Top 5 Most Popular Workouts of 2019

I’m always interested to see what workouts on this site get the most traffic and interest. All of the workouts on this list are bodyweight workouts, so you don’t need equipment. You can easily do them from the comfort of your home, at the gym or even in a hotel room. Many of these workouts have knee-friendly or wrist-friendly variations, so be sure to scroll down through all of the workouts.

My five most popular workouts for 2019 are:

5. At-Home Tabata Workout (An equally popular workout on this blog post is the Knee-Friendly Tabata workout.)

Click on the image for instructions on how to set up a Tabata timer and do the exercises.

4. Heading Back to the Gym Bodyweight Workout - Beginners Workout, Knee-Friendly Workout and Wrist-Friendly Workout

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

3. Bodyweight Cardio Workout You Can Do Anywhere

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

2. Bodyweight Knee-Friendly Workout

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

1. Five Minute Ab Workout

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

Visit my workout page for more cardio, strength training and HIIT workouts.

15-Minute Dumbbell Workout For Your Arms

Having a strong upper body is so much more important than just being able to sport enviable arms! Having a strong upper body improves your posture, reduces the risk of injury and helps with flexibility. As with all muscles in your body, participating in resistance training helps strengthen your bones; additionally, strength training helps reduce your risk of osteoporosis.

Often, when I start training clients, they think an individual is either strong in her lower body or upper body. The assumption is made that an individual can only have strength in one of the two areas. The good news is that just isn’t true. You can – and should be – strong in both your upper and lower body. You might naturally have more strength in your lower body, but that just means you have an opportunity to strengthen your upper body!

These are a few exercises that are my go-to upper body strengtheners. If you only have 15 minutes, give this upper body workout a try or tack it on to the end of an existing workout.

If you want more upper body workouts, check out some of my favorites:

10-Minute Upper Body Workouts

5-Minute Triceps Workout

15-Minute DB Upper Body Workout

Circuit 1 – Repeat 3 times:

4 Plank Walk-Outs

10 Dumbbell Rows

Circuit 2 – Repeat 3 times:

10 Push-up Rotations (Into Side Plank)

10 Lying Chest Fly (option: add Leg Raises)

10 Bird Dogs

Circuit 3 – Repeat 3 times

10 Bicep Curls

10 Triceps Kickbacks

10 Scarecrows

20-Minute Track Workout for Runners and Walkers

I love to sneak in a quick track workout as often as I can. I try to be kind to my knees whenever I work out, so the padded track surface is perfect for my joints! I usually make these workouts fairly short – quick and intense. This is a great workout if you are trying to add some intensity to your workout or are in need of a change. I try to squeeze in a few track workouts each month. I’d love to say I do one each week, but that doesn’t always happen. Give this a try – you will be glad you did!

Walk/Run a slow paced warm up lap.

Walk/Run Lap #2

10 Push-ups

20 Squats

10 Side Plank Dips

Walk/Run Lap #3

100 Walking Lunges

10 Push-ups

20 Squats

10 Side Plank Dips

Walk/Run Lap #4

30 Seconds Single-Leg Bridge (Left)

30 Seconds Single-Leg Bridge (Right)

15 Supermen

Skip across the field and back. (not lengthwise – I’m not making you go 100 yards!)

30 Seconds Single-Leg Bridge (Left)

30 Seconds Single-Leg Bridge (Right)

15 Supermen

Sprint/Speed Walk 100 yards. Jog/walk back.

TRX & Dumbbell Circuit Workout

Whenever possible, I sneak in a TRX/weightlifting class at my local gym. It’s 30 minutes of non-stop movement designed to work all of your major muscle groups. I like it because I tend to favor some strength training moves more than others, so this class forces me to try alternative exercises.

The class format is challenging – 60 seconds of intensity followed by 15 seconds of rest. I’m not always crazy about the order in which we train our muscle groups, so I created my own version of the workout.

I’m using my TRX at a local park. My son used to be obsessed with swinging and going on slides for hours, so I would sneak in a workout while he played. Photo credit: Nick Krug.

You will train each major muscle group by doing three different exercise movements for 60 seconds. By the time you hit the last movement in the circuit, the muscle group you’re working is usually fatigued! If you don’t have access to a TRX, check out the suggested alternative movements I have listed.

