You don't need to spend hours at the gym to get in a good workout, and no one knows this better than Sweat app [1] trainer Kayla Itsines [2]. For day 11 of Sweat's Two Weeks to Strong Workout Plan [3], Itsines leads you through an express 15-minute workout aimed to strengthen your whole body. The workout is low impact, so it's easy on the joints and quiet (no jumping!), but it's still high intensity. You don't need any equipment, so you can do this workout anytime, anywhere!
Watch the full workout above, and keep reading for descriptions on how to do each exercise. Grab a yoga mat, towel, and bottle of water, and get ready to get sweaty!
15-Minute Full-Body Express Workout With Kayla Itsines
Equipment needed: yoga mat (optional) or a comfortable, flat surface
Directions: Start with the warmup listed below. Itsines said you can also warm up before the workout with three to five minutes of cardio, such as jogging in place or skipping. Complete the warmup listed below two times through for two minutes total, followed by the circuit. Complete each move back-to-back in the circuit for 30 seconds each for three rounds total. Rest for 30 seconds in between each round. Follow the cooldown listed below. Additionally, you can cool down with some additional static stretches [4].
Warmup: 2 Rounds
| Exercise Name | Time |
|---|---|
| Inchworm | 30 seconds |
| Abs to Child's Pose | 30 seconds |
Inchworm:
- Stand at the back of your mat and circle your arms out to the sides to reach toward the ceiling. Look up and feel your chest opening up.
- Keeping your back straight, bend forward, hinging at your hips to bring your hands to the mat. This position brings length to the back of the legs. If your hamstrings are tight, bend your knees a bit to take tension off the muscles.
- Walk your hands forward, moving into a plank, and hold each step to stretch your calves a bit. This warms up the shoulders and hands nicely.
- Hold the plank for a few seconds to really wake up your core.
- From your plank, walk your hands back to your feet until you are in another forward bend. Slowly roll up to standing, letting your head hang and keeping your neck relaxed. Repeat for 30 seconds.
Abs to Child's Pose:
- Start by lying flat on your stomach on a yoga mat, resting your forearms on the mat on either side of your chest. Press your forearms into the floor and slowly elevate your chest off the mat. Draw your shoulder blades down and back while ensuring that your head is an extension of your spine. Hold this position, breathing deeply throughout.
- Draw your glutes toward your heels and lower your torso toward your thighs. At the same time, extend your arms along the mat, resting your head on the mat between your arms. Draw your shoulder blades down and back. Hold this position, breathing deeply throughout.
Circuit: 3 Rounds
| Exercise Name | Time |
|---|---|
| Lateral Lunge | 30 seconds |
| Squat and Rotation | 30 seconds |
| Single-Leg Glute Bridge | 30 seconds |
| X Plank | 30 seconds |
| Push-Up | 30 seconds |
| Plank Rotation | 30 seconds |
| Bent-Leg Jackknife | 30 seconds |
| Russian Twist | 30 seconds |
| Flutters | 30 seconds |
| Rest | 30 seconds |
Lateral Lunge:
- Start with your feet directly under your hips. Step your right foot wide to the side, coming into a lunge with your left fingers touching your right foot. Your right knee shouldn't go beyond your right toes.
- Push into your right foot to return to standing, then lunge sideways to the left to complete one rep.
- Keep alternating between right and left for 30 seconds.
Squat and Hip Rotation:
- Stand with both feet on the floor slightly further than shoulder-width apart. This is your starting position.
- Inhale and brace your core. Bend at both the hips and knees until your upper legs are parallel with the floor. Ensure you keep a proud chest and that your knees remain in line with your toes (don't allow your knees to fall in).
- Exhale and push evenly through your feet to extend both knees, rotating your torso to the left and pivoting on your right foot. Turn to place your right heel back on the ground, and angle your torso to return to the starting position. You should feel tension through your quads, glutes, arms, and core throughout this movement.
- Alternate between sides for 30 seconds
.
Single-Leg Glute Bridge:
- Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, your knees bent, and your feet shoulder-width apart, resting approximately 12 inches from your glutes.
- Lift one leg off the ground and extend it out straight, keeping your thighs level.
- Engage your glutes and press your heel into the ground, driving your hips and butt upward to form a bridge with your body. Squeeze your glutes and hold for two counts.
- Lower back down to the ground, keeping your lifted leg extended.
