Introduction
This bodyweight workout is perfect to add to your workout-from-home routine. This workout requires no equipment and can be done in forty-five minutes or less. The goal here is to build strength with no gym equipment, so there are a lot of push-ups and squats! Given the number of prime movers and the pace of the workout, you will also build cardio and overall conditioning.
The Workout
The workout starts with a general warm-up that consists of stretches, dynamic movements in multiple planes of motion, and upper body mobilization.
Once the real workout starts, we break it up into a lower body, upper body split with very little rest. Then the cooldown part of the workout is core exercises and then more stretching. Being flexible is just as important as being strong when starting a new workout program. If you are a dad like me, you know that being flexible is key when wrangling kids. Even getting up and down off the floor is easier when you are flexible instead of feeling like a piece of wood that doesn't bend too much.
The Backstory
When I started doing these workouts, it was the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown period. I wanted to share a way for people to be able to work out at home with little or no gym equipment. After running the online classes for a few months, one theme kept popping up and that was that it was mostly dads who were taking my classes.
Dads who were looking to change their dad bod into more of a father figure found the classes challenging yet supportive. With all the gyms closed, these online fitness classes were a way to incorporate workouts into their daily routine.
Being a dad is hard! I know that being a mom is hard as hell too, but everyone knows that being a mom is hard so that's a given. But if a dad expresses difficulty, the immediate reaction is "Stop complaining, it's so much harder being a mom" and that's usually the end of it. The dad is left feeling like a wimp because he complained and internalizes that feeling instead of exploring it because men in Western civilization don't talk about feelings... That's not manly.
I believe that it is because of that manly expectation that men are so reluctant to seek out help of any kind, especially when it comes to exercise and losing weight. It's from this realization that I created the Dad Bod Transformation program.
This course consists of workouts like the one above as well as yoga and core workouts. We talk about nutrition, workouts, and all that good stuff to make a dad healthy but what sets this program apart is we talk about the mindset of making a lifelong healthy change. We spend time identifying habits both good and bad and explore how to build on good habits and how to shake off the bad habits that don't propel you to your goals.
It seems like everyone these days is all about fitness trackers and activity trackers as a way to take fitness into their own hands, and that's the work I build on. Coaching dads how to get the most out of using a fitness tracker, or how to incorporate an online fitness program into their daily lives. How to make healthy living a habit instead of New years fad.
Willpower is like oxygen in a closed room, no matter how much you have, eventually, you will run out. So we try to design your life in a way that you don't need to rely on willpower except for a few key moments throughout your day.
I know it's hard for dads to reach out for help and even rare to sign up for a course that may push the edges of that comfort zone, but if you are ready to make a change, sign up for the course or reach out for a no-stress exploration call.
Have fun, stay awesome, and enjoy the workout!
Nolan
Full transcript of the workout ~
okay so standing with your feet roughly
hip-width apart
and inhale reaching both hands up over your
head and then exhale fold over at the
waist and walk yourself out into a plank
exhale slowly down hide a little push up
inhale into an upward dog stretching out
your abdominal wall then curl over your
toes into a downward dog but it's gonna
be kind of like a Athletic down or go so
you're peddling one heel after the other
to stretch out your cows and the
hamstrings pushing the backs of your
knees to the wall behind you stay here
for two more breaths
walk your hands back to your feet come
all the way back up raising both hands
overhead exhale hands down by your sides
taking a big step out to the side a nice
wide stance inhale reaching both hands
up exhale dropping one hand down towards
an ankle sliding you hand down your leg
and rolling your other shoulder blade up
over your spine so you can look up
towards the ceiling and exhale come on
back up
both hands come to the sky and drop over
in the other direction
sliding opposite hand down and rolling
your other shoulder blade up towards
your back stretching through your lats
when your shoulder on an exhale come on
back up both hands come to the sky bring
both hands down to the gam begin with a
forward lunge and an alternate toe touch
so stepping forward reaching with the
opposite hand and raise your other hand
over raise your hand over your head so
just going one foot at a time reaching
for your opposite toe we're going to do
a total set of 26 count the mat as you
go when you're done with 20 you can stop
and rest
18 19 20 what everyone else catch up for
a second if you're still working on it
okay and then both feet together inhale