TRX & Dumbbell Workout: 60 Seconds Effort, 15 Seconds Rest

Circuit #1:

TRX Squat Jumps (Alternative movement – Squats or Squat Jumps)

Squats with Dumbbells

Wall Sit

Circuit #2:

Push-ups

Dumbbell Chest Press While Holding a Bridge

Lying Chest Flys + Leg Lifts

**If you have lower back issues, don’t do the leg lift portion - just do the lying chest flys.

Circuit #3:

TRX Single-Leg Lunge (Left Leg) Alternative: Stationary Lunge with left leg in front.

TRX Single-Leg Lunge (Right Leg) Alternative: Stationary Lunge with right leg in front.

Walking Lunges with Dumbbells

Circuit #4:

TRX Row (Alternative: Standing Row using a Theraband)

Standing Dumbbell Row

Renegade Row

Circuit #5:

TRX Glute Bridge (Alternative: Bridge with mini band or weight.)

Swiss Ball Hamstring Curl

Circuit #6:

TRX Bicep Curl

TRX Triceps Extension

Dumbbell Bicep Curl

Triceps Dumbbell Extension

Want to know more about the equipment in this workout? Check out my Home Gym page for more information about this workout’s suggested pieces of equipment.

Five Intense Workouts for Small Spaces

Working out while you are traveling or living in cramped quarters can be a challenge. However, there are lots of workouts you can do that require no equipment and very little space.

Whenever I go on vacation, I do several of the workouts featured below. I know I am getting a full-body workout, and I don’t have to worry about space constraints. Check out some of my favorite small-space workouts that will strengthen your body and burn calories – with no equipment needed!

Small Space, Full-Body Workout

Workout for Small Spaces

Isometric Burn Workout

At-Home Tabata Workout

5-Min Ab Workout

The Essential Body Part Women Ignore

One of the weakest areas in many women’s bodies are their hips. Many of us sit for a good portion of the day, which forces our hips into a crunched position. Maintaining a seated position for long periods of time can cause the muscles in our hips to shorten and tighten – particularly our hip flexors.

The role of our hips in day-to-day life is often overlooked. Our hips do SO MUCH. Hips are responsible for helping you maintain balance, walking correctly, lifting your leg and controlling the position of your knee.

Strengthening your hips can help you avoid injury and also assist in the prevention of osteoarthritis. The best way to keep injuries or arthritis at bay is to strengthen your hips. This is a quick hip workout you can do to start strengthening this forgotten – but necessary – body part.

Side-lying leg raises, with your toes pointed down, are an excellent movement to strengthen your hips.

***This workout uses a mini band for the lateral walk. These bands are inexpensive, very versatile and can be purchased from numerous locations. This is the band I use for training clients. (Disclaimer: if you click on this link and purchase a product linked from this site, it could result in a small amount of money for me.)

Strong Hips Workout:

10 Squats with Side Leg Raises

10 Reverse Lunges (per leg)

10 Single-Leg Glute Bridges (per leg)

10 Supermen

15 Side-Lying Leg Lifts (per leg)

15 Side-Lying Leg Lifts With Toe Pointed Down (per leg)

30 Sec. Plank

10 Wall Squats

30 Sec. Lateral Band Walk – per side

Repeat for a total of 3 times.

Finish up with some stretches – particularly the cobra stretch!

Ultimate 20-Minute Dumbbell Workout

I wanted to squeeze in a weight lifting workout during a recent vacation. I didn’t know what was available in the fitness room, so I couldn’t plan my workout in advance. After scoping out the equipment, I pulled this workout together. I really liked it, and I felt like it did a good job of hitting the major muscle groups while still cranking up my heart rate.

This workout can be done in your home, at the gym or a hotel fitness center. You just need a few sets of dumbbells, and that’s it! I did 10 reps of each exercise, so it would be easier to remember. However, feel free to add on repetitions or go heavier with your weights!

