5 Best Exercises For A Quick Sweat Session

There’s a good chance you’ve dabbled into the world of free workout videos over the past few months—myself included. Blogilates, Pamela Reif, MadFit, Holly Dolke…you name it, I’ve tried it. But if following workout videos aren’t your jam, why not try putting together your own sweat sesh? We’ve teamed up with Trybe Active to put together 5 of the best exercises that will seriously work up a sweat!

1. Stationary Lunges

Targets: quads, hamstring, hips & glutes
Try: 3 sets of 10-12 reps for each leg

Lunges are a great functional exercise to strengthen and tone your lower body. Because a lunge is a unilateral exercise (meaning you work one side of your body at a time), they also improve balance, mobility and coordination.

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Step backwards (or forwards) with one foot and bend both knees to create two 90-degree angles. When you lower yourself, go as straight down as possible rather than leaning forward. Keep the knee of your front leg behind the toes of your front foot.
3. Push through the heel of your front leg to return to standing.
4. Repeat on the other side.

2. Mountain Climbers

Targets: abdominals, upper body, lower body
Try: 3 sets of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest

It’s not hard to see why Mountain Climbers are a staple in core and HIIT workouts. This total-body move engages several muscles, trains your strength and gets your heart rate up. Start off slow and controlled, ensuring good form before speeding up!

1. Start in a high plank position. Ensure your shoulders are right over your wrists. Keep a straight line from your head to your heels, making sure your back is flat.
2. Draw one knee to your chest, and alternate.

Want to take it up a notch? Try twisting mountain climbers instead, by bringing your knee to the opposite elbow.

3. Bodyweight Squats

Targets: thighs, hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes
Try: 3 sets of 10-12 reps

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of booty exercises? The classic squat. Squats tone your lower body and help improve your balance and posture. They are also really versatile and have several variations. With bodyweight squats, you can do them anywhere, anytime!

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and toes slightly turned out.
2. Engage your core, keep your chest lifted and back flat as you push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
3. Focus on sitting and not bending. Keep a neutral spine and ensure your knees don’t go over your toes.
4. Pause at the bottom, then drive through your heels to stand.

Once you’ve mastered the basic squat, sneak in a little cardio with jumping squats, or try different variations like sumo squats and weighted squats.

4. Plank Jacks

Targets: abdominals, upper body, lower body
Try: 3 sets of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest

Take your regular plank to the next level with plank jacks–a combination of a plank and you guessed it: jumping jacks. Similar to mountain climbers, this plank variation gets your heart rate up in a jiffy and works your entire body.

1. Begin in a high plank, with your shoulders over your wrists, and feet together.
2. Like how you would with a regular jumping jack, jump your legs apart and then back together. Keep your upper body still and tuck your tailbone under, keeping your body in a straight line. 

5. Chest to Floor Burpees

Targets: arms, back, chest, core, glutes, legs
Try: 3 sets of 10 burpees

Burpees can be slightly intimidating, but they’re easily one of my favourite functional exercises to maximise full fat burn. They effectively work every major muscle group and torch a ton of calories, combining strength and cardio elements. The chest-to-floor variation is a tad easier than the one with the pushups but even then, you’re guaranteed to be left in a puddle of sweat after a couple sets of these.

1. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and lower yourself into a squat position. 
2. Place your hands onto the floor in front of you so they’re just inside your feet. 
3. Shift your weight to your hands and kick your feet back so you’re on your hands and toes, and in a high plank position.
4. Keeping your body straight from head to heels, lower your chest to the ground completely, and push back up to a high plank position.
5. Jumping your feet back so that they land just outside of your hands.
6. Jump explosively into the air with your arms reached over your head.
7. As soon as you land with knees bent, get into a squat position and do the next rep.

Psst! We also sneaked a makeup look that is sweat-proof and workout-friendly. Chloe is wearing a full face of Liht Organics–a homegrown, organic and natural makeup brand. We have something very special planned coming up, so stay tuned to find out more about Liht Organics!

Pictured: Chloe, Brand Ambassador of Trybe Active

On Chloe —

Base: Liht Organics Youth Elixir Liquid Foundation (Mesmerise)
Cheeks: Liht Organics Sheer Radiance Blush (Cherry Blossom)
Eyes: Liht Organics Dusk to Dawn Liquid Liner (Black Onyx)
Lips: Liht Organics Color-Intense Liquid Lipstick (Mocha Latte)

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Founded on home soil, Trybe Active is a local activewear brand created by a group of friends with a fiery passion for working out. Be it yoga, spin class or a casual morning jog, Trybe Active’s functional and versatile workout gear promises complete comfort and freedom for you to push yourself in every session. Beyond activewear, Trybe Active is also on a mission to give back to the community and environment.

Find out more about Trybe Active here and here.

Love always,
Xylia