Creative Workouts You Can Do At Home: Part 1

No gym, no equipment… you don’t even need your shoes. Introducing a new workout series using only the things inside your home. 

This post comes from our dear friend and Australian fitness instructor, Tanya Poppett. 

As the Northern Hemisphere begins to cool, motivation to work out can become increasingly difficult to find. But there are plenty of ways you can get a killer workout from the comfort of your own home. This new series is all about spicing up your home workout routine, so you can still get an amazing workout without having to face the chill.

In this first workout we are using a cushion to assist us in engaging key muscle groups and get the most out of these 6 exercises. Here’s the rundown: perform each move for 35 seconds with a 20-second rest. Complete 3 rounds.

Bridge kicks. This exercise engages the whole lower body from the core down.

Lay on your back with your knees bent up. Your ankles should be in line with your knees. Place the cushion in between your knees and squeeze to keep it in place. Lift up through the belly button and squeeze the glutes to engage the core. Push your arms and hands down into the ground as you pull your hips upwards. Once you reach your bridge position, keep your glutes engaged as you kick out your left leg. Lower down and repeat on the right side. Make sure you keep your kicks slow and controlled.

Boat sits. We’re targeting the lower abdominals and hip flexors with this move.

Keep the cushion between your knees and continue to squeeze. Sit up and find a comfortable position. Use your hands for support as you bend your knees into your chest and strengthen them out again. Keep your chest lifted throughout the exercise and pull up and in through the belly button to engage the abdominals.

Pillow stack crunches. Another fun move that will get those abs burning.

Lay on your back with your knees bent up at a 90-degree angle. Hold onto the cushion and keep your arms straight as you lift your shoulders up off the ground and rest it on your shins. Repeat the same movement as you come back up to collect the cushion. Make sure you engage the abdominals as you come up for the cushion. Breathe in on the down phase of the exercise and breathe out as you come up.

Dynamic twists. We are combining the obliques with some upper body with this little combo move. This exercise works best if you maintain a strong squeeze as you hold onto the cushion.

Lay flat on your back with the pillow above your chest and your arms and abs engaged. Pull your knees in toward you and lift up your chest using the power from your abdominals and your hip flexors. Maintain a strong boat position as you twist from the belly to face the left side, then the right. Lower back down to the starting position and repeat. Remember to breathe throughout this exercise.

Pass throughs. This exercise with also target the abdominals whilst getting a good burn in those quads.

Squeeze the cushion between the hands as you lift your arms and feet up to meet in the middle. Pass the pillow in between your feet and lower back down. Again make sure you keep your core strong throughout this exercise and remember to breathe.

Cannonball rolls. One of my favourite exercises for engaging the lower body and getting the heart rate up.

Place the cushion so it sits at the lower part of your back. Tuck your knees into your chest as you roll back and use the momentum as you come forward and push through your heels to stand. Push your hips forward and engage your glutes as you come to the top.

Plank slams. This is a great full body exercise that will help you burn off a bit of steam.

Place the cushion underneath your forearms and rise up into your plank. Pull up through your core, squeeze your quads and push down through your forearms. Aim to keep your hips still as you lift alternating arms and slam them back down into the cushion. Stay strong through the entire movement and remember to breathe.

Thank you Tanya! We’ll catch up with you next week with part 2 of this series. 

+ Check out Tanya’s impressive line up of workouts here…

Get your daily dose of wellness inspiration by following Tanya on Instagram. Check out her website.