If you regularly frequent the gym, one thing that’s likely always in your gym bag is a workout towel. But did you know that while towels are handy for keeping you clean and dry, they can also double as workout equipment?
With towel workouts, we’re not just talking about all those times you have to wipe your face off during a hard workout – we’re talking about using a towel to add resistance and extra challenge to standard workout moves, taking them from lower-body movements to compound ones that work your entire body!
If you don’t think that working out with a towel can make you sweat, we promise that you’ll be surprised. The key to getting the most out of this workout is to make sure that whenever you’re holding the towel, you’re always pulling with as much strength as you can. Keep it straight and taut, almost as if you’re trying to pull it apart. That will make sure you get all of the benefits of resistance training from this workout.
This is a perfect workout for those days when you can’t make it to the gym, or for vacations when you’re equipment-less. If you’re vacationing seaside, you can even pick up your beach towel and do this workout on the sand! Workout equipment that doubles as your shower sidekick? Who could ask for a better gym bag buddy.
For this workout, you’ll just need one beach-or-bath-sized towel. Smaller hand or dish towels are fine, but larger ones work best.
Towel Workout
For this workout, start a timer and let it run. After each minute passes, move on to the next move. You’ll want to build in 5-10 seconds of transition time, but don’t rest for too long – this is a shorter workout, so you’ll want to keep your heart rate up to make it effective. Keep an eye on the workouts that call for you to switch sides halfway through, and complete three rounds back-to-back without resting. You got this!
Warm Up
30 seconds of high knees
30 seconds push-ups
30 seconds of high knees
30 seconds of squats
Workout
Reverse Lunge with Towel Rotation
Hold the towel at shoulder level and pull it apart with both hands to keep tension in your arms. Then, lunge backwards, keeping your chest upright. Rotate your upper body and bring the towel over your front leg and towards your side to activate your core. Perform this movement for 30 seconds on each side.
Russian Twist
In a seated position, lean back with the towel extended in both hands. Pull the towel taut, then rotate from side to side. Keep your heels slightly off the ground and your spine straight.
Overhead Towel Squat
Extend the towel overhead and try to keep it centered over your body, rather than forward. Pull the towel taut, then squat down, trying to keep the towel overhead rather than letting it pull forward.
Towel Hops
Lay your towel on the ground and give yourself enough space to hop to the left side of the towel, then to the right side. See if you can do this with the towel spread out rather than rolled up for an extra challenge.
ISO Towel Curl
Stand tall and bring one knee up to hip level, balancing on the other leg. Hook the towel under your raised leg, and pull up with both hands, keeping your elbows tight to your sides. Keep your core tight to keep your balance! Switch legs at the 30-second mark.
Wall Sit with Pull Apart
Stand with your back flat against a wall, and grip the towel with both hands. Raise the towel in front of you so that it’s at shoulder height, then drop into a squat with your back against the wall. The goal is to get your knees to a 90 degree angle while pulling the towel apart at shoulder height.
