15-minute weekly strength workouts for everyone
Read on for rock-hard abs and toned shoulders thanks to these strength exercises
Text: Tiff H
Most of us associate a good fitness workout with cardio, a racing heart rate and rushing endorphins, with strength training often overlooked for those wanting to build muscle. But strength workouts are essential for health and wellbeing, and they don’t have to involve hours of dedication and effort. Just 15 minutes of weekly strength exercises can provide you with the solid abs and toned shoulders you’re dreaming of.
According to Kelly Lee, an instructor at Ritual Gym, aerobic activity is great for keeping fit but strength training is equally as important when it comes to your overall health, benefiting your heart, improving your balance, strengthening your bones, and aiding with fat loss and toning. Strength exercises target specific muscle groups, pushing your muscles out of your comfort zone and increasing their strength, power and endurance. As your lean muscle increases, so does your resting metabolism, which means that you’ll continue burning calories well after the end of your workout.
Strength training also helps give you a toned definition.
“You can do as much cardio as you want, at the end of the day, if you don’t complement that with strength training, you won’t get those rock-hard abs,” Kelly shares. You don’t need to be in a gym lifting big weights to build up your strength, you can do simple exercises from the comfort of your home with just your body weight.”
For those worried they will get too bulky, fear not; while there is nothing wrong with having toned muscles, building enough muscle to get ‘bulky’ requires an incredible amount of self-dedication, a strict diet and an intense training schedule. It’s definitely not something that will happen accidentally!
For those just starting out on strength workouts, Kelly has put together a few fundamental movements you can mix and match for a 15-minute full-body workout at home, which will improve your ADL (Activities of Daily Living). Do each movement 10 – 20 times in a row, repeating this 3 – 4 times. Alternatively, you could also change it up and go for time instead of reps and sets, setting 30 seconds per movement and repeating it 3 – 5 sets for each movement.
1. Squats body weight
Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, sit back and bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Ensure that your back is straight and your knees are in line with your toes. This move strengthens your lower body, predominantly your quadriceps, hamstrings, core, back and glutes.
2. Reverse Lunges
Start standing upright and take a large step backwards with one foot, lowering your back knee until it is just above the floor, with your calf parallel to the floor. Your front knee should be in line with your ankle. Repeat with the other leg. This move strengthens your lower body, predominantly your quadriceps, hamstrings, core, back and glutes.
3. Push-ups or Negative Push-ups
In plank position, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend your elbows until your chest is right above the floor and then push back to starting position. This move strengthens your upper body, predominantly your chest, and arms.
4. Bent Over Rows
Bend over at a 45-degree angle while keeping your back straight. Lift one arm (ideally weighted, a bottle will do) towards your body, keeping your elbow tucked in by your side and pointing behind you. Repeat with the other arm. This move strengthens your upper body, predominantly your back and arms.
5. Overhead Presses
Stand upright with a weighted bottle in each hand at your shoulders. Raise both arms above the head and back down again. This move strengthens your upper body, predominantly your shoulders and arms.