X Plank:
- Place both hands on the floor shoulder-width apart and both feet apart behind you, resting on the balls of your feet. Brace your abdominals and maintain a neutral spine, ensuring that your hands are directly below your shoulders. This is your starting position.
- While stabilizing through your abdominals, elevate your hips and release your left hand to reach toward your right foot (or as far as you can).
- Lower your hips and place your left hand on the mat to return to the starting position.
- While stabilizing through your abdominals, elevate your hips and release your right hand to reach toward your left foot (or as far as you can).
- Lower your hips and place your right hand on the mat to return to the starting position.
- Continue alternating between left and right for 30 seconds. Each rep is equivalent to one touch of your hand to your foot.
Push-Up:
- Start in a plank position with your arms and legs straight, shoulders above your wrists.
- Take a breath in, and as you exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your chest toward the ground. Stop as soon as your shoulders are in line with your elbows. Inhale to straighten the arms. This counts as one rep.
- If you need to modify, do this exercise with your knees on the floor.
Plank Rotation:
- Start by placing your forearms (wrist to elbow) firmly on the mat, ensuring that your elbows are directly below your shoulders. Your forearms should be crossed under your chest with your right fist in front of your left elbow and your left fist behind your right elbow. Extend both legs behind you and elevate your hips off the mat, resting on the balls of your feet. Brace your abdominals and ensure that your spine remains in a neutral position. This is your starting position.
- Shift your weight to your left side, release your right forearm and extend your arm upwards. At the same time, turn your torso to face the long edge of your mat, ensuring that you draw up through your obliques to keep your hips elevated.
- Lower your right arm and untwist your torso to return to the starting position. You should feel tension in your shoulder and core throughout this movement.
- Repeat on the other side and continue alternating between sides for the specified number of repetitions or time. Maintain control of your breathing throughout.
Bent-Leg Jackknife:
- Start by lying on your back on a yoga mat with your arms extended above your head. Engage your abdominal muscles by drawing your belly button in toward your spine and slightly elevating your legs off the mat. This is your starting position.
- On an inhale, bend your knees and, using your abdominal muscles, draw them in toward your chest. Be sure to keep your feet together. At the same time, bring your arms forward toward your feet as you slowly lift your head, shoulder blades, and torso off the mat.
- On an exhale, slowly lower your arms and extend your legs to return to the starting position without touching your feet down on the floor. This counts as one rep.
- Repeat for 30 seconds.
Russian Twist:
- Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your heels about a foot from your butt.
- Slowly recline backward until you feel your lower abs engage. Keep your back straight.
- Place your arms out in front of you with your hands one on top of the other. Your hands should be level with the bottom of your ribcage.
- Pull your navel to your spine and twist slowly to the right. The movement is not large and comes from the ribs rotating, not from your arms swinging. Inhale through center and rotate to the left. This completes one rep.
- Repeat alternating sides for 30 seconds.
Flutters:
- Lie flat on your back on a mat with your legs straight and your arms extended alongside your hips, palms flat on the mat.
- Lift your legs about 6 inches off the ground.
- Begin the movement by lifting one leg higher than the other. As you are lowering that leg to starting position (6 inches off the floor), raise the other. This should be a fluid fluttering (or up and down) motion. Your feet should never touch the floor. This keeps tension in your core.
- Continue alternating between right and left for 30 seconds, inhaling for four
repetitions and exhaling for four repetitions.
Cooldown: 1 Round
| Exercise Name | Time |
|---|---|
| Glutes | 60 seconds |
| Hip Flexors | 60 seconds |
Glutes:
- Start by lying flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat, ensuring that they are hip-width apart and your spine is in a neutral position.
- Release and turn out your right leg so that your ankle is resting on your left leg just above your knee.
- Draw your left knee in towards your torso, resting both hands on the back of your left thigh. Hold this position for the specified amount of time, breathing deeply throughout.
- Each time that you exhale, draw your knee further into your chest and press your right elbow into your right knee to increase the stretch, ensuring that your spine remains in a neutral position and your tailbone on the floor.
- Repeat this stretch on the other side.
Hip Flexors:
- Begin in a kneeling position on a yoga mat.
- Release your left leg and take one large step forwards so that you are in a low-lunge position, ensuring that your left knee is not further forward than your toes. Keeping your torso upright, push your hips forward so that you feel a stretch along the front of your right leg.
- Repeat this stretch on the other side.