The days of spending hours at a fancy gym are long gone. People now recognize there are a number of ways to workout quickly anyway, from the library to your dorm. Do you know what both libraries and dorms in common? They’re full of chairs, but don’t let them tempt you to be lazy and sit down. Chairs can actually make any bodyweight exercise a lot more difficult.
This work relies on the concept of interval training, an easy way to get an intense workout in a short amount of time. For this workout, perform each exercise as hard as you can for 45 seconds. Rest for 15 seconds and then move on to the next exercise.
If you work through the circuit once, you will get a full body workout in only 15 minutes, but if you can, try repeating the circuit 2-3 times. Also, make sure to do a separate warm up and cool down with some light cardio or stretching (this can be as simple as a five-minute walk). Once you’ve got your warm-up out of the way, go ahead and get started with the exercises:
1. Step-Ups
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Place one foot on the chair and push your body upwards. Drive the opposite leg in towards your chest then step back down. Alternate legs as quickly as you can.
2. Dips
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Place your hands on the edge of the chair facing your butt and stretch your legs in front of you (you can bend your legs to make it easier). Slowly lower your butt towards the floor as far as you can without actually touching it and the raise yourself back to starting position (try to keep your elbows slightly bent the whole time).
3. Standing Side Crunch (right and left)
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Stand behind the chair and lightly grip the edge with one hand. Place the other hand behind your head. Raise the same leg off the ground, while crunching your elbow in towards your knee, bringing them as close as possible. Slowly lower your leg, tap your toes to the ground, and repeat. Complete a full round on each side.
4. Switch Hops
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Start with one foot on the chair. Hop off the ground with your other foot and switch feet mid-air. Keep only one foot on the ground at a time (if your chair and body can handle it, you could also replace this exercise with box jumps).
5. Incline Push-Ups
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Face the chair, place your hands on the edge, and do a push-up. Try to touch your chest to the edge of the chair.
6. Tap Crunches
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Sit on the edge of the chair with your legs bent and raised off the ground. Slowly lower your legs until you gently tap your toes to the ground (do not rest them). Gradually move your knees back towards your chest, raising them as high as you can.
7. Single-Leg Squat Jumps (right and left)
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Face away from the chair and get some distance. Extend one leg backwards and rest your toes on the edge of the chair. The knee of your front leg should align with your ankle. In this position, squat down as far as you can and then hop up so that your front leg leaves the ground. Complete a full round on each leg.
8. Decline Push-ups
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Get on all fours and face away from the chair. Keeping your hands on the ground and rest both of your feet on the chair (basically, get in push-up position with your feet elevated). Perform a push-up as best you can. If you cannot perform one at all, just hold this position.
9. Hanging Tricep Pull (right and left)
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Grip the chair with your left hand and grab a heavy object with your right (you could use a bottle of laundry detergent or a full water bottle). Raise your right leg behind you until it is parallel to the floor and hang your right arm towards the floor.
While holding this position, slowly raise the heavy object towards your chest as far as you can and then gradually lower it back down. Try to keep your elbow slightly bent the whole time so that your triceps are always engaged. Perform a complete round on each side.
10. Round Kick (right and left)
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Grip the back of the chair and raise one of your legs out towards your side, with your knee higher than your toes. Kick your toes towards your butt and then back outwards. Keep your leg as high as possible the entire time. Perform a complete round on each leg.
11. Cobra Crunches
GIF by Lexi Nickens
Get back in the incline push-up position. Instead of doing a push-up, slowly lower your stomach as far as you can towards the ground, as if you were doing a cobra stretch. Return to your original position and repeat.