Best 30-Minute Workouts for Busy Moms

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Exercise Glossary

Towel Hamstring Curls

Mountain View
Mountain View

Begin on your back with your knees bent and heels on a towel on the ground. Perform a bridge by lifting your hips up and squeezing your glutes. At full-hip extension, extend your legs by pushing your heels out as far as you can. Try to keep your glutes from touching the ground. Once your legs are fully extended, engage your hamstrings, drive your heels into the ground, and pull them back in towards the body as you lift the hips up again.

Push-up/Clap Push-up

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Begin in a traditional push-up position. Be sure your hands are slightly wider than shoulder width and your fingers are pointed out slightly (about 20 degrees). Your elbows should come out around 45 degrees relative to the body and you should maintain a neutral spine position throughout the exercise. Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes, and lower your body as one unit under control. Then push up. Perform your repetitions in a controlled manner. If push-ups are easy, turn them into an explosive "clap push-up" to increase the difficulty.

Clap Push-up: Once you've lowered down, engage your abs and glutes, then explode off the ground and clap your hands. Catch yourself back in the lowered push-up position, keeping your body tight.

Jump Lunge

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Stand tall. Take a step forward with your right leg and then bend your knees so your right and left legs are at 90 degrees. Make sure your right knee is aligned with your ankle and the left knee is hovering over the ground. This is the lunge position.

In a lunge position, explode up and jump into the air. While in the air alternate the legs so you land with the other leg now in the front position. Continue alternating legs for the number of reps listed.

More: 30-Day Lunge Challenge