Just in time for Halloween we’ve put together a wickedly good strength and conditioning workout!
All you’ll need to get started are some free weights, so can do these moves in the gym or at home. Is it a trick or a treat? – we’ll let you be the judge!
To make it even more atmospheric, you can soundtrack your workout with our Halloween playlist.
Here’s the circuit we suggest:
- Choose your weights – we recommend light weights to start with. If you’re at home and don’t have any free weights, use other items instead, such as canned goods, water bottles, bags of rice or books.
- Do 15-20 reps of each movement
- Complete each 15-20-rep set one after the other, with no rest in between
- After you’ve completed all five exercises, take a one to two minute break
- Repeat the circuit two to four times
If you’d like to use heavier weights, you can do the same circuit as above but we’d advise only 10 reps for each movement and more regular breaks.
Goblin Squat (aka Goblet Squat)
Target your glutes, quads and hamstrings with our Goblin Squat.
What you’ll need: One dumbbell
Instructions: Hold the dumbbell close to your chest with your feet a little wider than your hips and your toes pointed out slightly. When you’re ready, sit back and down, as if you’re trying to sit on a chair beneath you. Make sure your feet stay flat on the floor at all times and that your chest stays up with the shoulders squeezing in towards each other, so that you have a long straight back. The aim is to bring your bum down to around your knee line. Once you’ve done this, push the hips forward and lift yourself back up to the starting position.
Struggling? Try this: Remove the dumbbell and try just using your bodyweight instead. If the range is too much, try sitting down onto a box or chair.
Main muscles: Glutes, quads and hamstrings.
Deadly Deadlifts (Stiff Leg Deadlifts)
Take on the king of lifts and target a number of key muscle groups with these Deadly Deadlifts.
What you’ll need: Two dumbbells of the same weight
Instructions: Place your feet underneath your hips with the dumbbells in front of your body. Hinge the hips back and lower the dumbbells slowly down towards your shins. Ensure your knees stay soft as you push the hips back and squeeze the shoulders together throughout so that the back stays flat. As you come up drive the hips forward and lift the torso back up to the starting position.
Struggling? Try this: Lose the weights and concentrate on the movement.
Main muscles: Hamstrings and glutes.
Deadbug
If you’ve ever seen a beetle trying to right itself after ending up on its back, you’ll have some idea of what to expect with this core-busting move.
What you’ll need: A mat if you require extra comfort on the floor.
Instructions:
Lie on the floor with your arms to your side and your knees bent with feet flat on the floor. When you’re ready lift your arms and legs up and away from the ground, ensuring your arms are in line with your shoulders and knees in line with your hips. Extend your right arm overhead and your left leg out just away from the floor. Bring yourself back into the centre, and then repeat on the other side. Make sure your lower back stays firmly down on the floor the entire time.
Struggling? Try this: If this is too much, try keeping the arms still and just extending the leg out. If you’re still finding this too difficult then try bending the leg to lower the pressure.
Main muscles: Abdominals (core).
Skull Crusher
We didn’t even need to re-name this one! Feel the burn with this arm killer.
What you’ll need: A bench and two dumbbells of the same weight.
Instructions:
Lie back on a bench with your feet either side and flat on the floor. When you’re ready bring the dumbbells in line with your forehead with your arms extended out, and ensure that they’re close to each other (no wider than your shoulders). Slowly bend your elbows to bring the dumbbells down towards your forehead without letting any other part of your arms move. Ensure your elbows are tucked in throughout and don’t over-arch the back as you bring the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Struggling? Try this: This is quite a testing move so if you need to make it easier you can lower the weights or alternatively use one dumbbell instead of two. The move can also be performed with a bar.
Main muscles: Triceps.
Pass the Pumpkin (Russian Twists)
Get ready to pass those pumpkins with this core-burning abdominal twist.
What you’ll need: A mat if you require extra comfort on the floor and one dumbbell if you would like to make the move more challenging.
Instructions:
Bring your body into a V shape with the knees bent and feet flat on the floor whilst leaning yourself back to about a 45-degree angle. Pull your shoulders back and try to maintain a long straight back throughout. When ready twist your body slowly to the side, return back to the starting position and then rotate towards the other side. One rep is a rotation on both sides. Want to make it harder? Lift your feet.
Struggling? Try this: This move can be performed with or without a weight. If a weight is too much, just use your bodyweight.
Main muscles: Abdominals and obliques (core).
Ready for more? Discover part two of our Killer Halloween Workout.
Showing you how to do these moves are David Lloyd Hatfield members Scary Saghi, Haunting Hannah, Lurking Laura and Beastly Bobby.
