The Ultimate Strength and Cardio Workout To Tone & Sculpt Your Whole Body At Home

If you’re after at home fitness gains (whether you’re trying to replace your beloved gym workout or exercise to grow a bigger butt) but don’t have much space to play with, Krissy Cela might be just your woman. The creator of the Tone & Sculpt app has always focused on making her workouts home-friendly and even she, a gym regular, had to rethink how she exercised during lockdown.

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Combine strength and cardio in one total-body session with the mastermind behind the Tone & Sculpt programme.

‘It pushed me to go back to basics and find ways of intensifying my workouts using little to no equipment,’ she says – and this full-body workout she’s devised for WH is a product of that. To maximise efficiency, it combines cardio and resistance training to simultaneously keep your heart rate high and work your muscles.

How often should you do this workout?

‘A good programme needs to combine the two [cardio and resistance work] for strength, stamina and overall physical and mental health,’ Cela explains. Because of the total-body focus, you can perform this workout up to four times a week – although Cela recommends beginners start with three. Alternatively, just add it into your normal training week.

‘After two to four weeks of doing it three times a week, you’ll see changes all over – especially in your legs – and you’ll feel stronger and more energised, too,’ Cela promises. ‘When combined with a nutritious diet, it complements different fitness goals, from weight loss to achieving more definition. It’s pretty gruelling to start with, but you’ll love it every single time!’

How to do the workout

Perform each move one after the other in a circuit (except the skipping, which you’ll do just twice – once at the beginning and once at the end of your final circuit).

Aim to complete 3 to 4 circuits, resting for 1 to 2 mins in between.

As always, if you want to see results, consistency is key. ‘But don’t forget to listen to your body,’ says Cela, whether it’s telling you to rest for a little longer or add an extra set. Remember: exercise needs to suit you.

1. Skipping

Try Krissy Cela’s Go-To Total Body Home Workout

Targets: Full body

Do: 4 mins at the beginning and end of your workout

a) Take small jumps o the balls of your feet and maintain consistent pace so you don’t need to pause during the exercise. Jump low to the ground, knees soft, and stay light on your feet to minimise impact. This move can be performed with or without a skipping rope – it’s the movement itself that’s important.

2. Star jump floor touch

Try Krissy Cela’s Go-To Total Body Home Workout

Targets: Full body

Do: 12 reps

a) Begin in a relaxed stance with your feet shoulder-width apart, then squat down halfway and touch the floor with your right hand, extending your left arm out to the side.

b) Explode back up, as high as possible, fully extending both arms and legs in a star shape as you jump. Land with soft knees. That’s one rep. Repeat, alternating hands each time.

3. Alternating step-up

Try Krissy Cela’s Go-To Total Body Home Workout

Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, quads

Do: 12 reps on each side

a) Stand tall and engage your core. Step up onto a chair or step with your right leg. Try to step up in a straight line, keeping your head, neck and core in line, as opposed to shifting your weight too far forward.

b) Squeeze your bum at the top of the step. Return to the ground and continue repeating on alternating sides.

TIP: As you step up, bring the opposite knee up to your chest and into a crunch-like movement to further engage your abs and core.

4. Kneeling press-up

Try Krissy Cela’s Go-To Total Body Home Workout

Targets: Chest, core and triceps

Do: 12 reps

a) Start in a press-up position with your hands underneath your shoulders. Drop down onto your knees, keeping them hip-width apart. Your feet can stay on the ground or you can cross them in the air. They shouldn’t move too much throughout the exercise.

b) Exhale and bend your elbows as you lower your chest to a couple of inches above the floor, keeping your elbows close to your sides. Go as low as possible to access your full range of motion.

c) Inhale as you push your palms into the floor and extend your arms to come back up. If you can, come up off your knees for a few reps, but be sure to keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.

5. Bicycle crunch

Try Krissy Cela’s Go-To Total Body Home Workout

Targets: Abs, obliques

Do: 15 reps on each side

a) Lie on your back. Take a deep breath in and, as you exhale, draw your belly button to your spine, tilting the pelvis slightly so your lower back is pressing into the mat – try to keep your core engaged like this throughout. Place your hands either side of your head, elbows parallel with your shoulders. Lift your legs up into tabletop position, toes pointed.

b) Take your right elbow towards your left knee and let your head rotate to look left, too. At the same time, extend your right leg out straight. Continue, alternating sides, inhaling as you return to centre and exhaling as you move into the crunch.

TIP: Pause for a few secs in the crunch with your leg extended to make this move more intense.

6. Plank hip dip

Try Krissy Cela’s Go-To Total Body Home Workout

Targets: Shoulders, obliques

Do: 12 reps on each side

a) In a plank position on your forearms, brace your core and make sure your neck is in line with your head and shoulders. Ensure your elbows are directly under your shoulders and retract your shoulders by imagining ‘rolling’ your shoulder blades into your back pocket.

b) Keeping your core tight and your upper body as still as possible, twist your right hip as if you’re trying to touch the floor. Twist back to centre and repeat on the other side.

Prefer watching and following along? Krissy created another full body workout just for WH. Catch it on YouTube.

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