My Vitaliser Home Workout

This month considering the likelihood of a pretty cold and wet February, I thought I would give you some ideas for some fun movement at home.

I usually encourage my clients to do some form of exercise outdoors just to top up on sunshine and fresh air.
 
But this is not always possible so it is always good to have some other options.
 
The program I’m going to go through with you requires no equipment so it’s great for at home, in a hotel room when travelling or outdoors if the weather permits. The bodyweight exercises in the program enable you to work on; flexibility, mobility, strength and cardiovascular fitness simultaneously, giving you the most bang for your buck!
 
The following program includes 5 exercises which are to be performed in a circuit. Start with 45 seconds rest between exercises and do as many repetitions of each exercise as you can with good technique.
 
Try to complete 2-5 rounds of the exercises depending on your fitness levels and how you feel on the day.
 
To progress, once you can perform 3-5 circuits of 15-20 repetitions of each exercise you can start to reduce the rest and the final progression would to complete 3-5 circuits with no rest between exercises.
 
Make sure when you are executing the exercises that you don’t go to complete fatigue. Only do as many reps as you feel comfortable with and keeping good technique.
 
Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!
 
Up-Down dog
Start with your hip resting on the floor, your arms are straight and your neck is stretching backwards so you would be looking upwards either to the sky or the ceiling. Try to stretch into your lower back, open your chest and squeeze your bum just slightly.
 
Spend 2-3 seconds in this posture and to get you into down dog from here by pushing your hands into the ground, lifting your bum up as high as you can and at the same time drop your heals down towards the floor. Try to have a sense of your shoulders and hamstrings getting stretched.
 
To get back to Up Dog – try to leave your hand where they are and keeping the arms straight let the hip touch the ground again.
 

Advanced: You may want to try the advanced version of the exercise where you are bending your elbows on the way down; this is called a Hindu push up.
 

Plow
Your start position here is a straight back toe reach. Think of your chest sticking out and pushing your bum back slightly as you reach towards your toes. To get to your finish position start to lean back and let your momentum help you as well as pushing your hands in the ground to bring the legs behind your head.
 
Depending on the tightness of your backline your toes either will be touching the ground or they might be in the air behind your head.To get back to your start position let yourself roll slowly forward and try to let the spine go back onto the floor segment by segment.
 
Advanced: You may want to try the advanced version of the exercise, the plow to stand. Use more power when rolling forward to stand up from a squat position on each repetition.
 

Break-dancers – I love this exercise!
The start position here is a high plank where it can be slightly tricky to know if you are in the right position or not. The best way is to check is in the mirror. Your back needs to be flat and your hands under your armpits.
 
Your challenge here is to keep your bum in the same position (not letting it raise or drop) when you bring the feet up diagonally and then take it back to its start position. Alternate your legs with this movement.
 

Advanced: You may want to try the advanced version of the exercise. The legs are slightly bent and feet closer to your hands when in the start position. Then twist to your left onto your left heel and straighten your right leg out to the left, repeat on the other side and alternate.
 

Table
Start sitting on the floor your feet are hip width apart and your hands behind you either facing inwards or outwards. Push your feet and your hands into the ground and bring your bum up as high as you can and at the same time let your head drop back.
 
You should feel the front of the hip opening and your shoulders and wrist stretching out. Spend 1-2 seconds in this top position and then touch your bum lightly on the floor and push back up again.
 

Advanced: If you’d like to make this exercise harder you can go into tripod which is the same movement but instead of pushing both hands into the ground you will come up to a position when you only have one hand on the floor and you are reaching across to the opposite side.
 

 
Hindu squat
Your starting position here is standing. Trying to keep both feet firmly flat on the ground, bend your knees and sweep your hangs on the floor until you are standing again and reaching up towards the ceiling. Go as low as you can in the squat whilst keeping your body upright.
 
Advanced: If you’d like to make this exercise harder you can go into tripod which is the same movement but instead of pushing both hands into the ground you will come up to a position when you only have one hand on the floor and you are reaching across to the opposite side.