About the April fitness challenge
Intensity level: intermediate
Benefits: this is a full body workout, with exercises for all muscle groups
Safety: please read the general safety information here. Please also note that static contractions like the wall sit can cause an increase in blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure you should therefore avoid doing static holds.
Warm up: warm up your muscles and joints by doing the warm up exercises shown in the exercise instructions section below.
What you need
Footwear: for the high impact exercises (side leaps, jog, jacks), you need trainers to absorb some of the impact.
Exercise mat: for the floor exercises you’ll need a mat or something similar to provide some cushioning. See an exercise mat buying guide here.
April fitness challenge chart
There are 10 exercises altogether and each day you do a different combination of 6 of these exercises. Reps/time for each exercise is:
- 30 seconds of the jacks, jogging, wall sit, knee lifts
- 30 reps of all the other exercises (30 on each leg where applicable)
Complete 3 sets (do all 6 exercises for the time/reps shown above, then start again and repeat twice more).
The chart shows which exercises to do each day and instructions for the exercises are below the chart.
Exercise instructions
Warm up
Do these exercises each day to warm up:
Side bends – 6 to each side
Arm circles – do 5
Lunges behind – do 8
Challenge exercises
Related to April fitness challenge
Can you really get fit in 30 days?
All exercise is beneficial. Doing exercise most days for 30 days will result in improvements to your fitness and muscle tone. It will also get you into the habit of regular exercise, by starting easy and gradually increasing each day. To maintain any improvements, or to continue to improve, you’ll have to keep exercising once the challenge is finished of course. If you’re already a regular exerciser, then challenges can be a useful way of trying something new or adding variety to your fitness program.
