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Home Workouts

So I hear all the time that people don’t have the space OR the equipment to get in a great workout at home.

That is ABSOLUTELY ridiculous.

And I just did a workout in my kitchen to prove it….using just a little hand towel. (Which now is a bit dirty but at least I cleaned my floors!)

So here is my Small Space at Home Workout – 5 great moves you can do with just a hand/dish towel!

Towel Backwards Lunge – The backwards lunge is a great move to work the glute and when you use a towel/slider, you increase the intensity AND engage the glute even more. Make sure to really squeeze the glutes as you come back to standing. To perform the move, place the towel under one foot and slide that foot back into as deep a lunge as you can handle. Make sure to really sit back on that front heel. Then driving through that front heel, come back to standing.
Towel Side Lunge – This is a great move to work the glute and adductors. Please be careful the first time you try this lunge as it is easy to go too far out and not be able to get back up since there is no traction. To do this move, place the towel under one foot. Slide that foot out to the side, sitting back into the lunge. Then to stand back up, drive through the foot not on the towel. Do not allow yourself to go forward. Make sure to really sit back and then drive off the heel.
Towel Bridge and Curl – This one is great although not a beginner move. A beginner may want to start with the towel under only one foot and slide out one leg at a time. To perform the two leg curl, place both feet on a towel about hip width apart. Start in the bridge position and slide your feet out. Keep your hips off the ground and your glutes engaged as you slide out. Then curl the heels back in, bringing the hips up again in a glute bridge.
Body Saw – This is another advanced move. To regress this, perform the move without the towel. Walk your feet backwards and then back in, elongating through your triceps and core. To do this with the towel, keep your body in a straight line with your belly button drawn in. Slide back on the towel, lengthening your body out as much as you can. Then pull straight back in to the plank position. Do not let your hips sag toward the ground or your butt go up in the air. You should not feel this in your low back.
Fly to Push Up – A great two in one chest exercise. This can be done from the knees or the toes. Start at the top of your push up with one hand on the towel. Then slide the hand out to the side and perform a push up. After the push up, slide the hand back into the starting position. Even though this is a wider push up, don’t let your elbows flare way out by your ears!

So there you have it. Five moves done with just a dish towel and space that I could barely lie down in.

Here are two other bonus moves…Since I think most people do have a bath towel and two dish/hand towels lying around somewhere!

Towel Taz – So basically anyone at any level can do this. And while challenging, it is rather fun. Move around as quick as you can in every direction and shake the towel down and up and in and out.
Mountain Climbers – Place a towel under each foot and set up as if you are going to do a push up. Then, keeping your core tight, run your knees in toward your elbows, alternating legs.

AND if you are thinking…”Well my house is all carpet..”

Mine basically is too! To do all hand towel moves on carpet, all you need is a piece of cardboard…(I tore mine off of a box we used recently to move!)