Kirsty Godso Shows How to Master the At-Home Workout Without Equipment
“I miss the gym, but I’m good at being creative,” Kirsty Godso, the Nike Master Trainer and founder of Made Of protein powder, says with a laugh. Now, without battle ropes and gymnastic rings at her disposal, Godso, who’s been social distancing at home in her Manhattan apartment, has been keeping her svelte physique in check with just the tools she has at the ready: a couch, chair, or even just socks.
“A lot of people don’t have a Pilates ball or dumbbells at home, but everyone has socks,” Godso says of the cozy, compact clothing that works well as a substitute for gliders. “Sock exercises can build stability and strength”—two areas of focus well worth our attention, she notes, as many of us find ourselves with some extra hours on our hands: “Whatever happens after this time, hopefully you’ll have such better control of your body.”
From her favorite heart rate-boosting core exercise to a three-way lengthening and toning lunge, a socks-clad Godso demonstrates the 5 best at-home workout moves to try now, below.
Run through this combination once for a quick full-body fire-up, or repeat 1-2 times for a full workout, taking 1 minute to rest after the full cycle.
Three-Way Sock Lunge
With your weight on your right foot, reach your left leg straight out in front of you, hingeing at the hips and keeping your chest tall. Return to starting position. Reach left leg straight to the side, while keeping your weight centered and sit into a squat position. Return to starting position. Slide the left leg straight back into a long reverse lunge making sure to focus on a controlled hinge at the hips with torso hingeing forward also. Push into the right foot to control yourself back to the starting position. You’ll feel this in your right glute and left inner thigh. Do 8 reps. Switch sides.
Iso Squat Sock Reach
Standing with your feet together, lower down into a squat position and hold. Reach your arms up overhead with the biceps framing your ears and hands slightly forward of the face. (This will fire up your core before you even start to move.) Keeping your isometric squat the entire time, reach one leg out to the side, pointing through the toe. Return to starting position. Spread your feet onto the floor and think about putting extra weight in the heels to light up the back line of the body. Repeat on the other side. Do 8 reps.
Sock Typewriter
Start in a high plank position with your hands under shoulders and your back long and flat. Start to travel sideways by shifting hands and feet like you’re in a traveling mountain climber. Make sure to keep your body weight forward and use your core to avoid dumping your weight into your wrists. Take 4 steps sideways. Do 8 reps.
Tricep Dip and Sock Slide
Start sitting on the floor with your fingertips facing your heels, hands under shoulders, and feet hip width apart. Lift into a reverse tabletop position. Squeeze your glutes to hold your hips up and tuck your chin slightly but not excessively. Lower down into a tricep dip, elbows grazing past your rib cage as you tap your hips to the floor. At the same time, one leg extends straight out. Lift your hips back to the starting position, making sure to dig the heel into the floor to get a hamstring curl as you drive the leg back in. Alternate legs and repeat on each side. Do 16 reps.
Angled Hamstring Sock Curls
Start lying on your back, knees bent and stacked over ankles, and feet pressing into the floor. Press up into a bridge and hold. Press arms into the floor to open the collarbone and get some bonus work in the triceps. Dig heels into the floor, lift toes, and extend both legs straight out in front of you. Curl them back in. On the next rep, angle out slightly (about 45 degrees), and draw back in. Do 8 reps. Repeat on other side.
