Ready to work up a sweat for the holiday season? This version of the 12 Days of Christmas Workout does just that. With 12 exercises you can do at home, these mini-workout sessions are a great way to keep you moving.
In my experience, each gym has its own Christmas workout challenge year by year. And this one is a popular one. Done to the classic song “12 days of Christmas”, each day you’ll add on an exercise and more reps to your sequence.
Though the secret to staying fit at Christmas isn’t punishing yourself for what you eat. I truly believe that movement should still occur in the middle of a celebration. This 12 days of Christmas workout is a great way to stay active and have a little fun.
Now that said, it’s heavy on unilateral leg exercises… so be prepared for a wicked burn on the last day!
What Equipment Do You Need?
Just like my 6-weeks to STRONG, all you need is a set of dumbbells for this holiday workout. There's also this hotel room workout that uses nothing!
Even if you have just 1 dumbbell, you can rock this workout as it’s only as hard as you make it (though there is a bodyweight adaptation below in case you have nothing on hand!).
I recommend all my clients have a set of 15-pound dumbbells as they’re challenging but practical, and you can always scale down by using only one or something like filled wine bottles (you’re more likely not to drop them too!). Though a minimalist home gym is awesome, there's a lot of options around the house too.
How To Perform The 12 Days Of Christmas Workout
You do the holiday workout like you do the song. Each day, you add on an exercise and have to count down the exercises and reps prior to that day. So basically it goes like this:
- On the first day of Christmas, my coach gave to me a thirty-second plank/
- On the second day of Christmas, my coach gave to me 2 staggard goblet squats and one thirty-second plank.
- On the third day of Christmas, my coach gave to me 3 Vups, 2 staggered goblet squats, and one thirty-second plank.
And then continued all the way through the twelve days.
When Should I Perform It?
This is a personal preference. You can do the Christmas workout on the first 12 days of December and kick off your month.
Or, perform the workout leading up to Christmas, starting on December 12th.
Of course, you can go ALL OUT and do the workout twice through the month, at the start and as a lead-up. It’s up to you!
The Workout
An image of the workout is below, and all the exercises are listed below with links to mini-video demonstrations so that you know how the exercise is performed. Likewise, at the top of the blog post was a video of all the exercises at the bottom, so you have quick visuals.
Feel free to pin, share or print out the workout image so you have it on hand.
And of course, tag me on any social media with @fitasamamabear so I can cheer you on!
- 1 30-second Plank
- 2 Staggard Goblet Squats (per leg)
- 3 Vups
- Plank Row (Per Arm)
- Superman
- Single Leg Bridges with dumbbell (per leg)
- Push Ups
- Reverse Lunges (per leg)
- Floor Bows
- Thrusters
- Deadbugs (per side)
- Side Lying Hip Raise (per side)
Quick Bodyweight Adaptations
For the exercises that list dumbbells, know that you can perform the bridges, lunges, and goblet squats with just your bodyweight. As for the Thrusters and Plank rows, try using water bottles or a resistance band for the plank rows or substitute that exercise for inchworms.
The thrusters can be done with anything heavy like filled water bottles or a bag of potatoes. Or, in place of it perform sumo squats with calf raises.
Below is a quick chart on what you need to perform every single day.
| Day 1 | 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 2 | 2 Staggard Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 3 | 3 Vups, 2 Staggard Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 4 | 4 Plank Rows per arm, 3 Vups, 2 Staggard Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 5 | 5 Supermans, 4 Plank Rows per arm, 3 Vups, 2 Staggard Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 6 | 4 Plank Rows per arm, 3 Vups, 2 Staggered Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 7 | 6 Single Leg Dumbbell Bridges per leg, 5 Supermans, 4 Plank Rows per arm, 3 Vups, 2 Staggered Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 8 | 7 Push Ups, 6 Single Leg Dumbbell Bridges per leg, 5 Supermans, 4 Plank Rows per arm, 3 Vups, 2 Staggered Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 9 | 8 Reverse Lunges per leg, 7 Push Ups, 6 Single Leg Dumbbell Bridges per leg, 5 Supermans, 4 Plank Rows per arm, 3 Vups, 2 Staggered Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 10 | 9 Floor Bows, 8 Reverse Lunges per leg, 7 Push Ups, 6 Single Leg Dumbbell Bridges per leg, 5 Supermans, 4 Plank Rows per arm, 3 Vups, 2 Staggered Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 11 | 10 Thrusters, 9 Floor Bows, 8 Reverse Lunges per leg, 7 Push Ups, 6 Single Leg Dumbbell Bridges per leg, 5 Supermans, 4 Plank Rows per arm, 3 Vups, 2 Staggered Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
| Day 12 | 11 Deadbugs per side, 10 Thrusters, 9 Floor Bows, 8 Reverse Lunges per leg, 7 Push Ups, 6 Single Leg Dumbbell Bridges per leg, 5 Supermans, 4 Plank Rows per arm, 3 Vups, 2 Staggered Goblet Squats per leg, 1 30-second Plank |
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