Missed Your Workout? Do These 3 Exercises Now!
I feel like once you hit the age of 30, finding the time to exercise can start to be difficult. There are more competing commitments and responsibilities to attend to when you’re trying to “adult”. One of the most common limiting factors in all my clients is “finding the time to exercise”.
When you start your fitness journey, you have to prioritize your workouts before anything else because if you don’t, LIFE will always take it away from you. There will be times where you will miss workouts because you’re still making the transition to workout regularly.
So being an Exercise Scientist with 12 years of workout experience, here are THREE exercises I would highly recommend you do when LIFE strikes and you miss that planned workout!
1) Pushups (Upper Body)
Pushups are a great exercise to do when you miss workouts because it can be done anywhere, it’s easily modifiable and there are many different variations of it so you’d never get bored of them. It targets many upper body muscles but mostly your chest and back of the arms (triceps).
Instructions: Get on the floor and place your hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Spread your fingers wide open and feel yourself grip the floor. Set your feet shoulder-width apart on the floor and lift your body off the ground.
Bend your elbows to lower your body and push the floor as hard as you can until your arms are straight again. Focus on SLOWLY lowering your body and pushing FAST. The control, form and technique is what’s most important about this exercise.
Modification: If pushups are new to you or difficult at this time, modify the exercise by placing your knees on the floor. Just always make sure that whether it’s modified or not, that you always lower your butt with you as you go down.
Reps, Sets and Tempo: I would recommend always doing 3 sets of 10 pushups. Rest about 30 seconds in between and then begin the next. If you’re advanced, do 4 sets of 15 reps with the same rest. For the tempo, lower yourself down for 4 counts and then push for 1 count. This will ensure you challenge the muscles to its potential.
2) Planks (Core Strength)
Planks are a great exercise to do when you miss workouts because it trains your core strength; which happens to be the most important muscle group of your body. It’s a great exercise because it’s easy to feel, it’s modifiable and has lasting results with constant practice. It targets mostly your inner midsection and lower back muscles.
Instructions: Kneel down and place your elbows on the ground shoulder-width apart. Then place your feet on the ground shoulder-width apart and lift your body off the ground. Hold this position in place and feel your core muscles fire up.
Modification: To modify this exercise, place your knees on the ground, lift your feet up and continue the hold. Just be sure to lower your butt because maintaining a straight line from shoulders to knees is the key part of this exercise.
Reps, Sets and Tempo: Since this exercise is a hold, there will be no reps. I would recommend holding a plank for 3 sets of 30 second holds. For advanced, do 4 sets of 60 second holds. It’s ok to take breaks because these are tough at first. Count to three when that happens and then get up and continue!
3) High Knees (Legs and Cardio)
High Knees are a great exercise because it trains your legs, cardio and athletic ability. I can usually tell how fit someone is by this one. It’s a great fat-burning exercise because your whole body is engaged and working. There is not one muscle here that’s asleep.
Instructions: Lift one knee up in the air and then switch with the other leg as if you’re running. Keep lifting your knees up quickly and begin swinging your arms naturally. Focus on “lifting” your feet off the ground rather than “pushing” into it. This will reduce impact on your knees and you’ll move lighter and quicker. Once you’ve created a rhythm, begin to breathe in the nose and out the mouth. DO NOT hold your breathe while doing this.
Modification: Place your hands out about hip height. Your goal is to move one knee up into the same side hand fast and then slowly lower your foot to the ground. Keep switching and moving at that tempo.
Reps, Sets and Tempo: This exercise is mostly a cardio move so do this one as fast as you possibly can. If someone lives below you, either do the modified version or lift your feet up quicker. this will greatly reduce the noise you make into the floor.
Thank you all for reading! Feel free to comment and ask questions. Send me any topics or questions you’d like me to write about, I’m open to anything!
- Carl Anthony Grande
Creator and Owner of Empyrea Group Training (Cedar Grove, NJ)
Follow me on IG and FB: @trainempyrean
Email me: manager@trainempyrean.com
