Welcome back to “Getting Active with Ashley”, where I provide you with quick ways to exercise to achieve your dream body and level of fitness. This week’s blog will be a bit different than the rest. That is because this one is just for my fellow college students, particularly ones living in an apartment or dorm. Realistically, as college students, it can already be hard enough to find time within our schedules, and enough energy and motivation to make our way to a gym. Making it outside or to a gym, every day is not an easy routine to maintain as a student, so this workout is meant for the days when you are in a crunch for time, but you still want to break a sweat, feel the burn, and get that heart rate up. Not only that, but I have customized this workout to be dorm and apartment-friendly because this routine can be done with minimal space, no equipment, and it involves zero jumping, (just to spare you from receiving noise complaints from your lower or next-door neighbors 😊). I always say that consistency is key, so this will give you a way to stay consistent in your fitness journey even on the days when you only have about 15 minutes to spare for exercise. Let’s get started!

*Each workout will be done for 45 seconds, with a 30 second recovery period in between*

1. Reverse Lunges with Knee Drive

You will start in a kneeling position, have the knee of the leg that’s behind you touch the ground, while the leg you have forward at a 90-degree angle. When you come up press through your heel, squeeze your glute, and drive that back leg forward and up into a high knee position. Return to the position you started in and continue this motion. After doing this for 45 seconds, take a quick 15-second break before switching your legs and doing it again for another 45 seconds.

How To Do A REVERSE LUNGE WITH KNEE DRIVE | Exercise Demonstration Video and Guide – YouTube

2. Pulse squats

For this exercise, you will stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and squat down into a seated position while keeping your back straight and your chest upward. At this point, you will slightly pulse up and down without standing up fully or squatting lower than your initial position. The exercise is a great one to work out your quads, glutes, hamstrings and even a bit of your core.

How To Do A Pulse Squat – YouTube

3. Downward dog push-ups

This exercise will incorporate your core, back, and arm muscles. You will start in a downward dog position which is a fantastic yoga position to stretch your back and legs. You will then drive your body forward into a pushup position where you will then do a pushup before returning to the downward dog position. It is very important to keep your core tight throughout this exercise.

How To Do a PERFECT Down Dog Push-up – YouTube

4. Penguin crunch

This is the perfect dorm-friendly ab exercise because it is a crunch that will not risk the cause of thumping sounds as your shoulders and back come on and off the ground. In this exercise, you will simply lay on your back with your feet flat on the ground at a far enough distance from your butt that you could reach your heels if you leaned to either side. Once in this position, lift your shoulders off the ground and pull your chin towards the ceiling. While keeping your core tight, rock your torso and shoulders side to side, touching the tips of your fingers to the heels of your feet.

How To- PENGUIN CRUNCH – YouTube

There are so many more exercises that you could incorporate into this routine depending on how much time you have to spare. Any of the exercises mentioned in previous blogs could very well be thrown into this workout, depending on your setting what equipment you have available to you. Remember that the main goal of this routine is to give yourself quick and effective workouts to do on the days when college life simply gets the best of you, and you do not have time to get out and do a full-blown workout. After all, we should never have to compromise our health, fitness, and wellbeing for the stressors that college can cause.