reaching both hands up over your head
exhale to walk yourself out into a
push-up all the way down walk your hands
all the way back to your feet hands come
over your head and you tend to those go
at your own pace
just breathe the whole bunch
no and one more for me cool once you
finish that we're gonna do lateral
lunges going in side to side if you're
in a house or a room that doesn't let
you go side to side just do ten on one
side and then 10 on the other but I'm
gonna go side to side total of 20
keep your chest up go for big steps that
you feel stretch in your inner thigh
thanks I don't know if you can see but I
wore my Mickey Mouse socks today because
it's Monday and it's sunny
as you get through the reps make sure
you keep going deep on the way down they
got two more woohoo okay if the next
stage of the operation is a push up to a
shoulder tap so it ends up looking
something like this
if that feels impossible you can bring
your knees down to the floor and do the
same thing alternating sides start
whenever you're ready we're gonna go for
a set of 20
17 18 19 20
make sure you breathin a lot as you're
doing these if you don't your head might
explode I've never seen it happen but
that doesn't mean it can't happen next
thing we're going to do is the reverse
lunge with a straight leg kick so bring
your left hand straight out in front of
you your right foot goes back and then
you try and kick that hand with your
right foot we're gonna do that 15 times
okay start whenever you're ready
14:15 once you finish that switch sides
right hand goes out in front of you left
foot goes back kick your right hand 15
times
cool
too much fun happy Monday this week for
a lockdown a week three yes it depends
on where you at feel like I've been
locked down forever okay next thing the
Bren do is push up to open up into a
side plank so do you push up open up out
to the side for 20 reps again if that
feels impossible the variation is you do
your push up and twist as far as you can
on your needs you can even start on your
toes and halfway through switch to your
knees start whenever you're ready I'm
gonna go to 20
19 cool next n grin dude let's take a
little road trip back in time to the
Victorian era and do a curtsy to need
drive up I guess for your gentlemen it
would be a Babbitt if your lady would be
a curtsy so for those of you who are on
wall bat well versed and curtsies you
step your right leg back cross behind
your front leg drop your back knee down
and then come up onto one knee we're
gonna do 15 of those start whenever
you're ready you can do the flourish at
the hands if you want to or if your
gentlemen take off your hat
once you get to 15 stop shake your legs
don't do the same thing on the other
side cross your back foot back bend at
the knee come up to balance 15 times 14
one more 15 go press for a second shake
it out
we're gonna get ready for the next and
arguably the best pushup in the world
the Diamond push-ups Close Grip so bring
your hands together so your index finger
and your thumbs are touching or getting
just about as close as they can get put
your hands down on the floor and lower
your heart down towards that diamond
that you have on the floor now these are
pretty hard a lot of triceps and
shouldered Amin so again the variation
stay on your knees if this feels
impossible but still try and get your
part down to that spot have our notes
we'll be on our toes I'm going to go for
a set of 10 and try and get a good range
of motion so whenever you're ready ten
push-ups
eight do much fun okay
so we're going to do prisoner squats
with a to meet at the bottom so hands go
behind your head
squat down pulse twice come back up so
go down one two back up into 20 DS keep
your back straight chest up shoulders
back
funny
hey everyone finish those up once you've
had enough of those we're gonna get
ready for our next set of push-ups which
is going to be a staggered stance see if
one hand over your shoulder other hand
down by your ribs we're gonna do eight
like this switch hands eight on the
other side so okay your stance yourself
ready
spread your feet nice and wide press
that eight go when you feel strong hey
you know with your easy switch hands and
eat it on the other side
can do set of single leg squats so
depending your right leg up behind you
with your right hand I'm going to squat
down to reach for your left toes come
back up to standing and when you come
back up and gonna like squeeze your butt
so your hips end up forwards we're gonna
do 15 on each leg start whenever you're
ready
fifteen once you finish your 15 so
chance the new left foot back behind you
with your left hand reach towards your
right toes 15 times if it feels like
your balance is really bad it might be
because it is but also it helps to look
at something that doesn't move and if
you practice this enough times your
balance will become enviable go stop for
a second get a sip of water I can't hear
any of you so I'm just talking myself
and I say that no one stop for a second
drink some water
okay take a few deep breaths get ready
to your next set be awesome so speaking
of being awesome there's nothing more
awesome than burpees so we're going to
do a set of 15 burpees to come up like a
prisoner so don't don't do this first
one bye
it looks something like this do a push
up come up hands end up behind your head
start whenever you're ready do 15
sucks okay in the week 30 seconds later
Harvey come down who me if you did in
