Christmas can be the toughest time of the year to motivate yourself into working out, but don’t be discouraged! You may be surrounded by delicious pudding and stuffed turkeys, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to ‘puddin’ some of that ‘stuffing’ into your muscles and make that calorie surplus work for you!
So here are the 12 workouts of Christmas. Start with the first one on the first day of Christmas and start adding them up each day, so by the end you are pushing yourself through a pretty thorough workout. As with all workouts, remember to pay attention to your body and what it’s telling you. If you feel tired or strained, then it might be worth taking a break or reducing the number of reps.
Day 1- Press-ups
On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
10 press-ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee.
You have probably seen a press-up before, but you may not be doing it with precisely the correct technique. It’s important to keep your body tight and to lower yourself slowly during the press up. Press-ups are great for your chest, arms and making your shoulders like boulders!
- Hands should be shoulder-width apart, arms straight, and shoulders, elbows, and wrists should all be aligned.
- Begin by lowering your chest to the ground while bending your elbows. Remember not to flair those elbows!
Day 2 – Sleigh bell swings
On the second day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
To make this one particularly festive (and annoying), why not attach some bells to your kettlebell and make it ring with each swing? Health warning: only attempt this one if you’re safely out of ear shot from your family!
- Explode through your hips while driving through your heels to swing the weight upward from your quads. With your arms outstretched, aim for chest height.
- Snapping your hips through while engaging your core and squeezing your glutes is required to achieve this ending position.
- Allow the weight of the kettlebell to do the job as you prepare your body for the next rep. Return your weight to your heels, hinge at the hips, and load both your hamstrings and glutes.
- Allow the kettlebell to ride back between your legs as you receive its weight.
- To repeat, drive through your heels and hips as the kettlebell transitions from backwards to forward.
Day 3 – Star jumps
On the third day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
10 star jumps
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
Oh star of wonder, star of might, make my muscles burn so bright. This is a great one for combining some cardio with muscle toning.
- Begin by standing with your legs together, knees slightly bent, and hands resting on your thighs.
- Open the arms and legs out to the sides while keeping the knees bent. The arms are raised above the head, and the knees are wider than the shoulders.
- Return to your starting position by closing your arms and legs to your sides.
Day 4 – Snow angels
On the fourth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
10 snow angels
10 star jumps
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
Note: This one is not recommended to do in the actual snow.
- Begin by lying on your back, knees flat against the floor, and arms at your sides.
- Hover an inch or two above the floor and sweep your feet out to the side and back to the centre, floating the entire time.
- Simultaneously, you move your legs and sweep your arms up above your head in a circular manner, keeping them near to the floor.
Day 5 – ‘Ice’ skaters
On the fifth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
20 ice skaters
10 snow angels
10 star jumps
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
If you really want to put this workout to the test try it out on an actual skate rink! (For safety purposes I should say it’s actually not a good idea to do this workout on a skate rink).
- Begin with your arms at your sides and your legs slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart.
- In a reverse lunge, bring one leg behind you at a small angle. The front knee will be at a 90-degree angle at this point.
- Swing your arms in front of that bent knee and hop your rear leg forward in a skating motion to switch sides.
Day 6 – Box jumps
On the sixth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
12 (present) box jumps
20 ice skaters
10 snow angels
10 star jumps
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
If you want to make this one particularly festive you can wrap the box in Christmassy wrapping paper with a big gold ribbon on top. The real present though will be your toned physique after the holidays.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the box one short step in front of you.
- Drop down, bending your knees slightly and bringing your arms out behind you.
- As you jump onto the box, use the momentum from your quarter squat to propel you upward, allowing your arms to fly out in front of you.
Day 7 – Candy cane crunches
On the seventh day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
15 candy cane crunches
12 (present) box jumps
20 ice skaters
10 snow angels
10 star jumps
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
At this point, you may be feeling some burn from these exercises, especially if you are doing them next to a burning log fire after another meal of Christmas pudding while wearing a Christmas jumper. Remember at this point you are permitted to remove the jumper.
