THE CHALLENGE
I’m used to having a few hours to myself during the week between the kid’s school and work, but yesterday was different. My daughter was home from school for a teacher collaboration day, and I was in charge. After my collaborating was done at 11 am (I work at the school) I was ready to hit the gym. However, my spousal stand-in was having a particularly busy day and wouldn’t be available to supervise until after dinner. I’m pretty spoiled when it comes to my personal time, and I am Rain Man-like in my love of schedules. This news was clearly a bummer. However, I wanted to take advantage of my mindset right then. Planning my workout for the evening meant the risk of flaking out, so I quickly devised a leg workout using plyometrics. I n e v e r work out at home, so I was a little apprehensive. Then I realized many moms are in the same situation every single day, so this inspired me to get serious about doing it at home. I suited up in my normal workout gear and collected all my accoutrements. I stepped outside. Living in Colorado means the nice days are numbered before winter hits. The weather was gorgeous, so this further inspired me to remain at my abode for this session.
I performed 6 plyometric lower body exercises in my back yard, so the privacy was nice. However, for the cardio portion, I ‘sprinted’ around my cul-de-sac. This was a little unnerving because I’m not big on spectators, especially when displaying my slo-mo sprints! I’m no runner, and that was very evident yesterday. I did my best, though. I got a few inspiring smiles along the way, and felt great afterward!
THE WORKOUT 
4 sets of 8 reps
For exercises linked to my Bodybuilding.com article click on the article and scroll to the bottom
- Goblet Squats
- Split Squats (using chair for support) 8 reps each leg
- Box Jumps (using chair as jumping platform)
- Plyo Lunges 8 reps each leg
- Jump Squats
- Single Leg Box Jumps (using first step of the flight up to the deck) 8 reps each leg
- Cardio – 20 minutes HIIT sprints – 1 minute run, 1 minute walk
THE BOTTOM LINE
This was a solid workout, and my legs felt really pumped afterward. I was surprised and realized you can have a ‘real’ and intense session at home. I may just do it again! Try it yourself and share your thoughts.