When the weather gets cold, it is easy to let inertia set in and to blow off your workouts. Problem solved! Keli Roberts’ super effective, fun winter-wonder-workout is guaranteed to break the cycle and energize your body, mind and spirit.
The only equipment you need is a set of dumbbells. You will train your whole body with big-bang exercises to strengthen and shape your muscles and combine those movements with high-intensity cardio blasts that will stimulate your resting metabolism so you torch calories and melt body fat.
This progressive workout offers 20-, 40- or 50-minute workouts that begin with a low-impact, strength-only program and ramp up to a super-high-intensity calorie-torching, advanced workout. You’ll start with a 20-minute workout. Once you’ve mastered the moves and laid down a strength foundation, you’ll be ready to increase your intensity and do more sets, so, by week three or four, you’ll be adding another set. Within six to nine weeks, you’ll be ready for some real hard work, and you’ll add a third set as well as the calorie-torching cardio for a total body strength and cardio metabolic blast.
During the first foundational weeks of training, mastering technique is critical. Once you reach the second phase of training, you may also be ready to increase the weight of your dumbbells. If you can get through the recommended exercise time easily, it’s time to up the ante and go heavier for some real strength gains. Don’t be afraid: even if your goal is merely to ‘tone up’, heavier dumbbells will speed up your results. It’s always good to keep in mind that a strong muscle has good muscle tone.
Here’s how it works:
Beginner workout:
- Two to three times per week, non-consecutive days
- Perform a five-minute warm-up (described below) before you start
- Do all of the exercises in the order they are written, omitting the cardio blast
- Do all of the exercises in each series before continuing on to the next series
- Do each exercise for 45 seconds with a 15-second recovery period between sets
- Finish with five minutes of stretching
- Do this for two to three weeks
Intermediate workout:
- Two to three days per week, non-consecutive days
- Perform a five-minute warm-up before you start
- Do all of the exercises in the order they are written, omitting the cardio blast
- Do all of the exercises in each series before continuing on to the next series
- Do each exercise for 60 seconds with a 15- second recovery period between sets
- Repeat all the exercises for a second set
- Finish with five minutes of stretching
- Do this for two to three weeks
Advanced workout:
- Two to three days per week, non-consecutive days
- Perform a five-minute warm up before you start
- Do all of the exercises in the order they are written, including the cardio blast.
- Do all of the exercises in each series before continuing on to the next series
- Do each exercise for 60 seconds with a 10-15-second recovery period between sets
- Repeat all exercises for a second and third set
- Finish with five minutes of stretching
- Do this for two to three weeks
| Series number | Lower Body | Upper Body | Cardio Blast |
| Series 1 | DB squat | Bent-over row | Jump squat |
| Series 2 | Lateral lunge | Scorpion press-up | Burpie |
| Series 3 | Sumo squat | Push press | Speed skater |
| Series 4 | Crossover lunge | Curl-press-lateral raise | Mogul skier |
| Series 5 | Deadlift | Single-arm row | Jump switch lunge |
Tip: Don’t forget the rocking playlist
Warm up:
Perform the following movements for 60 seconds each, keeping movements free flowing and dynamic:
1. Squats
2 Jogging on the spot
3. Spinal rotation
4. Front lunges and side lunges
5. Arm circles and side-to-side swings
Series one
DB Front Squat
Set up:
Stand with your feet shoulder distance apart, toes forward, holding dumbbells in front of your shoulders. Look forward with your chest open and your core engaged.
Action:
Bend hips and knees, lowering into a squat as you inhale. Keep your weight more towards your heels. Exhale and drive hips up to a standing position.
Bent-over row
Set up:
Stand in a staggered lunge stance with your right foot forward and your left foot back, holding a dumbbell in your right hand. Hinge forward at the hip, to bring your torso parallel to the floor while maintaining a lengthened spinal position.
Action:
Reach your right hand towards the inside of your left ankle, fully extending the elbow as you inhale. Allow the shoulder blade to open away from the spine
Exhale and pull the elbow past the ribs, bringing the hand to the lowest rib while squeezing the shoulder blade towards the spine.
Jump Squat
Set up:
Stand tall with your feet shoulder-distance apart and your core engaged
Action:
Lower your body into a squat and swing your arms low towards the floor. Jump up and drive your hands forward and up. Land by absorbing the impact with the hips, knees and ankles bending.
