Workout of the week: 20-min New Year's Day workout

ALL LEVELS / New Year’s Day workout / 20 minutes

Equipment: Gym mat

Happy New Year! May your squats be low and your weights heavy in 2024. It’s January 1st, and in the aftermath of the celebrations, there are typically two kinds of people: the early risers eagerly embracing their resolutions and the others nursing a New Year’s Eve hangover. The latter can’t fathom the idea of working out, let alone hearing about it. Don’t worry; we’re not here to judge. We’re just here to help you kickstart your exercise in 2024.

And that’s why we brought you a workout session that requires no equipment, making it easy for you to get active without leaving your home. However, if you’re in the mood for the gym atmosphere, EVO is your place to go since we’re open 365 days a year from 6:30 to 23h.

Our first workout of the year, fittingly named the New Year’s Day workout, is a circuit session, which means you’ll do all 5 exercises for 1 minute each without resting. You must complete 3 rounds, and only between them do you get 1-minute to rest. All combined, you’ll be ready in 20 minutes.

Jumping squats
Push-ups
Squat to lunge
Quadruped shoulder taps
Side plank leg raises

2024, here we go!

WORKOUT SETUP

5 exercises
1-min each in a circuit
No rest between exercises
3 rounds
1-min to rest between rounds
Equipment: Gym mat
Duration: 20 minutes

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

4 rounds

1 – JUMPING SQUATS

1-minute

Start in a standing position with your arms by your sides. Engage the core slightly and set the shoulders, ready for movement.
Keeping arms and legs straight (but not locked out) simultaneously jump the legs out to the sides and raise the arms to shoulder height. Stabilise the hips, core and shoulder girdle.
Return to start and continue at a controlled rhythmic pace for the whole minute.

2 – PUSH-UPS

1-minute

Start in a plank position with arms straight, shoulders above wrists, and body in a straight line.
Engage the core and glutes.
Keeping the shoulders over the wrists, lower the whole body towards the floor, dropping comfortably as low as you can.
Push the body upwards and return to the start position. Repeat.

3 – SQUAT TO LUNGE

1-minute

Standing up tall will be the starting position.
Do a squat and immediately get back up.
Now do a lunge on one side and get back to the starting position.
Squat down and back up again followed by a lunge with the other leg.
Return to the starting position and repeat.

4 – QUADRUPED SHOULDER TAPS

1-minute

Begin on your hands and knees, all fours — knees beneath hips and hands beneath shoulders.
Maintain your head in a neutral position.
Lift one hand off the floor and tap the opposite shoulder. Try not to shift your hips or weight.
Repeat the movement, but now with the other hand.
Repeat.

5 – SIDE PLANK LEG RAISES

1-minute (30 sec each side)

Lay down over the mat on your left side.
Place your left elbow on the mat, and extend both legs while lifting your whole body off the mat.
Make sure your core is engaged and that your body is in a straight line.
Now, lift your right leg higher than your top hip and hold for a few seconds.
Then, bring the knee of your top leg and elbow together. Perform for 30 seconds.
Change sides.