Engaging in an early morning workout has been shown to have many positive benefits for athletes and pedestrians alike. However, one of the biggest obstacles to an early morning workout (beyond waking up!) is actually getting to the gym.
It’s easy to linger over breakfast and coffee and suddenly look at the clock and realize, “Oh shoot! I have to get ready for work!”
That’s why we created this 12-minute bedside workout designed to be completed as soon as you roll out of bed. And yes, I know how that sounds, But I promise you can do it.
Shall we get started?
SET A TIMER FOR 12 MINUTES
The key to this early morning workout is to use the edge of your bed and perform as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes. Yes, you can take rests, but try to only take a rest once you’ve completed a round. (A round = one set of all four exercises.)
Set One: 20 x Hands-on-the-bed-push-ups
Alright, the timer’s set, and you’ve rolled out of bed. Set up in a plank position with your hands on the bed (I recommend the foot board or bed-frame if your mattress is soft.) Perform 20 reps of push-ups in this position before moving on to set 2.
Set Two: 20 x Bed Mountain Climbers
Don’t get out of the bedside plank position yet! As soon as you finish your 20 push-ups, immediately move on to perform 20 reps of mountain climbers. Remember, try not to let your hips creep up! We want a solid plank position while you march through those mountain climbers!
Set Three: 20 x Tricep Dips
Are you feeling it yet? We are halfway through round 1 of this early morning workout and you finally get to move out of that plank position.
For this exercise put your hands on the bed and your feet planted on the ground, hips in line with your knees. Engage your core and perform 20 reps of tricep dips in this position. Then, immediately move on to set four.
Set Four: 20x Hip Thrusts
For this portion of your early morning workout, ease your back against the bed so your sports bra line is supported by the bed. Brace your core so your torso can move in one piece. Slowly lower your hips to the floor then, squeezing through your glutes, press your hips up to the ceiling. Be careful to keep your core engaged so you don’t arch your lower back!
Perform 20 reps of these bedside hips thrusts to complete round one.
Repeat:
Here is where the devil is in the details of this early morning workout. Can you take a break between rounds? Absolutely. We only want you working at a capacity that keeps you in good form as good form keeps you safe. Do you have to rest between rounds? No. Remember, the name of the game for this workout is how many rounds can you complete in 12 minutes. So do what you need to do to complete all four sets as many times as possible.
Taking breaks is okay! And you can always ramp up the intensity by shortening or removing those breaks as you get stronger!
Did you try it?
How many rounds did you complete? Were you sore the next day? Let us know @dancerswholift on Instagram/TikTok or shoot us an email at dancerswholift@gmail.com. We’d love to hear how you crushed this workout.
Want more workouts?
Here, at the Dancers Who Lift Blog , we post a free weekly workout every single Wednesday. We also post training technique tips and other informational blogs about how you can optimize your training and your life to achieve your goals.
But if you’re looking for something more personalized, and more consistent check out our Body Mechanics Program. It’s designed for busy dancers to not only receive training and nutritional guidance, but to educate you on how to build workouts and optimize your nutrition beyond your time here at DWL.
If you’re looking for one-on-one undivided attention from a personal trainer, look into the Embodied Artist Academy. It takes all the benefits of Body Mechanics one step further by giving you daily accountability, weekly check-ins, and hyper-personalized training and nutrition guidance. Got an injury you’re recovering from? No problem, our coaches will design a program tailor made for that. Training for a Broadway opening? Easy peasy, we will listen to the demands of your specific track and create an optimized training plan to keep you healthy, strong, and energized for each show.
So whether you’re tuning in on the blog weekly, or joining the team, we’ve got your workouts on lockdown.
Happy sweating!
