A work friend encouraged me to try 15-minute home workouts when the Covid quarantine first started. I was sulking on social media about my fitness slump and he suggested to just try committing to a 15-minute, at-home body-weight workout. I’m a prolonged off-season armature bodybuilder. So, my initial reaction was a scoff. Fifteen minutes? What’s the benefit of the 15-minute workout? What is a short workout without weights going to do for me, I thought.
But I tried it and learned that it does EVERYTHING for me. It made all the difference. I can’t sing the praises of the benefits of the 15-minute workout enough. There’s so many mini-workouts to try avalible on-line. Now, anytime I get into a fitness slump, I always fall back on the 15-minute workout. Here’s why:
1. The 15-minute workout that you do is better than the hour workout that you don’t do.
Ordinarily, if I don’t have the time or enough energy to carve out at least 90 minutes to commute, dress, and complete a workout, I just won’t do anything at all. And that can happen all week. And then the week can turn into two weeks!
2. You have 360 opportunities a day to get started.
The great thing about the 15-minute workout is that you have 360 opportunities to do it. So, sure 15-minutes a day is great. But perhaps I can slip in 15 minutes in the morning and another 15 minutes at lunch and another when I get home. There’s my typical 45-minute workout broken up throughout the day. It’s a shorter workout so you have the opportunity to do it multiple times a day.
3. The small sessions add up.
One of the benefits of the 15-minute workout is that the small sessions add up. If you can commit 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week, you’ll end up putting in 1 hour and 15 minutes. That’s an hour and 15 minutes more than going the whole week without doing anything.
4. Fifteen minutes is the start.
Just like when it comes to writing or doing academic work, the hardest part is getting started. I know if I can commit to just 15 minutes of any activity (whether it be studying a language, writing, or studying), I’ll likely end up doing more. BTW, read here about how I applied this same method to learning another language.
5. Science Supports the Effectiveness of the 15-minute workout
The science supports the benefits of a 15-minute, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout is just as effective as lower intensity, sustained workout. Check out this peer-reviewed research that found that twelve weeks of shorter sprint interval training improves cardio-metabolic health similar to traditional endurance training despite a five-fold lower exercise volume and time commitment. This article by the British Journal of Sports Medicine also concluded that you lose nothing by engaging in short, high-impact workouts.
6. You can always fit one in
No matter how busy I am, I can always find 15 minutes. Whether it’s at my desk in the office or first thing when I wake up, I will always have 15 minutes at some point in the day to spare. If I find myself mindlessly scrolling the gram for 15 minutes, I remind myself I can put that time into a workout. Even on long road trips when I usually just accept that there isn’t time to work out, I can still put in 15 minutes at a gas station or restaurant to break up the drive.
I am such a believer in the benegits of the 15-minute workout. It got me out of a fitness rut and helped me maintain my overall conditioning when I was lacking motivation. I am confident it will do the same for you. Since you don’t want to spend half your time deciding what to do during your workout, be sure to check out some of these pre-planned 15-minute Workout Plans to help get you started.
These 15-minute, high-intensity, at-home workout plans are a game-changer for belles on the go! The 15-minute at-home workout plan is your fitness life-raft in a crunch. They don’t require any equipment, just dedication! You can sneak them in during downtime at work or first thing in the morning. I can rattle at least a half dozen reasons why the 15-minute home workout plan packs an effective punch. Since workouts are most efficient when pre-planned, I’ve done the planning for you. You don’t want to double your workout time in the planning phase. You can choose any of these 15-minute, at-home workout plans to get started. They’re great to fit in especially when you’re on the go.
Here, you have options.
Option 1: Select a 15-minute at-home workout plan. For the 5-exercise workout. Perform each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest while transitioning between exercises. Repeat the set 3 times with a 30-second water break between sets.
Option 2: Select 3, 15-minute at-home workout plans. Complete each workout (a total of 15) once with 30-sec breaks as you transition to the next set.
Option 3: If you want to add more strength training, add weights to lunges, squats, jumping jacks, and crunches.
Option 4: Set the timer for 15 minutes and go through the repetition-based circuit workouts. If you still have more time left over, repeat the circuit.