If you like this workout, check out some of my other favorite dumbbell workouts below:

Arms Are Burning Dumbbell Workout

Feel the Burn Dumbbell Workout

Ultimate 20-Minute Dumbbell Workout:

Circuit #1:

10 Lateral Hops

10 Squat + Shoulder Press

10 DB Deadlifts

10 DB Rows

10 Push-ups

10 Squat Jumps

Repeat for a total of 3 times.

Circuit #2:

10 Side Plank Rotations (per side)

10 Lying DB Skull Crushers

10 Bird Dogs

30 Sec. Up and Down Planks/Plank ups

Repeat for a total of 3 times.

Can Exercise Tone Flabby Arms?

Can exercise tone flabby arms? Absolutely! We all carry our weight in different parts of our bodies, and for some people, their upper arms are a common place. Exercise can’t spot reduce a specific area of your body; however, a balanced diet coupled with exercise can help reduce body fat – including the backs of the arms.

Triceps exercises will help strengthen your triceps muscles, which will help reduce the appearance of flabby upper arms. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) sponsored a study to identify the most effective triceps exercises. After testing several well-known movements, the triangle push-up was identified as the most effective triceps exercise.

If you are hoping to strengthen your triceps, check out my quick, five-minute “banish flabby arms” workout that you can tack on to an existing workout or if you are short on time, do it by itself. Additionally, I’m including some of my favorite cardio and strength training workouts, which will help with overall weight loss and strength training.

5 minute Triceps Workout:

12 Triangle Push-ups

12 Triceps Dips on the Ground

12 Triceps Kickbacks

Repeat 2-3 times total.

Here are some of my favorite workouts to help burn calories and strengthen muscles:

Small-Space Workout

Isometric Burn Workout

20-Min. AMRAP Workout

Quick, Heart-Pumping Cardio Workout

I enjoy strength training workouts, but sometimes there is something incredibly satisfying about a quick, challenging cardio workout.

Cardio exercise provides many benefits for your body. During cardio exercise, short for cardiovascular, your heart rate increases and you breathe faster/deeper. This maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood, which helps you use oxygen in the most efficient way possible.

How well your body is able to use this oxygen is referred to as your aerobic capacity. The better your body is at using oxygen, the more improved your aerobic capacity is. For example, we’ve all felt breathless from trekking up a steep incline or stairs. The greater your aerobic capacity, the less breathless you will feel when you reach the top (and the easier it will be for you to get to the top).

Additional cardio benefits include:

• Improved memory

• Decreased chances of a stroke

• Better mood

• More calories burned

• Better sleep

If you are short on time but need a quick cardio workout, try my Tabata workout below. To make the timing of your movements easier, check out this previous post for information about a timer app and how to set it up for Tabata workouts.

Want more cardio workouts? Visit my workouts page for additional cardio routines including these favorites:

Bodyweight Cardio Workout

Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) Interval Workout

Belly Blasting Workout

Tabata Circuit #1: (Repeat for a total of three times.)

Quick Feet

Reverse Lunge + Front Kick (Left)

Reverse Lunge + Front Kick (Right)

Squat Jumps

DB Woodchop (Left)

DB Woodchop (Right)

Lateral Hops

Push-ups

Circuit #2: (Repeat for a total of two times.)

Lateral Lunges

Mountain Climbers

Plank Jacks

Skaters

Jumping Jacks

Standing Side Crunch (Left)

High Knees

Standing Side Crunch (Right)

Ultimate, Back-Friendly Ab Workout

On Sunday, I was doing a workout class at my local gym, and I was cringing during our ab circuit. The instructor was having us do double leg lifts while simultaneously moving our arms overhead (and gripping a dumbbell). I was modifying the movement, so I could keep my back pushed into the mat.

I glanced around and realized that most of the individuals in that class were letting their backs arch and were fighting to complete the movements. Their backs were taking a beating. (At times like this, I don’t know what to do. I can’t fix a person across the room during a class, but I want to!)

Avoid raising and lowering both of your legs simultaneously if you have lower back issues.

During this class, I realized that most of us aren’t sure what modifications we can make during an abdominal workout to protect our backs! If no one advises us how to modify a movement, we are going to keep doing the same movement that is harming us.

You want to strengthen your entire core, which includes your back. So, it’s imperative you protect your back while doing abdominal movements. Here are some reminders and modifications I offer my clients, so their backs are protected while doing abdominal movements. (Maybe this will help you modify an ab workout in the future!)

