The reason people so often give for not working out is, “I don’t have time.” There’s this notion that you need to have the perfect 60 minutes each day for a workout to actually count, and if that doesn’t happen—either because you slept in and didn’t make it to the gym before work, or an unplanned happy hour cropped up after—then the opportunity for a meaningful workout has come and gone like snow.
However, many of us do have a magical time of day already carved out for exercise: the lunch hour. Personal trainer Bianca Russo, founder of Body Positive Bootcamp, has created an easy-to-follow plan that’s particularly friendly to beginners and requires very little equipment, making it ideal for those who work from home or have an office gym but don’t feel like fiddling with the hardware. Russo’s M/W/F workout hits the whole body and takes less than an hour. Plus, she’s created videos to demonstrate how to do every move.
First, some pointers:
- Always begin with the warm-up.
- Complete the exercises in the order they’re listed.
- Each contains a link to a video demonstrating how to do them—review these before beginning.
- Always finish with the cool-down.
- Stay hydrated before, during, and after every workout.
- Always talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program.
Warm-Up & Cool-Down
Complete one to two rounds of the warm-up and cool-down circuits, and do each exercise for 20 to 30 seconds (use your phone timer or the clock in the gym). Rest a max of 30 seconds between exercises. Do these exercises slowly.
Warm-Up
Cool-Down
For these three workouts, the only pieces of equipment you need are dumbbells and a kettlebell.
Workout 1: Focus
Complete one to five rounds of this circuit. Focus on time, not reps: do each exercise for 20 to 30 seconds, with up to 90 seconds of rest between each exercise. Do these slowly.
- Scorpion
- Split lunge + balance (grab dumbbells for these)
- Pushups
Workout 2: Energize
Again, do one to five rounds and perform each exercise for 20 to 30 seconds, with up to 90 seconds of rest between each exercise. Do these exercises fast.
- Star squats
- Goblet squat + press (grab a kettlebell for these)
- High-to-low planks
Workout 3: Refresh
Do one to five rounds, performing each exercise for 20 to 30 seconds, with up to 90 seconds of rest between exercises. Do these fast.
Don’t forget to cool down!
To download the workout, visit Russo’s website here.
Kim Olsen ([email protected]) is a freelance writer in Alexandria.
