Finding a workout routine that works for you can always be challenging, especially if you are a particularly busy person. For me, I always find that working out before taking my shower in the morning starts my day off just right. It gives me more energy and is always such a confidence booster and I just love the after workout burn I feel the next few days! Here is a great workout routine that is quick and easy you can do before your shower time every morning to stay fit and maybe lose some of that quarantine weight we’ve all gained.
Before any good workout, it is always a good idea to stretch a little. There have been many a time when I pulled a muscle because I didn’t stretch before my workout. So, just to be safe, stretch those muscles!
A butterfly sit will stretch your inner thigh muscles. It will also help to increase your flexibility which will assist in your fitness routines. Doing some calf raises stretch, you guessed it, your calves, and will help when you are doing squats or lunges. A cobra abdominal stretch will stretch out those core muscles and get you ready for those crunches that you know are coming later on.
While stretches may feel a little pointless and lengthen the workout routine, it is always a good idea to stretch just to warm up those muscles and get them to loosen up so that nothing gets pulled and you don’t get hurt.
Jumping jacks is a great way to work on your cardio. This exercise requires you to use a lot more oxygen to maintain the energy to stimulate your heart muscles. This means your heart is working extra hard to keep that oxygen flow going through your bloodstream. Because you have to breathe harder for this exercise, it also works out your lungs making them and your heart a lot stronger.
Not only does this exercise work out your internal organs, but it also works out a lot of the muscles throughout your body. As you jump, spread your legs, and pull your arms above your head, you are working on biceps, triceps, calves, hamstrings, glutes, and so much more. It is a great way to burn that fat from lasts night midnight binge sesh. For faster results, you can increase the speed that you do this exercise, as well as increase the number of reps you do.
I know this will sound crazy, but crunches and ab workouts, in general, are my favorite part of the workout routine. My stomach is the part of my body that I am most self-conscious about, so when I get to the abs, I go hard. Crunches work your core muscles such as your rectus abdominis.
Other exercises such as planks, push-ups, and glute bridges also work your core muscles but crunches really focus on your abs. I’ve found that you feel that extra burn when you flex your core muscles as you bring your body up to the crunch position. Finding the arm placement can be tricky sometimes, but if you are having a tough time with this movement, bringing your arms down to your sides help you pull yourself up a bit easier than having them behind your head or across your chest.
With a strong core comes not only a gorgeous six-pack, but you can have better balance and posture. Crunches are also a great calorie-burning exercise especially when you do them a little more vigorously and add more reps to the workout routine. If you are looking to work on those love handles, doing twist crunches will work on getting rid of that side fat and increase the number of calories you burn.
Another crazy thing, but squats are my second favorite exercise in this workout routine. I love that morning after-burn that really tells me I’ve worked those muscles. With squats, it is all about the positioning of your body. Make sure to keep your feet shoulder-width apart and keep your back straight! When going down, make sure you sit at a ninety-degree angle so that you are really working all those leg muscles.
If you are really looking to gain that firm butt, widen your stance so that your legs are farther apart. This works even more muscles within your quads and makes these squats a little more difficult. And of course, you can always add more reps to this movement to increase your results.
To further increase the difficulty of this exercise, doing jumping squats will work those legs and help you do some more cardio as you are moving your body more. Make sure you have a wide enough stance so that you do not feel off balance when you land to do another squat.
Push-ups are always the hardest for me because I simply have spaghetti arms, but they are so good at working your bicep and tricep muscles. Because they are difficult for me, I can’t seem to keep my arms in when I push myself back up, but it is crucial to keeping those elbows in so that you aren’t going to hurt anything as well as actually working those muscles.
If you are finding this movement too hard, you can do the alternative push-up which means you are on your knees to do the push-up. Don’t go directly on your knees because it makes the push-up kind of pointless, kind of lay on your thighs so that you are using most of your body weight to push yourself down.
This is a great exercise for a variety of different muscles. You want to make sure you are keeping your back straight and your butt down so that you are also working your core and back muscles. And as always, for better and faster results, adding more reps will get you to more of a toned look.
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