1. 15-minute Full Body Workout
Burpees
Crunches with legs extended up in the air
Mountain climbers
Jump Squats
Push-ups
2. 15-minute Legs and Tush Workout
Sumo Squats with pulse
Donkey kick with squats, alternating legs
Calf raises (first round rapid, second round slow, third round with 10-second hold)
The following workouts don’t require jumping or getting on the ground. These workouts are ideal for those with injuries preventing jumping or airport workouts where you don’t want to encounter floor germs.
4. 15-minute Lower Body Workout
Sumo squat with pulse
Oblique twist with knee raise
Curtsy lunge with squat in-between each lunge
Donkey Kicks
Side lunge with side leg lift
5. 15-minute Compound Full-body Workout
Side-step booty kickers
Side-step, front kick toe touch
Sumo squat with touch ground, calf raise sky reach
Crossbody, oblique knee to elbow
Side knee to elbow
6. 15-minute upper body
Overhead arm clappers
Crossbody punches (double punch second time around)
Arm circles 20 seconds in each direction (Larger circles second time around)
Front arm clappers
Standing crossbody toe touch
7. 15-minute Abs
Cross Body knee to elbow
High knees
Oblique twist with knee raise
Woodchoppers
Windmills (side ankle touches)
15-minute At-home Workout Plan with Park Benches
The next three 15-minute home workouts plans are ideal to perform in the fresh air at a park. Any sturdy bench or platform will do. You can use a park bench, low wall, ottoman, picnic table, sofa, or sturdy coffee table.
8. 15-minute Park Bench Full-body workout
Step-ups
Tricep Dips with leg lift
Step-up to knee-up
Incline push-ups with leg lift
Step-ups and kick back
9. 15-minute Full-body Park Bench Workout
Step-up to knee-up
Incline mountain climbers
Elevated lunges with an oblique twist, elbow to knee
Incline oblique twists (knees to alternate elbow)
Decline Push-ups
10. 15-minute Full-body, Park Bench Workout
High knees Toe touch
Lunge, step up, knee up
Jumps with squat
Wide leg dips
One leg sidesteps each side
15-minute Circuit Workout Plans
This next group of 15-minute at-home workout plans are repetition-based circuits. You should be able to power through three rounds of each circuit. If you complete three before the 15 minutes are up, keep going!
11. 15-minute Abs workout
30-second plank
30 oblique side crunches, each side
20 scissor kicks
20 Mountain climbers
5 v-up sit-ups30-sec plank
10 vertical leg crunches
10 Russian twists
15 mountain climbers
10 scissors
30-sec plank
12. 15-minute Best Bootie Workout
20 sidestep (warm-up)
20 sidestep booty kicks
20 lunges each leg
20 4-count Jumping jacks
10 squats
25 high knees
20 curtsey lunges
10 laying side leg circles
20 sumo squats with donkey kicks (glute kickbacks)
20 calf raises (slow)
10 10-sec hold calf raises
20 side lunges
5 jump squats
20 side steps
20 side steps with high knees
20 sumo squats with sidekicks
13. 15-minute Hourglass Workout
25 Jumping jacks (warm-up)
20 crunches
15 squat jumps
10 side lunges
5 Bodybuilders
10 v-up sit-ups
15 triceps dips
20 incline push-ups
25 butt kickers
Thirteen 15-minute, at-home workouts should be enough to get you through the month. Also, check out some workout videos on-line too! If you try any of these out, be sure to let me know in the comments or on instagram @GlobelleKitchen
My main motivation for documenting these workout examples are
self-serving. It’s to save myself time. Ever so often I’ll have a buddy or
family member ask my fitness & nutrition advice. I’ll end up taking the
time to write out a plan and then, they end up not doing a thing I recommend. It’s
a bit time exhausting to keep down this cycle. So, I figure, why not write it
once, direct folx to the link, then see where their commitment, consistency and
motivation take them.
I’ve totally been on the other end of this scenario. While preparing for my first bodybuilding competition back in 2013, I reached out to a fellow Air Force officer who had won multiple international titles in bikini bodybuilding championships. I requested her direction and then essentially wasted her time through my lack of commitment to my own goal.
During a daily check-in, I remember her saying, “That wasn’t
on the list I gave you so why are you eating it? You know what, you’re just not
doing what I’m told you so I can’t help you.”
