6 Quick and Effective Vacation Workouts

Lunges (Stationary)

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, torso upright with arms hanging straight at your sides.
2. Take a slow, controlled lunge forward with one foot. As you lunge, lower your body and allow the lunging knee to bend until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
3. If performing a stationary lunge, push explosively off the lunging foot to return to the starting position. If performing walking lunges, push through the heel of the lunging foot to bring the back foot to meet it.

Lunges With Twist Over Lunging Knee

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, torso upright with arms hanging straight at your sides.
2. Take a slow, controlled lunge forward with one foot. As you lunge, lower your body and allow the lunging knee to bend until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
3. In the lunge position, bend your elbows at ninety degrees and rotate your torso in the direction of your bent knee.
4. If performing walking lunges, push through the heel of the lunging foot to bring the back foot to meet it.

Mock Kettlebell Swings

1. Assume an air squat stance with feet shoulder-width apart, toes angled out slightly.
2. Keeping your chest lifted and your lower back arched, reach down to the floor with your fingertips.
3. Thrust your hips forward as you stand from the squat position. Your arms should be straight, as if your hands are holding an invisible weight.
4. Swing your arms overhead until your biceps are beside your ears.
5. Squat to lower your arms back down toward the floor.

NOTE: Fully extend or “open up” your hips when you stand. 

Mountain-Climbers

1. Place your hands on the floor, slightly wider than shoulder-width. Step out with your feet to assume a plank position.
2. While holding your upper body in place, alternating bringing the right and left knees toward your chest.
3. Keep your hips down and increase the intensity by performing the movement faster as you feel comfortable.

Oblique Twists holding Dumbbell

1. Sit on the floor holding a dumbbell at your chest. Lift your feet off the floor a few inches and cross your ankles.
2. Keeping your core tight, twist to one side, bringing the weight toward your hip. Repeat on the opposite side.

Pendulum Lunges

Perform a stationary forward lunges, immediately followed by a reverse lunge on the same leg.

Push-Ups (Traditional)

1. Get into a plank position on the ground: hands and feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Keeping your core (abdominals and back) tight, slowly lower yourself in a straight line. Make sure your neck stays neutral, naturally aligned with your spine. Don’t let your hips pike up in the air or your lower back sag.
3. Continue to lower yourself until your chest touches the mat or floor or, for beginners, your arms form a ninety-degree angle.

Push-Ups (Modified)

1. Get into a hands-and-knees position on a mat or floor. Hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, fingers facing forward.
2. Keeping your core (abdominals and back) tight, slowly lower yourself in a straight line. Make sure your neck stays neutral, naturally aligned with your spine. Don’t let your hips pike up in the air or your lower back sag.
3. Continue to lower yourself until your chest touches the mat or floor or, for beginners, your arms form a ninety-degree angle.
4. Keeping your spine rigid and tummy pulled in, press your hands into the floor to return to start position.

Renegade Row

1. Place a pair of dumbbells side by side on the floor. Then get into a plank position with hands gripping either dumbbell, feet hip-width apart. Make sure dumbbells are about shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your right elbow and pull the dumbbell until your elbow passes your torso. Keep the elbow tight and close to your body. Keep abdominals engaged and neck in a neutral position.  Press the left dumbbell into the floor for balance.
3. Lower your arm and repeat on the opposite side.

Scorpions

1. Lie face down on a mat or on the floor. Stretch your arms out to either side, forming a T.
2. Lift your left leg away from the floor as far as you can, then move it to the right, crossing it over your right leg. As you do this, twist your hips to the right, allowing the left leg to touch the ground on the right side.
3. Return your left leg back to starting position and repeat the movement with your right leg.

Tuck Jumps

1. Stand with feet under hips.
2. Jump up, tucking your knees into your chest.
3. Land softly with feet under hips.
4. Immediately explode into another jump.

Walk-Out/Walk-Ins

1. Begin in a standing position. Bend over to touch your toes and walk your hands out until you are in a plank position.
2. Walk the hands back in to your feet keeping legs as straight as possible, and repeat for the given number of repetitions.

 For over 100 at-home workouts like the six in this article, please check out my book, available in print and e-book format!

Stay fit, stay faithful.

Diana Anderson-Tyler is the author of Creation House’s Fit for Faith: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness, Perfect Fit: Weekly Wisdom and Workouts for Women of Faith and Fitness, and her latest book, Immeasurable: Diving into the Depths of God’s Love. Her popular website can be found at dianaandersontyler.com and she is the owner and a coach at CrossFit 925. Diana can be reached on Twitter.

For the original article, visit dianaandersontyler.com.