• Keep your back on the mat. If you find it arching, adjust your positioning. If you are doing a leg raise or dead bug movement, don’t lower your legs as much. Just lower your legs to a point where you can maintain your form and your back stays grounded on the mat.

• Maintain a level back when planking. As we fatigue during a plank, we let our lower backs dip toward the ground. You want your shoulders, back and hips to remain in a straight line.

• If you have back issues, don’t lift both feet/legs in the air for leg raises or any other movement. You can modify this type of movement by keeping one leg bent with your foot flat on the floor. Raise and lower your other leg. You are still working your abdominals but also protecting your back!

• Avoid doing a Russian twist or other rotational movements with your feet raised off the ground. I rarely do Russian twists or bicycle crunches because there are so many other, safer movements.

• Listen to your body. If something hurts or you feel a tweak, stop!

If you are looking for a back-friendly abdominal workout, check this one out. Be sure to opt for the suggested modifications listed next to the exercises!

Ab Blast

Mountain Climbers – 30 seconds

Plank Jacks (or plank step/tap outs if you have a sensitive back) – 30 seconds

Side Plank Hold – 30 seconds per side (A great modification is to do a side plank with one knee on the ground.)

Dead Bugs – 10 per side

Forearm Plank with Alternating Leg Lifts - 10 per leg (Modify this movement by doing a plank with alternating shoulder taps - 10 per side.)

Bird Dog Crunch – 10 per side

Standing Side Crunch – 10 per side

High Knees – 30 seconds. (Take this to a march for a lower impact option.)

Fast, At-Home Workout

If you hate going to the gym, you’re not alone. In a survey conducted by Fitrated, 65 percent of women said they avoided the gym for fear of being judged. Concerns about not looking fit enough (55 percent), being judged by what they were wearing (49 percent) or being stereotyped (25 percent) were cited by the survey participants.

I agree with the survey participants – going to the gym can be incredibly intimidating. It’s hard enough to get motivated to work out, so the last thing you want to deal with is added discomfort from your environment.

The good news is that you can get a fantastic workout at home – no fancy gym needed! I created this workout for individuals who would prefer to work out at home or for those days when fitting in a trip to the gym is not an option. This quick and easy workout is a bodyweight workout, so no equipment is needed. You just need 20 minutes and a little bit of space.

For more bodyweight workouts, check out my workout page. Or, try some of my favorite at-home workouts:

Cardio Workout You Can Do Anywhere

Calorie-Torching Pyramid Workout

The Isometric Burn Workout

At-Home Workout

Circuit 1:

12 Push-ups

12 Supermen

Repeat 3 times.

Circuit 2:

15 Squats with Arms Overhead

15 Single-Leg Bridges (each leg)

Repeat 3 times.

Circuit 3:

12 Lateral Lunges (each leg)

12 Wide Leg Sumo Squats

15 Squat Jacks

Repeat 3 times.

Circuit 4:

12 Plank Arm Raises

12 Bird Dogs

Repeat 3 times.

Circuit 5:

12 Tricep Dips (on the ground)

15 Mountain Climbers

Repeat 3 times.

How Often Should You Train Your Abs?

Although you might be motivated to train your abs frequently, that’s not necessarily the best approach. Your muscles need a day, or more, of rest in between sessions in order to repair themselves. Lifting weights damages muscle fibers (creates microscopic tears in the muscles you’ve worked), so rest days give your muscles time to reconstruct, recover and increase in size.

Strive to do abdominal workouts 2-3 times a week. Your workouts shouldn’t be 20 minutes of nonstop crunches – you want to do a workout that involves your core in a variety of movements. (Check out my belly blasting workout for an example of a full-body, core-intensive workout.)

Remember: eating a balanced, healthy diet coupled with working out will give you the best shot at seeing definition in your abdominal muscles. What you eat has the biggest impact on the size of your belly. You can do 100 crunches a day and still not see any progress. You might strengthen your core, but if you have fat on top of your muscles, it will be hard to see the definition.

Here are a few workouts you can do to strengthen your core:

Ultimate Core Workout

Belly Blasting Workout