At the time, my feelings were hurt that she would give up on me. Now, I understand her need to protect her time. She likely went through this all the time. I can imagine that once people recognized her expertise, she’d have a lot of people asking for her time then letting her down. With her experience and credentials, she would have been justified in charging a hefty fee. But she gave me the details for free.
I completely understand and appreciate both perspectives. I get the need for trainers and coaches to protect their time and focus on those who are serious and committed to reaching their goals. And I know that commitment and consistency are habits that take time and experience to build and develop.
So this post kind of meets in the middle. I can share my experience without it being taxing and beginners can take and utilize the information as they wish until they’re ready to dig deep and make a commitment. The links below serve as a sort of curriculum to guide your way. I believe it can guide you in reaching your goals, regardless if you end up on a stage or not. Happy lifting!
Before you jump into the gym, take a moment to evaluate where you’re headed on this journey. There’s a lot that goes into embarking on a new work out plan. It’s physical, nutritional, emotional, mental, and even spiritual. It’s important to set the road map before going through all of the changes and sacrifices you’ll make. I cannot stress enough how invaluable working with a personal trainer will be in helping you meet your fitness goals. I recommend investing in a trainer at least for a few weeks to learn proper form and technique. It’s better to learn good habits from the start rather than need to break bad habits and correct poor form later.
But if you’re not ready to invest or commit to a trainer just yet, here is how you can have an initial consultation with yourself. I’ve broken the consultation down into three parts, Looking within, measurements, then assessing your gym capabilities.
LOOKING WITHIN
Do you have medical conditions or injuries? Has a doctor cleared you for
workouts? The workout approach is different with people who have heart disease,
high blood pressure, diabetes, muscle or joint injuries. Do you have medications that may interfere
with performance? It’s important to recognize and acknowledge the differences
as to not create more problems. You’ll need a trainer who is specialized in
addressing these issues.
What’s the endpoint? Are you starting down this fitness journey to achieve a certain look for an event (yacht week, carnival, upcoming wedding)? Is it to compete in a competition? To lose a specific amount of weight? Is it to be able to perform a certain action? How will you know you have accomplished your goal? Having a specific, measurable goal in mind will impact how you approach your goal.
Start with “Why”. What is your motivation for going on this journey? Why do you want to workout? What’s the benefit? What do you get out of it? Being able to articulate your “why” for the long haul and short-run will be your driving force to make it happen each day. So, write it down. Keep a list. Cut out pictures, save it to Pinterest. But understand why you want to do this and have the answer accessible for the times you start to forget why.
Sleeping Habits – Sleep is the body’s natural recovery mechanism. Poor sleeping habits affect everything! Sleeping abnormalities can usually be directly linked to stress and improper diet. All of that can reduce recovery effectiveness, lower growth hormone release, and can cause mental fatigue and inability to concentrate. Be conscious of how much quality sleep you’re getting every day. Keep a record of it.
Water Intake Habits – Not drinking enough water leaves the client susceptible to dehydration during exercise. Also, prolonged low water intake can lead to survival water retention in the body (which makes you look bloated).
Eating Habits – Folx often underestimate the number of sugary sweets they consume throughout the day. That handful of jellybeans from the secretaries jar starts adding up when you par it to the extra-large soda every morning and the sugary coffee drink. Make sure you are documenting everything + the portions you eat. I used to keep a food journal but I find snapping a picture with my phone of everything I consume helps keep accurate track of portions.
Occupation – Being conscious of the type of activity level you perform daily will affect caloric intake, meal timing, exercise schedule, and possible lifestyle change recommendations. Occupational stress may also be a consideration. A construction worker, who is always on her feet lifting heavy equipment will have different food fuel needs than I programmer who sits in front of a computer screen all day.
Anthropometric
Measurements
Determine your body type. Researcher and psychologist William Sheldon, continuing the research of Plato and Nietzsche, introduced the concept of somatotypes body types in the 1940s. Body types can be categorized in three ways Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph.
Ectomorph: Small
frame, lean and long, with difficulty gaining weight and building muscle no
matter how hard they try.
Mesomorph: Medium
frame, develop muscles easily, with a high metabolism and responsive muscle
cells
Endomorph: Big
frame, high body fat, low muscle density, often pear-shaped, easier time gaining
weight than other body types.