the right way alright should be up okay
next thing we're gonna do his lateral
run lunge and then come back up to
stability so we did this last week where
you go down and then come up to balance
do ten of those on each side start
whenever you ready
you finish your tack switch sides
okay we're gonna celebrate a good set of
those with a good set of the next ones
which is also going to be a lateral
movement but it's going to be a squat
jump so go down into the squat come up
and land in a squat somewhere else
ideally side to side 20 of these start
whenever you're ready oh as you land big
leg landing like a ninja like it's soft
and it's silent and is dangerous as you
can
when you get to 20 stop and celebrate
for all my skier friends out there this
is nothing like skiing for me that's for
second leg already come down we'll get
ready for the next exercise okay so
we're gonna do a push-up into a high
lunge with scaption okay so what its
gonna look like did you push up step
into a high lunge and whatever leg goes
in front that elbow goes back and you
roll that shoulder blade back keeping
your back leg straight go back into your
push-up our lunch
start whenever you're ready go first set
it up
reverse lunge
can you drive up so first thing I
demonstrate the lazy way to do this
don't do it like that take the reverse
lunge nice strong hips and then come up
with a firm knee pause for a second and
then go back down let me do 15 of those
start whenever you're ready
keep them strict cool to finish you're
15
switch sides and if balance seems kind
of hard focus your gaze on something
that doesn't move like maybe don't watch
me for a minute
it's the last one that we did for
supplies coming back with a caption
we're gonna build on that and bring that
following leg third so push up turkey so
what ends up looking like do you push up
step into a high lunge that top arm goes
back for scaption and then your bottom
leg comes underneath you and your butt
is floating above the ground walk
yourself all the way back other leg goes
forward scouting on that hand then your
bottom leg goes through gonna go 10
total start whenever you're ready
if you love those baseball fans in the
air okay if you have a map
we're gonna lay a down on your back if
you don't have a map I hope that your
floor is soft
laying down flat on your back with your
knees bent gonna bring both hands either
behind your head or across your chest
we're gonna do 25 crunches keeping good
space between your chin and your chest
so matter what that looks like where
your hands are you're bringing both
shoulder blades up off the mat each time
count them out whenever you're done you
know 25
Hey
whenever you're done with that you know
bend your knees close enough to where
you can just about touch your heels with
your fingertips and we're gonna do hip
raises so pushing off your heels raising
hips up to the sky now if this feels
pretty easy for you you want to take it
a little bit further extend one leg up
towards the ceiling and do ten on one
leg ten on the other or both feet on the
floor for a set of 20 to start whenever
you're ready squeeze your butt squeeze
your hamstrings
well
and never done with that I'm gonna bring
both hands down underneath your bum
straighten out your legs I'm gonna do 20
leg lifts straight up and down so when
you lower your feet down your heels
don't touch the floor but they stop just
above it
there's 20 for me hopefully that's about
20 for you as well
no with that we're gonna roll over unto
tummy Carla forms process all right so
we're gonna do it's coming to your plank
all right nice little plank you're gonna
push yourself up into a high plank and
then come back down you're gonna
alternate which hand you initiate the
push with we're gonna go for a total of
10 so the faster you do the faster
you're done the slower you do the longer
you're holding a plank for
whenever you finish your 10 we're gonna
come onto your hands and knees knees
under your hips hands under your
shoulders gonna reach your right arm out
in front of you so your right bicep sits
in line with your ear and you're gonna
keep looking straight down at the floor
put your left heel straight back behind
you taking a deep breath and then on the
exhale connect to elbow to me inhale to
extend we're going to go for 10 to
so eat whenever you're done such that
reaching the left arm out in front of
you right heel straight back away from
you take a deep breath on the exhale
connect the elbow to me go on for 10
and go there we go with that my grant
you're backing him gonna cross your
right ankle over your left knee
and bring your left hand behind your
head we're gonna crunch your left elbow
towards your right knee that feels
pretty easy gonna make it harder
straighten up your left leg
we're gonna go fifteen on each side
start whenever you're ready
go I've never done that switch that left
ankle over your right knee right hand
behind your hip
come chop with the twist try and get
your right shoulder blade let's high up
off the floor as you can a good way to
ensure that is try and actually make
contact between your elbow and your knee
you're still trying to keep this elbow
out to the side so you're not bringing
you try a form treat your form is still
off to the side count out 15 and you're
done celebrate
when you're done there we're gonna roll
over onto your side it doesn't matter
which side you do because we're gonna do
