The Plank-Happy, Full-Body Workout That Fires up Every Muscle in 12 Minutes Flat
There are a lot of things you can do in 12 minutes: Microwave a well-done sweet potato, watch one half of an episode of Friends, or fire up every single muscle in your body by way of this routine from Master SoulCycle Instructor and EmBody creator Emily Turner's latest workout.
In honor of May's Trainer of the Month Club, Turner has shared four weeks worth of full-body workouts, the first of which you can get done in no time. With a series of every iteration of planks you could possibly imagine, these moves will leave every fiber from your shoulders to your abs on fire. And the best part? You can do the full set of exercises right from the comfort of your own home with nothing more than your own body and yoga mat's worth of open space. (Technically, that means you can actually watch that half episode of Friends and simultaneously cook a sweet potato while you workout, should you so choose.) Three birds, one stone? Now that's our kind of workout.
Try this week one's workout, below, and check back every Monday for the rest of the month for an entirely new living room-friendly series of moves.
Do each move for one minute, and cycle through the full series twice
1. Walking plank warm-up: Use this to fire up your muscles all over your body. Start standing up, then place your hands on the floor and walk them forward into a plank position. Hold for a beat, then walk your hands back toward your feet and stand up, pulling your hands over your head. Repeat for one minute.
2. Plank hold, rocking forward and back: Hold a full plank on your hands, squeezing your abs and glutes. Slowly rock back and forth, engaging the muscles from top to bottom as you move. Rock for one minute.
3. Plank and down dog variation: Starting in a plank position, pike your hips up and back into a down dog, keeping your legs straight and flattening your feet toward the ground. Push up onto your toes, and pull through back into a plank. Repeat for one minute.
4. Plank and down dog variation, adding push-up: Similar to the above, start in a downward facing dog and pull through into a plank position. When you reach the bottom, do a pushup. Then pike your hips up and back into a down dog. Repeat for one minute.
5. Plank burpee jump combo: Standing with your arms above your head, place your hands on the ground and step your feet back into a plank. Then, jump your feet in between your hands. Once you feel comfortable with the modified version of the move, transition into a regular burpee. Jump your feet back together (instead of stepping them one by one), then jump them back in between your hands. Finish the move by jumping straight into the air with your hands above your head.
6. Mountain climbers: In a full plank position, pull your knees one by one into your elbows. Start slowly, then speed up the movement to get your heart pumping.
For more at-home workouts you can get done in less than 10 minutes, try this 8-minute ab series, or this one that only takes seven minutes total.
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