Low Impact Bodyweight Workout in 10 Minutes!

Quarantine making you feel sluggish?

Don’t let being stuck in quarantine keep you from your exercise goals. Here is a quick and efficient 10 minute workout that is low impact on your joints and will improve your total body muscle strength. The CDC recommends to perform muscle strengthening activities a minimum of 2 days a week.

Strengthening in combination with aerobic exercise can achieve even more health benefits. 

Do each movement for 20 seconds for 4 rounds and 30 seconds rest in between each round. 

1. Push ups

   • Technique: Start with hands directly under shoulders and slowly lower chest to ground then return to starting position.
   • Muscles Strengthened: pectoralis major/minor, deltoids, serratus anterior, triceps, abdominals
   • Modification: perform with knees of the ground 

2. Squats

   • Technique: Start with feet hip width apart, stick your butt back and slowly lower as if sitting on an invisible chair.
   • Muscles Strengthened: glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves 
   • Modification: use a smaller range of motion and perform “mini” squats within tolerance

3. Plank

   • Technique: Start with forearms on the ground, directly under your shoulders, keeping your spine in alignment and head/neck in neutral. Be sure to keep your core and glutes engaged and maintain position for 20 seconds. 
   • Muscles Strengthened: transverse and rectus abdominis, erector spinae, deltoids, quadriceps 
   • Modification: perform with knees on the ground 

4. Tricep Dips

   • Technique: Start seated at the edge of a sturdy chair or low table and slide your butt off of the edge of the chair so that only your hands are on the chair. Keep your legs straight in front of you and begin to slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself towards the ground before straightening your arms to lift back up. 
   • Muscles Strengthened: triceps, pectoralis major/minor, deltoids
   • Modification: keeps legs bent rather than straight out 

5. Stationary Lunges 

   • Technique: Start with taking a big step forward with your right foot and lower so that your right knee is at 90 degree angles before pushing back up into the starting position.
   • Muscles Strengthened: quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves 
   • Modification: do not bend as far into lunge position; 10 second hold each side 

6. Abdominal Bicycles

   • Technique: Begin on your back with your knees in a tabletop position. Use your core strength to bring your elbow towards your opposite knee before extending the leg back out. Be sure to keep your core engaged throughout the exercise so that your lower back does not lift off of the floor. 
   • Muscles Strengthened: rectus abdominis, internal/external obliques, quadriceps 
   • Modification: alternating crunch with hand to opposite knee 

Check out our recent  instagram post to see videos on these workouts!