. If you need a transition period maybe stop at 45ish seconds to re-group. One minute doesn’t sound too awful, but some of these bodyweight moves are hard…i.e. the burpees and commandos right off the bat! But “you can do anything for one minute” is what I tell myself. Laughing helps too.
Disclaimer: I am not a personal trainer, please modify as needed. This is meant to be inspiration for you as a way to break workout boredom. Consult with your doctor before beginning a new exercise regimen.
And, because it’s fun to make visuals, here is a graphic with all the exercises put together. I’ve linked to a few demo videos below for the trickier moves (turkish get-ups, for example).
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Exercise videos:
Commandos
Elbow to knee
Inch worm push-up
Reverse crunch
Turkish Get-Up
Windshield wipers
X-abs
Y-raise
Um, this is awesome! How much fun is this workout? I just need to do SOMETHING strength wise. I’ve been being such a baby about it with my hip.
Susie @ Suzlyfe recently posted…BTN B10K Race Recap and Race Review
I feel ya. Def have to modify things to make them work. Seems to always be the case!
Haha, I love how creative this is!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…How-To Make Sugar-Free Vegan Marshmallow Fluff
Thanks, Rebecca! Fun to spice things up.
I love this! THIS is how I can get in a fun workout, except those burpees at the beginning haha, but I’ll just keep looking forward to the letter N ;)
Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie recently posted…Strawberry Banana Bread
Yeah I kind of regretted making “B” burpees at the time haha. Glad I got it over with!
Ooh wow, this is so cool! I LOVE varied workouts where you are doing something different every minute. This is just perfect for me! :) Thanks Em.
Me too! Helps the time fly by.
OH my gosh girl, I LOVE this! Also totally goes with my post today. PS You’re the cutest demonstrating all the exercises. But really a workout under 30 minutes is my jam lately. I bet it’d be a super sweaty one if I only added in a 10-15 second break in between. Can’t wait to try this!!
Heather @Lunging Through Life recently posted…What I Gained When I switched Up My Fitness Routine
We were on the same wavelength with short workouts! I definitely needed at least 5-10 seconds of transition so it was probably 30 minutes exactly.
This is so awesome!! My favorite fun workout is anything Crossfit-style!
I like circuit style things but haven’t ventured into anything as intense as crossfit!
Okay I’m obsessed with this! Seriously, I love it. Hmmm best for fun workout- this isn’t really a strength workout but I’ve been loving doing sprints with my sister this summer haha. She’s getting ready for her college soccer season to start so she’s been doing a ton of full-field sprints and I’ve been (annoyingly :) ) joining her. It gets me so competitive just to beat her!
Amanda @ ExploringLifeAndThings recently posted…A good July
I love doing sprints with other people. My dad and I do “light pole” sprints on a specific street during our runs. He unfortunately beats me every time lol.
LOVE the idea of an A-Z workout…and I’ll definitely try this out sometime this week!
Casey the College Celiac recently posted…How to Stop Feeling Guilty about Your Gluten Free Diet
Thanks, Casey! I hope you like it.
Okay this workout looks like so much more fun than my daily treadmill run – officially trying it out tomorrow! Thanks so much for sharing xoxox
I hope you give it a shot! Definitely good to change things up every now and then :)
Such a fun workout! I love the “rest part” and how big your smile is! :) I would say running is my “fun” workout…I am getting the itch to sign up for a race. I need a schedule to follow!
ACKTIVE LIFE recently posted…#REALWomenWrinkle
Running will always be a fun workout for me too!
Yay thank you Emily. I’m lying in bed right now thinking I really should do a workout this morning but I couldn’t think of anything to do. So I’ll definitely be putting this to the test :D
Megan recently posted…Finding God in a broken world
I’m so glad you gave it a shot! I hope you enjoyed…as much as possible :)
This looks so fun! I need strength workouts to mix it up and that’s exactly what this does! Love it – and the graphic is lovely, too :)
Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday recently posted…Just Do It (I Ran the BTN Big10K)
Thanks, Ellen :) I did it again yesterday and was very happy at N and Z!
That’s such a good workout idea. Thanks for the post. I also love Z for zen pose :)
xoxo,
http://petitemaisonoffashion.blogspot.com/ ♥
I credit my mom with that one! Plus you can do savasana or an inversion or whatever you’re feeling!
Your nothing picture is my favorite thing about this.
Julia @ Drops of Jules recently posted…Currently: August 2016
In this case, N was my favorite letter of the alphabet!