Catch the Holiday Express

A 24-minute total-body workout you can do wherever the season takes you.

Holiday commitments can make it even harder to find time for a gym session. Luckily, we have the perfect gift for you: find a half hour (including time for a quick shower and change!) and pick one of these 24-minute total-body sessions to maintain your progress — and naturally, your holiday cheer.

Remember:

• Maintain natural breathing throughout the movements and respectfully listen to your body’s range of motion.
• Make sure to hydrate throughout your workout.

Circuit 01 – Warm Up

Jump rope and alternating lunges with rotation

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 4 mins

• Jump rope for one minute.
  • Jump low, while bouncing off the balls of your feet. Keep your gaze straight ahead and keep your elbows in.
• Perform these lunges for one minute.
  • Stand tall and take an exaggerated step forward with your right foot, landing softly on your heel.
  • Staying long, place your left fingertips on the inside of your right foot, and then open your left arm and rotate your torso, reaching your left hand up toward the ceiling.
  • Staying long, drive back off your right heel to the starting position and switch sides.
• Alternate between jump rope and lunges for four minutes.

Workout Circuit 01

01A Push-up to Single Leg and Shoulder Tap 01B Balance Deadlift with Reverse Rotating Towel or Band Fly 01C Deep Squat with Alternating Knee Lift 01D band sit ups

01A Push-up to Single Leg and Shoulder Tap

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Starting from a plank position, keep your body straight like a board and lower yourself to the ground.
• Press your arms apart like you’re tearing a paper towel in half, as you push the ground away to return to plank.
• Holding your plank position, keep your body straight and raise your right hand and left leg — tapping your left shoulder.
• Return to start and repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

01B Balance Deadlift with Reverse Rotating Towel or Band Fly

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Standing with feet hip-width apart, hold the ends of a band or towel and extend your arms straight in front of you.
• Balance on your left leg, keeping your knee soft. Hinge at your hips and reach forward as if to pick something up off the ground.
• Plant your left hand on the ground, open your right arm and pull apart the band as you rotate your torso, stretching your right hand to the ceiling.
• Rotate to close your right arm. Engage your core and glutes as you return to starting position.
• Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

01C Deep Squat with Alternating Knee Lift

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Standing tall, lower yourself into a deep squat.
• Drive the ground away from you as if you’re going to jump, while raising one knee to the ceiling.
• Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.
• Tip: When lowering into the deep squat, imagine you’re trying to tear apart a paper towel with your feet.

01D band sit ups

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Grabbing the ends of a towel or band, lie on your back with your arms extended overhead in a “Y” position. Keep your legs flat in a slight “V.”
• Keeping tall, sit up and rotate your upper body. Don’t let your legs come off the floor.
• Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

Cool Down – Seated Figure 4 Glute Stretch with Eagle Arms

Sets: 1 Reps: 4 mins

• Sit tall on the floor with your legs in a figure 4 position, and place your palms shoulder-width apart on the floor in front of you.
• Keeping long, lower your chest towards the ground in front of you, while supporting your upper body with your arms.
• Hold the stretch for a few deep, slow breaths.
• Sit up and switch sides. Alternate stretching both sides for four minutes.

Circuit 2 – Warm up

Transverse jacks and wood chops

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 4 mins

• Perform transverse jacks for one minute.
  • Stand tall and hold a medicine ball with both hands at chest height.
  • Press the medicine ball away in front of you – keeping your torso facing forward as you make a quick rotational hop to the right with your feet.
  • Return to start with a quick snap, bringing the medicine ball back to your chest.
  • Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.
• Perform wood chops for one minute.
  • Stand tall and hold a medicine ball with both hands at chest height.
  • Step out into a slight lunge to your right, keeping your chest up, and bring the ball to the outside of your right knee.
  • Return to standing as you twist your torso as far as possible, arms straight. Bring the ball diagonally up past your left shoulder and overhead.
  • Return to center and switch sides.
  • Tip: Don’t move your arms; twist with your abdominals and obliques.
• Alternate between transverse jacks and wood chops for four minutes.

Working Circuit 02

02A Balance Push-up Pass with Single Leg and Cardio Jack 02B Balancing Unilateral Ts 02C Split Jumps with Medicine Ball Rotations 02D Alternating Medicine Ball Superman

02A Balance Push-up Pass with Single Leg and Cardio Jack

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Perform this push-up with both hands firmly on top of a medicine ball under your chest.
• As you lower your body, jump both feet out wide, staying stiff like a board.
• Quickly pushing the floor away from you, jump back to center, landing on one foot and keeping the other straight back and up in the air.
• Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

02B Balancing Unilateral Ts

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Hold a medicine ball in one hand with both palms facing the ceiling. Stand tall on one foot and hinge forward from your hips, reaching your arms out into a “Y” in front of you as you press your hips away from your hands.
• Return, smoothly switching to the other foot and shifting the medicine ball to the other hand for the next rep.
• Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

02C Split Jumps with Medicine Ball Rotations

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Holding a medicine ball at chest height, stand tall and jump into a long lunge, landing softly on the balls of your feet.
• As you drop into the lunge, keep your torso tall. Reach and rotate the medicine ball over and past the knee of your forward leg.
• Jump up, switching feet in mid-air and rotating the medicine ball to the opposite side.
• Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

02D Alternating Medicine Ball Superman

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Start on hands and knees with your hips stacked over your knees and your shoulders over your hands.
• Holding a medicine ball in your right hand, reach out as you extend your left leg behind you, keeping your torso strong and stiff like a board.
• Hold the reach for a few seconds, and then bend your arm and leg to bring your elbow and knee close together.
• Repeat this movement on the same side for one minute, then switch to the other side on the next round.

