This workout with Kelsey Wells has been designed to challenge your upper body, lower body and core, and to help increase overall strength. Requiring just yourself and the space of a workout mat, this express workout follows a circuit format which includes five compound exercises designed to challenge major muscle groups including your quads, glutes, shoulders and core through a series of dynamic movements.
This style of workout will also help to get your heart rate up through quick exercise durations and reduced rest times. Within the circuit, you will perform each of the five exercises for the specified amount of time, resting for 15-seconds in between each move, and completing three laps in total to hit your workout goal for the day.
Warm up
3-5 minutes of cardio, such as jogging in place or skipping, along with some dynamic stretches such as leg swings and arm swings will help increase your heart rate and warm up your muscles ahead of your session. It will also help increase your range of motion and help to reduce your risk of injury.
15-Minute Full-Body Express Workout
3 repeats of the below workout
| Glute Bridge & Opening | 45 seconds |
| Rest | 15 seconds |
| Inchworm & Pushup | 45 seconds |
| Rest | 15 seconds |
| Reverse Lunge | 45 seconds |
| Rest | 15 seconds |
| X Plank | 45 seconds |
| Rest | 15 seconds |
| Ab Bikes | 45 seconds |
| Rest | 15 seconds |
Glute Bridge & Opening
- Step 1: Lie flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat, ensuring that they are hip-width apart and your spine is in a neutral position. Allow your arms to rest by your sides on the mat. This is your starting position.
- Step 2: Inhale. Exhale, gently draw your ribs to your hips to engage your core. Press your heels into the mat, activate your glutes and raise your pelvis off the floor until your body forms one straight line from chin to knee, resting on your shoulders.
- Step 3: Inhale. While keeping your hips raised and your glutes activated, open your knees outwards.
- Step 4: Draw your knees inwards until they are hip-width apart.
- Step 5: Exhale. Lower your spine onto the mat one vertebrae at a time, followed by your pelvis. Repeat for the specified amount of time.
Inchworm & Push Up
- Step 1: Plant both feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. Bend at the hips and while keeping your legs as straight as possible, place your hands on the floor directly in front of your feet. This is your starting position.
- Step 2: Inhale. Without moving your feet, walk your hands forward until your body is in one straight line from your head to your heels, resting on the balls of your feet, ensuring that your legs remain as straight as possible. Exhale.
- Step 3: Inhale. While maintaining a straight back and stabilising through your abdominals, bend your elbows and lower your torso towards the floor until your arms form two 90-degree angles.
- Step 4: Exhale. Push through your chest and extend your arms to lift your body back into starting position.
Reverse Lunge
- Step 1: Plant both feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. Gently draw your pubic bone to your belly button (engage pelvic floor). This is your starting position.
- Step 2: Inhale. Carefully take a big step backwards with your right foot. As you plant your right foot on the floor, bend both knees to approximately 90-degrees, ensuring that your weight is evenly distributed between both legs. When done correctly, your front knee will be aligned with your ankle and your back knee will be hovering just off the floor.
- Step 3: Exhale. Extend both knees and transfer your weight completely onto your left foot. Step your right foot forward to return to the starting position.
- Step 4: Inhale. Carefully take a big step backwards with your left foot. As you plant your left foot on the floor, bend both knees to approximately 90-degrees, ensuring that your weight is evenly distributed between both legs. When done correctly, your front knee will be aligned with your ankle and your back knee will be hovering just off the floor.
- Step 5: Exhale. Extend both knees and transfer your weight completely onto your right foot. Step your left foot forward to return to the starting position. Continue alternating between right and left for the specified amount of time.
X Plank
- Step 1: Place both hands on the floor shoulder-width apart and both feet apart behind you, resting on the balls of your feet. Brace your abdominals and maintain a neutral spine, ensuring that your hands are directly below your shoulders. This is your starting position.
- Step 2: Inhale. While stabilising through your abdominals, elevate your hips and release your left hand to reach towards your right foot (or as far as you can).
- Step 3: Exhale. Lower your hips and place your left hand on the mat to return to the starting position.
- Step 4: Inhale. While stabilising through your abdominals, elevate your hips and release your right hand to reach towards your left foot (or as far as you can).
- Step 5: Exhale. Lower your hips and place your right hand on the mat to return to the starting position.
Ab Bikes
- Step 1: Start by lying straight on your back on a yoga mat with your legs extended out in front of you, arms resting by your sides. Gently raise both legs and your head and shoulders off the mat. This is your starting position.
- Step 2: While keeping your right leg extended, bend your left knee and draw it in towards your chest. At the same time, rotate your torso to the left to bring your right shoulder to your knee, arms resting by your sides on the mat.
- Step 3: Untwist your torso and extend your left knee to return to the starting position. Immediately bend your right knee and draw it in towards your chest and rotate your torso to the right to bring your left shoulder to your knee, once again resting your arms by your sides on the mat.
- Step 4: Untwist your torso and extend your right knee to return to the starting position. Continue alternating between left and right for the specified number of repetitions, inhaling for four repetitions and exhaling for four repetitions.
Cool down
3-5 minutes of walking will help to slowly lower your heart rate to normal levels and help your body to cool down after a workout. You might also like to complete some static stretching as part of your cool down, where you hold a single position for twenty seconds or longer. Static stretching works to lengthen your muscles with the aim of increasing your flexibility and range of motion.
Kelsey Wells is a Sweat trainer, Redefine Fitness podcast host, wife and mother. Kelsey is Ia certified personal trainer with additional expertise in post-natal training. Most of all, she is passionate about empowering women to strengthen their bodies, and feel amazing both inside and out.
