Workout at home — with household items!

A functional workout with equipment that you'll find around your house!

Functional training focuses on compound movements by engaging all parts of your body.  

This type of training works by exercising your muscles in a similar way to how your body would be used in everyday life. The equipment you will need to complete this workout - 
-An esky or a chair,
-A heavy frypan,
-Two tins of canned food (or you can use hand weights).

Ensure you have a clear space to complete your workout with your equipment close by. Complete between 12-15 repetitions of each exercise before you move onto the next exercise. Repeat this circuit 3 times (or 4 if you'd like).

1. Squat to esky (or couch)

- Stand with your head facing forward, chest proud and abdominals braced. 
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Extend your hands straight out in front of you to help keep your balance. You can also bend the elbows or clasp the fingers. 
- Sit back and down towards the esky (or chair). Keep your head facing forward as your upper body bends forward a bit. 
- Lower down so your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible, with your knees over your ankles. Press your weight back into your heels.
- Keep your body tight and push through your heels to bring yourself back to standing.
- Repeat.

2. Single Arm Row

- Stand in a long stance with your left foot forward and the frypan in right hand. Slightly hinge over from your hips, keeping your abdominals engaged to protect your low back. Place your left hand onto the esky for stability.
- Pull the frypan towards your low rib cage. You don’t want to pull too high an end up shrugging your shoulders. Feel your elbow brush past your ribcage (keeling your elbow close to your body), squeeze through your shoulder blade and lower the frypan slowly.
- Complete 12-15 repetitions on the same arm before switching to the other side.

3. Side Raise
- Stand with a tin of canned food (or hand weights) in each hand at your sides.
- Keep your back straight, brace your abdominals, and slowly lift the weights out to the side until your arms are parallel with the floor, with your elbows slightly bent.
- Lower back down slowly. Avoid any swinging motions or shrugging your shoulders - relax!
- Repeat.

4. Upright Row

- You can use your frying pan, tinned canned food or hand weights for this exercise. I used my frypan today!
- Hold your choice of weight with palms facing your body.
- Brace your abdominals, keep your back straight, chest up, and eyes focused forward.
- Lift the tins straight up towards your chin, leading with you elbows and keeping the tins close to your body. Your arms should go no higher than parallel with the shoulders. Pause at the top and return back to the starting position.
- Repeat.

5. Lunge with Overhead Press

- Begin with placing one foot behind you in a lunge position - imagine you are standing on train tracks. Place your hands beside your head with elbows bent at 90-degrees.
- Start to lower yourself down by bending your back knee, which is aiming for the floor. Check that your front knee is not tracking forwards over your toes.
- Keep your abdominals braced tightly and avoid any sideways tilting or swaying in your upper body.
- While simultaneously lowering yourself down into the lunge, press your tins overhead.
- As you rise from the bottom of the lunge, bring your hands back to the starting position.
- Complete 12-15 repetitions on the same leg before switching to the other side.

6. Bicep Curl

- Stand with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart or split your stance with one foot back slightly.
- Stand with a tin of canned food (or hand weights) in each hand, with your elbows resting at your sides and forearms extending forward.
- Bracing your abdominals, lift the tins towards your shoulders while squeezing your biceps.
- Pause at the top and return back to the starting position.
- Repeat.

7. Push Up

- You can complete this exercise on your knees or toes.
- Come down to the ground and place your hands slightly wider than shoulder your shoulders.
- Keeping your body straight, lower your body to the ground by bending arms at the elbows and bracing your abdominals tightly. Your aim is to bring your chest in line with your elbows.
- Press your body up off the ground by extending the arms.
- Repeat.

8. Russian Twist

- Sit on your sit bones as you lift your feet from the floor, keeping your knees bent. Option is to keep your feet grounded. 
- Brace your abdominals, elongate and straighten your spine at a 45-degree angle from the floor, creating a V shape with your torso and thighs.
- Use your abdominals to twist to the right, and then to the left. For additional resistance, hold your tins of canned food or frypan.
- Complete 12-15 repetitions.

—

KATE MACKAY
Kate has been working at The Forum, Newcastle University Sport for the last 11 years as part of the senior leadership team and a group fitness instructor. 

The Forum venues are based at The University of Newcastle Callaghan Campus and in the Honeysuckle precinct, operating 7 days per week and catering for over 4,000 members with access to over 120 group fitness classes. 

Kate holds a Certificate IV in Fitness and is trained in multiple Les Mills programs.

Kate says:
AT gave me the confidence to wear coloured and patterned tights! Previous to this, I had been a 'back tights only' girl through and through! I absolutely love wearing your tights and tops! I have members asking me all the time where I purchase my tights and tops from as they love them too!

I love the ethos of this brand and what it represents. As women, we are all held to an impossibly high standard and it's important that we support and uplift each other (just like great active wear!). Since having my son, I now understand the importance of surrounding yourself with a strong tribe of women and that's what I hope to do as part of the Active Truth tribe.