Christmas Workouts
I hope these workouts bring you lots of joy! Feel free to use a standardized cardio Christmas playlist like a Power Music mix, or use my personally curated Cardio Christmas playlist on Spotify.
12 Days of Christmas Workout
This workout takes up a whole 30 minutes, and is a lot of fun! Go to my Instagram reel to see a preview of the moves.
Equipment: Pair of medium weights and a mat
1 Jump squat + Kneeling tree: A Partridge in a Pear Tree - Jesus Christ
2 flying jacks: Two Turtle Doves - The Old and New Testaments
3 low squat walks forward & back: Three French Hens - The three virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity
4 alternating arm + leg plank lifts: Four Calling/Collie Birds - Four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
5 ab leg circles Five Golden Rings - First five books of the Old Testament
6 side squat walks each side: Six Geese-a-Laying - Six days of creation before God's rest on the seventh day
7 Pushup + superman: Seven Swans-a-Swimming - Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
8 squat + alternating bicep curls: Eight Maids-a-Milking - Eight Beatitudes
9 reverse lunge + front kick each side: Nine Ladies Dancing - Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 skaters each side: Ten Lords-a-Leaping - Ten Commandments
11 leg lifts each side holding a weight at the center: Eleven Pipers Piping - Eleven faithful disciples
12 row + alternating tricep kickbacks: Twelve Drummers Drumming -Twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed
Santa’s Grab Bag Christmas Workout
COVID-Friendly Version:
Equipment: Pair of medium and heavy weights and a mat
If doing in a class, each person has a gift bag with a present at the bottom, covered in papers with exercises. Once they finish, they get their prize! Whoever finishes first gets a grand prize, and if you finish before someone else you do whatever the person closest to you is doing. I will call out FREEZE randomly and you’ll have to hold that position for 10 seconds.
Check out this Instagram Reel for how to make it into a fun fitness gift :)
25 reps each (for 25 days til Christmas)
Pushups
Flying jacks
Weighted squats
Mountain climbers
Bicep curls (medium weight)
Burpees
Tricep kickbacks (medium weight)
Skaters
Bent over flys (medium weight)
Frog jumps
Kneeling front shoulder raises (medium weight)
Plank jacks
Russian twists (medium weight)
Side plank hip dips
High knees
Superman’s
Butt kickers
Crunches
High knees
Squats out and in
Front punches
Tricep push-ups
Calf rasies (medium weight)
Lateral shoulder raises (medium weight)
Abdominal horizontal leg scissors
Partner version:
Each partner set has 1 bag with times or reps and 1 bag with the exercises. One parter picks from one bag, other partner picks from the other and they do the exercises together. Whichever pair goes through all of the exercises first, wins!
Christmas Tree Ladder
Equipment Needed: Pair of light, medium, and heavy weights + a mat
Do the following for 30 seconds each for 5 rounds.
The first round, use heavy weights. This is the bottom left side of the Christmas tree. The second round, use medium weights. Now you’re halfway up the tree. The third round, use light weights. You’ve made it to the top of the tree! The fourth round, use medium weights. You’re halfway down the right side of the tree. And finally, use heavy weights for the very last round. You’ve completed the tree!
Jingle bell jump lunge + squat
Chest fly distant relative hugs
Single arm bent over row with extension (like you’re grabbing ornaments and putting them on the tree)
On your back, spell your favorite holiday word with your feet to engage your core
Bicep curl candlesticks with twinkle toes calf raise
Kriss Kringle tricep kickbacks
Santa sneaky crawl (weighted bear crawl)
Star in the sky jumps
Run Run Rudolph
Equipment: Medium weights and a mat
I got this from another instructor, but I’m sorry I can’t remember who! If this is from you, thank you for sharing!
Play Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer song. Run in place then do the following:
Rudolph: burpee
Santa: push-up
Reindeer: pop squat
Christmas: jumping jack
2. Do the following workout, 20 reps each with medium weights with 20 star jacks in between:
R: reverse lunges (10e)
U: upper cuts (10e)
D: donkey kicks (no weights)
O: overhead presses
L: leg lowers (abs, no weights)
P: plié squat with tick tick abs
H: hammer curls on one leg (10e)
3. Finish up with Run Run Rudolph song: do squats for the song and burpees during the chorus.
Fitness Class Gym Games
Set Up
Bring mat and a pair of weights. Half of the class put weights on one side, half put weights on other side. Line up mats around circle in center of gym.
Musical Mats:
Take out one mat so there is one less mat than people
Play Christmas music while everyone runs perimeter
When music stops, everyone runs to plank on a mat
Whoever doesn’t get a mat holds a wall sit or runs perimeter until last person is left (give that winner a coffee gift card)!
Grinch Weights
Half of the people on one side are the green team. The other half is the red team. Give them 2 minutes to run across gym and grab weights and bring to their team’s side. Whoever’s team has most weights at the end of the timer wins!
I hope you enjoyed these workouts. May they bring the joy of Christ into your season!
