Working out is difficult and can be a real drag for students that are living in a college dorm room. To avoid getting into a slump about getting in shape, you need to find a space that allows you to exercise. Your college dorm room can work to your advantage because you don’t have to travel and you can perform exercises whenever your student schedule allows.
This eliminates most, if not all, of your excuses for avoiding getting healthy. In addition, college students need exercises that they can accomplish no matter how small the dorm room is because health should be a top priority. Get rid of those excuses for not getting into shape and check out the following routine.
This article will go over ways that you can use a small space, like your college dorm room, to get your exercises done in a timely manner with no hassle or strings attached. This will help make sure you get in shape as a student and stay healthy, regardless of the size of your room or workout space.
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12 Dorm Room Exercises
So let’s get started.
1. Reverse Crunch
A reverse crunch is done on the floor, so make sure you clear some space for this. You may feel uncomfortable with the movement at first, but your body will adapt the more times you repeat it.
Target muscles:
Works mainly your abdominal muscles, upper and lower abs along with obliques
How to do reverse crunches:
- Lie on the ground with your hands underneath your bottom
- Bring legs together, bend them at the knee, and raise them until your calves are parallel to the floor
- Press your lower back into the floor and rock your lower body upwards to bring your knees to your chest
- End the move by bringing your lower body back to parallel with the floor
2. Flutter Kicks
You’ll need a space on the floor that is as long as your body. You are going to practice kicking your legs in a way that will help work your abdominal muscles.
Target muscles:
This is another great abdominal move, with a focus on lower abs. Also works hip flexors
How to do flutter kicks:
- Lie on the floor with your back flat and your legs outstretched and your hands under your bottom
- Lift your shoulders and legs all about three inches off the ground
- Alternate slightly kicking each leg up a few inches at a time and then kicking the opposite leg
3. Leg Pull-Ins
This move can be done on the floor or from a bench or chair, depending on where you have the most space. Focus on your breathing throughout the exercise to help you maintain form and target your ab muscles.
Target muscles:
This is especially great for the lower abdominals and your hip flexors.
How to do leg pull-ins:
- Sit on your bottom with your knees up
- Lean back and put hands onto the floor behind you for stability
- Focus on bringing your knees up and into your chest, then extending them. It’s ok if your elbows bend a bit during this
- For added difficulty, extend your arms toward your toes to do this move.
4. Cross Jacks
This is a variation of a typical jumping jack. It’s great at working several muscles at a time, as well as providing you a nice warmup to any type of workout. It’s also great to burn calories on its own.
Target muscles:
Glutes, inner and outer thighs, legs, abdominals, shoulders
How to do cross jacks:
- Start in the same stance that you would take to begin a normal jumping jack
- Instead of moving your arms up, you are going to cross them over each other in front of your body
- Your legs will also cross over each other at the same time as your arms
- Start slowly to get a feel for the exercise before speeding up
5. Squat Thrusts
Think of this as an easier variation of a burpee. It’s great to work your lower body while still getting your heart rate up in order to torch calories.
Target muscles:
Primarily works the muscles in your legs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads
How to do squat thrusts:
- Lower yourself down so that you are on the balls of your feet and your palms are touching the floor
- Jump your feet back behind you so that you are in a plank/push up position
- Hold that position for a count before bringing your feet back up to meet your palms
- Return to standing position
6. Mountain Climbers
Your core helps maintain stability, your upper body gets a workout because it is supporting your body weight, and your lower body gets a boost as you progress through the motions. Overall, a great full-body move.
Target muscles:
Upper and lower abs (including your obliques), chest, quads, and hamstrings, biceps and triceps
How to mountain climbers:
- Start with a plank position with hands planted slightly wider than shoulder-width apart
- Keep your hips low as you alternate drawing your legs in
- Bring them in as far as you are comfortable with before switching
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7. Push Ups with Rotation
This combines a regular push up with a side plank, which can be fairly difficult. To make the move easier, lower your bottom knee when you go into the side plank. To make it harder either stack your feet together or take it a step further and raise your top leg out (making your body into an x-shape).
Target muscles:
Chest muscles (pecs), shoulders, triceps, abdominals
How yo do push up rotation:
- Start in a push-up position and lower yourself down and back up
- As you come up, turn your hips to the side and stack them so your upper body is sideways
- Extend your outer arm so that it becomes a straight line with your other arm
- Hold for a count before returning to the push-up position, repeat on your other side
8. Bicep Chair Curls
This move takes advantage of any chairs you have in your room, making it easier to complete in a small room. If by some strange chance you don’t have one in your room, use something of similar size and weight to get the job done.
Target muscles:
Biceps are the target muscle, elbow flexors are also worked. Abdominal muscles are used as stabilizers
How to do bicep chair curls:
- Stand with feet about shoulder width apart
- Grip the chair firmly with both hands (center it across your body) with your palms facing together
- Lower the chair down as far as it’s able by extending your arms, then lift it up to chest level. That’s one rep
9. Triceps Dip
This is easily completed from a chair or bench, but feel free to try it on the floor if you need to. One easy way to make this move harder is to extend your legs at the beginning of the move rather than keeping your legs bent. Focus on flexing and extending your elbow for best results
Target muscles:
Strengthens the shoulders, chest, and muscles of the triceps
How to do tricep dips:
- Starting from a chair, roll your shoulders back and place your hands directly under your shoulders
- Move your legs out far enough to give you space but while still allowing you to keep your knees bent
- Bend your elbows as you lower your hips as if you were going to sit in a chair
- Extend your elbows to bring your body back up for a full rep
- Dorm Room Leg Workout
10. Chair Squat
This is the most basic of squats. It can help you learn how to do the move before moving on to harder variations. Use it with a chair or any other place you have to sit that’s at about a chair level.
Target muscles:
This works your gluteus maximus (butt muscle), quads, hamstrings, hip adductor/inner thigh, hip abductor/outer thigh, and knees.
How to do chair squats:
- Keep your feet planted about shoulder width apart with arms outstretched
- Sink back as if you were going to sit in the chair, or fully sit if that’s easier for you
- Return to standing
11. Bulgarian Split Squat
This is a more advanced version of a squat. You end up going lower during this move, which puts a higher emphasis on the glutes muscles being worked. The additional balance needed makes it more challenging.
Target muscles:
Glutes, upper legs, quads. Hamstrings and areas of the calves act as stabilizers
How to do Bulgarian split squat:
- Stand with your feet planted and rest one foot behind you on a bench or couch. This back leg is going to help you balance while you work your forward leg.
- Keep your chest up and lower into a lunge. It’s important to ensure your front knee stays behind the level of your toes
- Use your front heel to push your body back to the position that you started in. Make sure you do this move on the other side also
12. Reverse Lunges with Knee Lifts
This is a fluid combination of two different moves to provide you a better workout in less time.
Target muscles:
Works mainly your lower body, including quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Also great for strengthening core muscles.
How to do reverse lunges with knee lifts:
- Start from a standing position and move one leg behind you
- Lower yourself into a lunge, bringing your back knee towards the floor
- As you bring your back knee back up, keep it going forward into a knee lift. Raise your leg until your thigh is straight out to match the floor if you can
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