Film Fit: Swap your sofa for a workout this January

January is tough. We know that we need to work out, but it’s dark and cold, and all we want to do is curl up on the sofa and binge-watch Lucifer again. The idea of putting on sneakers and gym-worthy workout clothes demotivates us even before we begin. Knowing how hard it is to get out the door, we’re focusing on getting our workouts done at home, ideally while watching Netflix.

Film Daily has teamed up with Evolution VN to pinpoint the most bang-for-your-buck exercises. The ones that can actually have an impact on our bodies, even when we’re only squeezing them in during the intro to Riverdale.

Fitness? We’re “fitting this” workout into our binge-watching

We’re pretty sure we can keep up with a fitness routine that we can work into our “Netflix and chill” nights, so we’re making a game out of incorporating these five moves into our Lucifer marathon (See? We’re even using fitness lingo). We’re doing each move 5x for every time Lucifer Morningstar says, “tell me what you desire”. We’ll be in bodybuilding shape by February. 

Feeling a little less like working out during your favorite show? No worries, we’ve even included a 12-minute workout for when Netflix posts the dreaded “are you still watching” image. 

Effective and equipment-free

When we’re working with short pockets of time, isolation (targeted) exercises just aren’t practical. As great as they are for toning your muscles, they aren’t the most efficient exercises you can do to fuel your calorie-burning furnace. As a simple rule of thumb, the more muscle groups that you use, the more calories you will burn.

To maximize the little time that you have to exercise so we’ve created a list of the top 5 exercises that burn the most calories. These exercises can be done using just bodyweight or with resistance (we love resistance bands) if you’re really up for feeling the burn.

The Top 5 Exercises to Do at Home

Looking for even more direction? Check out Evolution VN’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages for even more breakdowns of moves and workout ideas.

#5 – Plank Jacks (Difficult Variation: Walking Plank Jacks)

How To Do Plank Jacks:

Start in a high plank position with hands directly below shoulders and straighten your arms;

straighten your legs behind you

Plant your toes on the floor to stabilize your lower body and make sure your hips don’t drop

Jump your feet outward while maintaining a straight body

Jump your feet back together

Repeat this sequence as fast as you feel comfortable

For the Walking Plank Jack Variation, alternate dropping to your elbows and coming back up onto your hands between jacks

#4 – Mountain Climbers (Difficult Variation: Cross-Body Mountain Climbers)

How To Do Mountain Climbers:

Start in high plank position

Bring your right knee towards your chest, keeping the toes of your left foot grounded

Return your right leg to starting (high plank) position and repeat on the other side

Repeat this sequence as fast as you feel comfortable

For the Cross-Body Mountain Climbers variation, bring your knee forward toward the opposite elbow

#3 – Alternating Back Lunges (Difficult Variation: Jump Lunges)

How To Do Alternating Back Lunges:

Stand with your feet together, hips-width apart

Take a large step backward with your left leg and plant the ball of your left foot; maintain hips-width distance

Lower your left knee until it’s right above the ground; your right thigh will be parallel to the ground and your right knee should be directly above your right ankle

Return to standing by pressing through your right foot and bringing your left leg back to starting position

Repeat on the other side

For the Agility Jump Lunges Variation, from the basic lunge position, jump and switch feet in mid-air

#2 – Push-Ups (Difficult Variation: Push-Ups And Side Crunches)

How To Do Push-Ups:

Start in high plank position

Keep your elbows at a 45-degree angle (halfway between straight to the side and down by your side), maintain a straight body, and lower yourself to the ground

Press through your hands and come back up to starting position

For the Push-Ups and Side Crunches variation, as you drop to the ground, bring your left knee up toward your left elbow; repeat on the right on the next rep

And #1 – Burpees (Simplified Variation: Sprawls)

How To Do Burpees:

Start in standing position with feet hip-width apart

Drop into a squat and place your hands on the ground immediately in front of you

Jump your feet back into the high plank position

In a controlled manner, lower yourself to the ground (do a push-up)

As you come up from your push-up, in a controlled manner, jump your feet back and stand up into starting position

Optional: jump and raise arms overhead

For the Sprawls variation, omit the push-ups

There you have it, the top 5 exercises to do at home.

For those of us who can’t tear our eyes away from Tom Ellis long enough to plank jack during an episode, here’s our super-effective High-Intensity Interval Training Session (HIIT) to throw down for when Netflix shames us by asking if we’re still watching. Go ahead and do any or all 5 of those calorie-burning exercises. Then you can rest assured you’re still keeping all your resolutions.

Sample 12-Minute Calorie Burning Workout

30 seconds of Push-Ups

30 seconds of Plank Jacks

60 seconds of Alternating Back Lunges

30 seconds of Burpees

30 seconds of Mountain Climbers

60-second Rest

Repeat 3x

Keep in mind that the number of calories you burn will depend on several factors, including: the duration of exercise (how long you exercise for) and intensity (how hard you exercise).

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Looking for more workouts that you can fit into your busy binge-watching schedule? We’re featuring a workout every day in January so you can start your year off feeling your best.