• Vitamins & Supplements
  • Food & Drink
  • Sports Nutrition
  • Free From
  • Natural Beauty
  • Weight Management
  • Offers
  • Summer Shop
  • The Health Hub
  • Learn more Healthbox
  • Account
Track your order Delivery & Returns Help Centre My subscriptions

Customer Service

  • Contact us
  • Site map
  • Site map
  • Store locator

About us

  • Who are we
  • Working at Holland & Barrett
  • Press releases
  • Privacy & cookie policy
  • Terms & conditions
  • Holland & Barrett More
  • Holland & Barrett International
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Modern Slavery Statement

Connect with us

Store
0370 606 6606
My account
Rewards
  • Sign in
  • How do I join?
  • What are the benefits?
  • FAQs
Holland & Barrett :: the good life
  • Menu
  • Account
  • Store
  • Basket
    Search for
    • Vitamins & Supplements
    • Food & Drink
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Free From
    • Natural Beauty
    • Weight Management
    • Offers
    • The Health Hub
    • Healthbox

    Home / Conditions / Cholesterol / Full body exercise routine to help reduce cholesterol

    lower cholesterol
    lower cholesterol

    Full body exercise routine to help reduce cholesterol

    One of the best things you can do if you want to manage your cholesterol levels is working out

    How does exercise help maintain healthy cholesterol levels?

    Strength training and getting those muscles nice and strong can help the body reduce its stores of excess fat and consequently help maintain healthy cholesterol.

    When your muscles get bigger and stronger, they increase your daily calorie needs, so it is easier to stay in a calorie deficit. Your muscles also like to use glucose and fat stores for fuel, so you can get lean and reduce cholesterol levels at the same time.

    This full-body workout has been designed by our nutritionist Alex Glover. Its aim is to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels through exercise and will focus on training as many muscles as you can with limited equipment and in a shortened time frame.

    Please warm up before doing these exercises with some light cardio, like star jumps for a few minutes or doing some high knees (like jogging on the spot and trying to get your knees up high).

    Equipment needed: Dumbbells x 2

    Exercise 1: ​Bent over Dumbbell row

    Strengthens: Back
    Repetitions: 12
    Sets: 4

    How to​:

    • Take both Dumbbells in your hands and stand up straight.
    • Now slowly lower your upper body while bending your hips back and assume a comfortable position with the dumbbells in front of you
    • Keeping your core tensed and your glutes squeezed, row both dumbbells up to your chest and lower. You should feel your back muscles working

    Tips:

    • For any rowing exercise, don’t grip the dumbbell too tight, and really imagine you are pulling with your elbow not your wrist
    • Don’t row up in a straight line, instead imagine putting your elbow in your back pocket
    • Always keep a firm core and squeezed glutes

    Exercise 2:​ Dumbbell goblet squat

    Strengthens: Legs
    Repetitions: 8
    Sets: 4

    How to​:

    • Hold the dumbbells just above your sternum (breastbone) and as close to your body as you can. Keep your hands clasped for the entire lift
    • Place your feet wider than your shoulders, or wherever is needed for you to maintain a neutral spine (wide will help keep your spine more upright)
    • Once you have your foot placement, imagine lowering yourself to sit in a chair and squat down, keeping your abs tensed and not letting the dumbbell sag down
    • Squeeze your glutes and legs to come back up to standing, then repeat

    Tip: A squat uses many muscles, so you can use a heavier dumbbell, if you choose, to really work the glutes and quadriceps.

    Exercise 3​: Dumbbell glute bridge

    Strengthens: Glutes
    Repetitions: 15
    Sets: 4

    How to​:

    • Lay down on your back with your feet on the floor and knees bent (like a triangle)
    • Place a cushion on your lap and rest the dumbbell on it
    • Tilt your pelvis slightly forward by squeezing your glutes and thrust upwards so that your body is as straight as possible – like you’re trying to get your belly button up to the ceiling
    • You should feel a good contraction in your glutes if you press through your heels rather than your toes. Relax back into the mat and repeat

    Exercise 4: Plank

    Duration: hold for as long as you can

    How to:

    • Place your hands directly under your shoulders on the floor (slightly wider than shoulder width – just like you’re about to do a push-up)
    • Press your toes into the floor, lift up your heels, and squeeze your glutes and abs to stabilise your body. It’s like doing a push up, but you don’t come back down, instead, you hold the ‘top’ position.
    • Keep your neck and spine neutral by focusing on a spot on the floor around 30cm from your hands. Make sure you keep your glutes low – so your body is in a straight line from head to toe.
    • Hold for as long as you can without compromising your form or breath – 20 seconds is a good place to start.

    And you’re finished!

    We hope you enjoyed that workout! Try and do this routine at least once per week. You can combine it with our upper body resistance training workout and lower body workout too. Try to walk often and include some cardio like walking, jogging or riding a bike for an all-round great routine to help manage cholesterol.

    Want to make sure what you’re eating isn’t raising your cholesterol levels? Try some of these healthy, cholesterol-lowering meals:

    • Smashed Avocado on Wholegrain Rye with Spinach and Edamame Salad
    • Vegan 3 Bean Chilli
    • Fruit Salad with Fat-Free Greek Yoghurt

    Last updated: 23 September 2020

    Tweet
    Follow on Instagram
    Cholesterol Exercise

    You may also like

    5 of the best chest exercises

    Article

    5 of the best chest exercises

    Focusing on your chest when you exercise helps to sculpt the muscles and add definition...

    READ MORE...
    Different types of planks

    Article

    Different types of planks

    Planks are an excellent core workout. You don’t need any expensive gym equipment to do..

    READ MORE...
    Ankle strengthening exercises for you to try at home

    Article

    Ankle strengthening exercises for you to try at home

    If you have a muscle or joint problem which is affecting your ankle or your..

    READ MORE...

    Connect with us

    • Log in Register
    • rewards for life

    Customer service

    • Store locator
    • Contact us
    • Site feedback
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Delivery & returns
    • Site map
    • My account

    About us

    • Who we are
    • Working at Holland & Barrett
    • Press room
    • Privacy & cookie policy
    • Terms & conditions
    • Holland & Barrett More
    • Holland & Barrett International

    Brands

    • Holland & Barrett
    • Bootea
    • Dr Organic
    • Precision Engineered
    • Manuka Doctor
    • Good n Natural
    • Miaroma
    Register
    Click to verify if this website is operating legally

    Copyright © Holland & Barrett Retail Limited, 2017. All rights reserved. hollandandbarrett.com is a trading name of Holland & Barrett Retail Limited,. Registered office: Samuel Ryder House, Barling Way, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 7RH. Registered in England: company no. 2758955. Registered VAT no. 211727395.