Beginner’s workout from Tom Kemp, Farm Fitness
It’s the New Year – a perfect (and common) time to reflect on your achievements, goals and plans for the year ahead. These resolutions are often health and fitness based: eat better, exercise more, be a healthier version of yourself… there’s a reason why so many of us make the same promises to ourselves.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make changes to improve your life. Ignore the naysayers at the gym who complain about the newbies every January – they started somewhere too! There are some of us though, who the thought of going to the gym or a class and exercising surrounded by other people just isn’t an appealing thought right now. So with that in mind, we asked Neat Ambassador Tom Kemp, to come up with a beginners workout that you can do anywhere.
This workout is designed for people starting out in exercise, or getting back into things after a period away. All the exercises are bodyweight so you don’t need any equipment and are designed to get you moving, get your heart rate up and your body working toward being stronger and fitter.
The sets are simple. Just repeat each exercise for 30 seconds before moving onto the next. When you’ve completed the round (all 5 exercises), take a 10 – 20 second break and then begin again. Aim to complete 4 or 5 rounds.
We’ve broken it down below to show you correct form, then watch the video to see how Tom puts these into practice.
THE WORKOUT:
- Squat with alternate knee raises
- Side step with floor touch
- Plank up downs
- Alternating ab crunch
- Reverse step into knee raise
(4-5 rounds, 10-20 seconds rest between rounds)
Squat with Alternate Knee Raises
- Chest up shoulders back
- Sit back into squat keeping knees out
- Raise knee to opposite elbow
Side Step with Floor Touch
- Chest up shoulders back
- Shuffle side to side
Plank up downs
- Push yourself up from plank position until both arms are extended
- Keep your core tight
- Keep hips level
Alternating Ab Crunch
- Lift and rotate your torso to side of opposite knee
- Slight pause and exhale at the contraction then return back to starting position
Reverse Step into Knee Drive
- Feet shoulder width apart
- Take one step backwards
- Drive the same leg in and meet opposite elbow
Now, watch the whole thing and give it a go!