No need for a garden - do this in the comfort of your own bedroom.
Here are nine moves you can do in your bedroom that will burn calories and spike your heart rate – in very little space. You’re welcome!
The circuit
Do this circuit three times, three times a week, to keep yourself a lean, mean studying machine!
- 20 x sit-ups
- 20 x lunges (on each leg)
- 20 x push-ups
- 20 x bicycle crunches
- 20 x tricep dips
- Plank (minimum 45 seconds)
- 20 x Supermans
- High knees for 1 minute
- 20 x jump squats
The moves
The moves in the circuits are detailed below.
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Sit-ups
Targets: Abdominals
How to do a sit up
1
Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent.
2
Lift your upper body off the floor by using your abdominal muscles.
3
Touch your elbows to your thighs and repeat.
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Lunges
Targets: Glutes in your hips and butt, hamstrings and your thighs
How to do lunges
1
Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders back and chin up (fix your eyes on a point in front of you so you don't keep looking down).
2
Engage your core.
3
Step forward with one leg and lower your hips until both knees are bent around 90 degrees.
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Press ups
Targets: Chest muscles, shoulders and triceps
How to do press ups
1
Start in a plank position with your arms straight.
2
Your shoulders should be over your wrists, with your body in a straight line from head to toe.
3
Engage your core and bend your elbows, and lower your chest towards the floor.
4
Then, press upwards back to plank position.
5
If this is too difficult, you could start building strength by doing push-ups with your knees lowered to take some of the pressure out of your wrists.
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Bicycle crunch
Targets: Abdominals and external obliques
How to do a bicycle crunch
1
Lie flat on the floor.
2
Press the lower half of your back into the floor and draw in your navel.
3
Place your hands behind your head and bring your knees in to your chest.
4
Lift your shoulder blades off the ground but keep your gaze up to endure you don’t pull on your neck.
5
Touch your left elbow to your right knee, then touch your right elbow to your left knee.
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Tricep dips
Targets: Triceps
How to do a tricep dips
1
Place your hands behind you, shoulder-width apart on a stable chair.
2
Slide your bottom off the front of the chair with your legs, slightly bent, out in front of you.
3
Bend your arms, lowering yourself down to the floor until your arms are at 90 degrees.
4
Extend and straighten your arms back to the start position.
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The plank
Targets: Abs, external oblique muscle, and the glutes
How to do a plank
1
Place your forearms on the ground with the elbows directly below your shoulders, and with your arms parallel to the body at shoulder-width distance.
2
Ground your toes in to the floor, draw your navel in, and squeeze your glutes to make yourself stable.
3
Engage your leg muscles, while being careful not to lock your knees.
4
Your eyes should be looking at a spot on the floor about a foot beyond your hands.
5
Remember to keep breathing, and hold the position, concentrating on form.
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The Superman
Targets: Lower back, lats, shoulders
How to do the superman
1
Lie on the floor on your belly, and reach your arms above your head, with your legs straight.
2
Lift your left arm and right leg together, squeezing your glutes and lower back muscles.
3
Lower and then lift your right arm and left leg.
4
Repeat.
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High knees
Targets: Quads, glutes, calves, shins, hip flexors, and ups your heart rate
How to do high knees
1
Run on the spot, raising your knees above hip level.
2
Pump your arms as if you were sprinting, keeping your elbows at 90 degrees.
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Jump squats
Targets: Quads, glutes, calves and shins
How to do jump squats
1
Stand with your feet a hip’s width apart, with your toes facing forward.
2
Sit back into a squat and then drive your body up through your heels, shifting your weight on to the balls of your feet as you jump.
3
Land lightly on the balls of your feet and bend into a full squat.
Last updated: 14 January 2022