Take this quiz if you are still unsure. It’s completely common to fall between two body types. Since body types are based on your bone structure and natural propensity to build muscular or store fat, there’s nothing you can do to change your body type. You can, however, tweak your eating and fitness habits to work with your body type instead of against it.
Height, Weight & Body composition (skin-fold caliper)
These are just a data point to help you track tangible progress. Document them.
Circumference measurements – Measure the smallest point of waist, hips, bicep, thighs (and for the gentlemen, measure neck, chest, forearms as well). Make sure you pick the exact same spot on your body to measure, being an inch away from the spot you measured will affect the readings. I have a birthmark on my bicep, it’s my marker on where to measure. I measure my waist at the top of my hip bone. These measurements are just data points to track progress later.
GYM FAMILIARITY
Can you name the weight machines by name? If I were to say go to the smith machine or cable row, would you know where to go? Are you familiar with muscle groups? You know where your lats, delts? You’ll need to do a walk through the gym or some on-line googling to learn the names of machines and what muscle groups they work.
How heavy do you need to lift? Choosing the correct weights
affects your ability to maintain proper form, and significantly decreases
your risk of injury.
You’ll start off performing each of the exercises on the bikini weight training workout example. Choose a weight that allows you to do the first 10 reps with moderate difficulty. Your heart rate has picked up. You’re breathing a little harder, but you don’t struggle or need a break to complete the set. By the end of the tenth rep, you should find it somewhat difficult to lift but not so difficult as to strain, hold your breath, or shake excessively. If you do, drop down a little. If completing the lift was a piece a cake, increase the weight a little.
Rest for 1 minute between sets and repeat. Evaluate the strain it takes in completing your second set. Rest for one minute.
By the tenth rep of the third set, you should struggle to complete the rep but able to do so without grunting or breaking form. This is the exact level of intensity you want to sustain.
Be sure to take notes and record how heavy you need to lift for each exercise. This will be your starting point.
When you start consistently working out, you will gradually get stronger. Once you notice the last lift takes little effort, it’s time to increase the weight. You’ve got to continually challenge your body by increasing your weights.
Alright, you’ve completed the initial self-assessment. You’re well on your way on this exciting fitness journey. Check out the bikini circuit workout to get started.
My gym when I lived in Southern California, was a bodybuilding factory. It pumped out bodybuilding champions on the regular. All the competitors at Elite Fitness used This full-body, bikini fitness circuit training to propel us to competition success. With just a little consistency and dedication, you’ll be ready to rock the stage (or beach) too.
Before getting started, make sure you check out my introduction to bikini fitness training. This bikini fitness circuit training routine is Phase II of training. Utilize this plan after completing Phase I consistently (consistency is key) for about a month or two.
To get started, complete the self-evaluation to determine how heavy you need to lift. Even if you did a self-eval before, complete a new one. Once you know how heavy you should lift, compete every task listed. Then repeat the circuit three times per training session. You’ll circuit train three times a week. Complete the entire circuit before you take a short (60 -90 sec) rest. You’ll start with 12 reps. Each week, increase the amount of weight and decrease the number of reps by two. Do HIT cardio on the off days. Lastly, make sure to push yourself not to rest in between sets. Be sure to stay hydrated. It should take about 30 minutes if you put in work & stay focused. This routine works really well with partners to keep the motivation and energy high.
Bikini Fitness Circuit Training
Abs: Incline Medicine Ball Sit-ups
Glutes: Smith machine donkey kicks
Legs & Glutes: Monkey Lunge
Back (pull): Wide grip lateral
pulldown machine
Back (pull): Seated low cable row machine
Shoulders (press): barbell military press
Legs: Leg press + calf press
Obliques: Cable Oblique Crunch
Substitutions for Bikini Fitness Circuit Training
Legs & Glutes: Kettlebell Swings
Shoulders (press): Shoulder press machine
Obliques: Back extension + oblique extension machine with weights
Legs: Leg press + Standing weighted calf lift
This bikini fitness circuit training targets all key muscle groups for bikini athletes every day. Remember, the key is to stay focused. You cannot know what works or doesn’t work and make tweaks accordingly if you add too many variables (i.e. being inconsistent with weights, workouts, or diets).