Series two
Lateral Lunge
Set up:
Stand upright holding dumbbells in each hand with your feet together, chest lifted, eyes forward, and your core engaged.
Action:
Take a large step to the right, keeping your toes facing forward (parallel) and bend at the hips and knees. Drive your hips back behind your and reach both hands towards either side of your ankles.
Scorpion press-up
Set up:
In a high plank position (or on knees if you prefer), hands directly under the shoulders, core fully engaged.
Action:
Perform a press-up by lowering your chest between your hands until it almost touches the floor. Then, from a full plank, raise your right leg up and cross it behind you, till your hands are on the floor and your feet are on the floor, crossed behind. Raise your right hand up off the floor into a side plank stretch. Hold! Place hand back on the floor, uncross legs to full plank and do a full or a modified pushup
Burpie
Set up:
Stand upright with feet slightly wider than shoulder distance, with your toes forward, eyes forward, and core engaged.
Action:
Squat down and place hands on the floor in front of you shoulder-distance apart. Jump feet back into a plank. Fully engage the core. Jump feet back into a squat, jump up and reach overhead.
Series three
Sumo Squat
Set up:
Stand upright with your chest open, core engaged holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your hips, in a wide stance with feet at 10 and 2 (if you were standing on the face of a clock).
Action: Squat down, bending knees and drive the hips back behind the feet. Keep knees aligned with feet. Press through your heels and stand to start position.
Push press
Set up:
Stand upright with your chest open and core engaged, holding the dumbbells in front of your shoulders. Your feet should be shoulder-distance apart with your toes forward.
Action:
Perform a quarter squat, dropping your hips back. Maintaining a lengthened spine, push up through the legs to the upright position while simultaneously extending your arms overhead. Keep your palms facing inwards.
Speed skater
Set up:
Stand with your hips lowered, with your left leg crossed behind your right, arms in an athletic position.
Action:
Leap off your right leg directly sideways. Land softly on your left leg, cross your right leg behind with hips lowered. Repeat this side-to-side motion, aiming for width.
Series four
Crossover lunge
Set up:
Stand upright with your chest open and your core engaged holding dumbbells by your side.
Action:
Step your right leg back and across your left leg, sinking your hips by bending both knees. Allow your torso to lean forward while maintaining a lengthened spine and engaged core. Press up from your left leg to repeat on other side.
Curl-press-lateral raise
Set up:
Stand upright with your chest open and your core engaged with your feet shoulde-width apart. Holding the dumbbells with your palms facing inwards.
Action:
Flex your elbows and bring your hands to your shoulders (palms facing each other), press the dumbbells overhead (palms of the hands facing each other). Return along the same path: elbows bend, hands to shoulders, elbows extend, hands to sides. Raise arms to side at shoulder height, lower to sides. Repeat curling and pressing motion.
Mogul skier
Set up:
Like skiing moguls. Stand with feet together and hands holding imaginary ski poles, with the upper body twisting away from the feet.
Action:
Jump up and twist the lower body away from the upper body. Alternate the jumps, side-to-side
Series five
Deadlift
Set up:
Stand upright, chest open with your core engaged and your feet together, knees soft. Hold the dumbbells at your side
Action:
Flex at the hips bending torso forward allowing arms to reach towards the floor. Think of shining your ‘tail lights’ up the back wall. Pause at the bottom of the movement when you feel a slight hamstring stretch. Avoid any kind of rounding of the back and fully engage your core. Stand back up to start position.
Single-arm row
Set up:
Stand in a staggered lunge stance with your right leg bent, left leg extended, and one hand resting on your right leg to support your back. Hold a dumbbell in the left hand, hanging directly under the shoulder.
Action:
Draw your shoulder blade towards your spine to initiate the pull. Drive your elbow up past your ribs, continuing to squeeze your shoulder blade towards the spine. Slowly lower the arm back down, releasing the shoulder blade last. Do ½ allotted time on one side then switch
Jump switch lunge
Set up:
Stand in a staggered lunge stance with your knees bent and your hips low with the opposite arm forward and your body upright.
Action:
Jump up and switch legs/arms mid-air to land with the other leg forward. Absorb impact by bending both knees and sinking the hips. Keep alternating.
