6 WEEK WINTER WORKOUT: WEEK ONE

Welcome to week one of your six-week workout plan.

Whether you're new to exercise and starting out 2022 with a new health and fitness goal or you're a seasoned pro looking to switch things up, at MuscleSquad we're here to help. 

Every week for six weeks, you will receive three workouts designed to target your entire body, tone those muscles and raise your heart rate. The format allows for you to challenge yourself as much or as little as you can - you set the pace. 

This week's workouts are all in a circuit format - meaning you perform a certain number of reps (or as many as you can in a given time) of an exercise before moving onto another with little rest in-between. Once you've completed all of the listed exercises, that makes one circuit, meaning you can take 1-2 minutes of rest before going back to exercise one and repeating the circuit.

We recommend repeating the circuit three times to get the full benefit, but you can do less or more to suit your ability. 

Below is a table with an overview of week one so that you know what to expect. You'll notice we recommend taking walks or doing some mobilising stretches on non-training days as this helps to keep you moving and keep tired muscles limber. 

For the full workout details, including how to perform each movement, scroll down.

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
EXERCISE 1	DB Shoulder Press 10 Reps	Walk 20 Minutes	DB Rear Delt Fly 10 Reps	Stretch/ Mobilise	Walk 30 Minutes	DB Bicep Curls 10 Reps	Rest
EXERCISE 2	DB V-Sit Hold 20 Seconds	-	DB Lateral Raise 10 Reps	-	-	Jump Squat 30 Seconds	-
EXERCISE 3	Reverse Lunge 10 Reps	-	DB Wood Choppers 10 Reps	-	-	Banded  Deadlifts 10 Reps	-
EXERCISE 4	Mountain Climbers 20 Seconds	-	High Knees 30 Seconds	-	-	Press Ups 10 Reps	-
EXERCISE 5	Plank 30 Seconds	-	Russian Twist 30 Seconds	-	-	Burpee 30 Seconds	-
EXERCISE 6	-	-	Squats 10 Reps	-	-	Band Pull Aparts 10 Reps	-

 

Mobility:

Before you work out, it's a good idea to do some mobility movements to get your muscles and joints moving and your blood flowing. 

Here are 3 basic movements you can perform for 10-20 seconds before your workouts.

Rocking Frogs

Mountain Climber with External Rotation

Reverse Plank Bridge

Now, on to the workout.

Monday: Workout One

Exercise One - Dumbbell Shoulder Press

10 Repetitions

If you don't have dumbbells at home, you can substitute them with any object, like a tin of beans or bottle of water.

Exercise Two - Dumbbell V-Sit Hold

20 Seconds

Hold for 20 seconds or as long as you can. If this aches your lower back, try performing the movement with your heels lightly resting on the floor.

Exercise Three - Reverse Lunge

10 Repetitions 

You can make this more challenging, if you want to, by adding weight. 

Exercise Four - Mountain Climbers

20 Seconds

Try to count how many you manage to do in the 20 seconds - we can compare this after the four weeks to see your improvements.

Exercise Five - Plank

30 Seconds

If you need to, you can drop onto your knees. If you can't quite manage 30 seconds, go for as long as you can - make a note of your time for later comparison.

Rest 1-2 minutes, then go back to exercise one and repeat the circuit. Try and go for three rounds.

Tuesday: Walk for 20 minutes

Wednesday: Workout Two

Exercise One - Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

10 Repetitions

If you don't have dumbbells at home, you can substitute them with any object.

Exercise Two - Dumbbell Lateral Raise

10 Repetitions

If you don't have dumbbells at home, you can substitute them with any object.

Exercise Three - Dumbbell Wood Choppers

10 Repetitions (each side)

If you don't have dumbbells at home, you can substitute them with any object.

Exercise Four - High Knees

30 Seconds

If you struggle with impact exercises, you can substitute by removing the jumping movement and instead stand, raising one knee at a time.

Exercise Five - Russian Twist

30 Seconds

If you don't have a weight at home, you can substitute it with any object.

Exercise Six - Banded Squat

If you don't have a resistance band at home, you can substitute by holding a weighted object.

Rest 1-2 minutes, then go back to exercise one and repeat the circuit. Try and go for three rounds.

Thursday: Mobilising Stretches

It's very important to introduce mobility into your routine to keep muscles and joints moving at their full capacity. Sitting at a desk or performing repetitive movements all day isn't what our bodies are designed for and can cause muscles and ligaments to stiffen or shorten, causing limited range and sometimes pain.

Here's a 10 minute mobility workout we recommend doing as often as you can.

Friday: Walk for 30 minutes

Saturday: Workout Three

Exercise One - Dumbbell Hammer Curls

10 Repetitions

If you don't have dumbbells at home, you can substitute them with any object.

Exercise Two - Jump Squat

30 Seconds

If you struggle with high impact movements, you can substitute these with regular squats at a fast pace.

Exercise Three - Banded Deadlift

10 Repetitions

If you don't have a resistance band at home, you can substitute by holding a weighted object.

Exercise Four - Press Up

10 Repetitions

Drop down to your knees if you need to.

Exercise Five - Burpees

30 Seconds

These are tough! Do as many as you can within the 30 seconds - try to make a note of how many you manage.

Exercise Six - Banded Pull Aparts

10 Repetitions

If you don't have a resistance band, bend your body forward slightly and perform the movement with weighted objects in each hand. 

Rest 1-2 minutes, then go back to exercise one and repeat the circuit again. Try and go for three rounds.

Sunday: Rest

 That completes week one of your 6 Week Winter Workout. See you on Monday for week two!

 

Workout plan by Kyle