The holiday season is fast approaching, and amid the traveling, eating, drinking, and celebrations, our usual gym and exercise routines often get side-lined. If you’re like me, though, you’ll still want to fit some movement into the festivities. That’s why I’m relying on this 20-minute bodyweight workout from fitness trainer Sandy Sklar which takes up little time and space.
This workout requires no equipment, you just need enough room to lunge in and a spare 20 minutes. For a more comfortable and hygienic experience, make sure to wear sweat-wicking exercise gear. It’s also a great reason to add a pair of the best gym leggings to your Christmas wishlist before Santa closes his mailbag!
Check out Sklar’s demonstrations below to learn the right form for each and then we're going to discuss the benefits of this workout.
Watch Sandy Sklar's no-equipment full-body workout
I love a full-body workout because it makes things a whole lot more efficient and leaves more time for fun, which is my main priority when it's the holidays. Thanks to this routine from Sklar, it targets multiple muscle groups.
There's a strong emphasis on the core, as many of the moves require stability and control to maintain proper form. The circuit also works the upper body, particularly the shoulders, chest, and triceps, through pushing and extension movements.
Meanwhile, the lower body is engaged through a selection of leg movements incorporated into the exercises, which build strength in the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
This workout also boosts the metabolism by combining strength and cardio elements, which increase your heart rate and build muscle at the same time.
Building muscle helps your body burn more calories at rest, as muscle tissue requires more energy than fat. When you put in the effort during a resistance workout like this it keeps your body working hard, even after you finish, thanks to an effect called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC).
If you try this workout and find it's not quite challenging enough, you might look to incorporate a pair of the best adjustable dumbbells into the routine. This will make the exercises more challenging and increase the intensity.
More from Tom's Guide
- No, not sit-ups — these 5 exercises blast your entire core and you don’t need any equipment
- Forget the gym — I’ve been using this 5-move dumbbell workout to grow muscle in my legs and glutes
- You only need 2 dumbbells, 1 resistance band and 25 minutes to build full-body muscle and strengthen your core
