The ball dropped. The clock hit midnight. And 2021 was here! ...and unfortunately, COVID-19 still was too.

With recent spikes in cases around the country, we’ve heard that some gyms are fully open, some are open with modifications, and some are closed altogether.

As a result, there’s been yet another return to working out in new, creative ways from home.

Because of that, we want to share some of our favorite, simple yet effective workouts designed to use minimal equipment and bodyweight movements to keep you working towards your 2021 goals.

The following is a list of 5 workout styles designed to incorporate various movements and modifications to help keep you motivated while working out from home. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of some of the movements, seemingly simple workouts can sneak up on you!

This workout is an EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) style metcon. Choose any movement such as: squats, push-ups, burpees, lunges, thrusters (with a single DB or Heavy-ish object at home), chair dips, etc. and perform a rep for every minute of work, adding one rep for every minute. Continue work until failure or until you cannot fit the number of reps within the minute timeframe.

Example WOD:

Death by reps: Burpees

Minute 1: 1 Burpee

Minute 2: 2 Burpees

Minute 3: 3 Burpees

…

Minute 12: 12 Burpees

This workout has a simple, but effective design that can be done with a variety of bodyweight movements. It involves you choosing three or more movements (such as air squat, push-ups, sit-ups, etc.) and completing 10 reps of each, then 9, 8 , 7, down to 1 rep. Conversely, you can begin with 1 rep and work up to completing 10 reps of each movement.

Example WOD:

10-1 for time of:

10 Air Squats

10 Push-ups

10 Sit-ups

9 Air Squats

9 Push-ups

9 Sit-ups

8 Air Squats

8 Push-ups

8 Sit-ups

7,6,5,4.down to 1

32 intervals of 0:20 of work with 0:10 of rest/transition of four movements of your choice. The goal is to work at a high intensity for the entire 0:20.

Example WOD:

8 rounds of:

0:20 Plank

0:10 Rest

0:20 Jump rope

0:10 Rest

0:20 Squats

0:10 Rest

0:20 Arch Hold

0:10 Rest- Back to the beginning

Choose a set number of rounds for a single distance with the goal of keeping consistent times for each round. Choose a rest period between sets that are around or just under a 1:1 work/rest time.

Example WOD:

8 rounds of:

400m runs with 0:90 of rest between sets

Take a standard playing cards deck, take out the jokers, assign all four suits a different movement and assign face cards a movement with reps included. Shuffle deck and begin by flipping cards to show the movement/reps.

Example WOD:  

Hearts: Alternating Jumping Lunges

Spades: Burpees

Diamonds: Air squats

Clubs: Sit-ups

Queens: 200m Run

Kings: 0:30 Plank hold

Ace: 15 Chair Dips

Jack: 20 Mountain climbers

As always, remember to warm up and cool down after the workout.

Warmups can include a few minutes light jog (either in place or outside), some jumping jacks, high knees, etc. followed by some active stretching to get the body ready for more intense movements. A good cool down can include more static stretching.

These workouts allow for countless movement options and customizations that are adaptable to any fitness level. Ideally, these workouts can help any athlete regardless of availability to workout machines or weights.

The various movements and rep schemes will help mentally and physically keep you engaged in your fitness routine. It’s also good to have a variety of options to help you stick with your 2021 fitness goals!

For more workouts check out: 15 Girl and Hero Wods that you can do at home