This December I participated in my fist bikini fitness competition. This is not to be confused with the figure competition that I previously competed in while in Stuttgart. As common with most tests of determination, there were times throughout the course of prepping that I asked myself, is this all worth it or should I just walk away? Here I highlight the struggles I faced in hopes of encouraging those going through the same process to stick with it! It’s so worth it!
Turning Point One: Thanksgiving and Travel
Training for a fitness competition has its challenges and those challenges are only amplified during the holidays and complicated by travel. I’m not saying the availability of clean foods is a problem. It isn’t. You can eat clean just about anywhere. Even McDonald’s serves salad and grilled chicken. But for me, food is usually a focal point of my travels. One of my favorite ways to explore a new city is through its local cuisine. It took training for this competition for me to realize that eating, along with exploring, is easily one of my favorite pastimes.
So when I traveled to San Francisco, a city known for its haute gastronomy, for Thanksgiving, I knew I was in for a test of self-control. Who wants to go to San Francisco and be surrounded by world class cuisine and have to order a salad? Keeping in mind that I don’t like lettuce or raw greens anyway. I was looking for some grub at a Grab and Go refrigerator shelf at a Wal-greens in Fisherman’s Wharf. The Grab and Go hosted the typical selection of disposable plasticwear of salads, sandwiches, & pasta salads. But I viewed the selection as a container of carbs, container of fats, and container with a little proteins. I knew I hit a turning point in my dieting when I started seeing food by their make up of protein, carbs, and fats rather than the actual article of food. Fortunately, a belle can always count on coastal areas being fish friendly. The Bay area has so much fish diversity and eating healthy was a pleasure more than a struggle.
Turning Point Two: Unexpected Social Events
My Post-it note wedding invitation.
My co-worker comes into my office at 3pm on a Thursday talking about how he “cannot stand going another day without being married” to his all around Amazing girlfriend. Crazy romantic huh? He plans a whirlwind, spur-of-the-moment proposal and subsequent wedding in Vegas for the very next day. Of course I wanted to be there. But it destroyed my training! After waking for my 5 am workout, putting in a full days worth of work, then going to Las Vegs, I was awake for 23 hours. I ate at some iconic greasy spoon resturuant. Drank my fill. Didn’t workout a bit over the weekend. Monday morning guilt came when I stepped on the scale. Three pounds gained since Friday! Fortunately, at six weeks out, I considered myself far enough from stage time for a minor slip up…so I thought. The day before the competition, my work hosted a dinner party. Food was being passed around, toasts were made and I couldn’t even drink the water.
Me, the groom’s friend, the groom, the bride, and the bride’s friend.
Turning Point Three: The South
The weekend after thanksgiving I traveled back home to The South for a family event. Who wants to go home to The South and not eat the glorious deliciousness? All I could do was think about all the marvelous food that I couldn’t eat. I’m in my food element here. I can’t help but be enticed by all the familiar restaurants and menu items not available in Southern California. Cracker Barrel, O’Charley’s, Cheddars, Ritzies, Rally’s instead of Pollo locos and Del Tacos. It was really being back in my food element that I considered just throwing all my work away to enjoy eating!
On the plane, I found myself almost to the point of anger watching McDonald’s being passed around a family of passengers sitting around me. The kid sitting next to me licked his Dorito dusted fingers while he took a break from eating his delightfully smelling Panini. And there I was eating hard boiled eggs. I started to have a food panic on the plane. Panicked to the point of buying $7 mini bag of kettle cooked potato chips and putting mustard on them. I could literally feel the calories fill me up and bring me back to life just like you can visually witness flowers perk up after placing them in a vase of water. Yes. I broke down. I ate something I shouldn’t have. Not because I wanted to eat junk…Potato chips wouldn’t have been on my food of desire list. But maybe a lack of constraint due to being hungry and having few other options! Then I felt guilty and imagined the love handles growing in the spaces I’d worked off. After that, I decided to make a list of ll the foods I couldn’t wait to eat when training was all over.
