Stuck Indoors? Here’s a Bodyweight Only Coordination, Strength and Cardio Workout!

As much as I hate to admit it, when the weather outside gets below freezing, I’m much less likely to work out outside.  Then, one of my clients emailed asking for an indoor alternative to her regular outdoor activities. This workout is one that I created for a small Upper West Side Manhattan gym where I led classes for a week pretty much for the heck of it. (I wanted to get out of town for a bit, and my friend up there needed an extra trainer… While I had no intentions of moving up there and taking the job, he accepted my offer of leading most of the group classes for a week so he could interview people).  Finally, I was able to spend a big chunk of time in NYC, have fun, visit friends, and most shockingly of all… break even. That’s the story of the “NYC Workouts eBook” which is a collection of all the group sessions I led up there during that time.

Anyway, here’s one of the bodyweight only workouts you can do indoors and which is essentially self-scaling. If this looks “easy” to you, make sure you’re working hard enough! 🙂

Warm up with joint mobility exercises and the Trifecta from Convict Conditioning Vol. 2 (Bridge, L-Sit, Twist)

Strength Flow Sequence:
Try to maintain a challenging but safe pace for 10 times through the sequence.

1. Begin standing tall, walk hands forward (ok to bend knees if necessary) until in a plank position.
2. Do 3 push-ups.
3. After adjusting to a wider stance, leave feet in place on the ground, and walk the hands back, letting knees bend so that you are in a squatting position.
4. Do 4 bodyweight squats, staying down on the 4th rep.
5. Under control, reach back and transition to a crab-walk position.
6. In the crab-walk position, walk forward and backward for 3 steps.
7. Reach forward and transition back into a low squat position.
8. Stand and begin the next repetition of the sequence until 10 are completed.

Bodyweight Tabata Time:
Go all out on the work sets for the Tabata protocol to work its calorie-torching magic.

4 rounds of:

• 20 seconds high knees, 10 seconds rest and transition
• 20 seconds butt kicks, 10 seconds rest and transition

Rest and water break

4 rounds of:

• 20 seconds burpees or sprawls*, 10 seconds rest and transition
• 20 seconds partial squats**, 10 seconds rest and transition

Short Circuit (or set up stations):
Repeat for 4 rounds

• 30 seconds: dips, 15 seconds rest and transition
• 30 seconds: plank taps, 15 seconds rest and transition
• 30 seconds: side plank (alternate sides each round), 15 seconds rest and transition
• 30 seconds: sitouts***

Pump-Stretch 3x:
(Down-dog, up-dog [turn and look back at each foot for an additional stretch.])

Abs Mini Circuit Repeat for three rounds:

• 30 seconds tuck-ups, 20 seconds rest and transition
• 30 seconds lying leg raises, 20 seconds rest and transition
• 30 seconds Russian twist, 20 seconds rest and transition

*Sprawls are burpees without a pushup and without a jump.

**Partial squats = choose a challenging part of a bodyweight squat and stay within a few inches of it. For a whole lot of fun, pick a different squat depth each round!
***Sitouts (video is cued up to 2:47 for sitouts):

Let me know if you try it, or if you’ve come up with a variation of your own! 🙂