Three Workouts For When You Hit Snooze

You’ve got every intention of getting up in the morning for you run. Your running clothes are neatly laid out, you’ve planned your route and you’ve set your alarm. But when that alarm finally goes off, you hit snooze. Just five more minutes, you think. Five turns into ten, ten turns into twenty and suddenly you’ve got no time for a run.

Instead of scrapping the whole plan, use what time you have left to get in some much-needed strength training and form drills. Here are three quick workouts you can easily do in your PJ’s in your bedroom before you hop in the shower to start your day. The moves in these workouts might not get your heart pumping like a run, but they are designed to increase hip and glute strength, work on stabilization and develop your core—all key components to becoming a stronger runner.

If you have 15 Minutes…
Warm up with one minute each of:

• Squat jumps—Squat down and jump up.
• Four-square single leg hops—Standing on one leg, hop to the right, back, left, forward “drawing” a box with your foot as you go. Thirty seconds on each leg.
• Butt kicks

Then perform each of these exercises for one minute each, repeat a second time:

• Backward lunge—From a standing position lunge backward, then come up, bringing leg through to a raised position with your knee bent in a running pose.
• Bird dog —On hands and knees, extend opposite arm and leg alternating sides.
• Side plank
• Prone leg raise—Lie face down with forehead on hands, alternate raising each leg focusing on lifting at the hip using the glutes; try to keep the hamstrings out of the movement.
• Clamshells—Lying on your side, bend knees at a 90 degree angle. Stabilize your core and open legs at the knees, keeping heels pressed together.

Spend 2-3 minutes stretching

If you have 10 Minutes…
Perform each exercise for 90 seconds each. Hold a plank pose for 30 seconds between each exercise.

• Forward lean with high knees—Standing two feet from a wall, keeping your body straight, put you hands up and lean forward until your palms touch the wall. Raise one knee, then quickly alternate lifting your knees up as if in a running motion. Maintain your forward lean on the wall.
• Plank
• Backward lunge—From a standing position lunge backward, then come up bringing leg through to a raised position with your knee bent in a running pose.
• Plank
• Toe taps—Using a step, alternate tapping your toes rapidly on the top of the step.
• Plank
• Bird dogs—On hands and knees, extend opposite arm and leg alternating sides.
• Plank

Spend the few minutes stretching.

If you have 5 Minutes…
Do the following exercises for 1 minute each:

• Prone leg raise —Lie face down with forehead on hands, alternate raising each leg focusing on lifting at the hip using the glutes; try to keep the hamstrings out of the movement.
• Clamshell—Lying on your side, bend knees at a 90 degree angle. Stabilize your core and open legs at the knees, keeping heels pressed together.
• Plank with knee tucks—Assume a plank position with your hands on the floor. Bring your knees slowly up towards your chin, engaging the core as you tuck them under. Be careful not to round your back too much.
• Bridge—Lying on your back, bring feet up so knees are bent at a 90 degree angle. Keeping the arch of your back neutral lift the pelvis upward, focusing on using glutes, maintain and engaged core throughout the movement. Lower back down.
• Backward lunge—From a standing position lunge backward, then come up bringing leg through to a raised position with your knee bent in a running pose.