If you've been slipping into a sedentary lifestyle during the coronavirus pandemic, you're not alone: plenty of us have been moving less and eating more over the last year. Accessible workouts we can do from the comfort of our own home, to build up core strength and burn off some of those calories, are just what the doctor ordered.
That's why this workout from Dr. Folusha, a.k.a Fit Doc Folu on Instagram, is so good. As both a doctor and a personal trainer, Dr. Folusha took us through a live workout on our Instagram channel consisting of a 30-minute circuits-based HIIT session with some of the best exercises for weight loss. Check out the workout below:
Follow Fit Doc Folu's 30-minute workout here
The workout is divided into rounds, completing each one before rest. To help you follow along, here's a few of the moves:
Round one:
- Knees to chest
- Inchworms/ab walkouts. You can get step-by-step instructions to the inchworm in our how to warm up guide.
- Squats, with added 'hip circles' to warm up and open our hips. You can read a more comprehensive guide on how to do squats here.
Round two:
- High knees, crunching your chest to meet your knee.
- Squat jump, with more explosive power than the standard air squat.
- Wide lunge, holding the position to work your hip flexors and stabilising core muscles.
Round three:
- Squat to rear lunge
- Mountain climbers, holding yourself in the plank position to work your core.
- Jumping jacks
Round four:
- Side planks, working your arms and obliques
- Hip thrusters
- Burpees, a high-energy move that is sure to torch calories
Why do this workout?
"This is 30 minutes of intense work" says Dr Folusha, as she takes us through this tough workout. This tough circuit operates on HIIt training principles, making us work for an extended period of time at maximum intensity before allowing a short break, only to dive back in.
HIIT workouts are often preferred to low-intensity, steady state workouts like running or slow cycling when losing weight is the goal. HIIT workouts make you work harder in a shorter space of time, burning the same amount of calories more efficiently. Rather than going for a one-hour run, you're working as hard as you can (with short breaks) for just 30 minutes.
In addition, Folusha takes us through a number of core-strengthening exercises such as the plank, side plank and inchworm in order to build up the muscle in the "trunk" of our body. This won't just give you ripped abs when combined with weight loss: core strength is important in all walks of life, even simply getting out of a chair or supporting yourself as you walk. Our best workouts for abs can guide you further.
