After posting SO many delicious and decadent holiday recipes recently, I thought I should balance things out with a workout.  As I planned my fitness routine for the week, I knew that I would need to incorporate a few workouts that could be done at home with minimal equipment because I have family visiting for the holiday.  While I really love getting a good workout in, I definitely don’t want to miss out on family because I am driving to and from the fitness center, so an at-home workout is the perfect alternative.

This workout is based on the traditional Tabata method, 20 seconds of work then 10 seconds of rest repeated 8 times for a total of 4 minutes of work.  If you have questions, please ask in the comments section and I’ll be happy to answer!

25-Minute Bodyweight Tabata Workout

Equipment used:

• Exercise mat
• Timer (Tabata timer app on my phone)

Complete each exercise in a series of 20 seconds of intense work, then 10 seconds of rest 8 times through for a total of 4 minutes.  Rest for 1 minute, then move to the next exercise.  Work at a level that has you working hard during the 4 minutes for each exercise.

• Squat Jump Pulses:  Begin with your feet wider than your hips and sit your bottom down and back into a squat position.  Pulse up and down two times, then drive up into a high jump.  When you land, go back into the two pulses and back up into the jump.  Continue to do this until the timer tells you to rest for 10 seconds.  Option:  If you are uncomfortable with the jump, you can stand up on your tip toes instead of having your feet leave the ground completely.
• Mountain Climbers:  Start in a plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders.  Bring your right knee in towards your chest, then return that leg back to starting position.  Bring the left knee in towards your chest, and continue alternating bringing your knee in toward your chest for the duration of the 20 second round.  Option:  This can be completed on your knees for a less intense option.  If you are doing this on your knees, take your knee to the outside of your arm rather than toward your chest.
• Side Lunge Hops:  Begin in a standing position.  Step your right foot out wide to the side with both of your feet facing forward.  Bend your right knee, and lunge down to touch your left hand to the ground in front of your right foot.  Shift your weight to your left foot and push off with your right foot bringing your knee up as you jump up off of your left leg.  As you land, place your right foot in the wide lunge position immediately to go into the next lunge hop.  Alternate between right and left side lunge hops with each 20 second round of work.
• Hip Dip Planks:  Start in a forearm plank position.  Rotate your hips to the left and touch them to the ground while keeping your shoulders square to the ground.  Bring your hips back to center and then drop them to the right.  Continue to alternate dipping your hips to the left and the right.  Option:  This can be done on your knees.
• Burpees:  Begin with your feet under your hips and jump up.  As you land, place your hands on the ground and jump your feet pack into a plank position.  From the plank position, jump your feet back to your hands and stand up into a jump.  Continue this for the duration of the working period.  Option:  You can eliminate all jumping in this exercise by stepping your feet back and raising up onto your toes.

WEARING | leggings PINS TO KILL shoes MIZUNO WAVE RIDER 18 long sleeve pullover (similar)

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!  Let me know if you give the workout a try.

Need an at-home workout to fit in w/ all the holiday hustle? Check out this quick 25-min #tabata workout! Click To Tweet