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Often we go to work and try desperately to hit the gym on the way home. However, life sometimes gets in the way and exercise takes a back seat.
So why not work out at work? We’re not talking about doing press-ups at your desk. Or attempting to go for a run around the office… We are simply talking about working out during your allocated lunch break.
Working out on your lunch break doesn’t have to be a hassle. Though gyms sometimes provide aerobics classes that last 30 minutes or less, most people don’t have access to a gym, especially within walking distance of their workplace! But, that doesn’t mean you should skip the workout all together…
Sitting down for long periods of time is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even some types of cancer. Doing a quick 20-minute workout during your lunch break could help to reduce your risk of these diseases by a significant amount. As well as helping to boost both your energy and productivity.
Here at Sunshine Gym, we have put together a list of seven different exercise routines that you can do during your lunch break.
All of these workouts have been selected due to their allocated time. Each of these workouts is 30 minutes or less so that they can fit snugly into your lunch break. All you need to do is find an appropriate space and you can get exercising whilst you’re at work!
Note: For some of these workouts you may need a dumbbell! But don’t worry if you don’t keep any in your desk drawer, you can always replace them with a full two-litre water bottle.
5 Minute Warm Up
Before any workout, it is essential that you warm up.
Warming up will allow you to loosen your joints and increase the blood flow to your muscles. This will help to prevent any injuries which may occur from a sudden burst of intensive exercise.
Warming up only takes between 5 and 30 minutes dependant on the amount of exercise you are going to perform and should involve a combination of different stretches and light cardio exercise.
5 minute warm-up :
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10 Side Bend Stretches Right
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20 Second Hamstring Stretch
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10 Side Bend Stretches Left
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20 Second Quadriceps Stretch
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15 Star Jumps
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20 Seconds Seated Shoulder Squeeze
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20 Seconds Triceps Stretch
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30 Seconds Knees Up
On top of warming up the body, stretching out your muscles will help to reduce lactic acid build up. In turn, reducing the pain which we often feel the day after an intense workout.
Dumbbell circuit : 3 sets of 20 reps with a 1minute rest between each set
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Dumbbell Goblet Squat
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Push-ups
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Dumbbell Row
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Salute Plank
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Ice Skater Jump
This workout lasts for approximately 30 minutes and burns up to 400 calories. If you need the time to eat some yummy nutritious food, however, just halve the amount of reps. 10 reps of each workout with a 30 second rest will mean you will have a quick 15 minute burst of exercise.
But don’t forget half the time also means half the calories.
Dumbbell circuit
(Don't worry if you don't have any dumbbells; cans, books or filled water bottles work just as well)
Circuit One :
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10 Squat Jumps
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15 Mountain Climbers
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10 Lunges
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10 Elevated Push Ups
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30 Second ‘V’ Hold
Repeat until 10 minutes is complete
Circuit Two:
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10 Deadlifts
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15 Reverse Lunges
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10 Squats
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15 Superman Lifts
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30 Second Plank
This 20 minute workout is high intensity, meaning that you’ll probably sweat quite a bit, so don’t forget to pack some deodorant and maybe a small sweat towel.
10 minute cardio :
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Rocket Jumps
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Squats
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Tap Backs
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Burpees
To add a little more fun to this workout why not replace the 15 rocket jumps with 30 seconds of high intensity skipping. Skipping is an underrated exercise which provides both a high calorie burn as well as a lot of fun too!
Once you have completed the circuit once through, try doing it a second time but add on an extra rep each time you do it!
By increasing the number of reps you will increase the intensity of the workout, thus allowing you to gain more from it!
No Equipment, No Excuses, 20 Minute Cardio
This 20 minute cardio routine leaves no room for excuses!
There is no equipment needed. Just grab some space, and start getting fit.
The routine works on the idea that you increase the intensity as you become more able. So why don’t you see if you can increase the amount suggested each day, to give yourself a more intense workout!
Cardio circuit :
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10 Push-ups
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15 Jumping Jacks
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10 Jumping Lunges
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25 Jumping Jacks
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10 Jumping Lunges
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30 Jumping Jacks
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10 Walk Outs
Quartering or halving the number of reps give a shorter 5 -10 minute version of this workout, making it perfect for a lunch break workout.
20 Minute HIIT : 2 circuits, 10minutes each
(with dumbbells or equivalent)
5 minute full body workout :
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Squats
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Bent Over Row
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Lunge Shoulder Press
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Deadlifts
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45 Second Plank
If you want to increase the amount of calories you burn, complete the circuit 3 more times, and give yourself a 20 minute workout.
A great cool down exercise is yoga. Simple yoga poses can be used to stretch out those all important muscles and can take up as much or as little time as you need.
Yoga Cool Down :
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Lord of The Dance Pose – Strengthens Legs and Ankles.
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Tree Pose – Strengthens Neck, Calf, Thigh and Ankles
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Lotus Pose – Strengthens Feet and Ankles
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Warrior III Pose – Strengthens Back, Shoulders ankle and Legs
10 Minute Beginners Cardio
This lunch break workout is recommended by the NHS, and allows you to choose either a beginner, or intermediate level of intensity.
For the beginner’s version you will need to do 15 reps of each exercise, and for intermediate do 25 reps.
5 Minute Full Body Workouts
(with dumbbells or equivalent)
This quick low intensity workout is great to do during your lunch break!
Due to the shorter nature of this workout, it is somewhat less effective than the other more lengthy workouts. However, it will still get you up and moving and away from your desks during your lunch break. And on top of this, it’s the perfect lunch break workout beginners!
The workout suggests that you do as many reps as possible (AMRAP) within a 45 second period, and then have a 15 second break.
Yoga Cool Down
Similarly to the warm up, it is essential that you cool down too!
Stretching out your muscles after any workout will help to stop the build up of lactic acid and increase the range of mobility and flexibility in both your muscles and joints.
These workouts all offer a quick alternative to the gym that you could fit in your lunch break!
At Sunshine Gym we believe that it is essential that you keep moving as often as you can and think that exercise routines such as lunchtime yoga are a great idea to reduce the risk of weight-related issues.
Another great idea to help you get moving on your lunch break is to get outside and down to your local outdoor park gym. Our high-quality outdoor gym equipment can provide the user with a full body cardio or strength workout for free.
If you work or live close to one of our outdoor gyms then this could be the perfect solution to getting more movement into your day.
You can complete any of these quick workouts at home too! They don’t take up much time or space so why not give them a go today!