Posted on April 03, 2020 by Jenny Cromack

We know that everyone loves Joe Wicks PE at the moment, you cannot fault him for what he is doing to keep the nation healthy during this time. But here’s a family workout from the personal training team at motive8 which we thought you might like to try. In fact, even if you don’t have kids this is a fun workout so get involved!

You don’t need any kit for this workout and we would ideally suggest doing this family workout in the garden. Depending on the size of the garden you might have more space than being indoors but it’s more about being outside and getting some fresh air!

Please remember that children’s bones and muscles are still developing so whilst they are bundles of energy, it’s important not to overdo it with them. You may need to adapt based on the age, experience and ability of your children, and I’ve given some guidance on intensities below.

Warm Up – during the warm-up we’re aiming to gradually increase the heart rate to get additional oxygen, via the blood, to the muscles you’re going to use. Here’s a simple warm up for you to follow:

  • 8 x squats
  • 8 x squats with overhead reach
  • 10 x press ups – on the knees is fine
  • 10 x star jumps
  • 20 x knees high (each side)
  • 20 x heels to the bum (each side)

Ideally, repeat this twice

Main Workout

Section 1 –We’re kicking off with a tabata, which is 20s work with 10s rest. If you have younger kids you may want to increase the rest period to 20 seconds. Each of you should choose your favourite cardio exercise which can easily be done outside. Start with person A’s exercise for 20seconds, rest x 10 seconds, then repeat. Move on to person B’s and so on until you have completed 4 x cardio exercises x 2 sets. This will take 4 minutes in total. If there are 4 of you doing the workout this works a treat, however if not then adjust as needed.

Section 2 – We’re going to work in one long circuit of exercises so that if you have really young kids, they can copy what Mum & Dad are doing. If you have older kids then you can always make it a little competitive to see who can do the most reps in the time!

As a guide I would recommend the following work ranges, but again adapt as needed.

Beginners / Young Children – 20 seconds work / 20-30 second rest

Intermediate / Young Children who are active/do some sport – 30 seconds work / 30 seconds rest

Advanced / 12 years+ and are active/do a lot of sport – 40 seconds work / 30 seconds rest.

Here goes….

Exercise A – Squat and Basketball Shot – Squat and then jump in the air as you try to throw an imaginary ball through an imaginary basket ball hoop. Keep squatting, jumping and ‘throwing’. To make this exercise easier just squat and ‘throw’ rather than do a squat jump. You can always use a real ball during this exercise but just be careful where the ball goes!

Exercise B – Press Ups – If you or the kids can’t do full press ups then doing your press ups on your knees is cool. Just remember to keep your core strong and don’t dip your lower back. The movement should come from bending the elbows to lower the chest to the floor

Exercise C – Toe Taps – Stand in front of a step or rugby ball and tap the step/ball as fast as you can with each foot.

Exercise D – Side Steps With Floor Taps – Hold a imaginary ball at chest level take a few side steps then squat to touch ‘the ball’ to the ground. Repeat to the other side, keep nice and light on the feet as you perform the side steps.

Exercise E –Shadow Boxing – Stand on the spot and imagine you are jabbing against a punch bag. For adults and teenagers you could also hold some light dumbbells (or tins of food!) whilst you do this.

Exercise F – Plank – On the knees is fine for the plank if you or the kids can’t do a full one. Focus on keeping the core lightly engaged throughout.

Exercise G – Star Jumps – who doesn’t love star jumps?!

Exercise H –Bear Crawls – Start on all fours and crawl forwards. Who can roar the loudest as you do them!

Each circuit should take around 8 minutes to complete, complete as many rounds as you have the time, and energy, for!

If you need any support to keep motivated during lockdown then feel free to drop us a line at [email protected] and we would be happy to help.