Full Body Fitness (All Levels) – Home Workout

by Marianne  - January 27, 2011

Hi everyone,

Sometimes when we are short for time it is tempting to skip exercise all together. I was nearly going to cop out of a workout today, but then I thought about how little training I’ve been doing as it is, with my crappy work schedule right now! So I thought I would put together a straight forward workout that anyone can do, with only a couple of modifications.

The focus is on cardio and endurance, mixing Kettlebells and bodyweight exercises. Below is my workout breakdown and then further down I have outlined a few modifications for beginners and intermediates to follow. From the video, you will notice that 3 of the exercises have been modified or substituted for beginners. I would also recommend checking out the tutorials for the exercises that are highlighted links below.

My Workout

Setting my Gymboss Interval Timer for 20 cycles of 15 seconds rest and 45 seconds effort, I completed 4 rounds of the following 5 exercises. My reps per exercise are in brackets, except for round 2, which I didn’t count:

  1. Kettlebell Goblet Squat to Press (15, / , 14, 12)
  2. Two-Handed Kettlebell Swing (30, /, 29, 29)
  3. Plank Climber (18, / , 18, 16)
  4. Kettlebell Bent Over Alternating Row (18, /, 17, 15)
  5. Side to side Step Ups (48, /, 45, 43)

Sweat Bath! Loved the simplicity today, as I was not in the mood for a complicated set-up.

Right, now for some straight forward modifications:

Beginners and Intermediates

Sometimes is is better to use set reps as a beginner as you are less likely to rush your technique and hurt yourself in the process. However, this approach does not work so well for all exercises, so I have included some set times for 3 of the exercises, so you can use a countdown from your interval timer, or use a stopwatch. The set reps and set times are indicated in Bold below. I have also highlighted in Green, the times where the modifications appear in the video.

If you are using intervals, then either set the timer for 5 cycles if you want a longer break between each round, or 20 cycles of 30 seconds rest and 30 seconds effort. Aim for the full 4 rounds, but you can do as many as you’re able to do.

Intermediates you should be able to manage intervals set to at least 20 seconds rest and 40 seconds effort, you may want to do the advanced version or mix and match between the two:

  1. Kettlebell Goblet Squat x 12 – 15 reps (1:53)
  2. Two-Handed Kettlebell Swing x 30 seconds
  3. Plank Hold x 30 seconds (2:12)
  4. Kettlebell Bent Over Alternating Row x 12 – 16 reps
  5. Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds (2:31)

Feel free to play about with the intervals to suit your fitness level, but try not to under-estimate your abilities either, as you want to get the most out of this 20 minutes work.

I really had fun with this workout as it was just what the doctor ordered – nothing fancy, but very effective 😀

Let me know how you got on?

Marianne



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  1. i think full body fitness is very important to all,because you don’t fit well.you don’t work any one,you can do exercise daily you fill well. now days many exercise equipment available in the world , gym and market. you can buy equipment and can do exercise day by day.

    thanks &regards
    ruhi anjum

  2. I did it too… after yesterday, I was wondering how long I would hold up. Its amazing what you can do when you don’t think about how many rounds you have to do… after two rounds, you’re halfway, only two more to go, then one more round, then just a couple more sets, then THE LAST SET, GO FOR IT!

    1. Goblet squat to press 14 Kg 13,13,14,14
    2. Swing 16Kg 27, 27,27, 27
    3. Plank Climbers 22, 21, 20, 21
    4. Alt Rows 16 Kg 19, 20, 20, 20
    5. Side to Side Step Ups 40, 39, 39, 40

    I tried a heavier wt for the squat since I had proven yesterday I could do it. I would like to get my swing going a little faster but this weight is still new to me — I am still working on squeezing at the top of every swing. I finished it off with a bunch of ab work as a cool down.

    You wouldn’t think something so simple would be such a challenge, but it was up there in difficulty. I think Marianne has secretly ratcheted these workouts up a notch… I don’t remember them being so hard!

    ~ Gillian

    1. He he heee! I have actually thought that myself – they have got harder. But it’s more the design rather than the exercises. It just goes to show that you don’t need fancy exercises to have a great workout. Just a few staples, plus a few fun ones, plus an “evil” design/designer :S !

      Impressive rows! 😀

  3. My score for today:
    Boy did I not want to do this 😛
    1. Kettlebell Goblet Squat to Press (6 12K, 7 8K ,7 8K, 6 10K)
    2. Two-Handed Kettlebell Swing ( 25, 25, 26, 25)
    3. Plank Climber (19, 14 , 12, 12)
    4. Kettlebell Bent Over Alternating Row (28 12k, 25 12K, 25 12k, 9 20k then finished with 7 12K)
    5. one jump back two forward (9, 11, 7, 5)
    My bum was really sore from yesterdays workout the squats were really tough, I was doing them very slow, and going quite low.
    Nice workout though, at least now that it is over.

