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Winter Workout Challenge with Kayla Itsines: 15-minute full body

Welcome to Yahoo Lifestyle's exclusive 4-week Winter Workout Challenge with fitness queen Kayla Itsines and her incredible team of Sweat trainers. If you're already struggling with the motivation to stick to your workout routine in winter, we've got you covered, with a new workout and recovery session to try each week, as well as plenty of tips and tricks from the experts.

kayla itsines workout
Welcome to our Winter Workout Challenge with Sweat's Kayla Itsines. Photo: Yahoo

This express 15-minute Full Body Workout is inspired by Kayla Itsines’ High-Intensity Zero Equipment program. It includes seven exercises that can challenge and strengthen your glutes, quads, hamstrings, chest, shoulders and core, while also testing your muscular endurance.

The circuit includes a variety of dynamic movements and stabilisation exercises that help build coordination and stability without the need for equipment.

Winter Workout Challenge week 1: Kayla Itsines Full Body

Warm Up

Sweat and Kayla recommend taking a few minutes to warm-up prior to working out. 3-5 minutes of cardio, such as jogging in place or skipping, will help increase your heart rate and help warm up your muscles for your session.

Complete 4 laps of the 7 exercises - rest for 30 seconds between each lap

Jump Squat - 30 seconds

Step 1: Plant both feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. Looking straight ahead, bend at both the hips and knees, ensuring that your knees remain in line with your toes. Continue bending your knees until your upper legs are parallel with the floor. Ensure that your back remains within a 45- to 90-degree angle to your hips. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Exhale. Push through your heels and propel your body upwards into the air, extending both your knees and your hips.

Step 3: Inhale. Bend your hips and knees to land and return to the starting position, ensuring that you maintain ‘soft’ knees to prevent injury.

Alternating Forward Lunge - 30 seconds

Step 1: Plant both feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Carefully take a big step forwards with your left foot. As you plant your left foot on the floor, bend both knees to approximately 90-degrees, ensuring that your weight is evenly distributed between both legs. When done correctly, your front knee will be aligned with your ankle and your back knee will be hovering just off the floor.

Step 3: Exhale. Extend both knees and transfer your weight completely onto your right foot. Step your left foot backward to return to the starting position.

Step 4: Inhale. Carefully take a big step forwards with your right foot. As you plant your right foot on the floor, bend both knees to approximately 90-degrees, ensuring that your weight is evenly distributed between both legs. When done correctly, your front knee will be aligned with your ankle and your back knee will be hovering just off the floor.

Step 5: Exhale. Extend both knees and transfer your weight completely onto your left foot. Step your right foot backward to return to the starting position.

Alternating Forward Lunge kayla itsines
Alternating Forward Lunge for 30 seconds. Photo: Yahoo

Push Up (toes if you can!) - 30 seconds

Step 1: Place both hands on the mat slightly further than shoulder-width apart, feet together on the mat behind you while resting on the balls of your feet. Gently draw your ribs to your hips to engage your core. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. While maintaining a neutral spine, bend your elbows and lower your torso towards the mat until your arms form two 90-degree angles.

Step 3: Exhale. Push through your chest and extend your elbows to lift your body back into the starting position.

Plank Jack - 30 seconds

Step 1:Plant both hands on the mat slightly further than shoulder-width apart, feet together on the mat behind you while resting on the balls of your feet. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Jump both of your feet outwards so that they are slightly wider than your hips, ensuring that your hips remain level.

Step 3: Jump both of your feet inwards to return to the starting position.

Straight Leg Raise & Hip Lift - 30 seconds

Step 1: Start by lying straight on your back on the floor and place both hands underneath your coccyx bone, as shown. Extend both legs and engage your abdominal muscles by drawing in your belly button to your spine. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Keeping your feet together, slowly raise your legs off of the floor until they form a 90 degree angle with your hips.

Step 3: Allow your hips and lower back to lift off of the floor and press your feet upwards towards the ceiling, as shown. Slowly lower your legs to return to starting position.

Ab Bikes - 30 seconds

Step 1: Start by lying straight on your back on a yoga mat with your legs extended out in front of you. Bend your elbows and place your hands behind your earlobes. Gently raise both legs and your head and shoulders off the mat. This is your starting position.

Step 2: While keeping your right leg extended, bend your left knee and draw it in towards your chest. At the same time, rotate your torso to the left to bring your right elbow to your knee.

Step 3: Untwist your torso and extend your left knee to return to the starting position. Immediately bend your right knee and draw it in towards your chest and rotate your torso to the right to bring your left elbow to your knee.

Step 4: Untwist your torso and extend your right knee to return to the starting position. Continue alternating between left and right for the specified number of repetitions, inhaling for four repetitions and exhaling for four repetitions.

kayla itsines doing ab bikes exercise
Try to do Ab Bikes for 30 seconds. Photo: Yahoo

Sit Up & Reach - 30 seconds

Step 1: Start by lying flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat and place your hands behind your earlobes. Engage your abdominal muscles by drawing your belly button in towards your spine. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Keeping your heels firmly planted on the floor, slowly lift your head, shoulder blades, and torso off the floor. Lengthen your spine to sit up tall. As you reach the peak of your sit-up, take your right arm and reach around behind you to place your hand firmly on the ground.

Step 3: Press your feet into the floor and extend through your right shoulder and hips, reaching your left arm towards the ceiling so that your body forms a straight line from your chest down to your knees.

Step 4: Lower your hips to return to a seated position, then slowly lower your torso, shoulder blades and head to the mat to return to the starting position.

Cool Down

Sweat and Kayla recommend completing a cool down session after your workout. 3-5 minutes of walking will help to slowly lower your heart rate to normal levels and help your body to cool down after a workout. You might also like to complete some static stretching as part of your cool down, where you hold a single position for twenty seconds or longer.

Stay tuned for a recovery session on Thursday and another new workout next week!

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