Strength is just 37 minutes away — and requires minimal equipment.
So far in our Going Strong series, wellness entrepreneur Ryan Cooper has offered crucial advice on all aspects of fitness — from mental to physical. He started with a centering meditation, then he walked us through a short but sweaty abs blast workout, and last week he helped us get in touch with our bodies with calming breathing exercises. All of these rejuvenating routines have clocked in at a handy 10 minutes or less — because sometimes, you need to fit a wellness session into a pretty packed schedule.
We’ve been using these quick hits to not only make use of your short windows of time but also to build up to one of his longer routines, and we think you’re ready for it. Sure, doing what you can is better than doing nothing at all — but according to research, exercising for at least a half hour a day can offset the scarier side effects of sitting. To expand upon his shorter routines, Cooper is bringing us a longer tutorial — a heat-generating, 37-minute upper body workout.
This invigorating video starts with the touchstones of classic gym workouts, like running in place and standing toe touches. You’ll then begin to integrate more challenging standing moves before doing some floor work — think plank jacks and modified push-ups. You’ll need a floor mat for this portion of the video, but if you’ve been inspired to follow this series, you probably already have one — and if not, you can score one for $20 on Amazon.
Cooper recommends using a resistance band for some of the routine, but he notes that the band is optional: “Grab a band, [some] dumbbells, water bottles, whatever you have — but you don’t need any weight.” As long as you’re following along to ensure you’re in the correct positions with your core and other muscles engaged, you’ll be gaining strength. Oh, and if this workout sounds a little intimidating, don’t worry — Cooper has woven consistent intervals of rest into the entire video.
Love Cooper’s steady pace and diverse variety of moves? He’s currently cutting a deal for Katie Couric Media readers: Using the promo code KCM50, you can get 50 percent off Cooper’s fitness packages. If you need more intense and longer workouts, the burn awaits.
