20-Minute Workout That Will Kick Your Butt

Just a quick post today - I have an 11-week old little girl who has her first cold.  :(  Runny nose, cough, sneezing and a watery eye.  Poor thing.

I don't do workout posts on here very often.  Ok I never do workout posts on here.  But I did this one as part of the Home Workout Challenge and it kicked my butt.

I loved it.

See, I'm one of those weird people who secretly like being sore after a good sweat session.  That's usually how I judge the quality of a workout.  If I'm not sore, I didn't push myself hard enough.


This workout is 20 minutes long, requires no equipment (you don't even need shoes!) and the cool part about it is that you can do it again and again to improve your "score".  All you need is a clock with a second hand or a stopwatch (I use the one on my iPhone).


First - warm up your muscles.  I don't care what you do, just get your body moving a bit.  Jumping jacks, butt-kicks, shadow boxing, etc.


Then start your timer and begin.

3 rounds (rest 1 minute between the rounds):

• 1 min static squat
• 1 min squats
• 1 min plank
• 1 min sit-ups
• 1 min arm rotations
• 1 min push-ups

Go to a squat position and hold it for one minute, then do as many normal squats as you can in one minute. After that, go to a plank position and hold it for one minute, then do normal sit-ups for one minute. Finally, stretch your arms straight and rotate them in small circles for one minute, then do as many push-ups as you can for one minute. Rest one minute and start the second round. The total number of rounds is three. Your score is the number of squats + sit-ups + push-ups.

 My score - 200

This workout is killer.  My arms and shoulders are so sore today!  I'm definitely saving this one for future use.  Please let me know if you give it a try!

**Edited to add - Arm Rotations: Stand with your arms straight out on either side of you, parallel with the floor. Then rotate them at the same time in small circles (about 6 inches) forward for 30 seconds, then backward for 30 seconds.  You should feel the burn in your upper back and in your shoulders.