- On your back, lie down. Place your feet hip-width apart on the floor. Place your arms over your chest while bending your knees. Inhale while contracting your abs.
- Exhale and lift your upper body while maintaining a relaxed head and neck.
- Return to the starting position by inhaling.
Day 8 – Ice climbers
On the eighth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
12 ice climbers
15 candy cane crunches
12 (present) box jumps
20 ice skaters
10 snow angels
10 star jumps
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
Ice climbers may not sound fun, but have no worries, they are MUCH harder than they sound…but that’s good! Getting that sweat on is all part of the process. Keep at it!
- Put yourself in a plank position, evenly distributing your weight between your hands and toes.
- Check your form: your hands should be roughly shoulder-width apart, your back should be flat and your head should be in alignment.
- Pull your right knee as far as you can into your chest.
- Switch legs, bringing one knee in and pulling the other out.
Day 9 – reindeer rows
On the ninth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
8 reindeer rows
12 ice climbers
15 candy cane crunches
12 (present) box jumps
20 ice skaters
10 snow angels
10 star jumps
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
You may need a barbell for this one, but you can do it with dumbbells or even a heavy sack of coal! This workout is great for getting a three dimensional back that looks like a burlap sack filled with snakes. So if that’s your aim, stack those weights!
- Place your foot beneath the bar.
- Grab the bar by bending over (palms down, medium-grip).
- Keep your hips up while unlocking your knees.
- Straighten your back and lift your chest.
- Grasp the bar and pull it against your lower chest.
Day 10 – Jumping squat jack frosts
On the tenth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
10 jumping jack frosts
8 reindeer rows
12 ice climbers
15 candy cane crunches
12 (present) box jumps
20 ice skaters
10 snow angels
10 star jumps
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
This one is the same as the previous star jumps, but this time you will want to do a squat on the way down. So follow the same steps as the star jumps, but this time when you land on the ground, do a squat and explode upwards to the jump.
This one is a hardcore workout for your legs, and if you feel you can’t do it then just do a normal star jump instead.
Day 11 – Burpees
On the eleventh day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
10 burpees
10 jumping jack frosts
8 reindeer rows
12 ice climbers
15 candy cane crunches
12 (present) box jumps
20 ice skaters
10 snow angels
10 star jumps
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
Burpees are a case of very appropriate naming, and if you have been glugging cherry and champers for a week, you may do more than a burp.
- Begin in a squat stance, knees bent, back straight, and feet shoulder-width apart.
- Reduce your hands to just inside your feet on the floor in front of you.
- Kick your feet back with your weight on your hands, so you’re on your hands and toes and in a pushup position.
- Do one pushup while keeping your body straight from head to heels. It’s important not to let your back slump or your butt in the air.
- Jump your feet back to their starting position to perform a frog kick.
- Reach your arms over your head as you stand and do a jump using the momentum from standing up.
Day 12 bicep curls
On the twelfth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
5 bicep curls
10 burpees
10 jumping jack frosts
8 reindeer rows
12 ice climbers
15 candy cane crunches
12 (present) box jumps
20 ice skaters
10 snow angels
10 star jumps
8 sleigh bell swings
10 press ups and a HyGYM Branded Tee
We have finally come to the final day of Christmas, and as a reward, you get to work out those bulging biceps. If you want to look like you’re smuggling a couple of cannonballs under your shirt sleeves then these are the exercises for you.
- Standing tall with your feet around hip-width apart is a good place to start.Â
- In each hand, hold a dumbbell. Allow your arms to fall naturally to the sides of your body, palms facing forward.
- Bend at the elbow and lift the weights so that the dumbbells are near your shoulders, keeping your upper arms firm and shoulders relaxed. Keep your elbows tucked up close to your ribs. While lifting, exhale.
- Return to the starting position with the weights, repeat.
And there we have it – the 12 workouts of Christmas! If you have kept to this throughout the holiday season then you may find a little something special in your stockings: washboard abs and shoulders like a manta ray!
We at HyGYM sincerely hope you have a great Christmas and you stay safe, fit and healthy.Â
Merry Xmas from the whole team!
