The holiday season brings with it plenty of cheer and good tidings. Too bad it also brings a whole lot of unwanted stress and temptation. From feeling the need to make appearances at family gatherings and office parties, to the pressure of selecting who gets gifts (or lumps of coal), to fighting the urge to wolf down a dozen of Mrs. Claus’ fresh-baked cookies—these types of things can leave you on edge and in a time crunch.
One piece of advice: Make sure you get your ass to the gym to sweat it out and relieve some stress. If time is an issue, use this six-circuit full-body workout. Yes, you’ll sweat, but you’ll also be out of the gym in less than 30 minutes. The workout taxes smaller muscles first and then moves to larger ones, which enhances muscle recruitment and can lead to greater strength and muscle gains. Rest as long as it takes to transition between moves. Repeat this workout up to four times a week on nonconsecutive days.
Twisting the dumbbells toward each other at the top of the movement increases the tension on the muscle, recruiting more muscle fibers. Squeeze for one second.
Exercise 3 of 16
Pushup
Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
15
Rest
None
With your elbow tucked in by your sides and your back in a straight line, lower yourself until your chest is an inch above the floor. Push yourself back up as explosively as you can.
Exercise 4 of 16
Plank
Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
30 sec.
Rest
None
Make sure that you’re tensing your entire body, which will activate your core to a greater degree.
Circuit B (2 rounds)
Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 5 of 16
Pullup
Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
As many reps as possible.
Rest
None
Decompressing your shoulders before pulling yourself up will ensure that you’re correctly engaging your muscles. If you don’t feel it in your lats, it’s not working.
One way to increase the intensity of this basic lift is to perform 11⁄2 reps. After completing a full rep, lift the weight to the halfway point, then bring it back down. Then complete another full rep.
With your head up and forward, explode up and move your body laterally. Also, ensure that you keep a slight bend in your knee and land softly on the balls of your feet. Otherwise, you’ll risk damaging your knee joint.
Descend into a lunge until your front leg is at a 90-degree angle. The knee of your back leg should come within an inch of the floor without touching it.
Use a moderate weight when performing these, or risk injuring your shoulder joint.
Exercise 12 of 16
Box Jump
Equipment
Box
Sets
1
Reps
20
Rest
None
High-rep box jumps are great for strengthening your slow-twitch muscle fibers, making you more explosive.
Circuit E (1 round)
Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 13 of 16
Dumbbell Curl
Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
1
Reps
15
Rest
None
With your shoulder blades pressed together, curl the weight up, allowing your elbows to track forward slightly. Twist the dumbbells at the top of the movement squeezing one to two seconds.
With a band secured just above your ankles, maintain an athletic stance—hips square, knees bent, and head up— then walk laterally. You should feel this primarily in your glutes.
When performing these, don’t use your nonworking foot to push yourself onto the box. Ensure that it’s disengaged throughout the entire set.
Exercise 16 of 16
Lying Leg Raise
Equipment
Sets
1
Reps
As many as possible.
Rest
None
With your back flat on the floor and your hands clasping a sturdy object behind your head, lift your legs up until your body makes an L-shape. Slowly lower your legs until your heels are an inch above the floor.
