Curling up on the sofa, watching a good movie and chilling out at home! Don’t feel like going to the gym? The hardest part for most of us is prying ourselves off the couch to get to the gym. What if you could keep yourself active and catch up with some functional training right on your couch? Yes, it’s possible with this regimen that instantly transforms your sofa, the water bottles and the pillows into a functional training zone. Supermodel Irina Shayk, who gave birth to her and Bradley Cooper’s baby not even a month ago, looks extremely toned and fit in the photo she shared recently.
Apart from her regular exercises, Irina too uses tables, the bed, and pillows to exercise when she cannot make it to the gym. Below are five exercises that can be repeated for two to three sets to create a functional workout. Once you complete these five exercises take a 90 second break and repeat the complete sequence one or two more times. Remember to add the basic warm-up and cool down stretches before and after the workouts respectively.
Support squat
Muscle focus: Glute, hamstring and quads.
You can use water bottles as dumbbells while squatting for a great lower body exercise that will get your legs and buttocks in great shape, without the need of using expensive equipment.
Cardio toe tap
30 seconds each, two repetitions
Muscle focus: Hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves and core
Prepare standing in an athletic stance while facing the couch. Alternately, drive your knees straight up as you tap your toe on the couch; work to drive your knee up to hip-height. Repeat this movement slowly for the first set, and rapidly for the second set for 30 seconds each. For an improved cardiac output, pump your arms.
Cardio toe tap
Cardio toe tap
Couch climbers
30 seconds each, two repetitions
Muscle focus: Shoulders, back, hip flexors, quads and core.
Start in an incline high plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart on the couch, and the feet hip-width apart on the ground. Your back should be straight. Lift the right foot off the floor and pull your left knee as close to your chest as you can. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg. Repeat this movement, rapidly alternating legs as fast as you can.
Couch climbers
Reverse crunch
12 repetitions
Muscle focus: Inner thighs and core.
Start in a seated position on the couch with your hands behind you. Place a filled one litre water bottle between your thighs, hold it firmly. Bend your legs slightly, engage your core, stretch your torso, and start to recline slightly as you straighten the legs in front of you. Avoid rounding of your back while you do this. Hold your legs straight out in front of you for 8 to 10 seconds, and pull your knees back towards your chest returning to the starting position.
Reverse crunch
Lunge plus arm raise
12 repetitions
Muscle focus: Glutes, hamstrings, quads, core and shoulders.
Place one foot on the couch — either on the ball or top of your foot — while holding a pillow straight out in front of you. Take a large step forward with the other leg. Lower to the bottom of your lunge; lower the back knee, and keep your front thigh parallel to the floor.
While keeping the front knee behind your front toe. As you lower to the bottom of your lunge, you should simultaneously raise the pillow directly overhead. Drive through your front foot, squeezing your glutes as you return to the starting position, and lower the pillow back to original position. Do this 12 times on the left leg, and then 12 times on the right leg. Engage your core all through the 24 repetitions.
The writer is a celebrity fitness trainer