Sweet potato waffles Sweet potato pie High quality $10 bacon cheeseburger Buttermilk biscuits Mint Chocolate chip Milkshakes Toaster Struddles (I’ve had three boxes in my freezer since before I decided to compete) Raspberry Ice cream drizzled with amaretto Vanilla ice cream with bourbon drizzled Lemon bars Margarita Lemon pound cake Pumpkin spiced bread Flaky French style croissants McD’s French fries Waffles with fruit, pecans, powdered sugar, vanilla sauce Sweet potato fries Frozen Italian lemonade Popeye’s chicken Mocha peppermint latte Sweet tea I want something, ANYTHING deep fried.
I’m Hungry! Seriously hungry!I literally wrote that all in my travel journal. I decided sleep was my best option to fast forward through all the food around me and on my mind. In sleep, I dreamed of a bakery that combined the best of both European and American pastries. Pound cakes, fruit tarts, banana nut bread, waffles, crepes.
By the end of my trip back home I was tired of eating halibut and asparagus! I wanted to eat for real! Self-induced, low starvation is emotional. My tolerance level for nonsense went low. My focus wasn’t on my work. Again, I ask myself, is it all worth it? Does the quality of my life increase in anyway by the increase of the quality of my abs?
Walking around the airport with a ziplock of hard boiled egg whites and $4 bottled water I wondered How much had this experience cost me? I calculated the costs when I got home.
What does it cost?
Final Week Meals
$32 for four pieces of frozen halibut (It’s the least fatty of fish with the most protein for your buck)
$3 dozen eggs (An extra dollar added for eggs in California)
$3 frozen asparagus
Meals, Gear, and Training
$600 a month for meals ($500 in groceries for one person! California living is expensive)
$435 Personal training (That’s $145 a month X three months X 30 min sessions X 3 times a week X group session shared with three other girls).
$100 registration the bikini show
$250 Waxing – two separate sessions. Apparently you have to go three times to get the cycle of hairs…pretty sure this was a marketing ploy to keep me coming back. Other girls just shaved. After my first competition I swore I’d never wax again but for whatever reason, I forgot that vow. I guess it’s something like hen women have terrible deliveries and swear never to have more babies but forget the excruciating pain and go through it five more times.
$100 Spray tan. Yes, black girls spray tan too. Black girls benefit from the cuts in their muscles being highlighted and their skin tone being all one smooth, even color just like everyone else.
$60 full set Mani –ped (Did this back home in Kentucky because it’s cheaper than Cali)
$250 Custom bedazzled bikini (one of my team mates bedazzled mine)
$50 Clear, 5-inch stripper heals (I already had my heals)
$30 Blinged out costume jewelry
$500 Hair. Lengthened and dyed.$35 Make Up
$2,448 total
Goodness! I’m sure I could have saved by shaving instead of waxing, finding a cheaper hair option and more frugal food options. For the next competition I’ll already have a bikini, heals, and jewelry. And that’s just the financial cost. Intagible costs also exist. Costs like the meal planning, and prepping required to never get caught without enough healthy food to eat like what happened to me on the plane. Or the mood shifts due to carb and water depletion. There’s having to go to bed at 8pm in order to get up at 4:30. It’s having to skip evenings out with friends because the the main focus of the night is drinking caloric drinks and eating poorly.
The cost of Getting Lean is the most inclusive article I’ve found that really details all the effort required to get the Michell Lewin body I covet. But as I sit and contemplate my 2015 goals, I wonder if I’m getting as much out of the training as I put in. Do I value the abs I’ll gain more than I value sampling amazing food? Do I prefer abs over milkshakes? Biceps or Waffles? Is there a way to have it all? Is the fit-looking body really worth the effort and sacrifice?
Below is where I’d like to be. Very Lean and strong. I should be able to lift things if needed or run quickly for long periods of time. It’s going to take actually weighing my food instead of guessing. Probably doing two-a-days a few times a week to get cardio in, and serious commitment to my diet.
Below is me during training. When I commit to a regimented healthy lifestyle of planned deliberate eating choices and consistent weight training with some slip ups here & there. I usually need a coach or friend to keep me focused and motivated.
Below is me normally. It’s a regular part of my moderately active lifestyle. It includes eating whatever I want but running or Zumba three times a week, walking the dog, taking the stairs, parking further away from the door, and doing some push ups and crunches here and there.
So is it worth it to be a fitness competitor? It all depends on my priorities and values this upcoming year. As for now, the jury is still out.