  4. This is tomorrow’s workout for me, I did the let’s Shape up one today and it was brutal.
    I am hoping that February will be a bit more active for me in terms of getting into my workouts, and more so with the kettlebells.
    I am starting to feel like I need to be out in a class or working out with a group of people (cabin fever I guess). It is still cold here but at least it’s sunny, need to stock up my fridge so off I go.

    Cheers

  5. This was a great quick workout! I don’t have a a step so I did those jumping lunges. I find these weird cause it not like my legs start burning they just stop working after a couple. I did the squats and press (but it more like a thruster though) with my 16kg wooo!! Very pleased with myself lol.

    1. Nice Job with the 16g!!! 😀 Here btw, I am heading down to your neck of the woods in March to do my Olymic Weightlifting course! Not sure of exact location yet 🙂

      How’s the motivation now?

      Marianne

  6. just finished, and i’m sweating buckets!!!!
    i kept the interval but did to modifications, juping jacks and shoulders touch instead of climbing planks!i did try them the first round, managed 8 but then i just could do no more, they are evil!!
    it’s amazing how i am more focused now and keep by core tight, every time i start a round i here in my head a little voice saying tighten the toilet muscles!!!
    and it was my first time doing deep squat while holding a kb, and i’m very proud of myself cause i kept good form even when i felt like crying at the fourth round!woop woop for me!
    Thank you for the workout!
    Sara

    1. He he, another evil exercise !

      Nice work with the squats! I’m glad to hear you are now more aware of your core – I guess the whole “toilet muscles” thing does stand out LOL

      😉

  7. This is a good one to get me jump started again. I finally healed from my injuries, and then I got a really mean flu, so I have been knocked out for a while.
    The goblet squat to press looks like a lot of fun. for the step ups I will jump 2 forward 2 backwards from side to side of my yoga mat.

    The weather has been brutal here, lots of snow and cold and grumpy people all around, I am trying not to join the bad mood wagon and I think exercise is the way to stay of it.

    Cheers all!

    1. I hope it gets things going for you again. Sounds like you’ve had a rough old spell. I am starting to see the days lengthen, so I always start getting excited about spring 🙂 I know it’s not exactly around the corner, but I see hope LOL

      I hope the snow doesn’t hold you back and the bad mood wagon (lol) will pass you by.

      Marianne

  8. Hi Marianne,
    Really enjoyed this workout, and modified some as you suggested. I did it at the gym and not at home, and forgot my gymboss…so I did reps, the intermediate workout, but did goblet squats to press..love that one. Happy to say my squats today were my best yet..really progressing ! 3 weeks ago when I started I was laughable…huge improvement, thanks to all the great tutorials and videos…Two questions..the 16 12-16 reps on the alternating rows was with each hand, no? That’s how I did them. Second, when doing the intermediate, how much rest between excersises?
    Finished off with 8 2minute rounds with 30 seconds rest on the heavy bag..time to eat! lol…
    Thanks again for a great workout!

    1. Hi John,

      The alt rows, can be done either way. I based the total reps on what I achieved in the interval, so it was meant to be 12-16 total. As long as your back doesn’t strain from being bent over for so long, it’s fine to do the 12-16 each side.

      When you’re doing the interval timed version, then 20-30 seconds rest is a suggestion, however, you may need longer if you are doing reps. When you are setting reps, you tend to take your time, so the effort period lasts longer, so recovery anywhere between 20 – 60 seconds, depending on your own recovery rate, effort and, how intense you want the workout to be. My only advice is to try to challenge yourself without feeling you need to blow up. It’s knowing the difference between when you are just making excuses to slow down, or you really need to. Constantly evaluate yourself and you will soon know the difference 🙂

      Glad you had a good workout!

      Marianne

  9. Hi Marianne,

    very nice workout once more! Thanks.

    I have a suggestion, which might save some time to you and still guarantee the same wonderful results of the “triple” format to us.

    You could upload only one video for each workout where, in the final editing, you have 3 rounds: the first one corresponding to the advanced level, the second one corresponding to the intermediate level and the third one corresponding to the beginners’ level. Of course, over-writing in the video which round corresponds to which level.

    I know that this type of video would take some editing, but probably not much more than what you are doing now, with the added bonus that it would take you less time to upload only one video instead of three.
    Besides, it would be clearer for Youtube viewers who only watch one video with the three different versions.

    Just a thought.

    Cheers
    Bianca

    1. Hey, think I tried that before in the Changing gears workout, so I could do it again. It only really saves time for uploading – wish I could hire an editor for my videos LOL

      Thanks
      Marianne

      1. Well Marianne, if you are looking for an editor for your videos you could hire someone who works part-time in a flower shop. The only problem is that they are on vacation 90% in extravagant places of the time, but other than that they are good editors.

        Bianca

        1. What I wanted to write is: The only problem is that they are on vacation in extravagant places 90% of the time, but other than that they are quite good editors.

  10. Hi Marianne,

    that’s exactly the kind of workout I needed today, I’ve got a crappy motivation at the moment (after a visit at the dentist on Monday) – so I can’t wait to get back on track!

    Now I’m off to my gym 🙂

    Cheers,
    Ruth

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