them both but you're going to press your
palm into the floor and your elbow into
the floor and then push your shoulder
away from the floor so your left
shoulder girdle is really strong we're
gonna do hip braces up and down 15 on
the each side so the Hanged going your
hip or straight up to the sky and go up
and down and now this just feels
impossible you can plant your top foot
and use that leg to help you out with
the hip brace no matter what you do
count out 15
13:14 fit
let's finish switch sides again keeping
that shoulder really strong so you're
not collapsing through your and
everybody cannot you're 15 it braises
okay
turn to one more core exercise and we're
into a forearm plank so with your elbows
underneath your shoulders and palms on
the floor I'm gonna come onto your toes
we're gonna hold for 60 seconds if you
want to hold it longer start now and I'm
gonna start in three two long one sixty
second plank so keeping your hips drop
and kind of down close to the floor and
pushing out through your heels and the
crown of your head and keep the gaze
down towards the floor inhale fully and
exhale completely as you exhale draw
your belly button in towards your spine
and line up towards your heart got 30
seconds left
20
fifteen seconds ten to go
five four three two one
along down yeah it's like superheroes I
did
I like the flying ones but I also like
the ones that can jump so high that it
looks like the flying either way they
all have the same body shape when
they're flying and they all copy
Superman he's kind of like the king of
flying mostly because he wears a red
cape which i think is highly
unfunctional I like what function does
escape serve it's not aerodynamic it's
not a shield it's purely decorative same
with the red boots anyway we're gonna
come into Superman's into five of them
holding at the top for three breaths of
each one so arms aren't funny squeezing
from here lower back so your arms and
legs come up hold for three breaths one
two three well we're back down take the
strain off your back come on back up
hold for three breaths come on down
floating on up flying like Superman good
do two more
you're coming on down last one hold it
for three breaths
come on down do the counter strips
coming all the way into Child's Pose so
coming on to your knees with your arms
out in front of you and just letting
your bum come down towards your heels
stretch out your lower back that feels
like oh yeah that feels good
we're gonna sit on your butt with your
legs straight out in front of you
stretch your hamstrings so first move in
any meat muscle frizzle out of the way
if they can find your sits bones firmly
on the floor and then push the backs of
your knees down into the mat keeping her
back through the straight inhale between
both hands up over your head and then
exhale to fold down grabbing onto your
feet letting your forehead drop down
towards your knees and if you're not
quite reaching your feet scoot your
hands underneath your calves and then
push your calves into your hands and
gently pull your forehead down towards
your knees no matter where we're at
we're going to hold for five more long
slow deep breaths and with the exhaling
breath we're trying to let your head and
your upper back relaxed enough to create
a weight to pull you forwards and down
and there you done with that we change
both hands forwards coming all the way
back up exhale hands down by your sides
so bring the soles of your feet together
you're gonna walk your heels towards
your bum pretty much as close as you can
give your knees a couple flaps kind of
open up the hips and holding onto your
feet we're gonna use that to pull your
heart forwards and your shoulder blades
back together once you have a nice long
straight spine and taking a deep breath
and then exhale gently folding forwards
to let your forehead drop down towards
your toes opening up your hips and your
hip flexor or maybe you feel the stretch
in your mid-back everyone's different
wherever you're feeling it as long as
you're feeling something two more
breaths here curling all the way back up
now you're ready to come out of it come
on now we'll come all the way up to
standing extent and if you have a wall
nearby you want to use it for a little
bit of support these are going to
stretch out quads and hip flexors but if
you can do a free-standing get on yeah
so grab on to an ankle it doesn't matter
which one and we're gonna use the hand
that's holding onto the ankle to pull
the ankle back so you're drawing your
knee back as you're pulling your hip
forwards so as if you're drawing you're
turning your body into a bow essentially
to stretch out this front part of your
hip and your quad the front part of your
leg lower down towards your knee oh for
three more breaths
when you know with that slowly release
down we'll switch sides throw them onto
your other ankle keeping your spine
really long and tall so you're standing
very straight and then drawing your knee
back as you pull your opposite hip
forwards so you can kind of feel it if
you're doing this you're stretching just
this front part of your quad the part
right above your knee once you bring
your knee back behind you you start to
open up your hip flexor which for those
of us who sit a lot during the day this
gets really tight so it's good to just
kind of take some time just stretch it
out hold for two more breaths here at
least to come out happy cuz you're done
nice work everybody