Warm up routine

This warm up routine covers the main muscle groups and is suitable for any of the workouts or challenges on this site. To learn more about why warm ups are important, see Warm up exercises – what you need to know for safety.

#1 Arm circles

Stand with your feet about hip distance and then rotate your arms all the way round in front of your body.
Do 5 in both inward and outward directions.

# 2 Calf raise

Calf raise

Stand with your feet fairly close together.
Lift your heels so that you rise up on your toes.
Then lower your heels and arms and repeat for 10.

#3 March in place

March in place

Have your feet normal walking distance apart and march in place.
Make sure you lift your knees high and swing your arms, to get your muscles warm.
Keep going for 30 seconds.

#4 Side bends

Side bends

Stand with your feet hip distance apart, then reach your right hand down towards the right foot.
Make sure you don’t lean your body forwards or backwards, try to imagine you are in a narrow gap between 2 walls.
Come back up to the centre and then repeat to the left.
Keep alternating for a total of 20.

#5 Knee lift

Knee lift

Raise your arms overhead.
Lower your arms as you lift one knee.
Raise your arms as you lower the knee.
Lower your arms as you lift the other knee.
Keep alternating for a total of 20.

#6 Lunge behind

Lunge behind

Stand with your feet hip distance apart.
Take your right leg out behind your body and tap your toes to the floor.
Bring your leg back to starting position and then repeat on the left.
Keep alternating for a total of 20.

Download a printable PDF of these exercises:
A4 PDF
Letter PDF

30 day walking challenge – improve your fitness every day

This 30 day walking challenge is easy to fit into your every day life and will get you into the habit of regular walking for fitness. It starts off with a 5 minute walk and Read More

Beginner upper body workout 4 week plan

Tone up your chest, upper arm and shoulder muscles with this beginner upper body workout. It’s a 4 week plan, starting with 3 exercises and adding an extra exercise each week. If you want to Read More

Daily butt workout – a quick routine for your glutes

If you want to focus on butt firming and lifting, then this daily butt workout is what you need. You’ll be doing over 1,000 reps of glute targeted exercises every week. There are 4 exercises, Read More

Squat and lunge quick routine

If you want a quick, straightforward home routine to tone up your thighs, then try this squat and lunge workout. Squats and lunges are the best all-round leg exercises, as they work all the leg Read More

Core exercises for beginners – the best way to get flat abs

To have flat abs, you need to train all the layers of abdominal muscles, including the core stabilisers. When they are strong, the core muscles pull the abdominal area in flat. To get good results Read More

Running schedule for beginners – 8 week program

Although you need to push yourself to work hard in order to get fitter, trying to do too much at once is never a good idea. It’s much better to start running at a level Read More

Hamstring stretch challenge – loosen up in 30 days

The hamstrings are a group of muscles at the back of the thigh. Tightness is a common problem in these muscles and it can lead to back pain, poor posture, impaired ability in sports and Read More

Basic Pilates – a 4 week guide to get you started

Pilates is an exercise system that was developed by Joseph Pilates around 100 years ago. Pilates based his system around various principles which he believed contribute to having a healthy body. The early followers of Read More

Quick and easy ab exercises circuit to improve your core

What are the best ab exercises to flatten your abs and improve tone? Is it crunches, plank, Pilates, oblique curls, stability board, ab cradle … the list goes on. In fact, there’s no one “best” Read More

Glute isolation – 10 effective exercises to target your butt

Improve your glute strength and tone with this glute isolation workout plan. Depending on whether you want to improve weak glutes or build your butt, you can do them with or without ankle weights (see Read More

Pilates circle challenge to improve your inner thigh strength

The Pilates circle (also known as a Pilates ring or magic circle) is a useful piece of equipment to have for home workouts, because it is cheap, easily stored and versatile. You can use it Read More

Full body stretching exercises chart

Keep your whole body flexible with this full body stretching routine. Flexibility is an important component of fitness and you should always allow time for stretching in your schedule. If you can’t fit a stretch Read More

Best core exercises and why you need to do them

The core muscles work together to align the pelvis and keep the spine stable. The most common reason for being interested in core stability training is to improve ab tone, but there are lots of Read More

Pilates challenge for a strong core and flexible body

The Pilates method focuses on developing core strength, good posture and smooth, controlled movement. There are 34 mat work exercises in the original method – some mainly develop strength and some work more on smooth Read More

Push ups challenge for women – strengthen your upper body

There are lots of chest exercises you can do with weights and other resistance equipment, but the main body weight chest exercise is the push up. Full push ups require a lot of upper body Read More

My Fitness Planner

Challenges, planners & schedules