It’s understandable to go into the Activity Center and feel completely lost. “Where do I start?”, “What do I do?” and “There’s too many people,” are thoughts that can make you go upstairs and spend an hour on the treadmill. But there’s more to fitness than that.

As a certified personal trainer, I understand there is a need for guidance when it comes to fitness. I constantly see people get discouraged when they don’t know where to begin.

You can improve your fitness routine or begin having one by completing “Dumbbell Doom” at the Activity Center.

I promise that if you follow this workout, you will walk out of  the gym with more confidence than when you started.

All you need for this workout is one pair of moderately heavy dumbbells and a small space on the wall.

If you are completely new to working out, choose a light weight to make mastering form the first priority. Every time you repeat the workout, see if you can go a little heavier or do more rounds to make progress.

Each exercise will be performed with little to no rest in between. Be sure to complete three to found rounds of “Dumbbell Doom.”

Dumbbell front squats x 10 reps:

Start with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Balance the dumbbells on your shoulders by facing your elbows forward.

Keep your head facing forward, back straight and your chest high as your hips shift back until your thighs are parallel.

Ensure your knees stay behind your toes.

Extend your hips and knees until you return to starting position.

Dumbbell reverse lunge x 10 reps each leg:   

Stand with dumbbells in both hands hanging down your sides.

Extend one leg back and lower your body until the back knee is almost in contact with the floor.

Return to original standing position making sure your torso is straight during the whole exercise.

Dumbbell straight leg dead lift x 10 reps:

With a slight bend in your knees, move your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep majority of the weight on your heels. Inhale and lower the dumbbells toward your ankles.

Slide your hips back as you lower the weight. Exhale as you move to standing position by moving your hips forward.

All while maintaining a neutral spine position. Avoid rounding or over arching the back.

30 second wall sit:

Start with your back facing a wall.

Walk your legs out until your thighs are parallel to the floor.

Keep the back pressed into the wall, knees in line with the hips and ankles in line with the knees.

Rest 1 to 2 minutes:

After repeating this workout two to three times a week, you will no longer dread those flights of stairs to the third floor of Walker Hall.