Cool Down – Hip Flexor Hamstring Release on Ball

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 4 mins

• Lie on your back with the medicine ball below your hips.
• Pull one knee into your chest, holding for a few seconds.
• Hold the stretch for a few deep, slow breaths. Switch sides.
• Alternate stretching both sides for four minutes.

Circuit 3 – Warm up

180-degree squat jumps

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 4 mins

• From a tall, ready position, lower into a squat, keeping your head up and torso tall.
• Spring into the air and rotate 180 degrees, landing softly and immediately into your next rep.
• Alternate sides for four minutes.

Working Circuit 03

03A Push-up with Surfer Get-ups 03B Superman with Side Oblique Leg Lift 03C Side Lunge with Jump 03D Jackknife

03A Push-up with Surfer Get-ups

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Starting in plank position, keep your torso straight and stiff like a board and lower into a regular push-up.
• At the bottom, pivot your elbows to the floor and then return to the bottom of the push-up.
• Explosively push the ground away from you as you jump to your feet, landing softly with one foot forward and one foot back.
• Drop down to a plank and repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

03B Superman with Side Oblique Leg Lift

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• From a long and straight side plank position, stretch your free arm overhead and hold for a second.
• Bend your upper knee, and squeeze your knee and upper elbow together into a side crunch.
• Return to the starting position.
• Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

03C Side Lunge with Jump

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Stand tall. Keeping your gaze straight ahead, take a big step straight out to your right side.
• With your right foot planted, keep your torso tall and slide your hips back as you lower them to the ground.
• Drive off the ball of your right foot to return to center and quickly squat and jump straight up.
• Land softly and repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

03D Jackknife

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Lie on your back with straight legs and arms extended overhead.
• Squeeze your core tight and lift your arms and legs off the floor – keeping them straight – into a seated “V” position.
• Keep squeezing your core as you lower yourself to the starting position.
• Repeat as many times as you can in one minute.

Cool Down – Hip Flexor Wall Stretch with Arm Reach

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 4 mins

• From a half-kneeling position, position your right foot on the wall behind you.
• Slowly roll up to a tall torso, reaching your right arm high above your head.
• Hold the stretch for a few deep, slow breaths. Switch sides.
• Alternate stretching both sides for four minutes.

Circuit 4 – Warm up

Alternating Hop Overs and Step-ups (Over Bench)

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 4 mins

• From a tall, ready position, lower into a squat, keeping your head up and torso tall.
• Spring into the air and rotate 180 degrees, landing softly and immediately into your next rep.
• Alternate sides for four minutes.

Working Circuit 04

04A Decline Balance Push-up 04B Half Turkish Get-up with Dumbbell 04C Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Swing Lift 04D Punching Abs with Weights

04A Decline Balance Push-up (using Bench or Chair)

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Start in a plank position perpendicular to the bench. Place your feet onto the bench and position your hands just outside your shoulders.
• Keep your body straight like a board and lower to the ground, lifting one foot up behind you and pressing out like you’re trying to pull a paper towel apart with your arms.
• Push the ground away from you and lower your foot as you return.
• Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

04B Half Turkish Get-up with Dumbbell

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Sit on the floor with your right leg straight in front of you and your left knee bent, foot planted on the floor.
• Hold a dumbbell in your left hand. Press the weight straight above your left shoulder, making sure to keep your wrist and elbow completely straight. Extend your right arm at a 45-degree angle to your side and place your palm on the floor. This is the starting position.
• In one smooth movement, push off your left foot, punch upward with the weight and forcefully press your right hand into the floor so that your torso rises up and your weight shifts onto your right hand. Your right leg should remain straight. Keep your eyes on the weight the entire time.
• Without allowing your hand to leave the floor, rotate your right hand so that your fingertips are pointing at a 45-degree angle away from your body. Then, press away from the floor with your right hand to rise to a standing position, keeping your right leg and torso stiff as a board and your eyes on the weight.
• Reverse these steps to return to the starting position.
• Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

04C Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Swing Lift

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Start by holding dumbbells at your sides and standing tall.
• Raise your right arm straight in front of you while taking an exaggerated step back with your right foot, landing softly on your toes and sinking straight down into a lunge.
• Staying long, drive off your back foot and lower your arm to return to the starting position.
• Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

04D Punching Abs with Weights

Sets: 4 Reps/duration: 1 min

• Holding two dumbbells, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet firmly planted on the ground.
• Squeeze your core as you perform a full sit-up. As you reach the top of your range, rotate to punch each dumbbell once across your body.
• Lie down to return to start. Repeat, alternating sides, for one minute.

Cool Down – Prone Scorpion

Sets: 1 Reps/duration: 4 mins

• Lie flat on your stomach with feet together, arms extended outward to form a T, palms facing down, and forehead on the ground.
• Raise your right leg, squeezing your glute and bending at your knee. Reach your leg as high as you can and rotate your hips, then lower your raised leg to touch your right toes to the ground outside your left foot.
• Keep your arms and chest on the floor throughout the entire movement. Hold the stretch for a few deep, slow breaths. Switch sides.

Alternate stretching both sides for four minutes.

This workout is modeled by 24 Hour Fitness team members Tessie Awaa, Roberto Melani, Miguel Fajardo and Melissa Cox.