Spell Your Name Workout Challenge

Spell Your Name Workout Challenge

Tired of the same old boring HIIT bodyweight workouts?

Want to add some pizazz to your workouts? 

You should try a spell your name workout challenge. 

They are fun and can add variety to your workout sessions!  They can be done at home, in groups outside or at the gym.

What Is It?

A spell your name workout is a circuit that is determined by the letters of your name. 

Find the letters of your name in the list and do the corresponding exercise, moving quickly from one to the next. 

For a quick workout, just use your first name.

Mix It Up

For a longer spell your name workout challenge, use your first, middle and last name. 

If you’re feeling really frisky, repeat the circuit multiple times! 

To give yourself a little breathing break in between, run around the block or to the end of the street and back. 

Can you feel the burn already?  😉

Spell Your Name Workout

Below are the spell your name workout exercises!

Jumping Jacks

Spell Your Name Workout

This exercise is an old gym class classic. 

It’s great for warming up, getting the blood flowing. 

If you do them fast enough, you will work up a sweat!

  • To start, stand with your feet together and hands at your side.
  • Jump and spread you feet out while at the same time raising both arms over you head.  Finish by bringing hands and feet back to the starting position, then repeat.

Push-Ups

Spell Your Name Workout

This great bodyweight exercise works your chest, shoulders and arms.

  • Lay on the floor with both hands about shoulder width apart.
  • With one motion, push-up with your arms until they are extended.
  • Your body should stay in a straight line throughout the exercise.
  • Return the starting position and repeat.

Burpees

Spell Your Name Workout

The spell your name workout challenge would not be complete without burpees

They are one of the best bodyweight exercises and also one of the most dreaded

That’s because they hammer most of the major muscles groups.  Burpees are great for burning calories!

  • Stand with you hands to your side.  Bend the knees and plant your palms on the ground in front of you.
  • In one motion, jump your feet behind you so that you are in a plank position.
  • Jump or walk you feet back into the bent over position.
  • With your quads, jump forcefully up while raising your arms overhead.
  • Land on your feet and repeat.

For variation, try doing a push-up while in the plank position.

Crunches

Spell Your Name Workout
  • Lay on your back with both hands behind your head.  Knees should be bent and feet planted on the ground a comfortable distance from your rear end.
  • Focusing on and using your abdominal muscles, slowly curl your upper body towards your pelvis and then knees.
  • Lower backwards and repeat.

For variation, try doing crunches on a stability ball, holding a weight in both hands or touching each elbow to the opposite knee.

Jump Squats

Spell Your Name Workout

This spell your name workout move works both the quads as well as the glutes

You will be feeling the burn after doing these babies!

  • With feet shoulder width apart, ease your hips down and back into a squat position.  To help with balance, keep your arms extended in front of you.
  • Next, use your glutes to drive you up and out of the squat, rolling off the ball of your feet.  At the same time, raising your arms upwards to help with the jump motion.
  • Land softly and repeat.

Mountain Climbers

Spell Your Name Workout

This is one of my favorite exercises! 

Mountain climbers work your abs, glutes and upper body – all at the same time.

  • Get in a plank position with your hands on the ground, shoulder width apart, your back and legs in a straight line.
  • Engaging your abs, bring your right knee as far forwards towards your chest as you can.  Your toe should be just off the ground during this motion. Return to the plank.
  • Switch and bring your left knee as far forwards towards your chest as you can.  Keep repeating this motion with both legs while speeding up the pace.  At some point, this motion will feel like you are running while in a plank position.

Wall Balls

Spell Your Name Workout

Wall balls are modified squats where both the legs and upper body are worked.

  • Hold a decent sized medicine ball (8-10lbs) in your hands at chest level.  Feet are at least shoulder width apart, possibly wider.  Ease your hips down and back into a squat position.
  • Then with explosive force, push up & out of the squat.  While at the same time, throwing the medicine ball up and into the wall. Catch the medicine ball and repeat the squat/throw.

Jump Rope

Spell Your Name Workout

This old classic is a killer cardio exercise!!  Don’t believe me? 

Try doing a hundred of them and watch the sweat come a rolling down! 😉

  • Stand with jump rope in both hands and rope behind you.
  • Twist your wrists forward which will bring the rope up and over you.  The secret to jumping rope is to stay on the balls of your feet and toes (ie..not your whole foot).
  • As the rope comes towards your feet, while on the balls of your feet/toes, jump only as high as needed to let the rope pass underneath and repeat.  With jumping rope, timing is everything.

Walking Lunges

Spell Your Name Workout

Quad and glute muscle builder here!

  • Stand tall with both feet normal hip distance apart.
  • With hands on your hips take a large step with your right leg.  As you step, bend your right leg until it is at a 90 degree angle.  Your left knee should bend down and barely touch the ground.  Rise and move your left foot to where your right foot is moving forward.
  • Repeat the walking lunge with your left leg, while continuing to “walk forward” while performing the lunges

Tricep Dips

Spell Your Name Workout

You can do this exercise on a chair, a ledge or on steps.

  • Back up to one of the above and wrap your hands over the edge.  Your legs should be at an angle to the ground.  The edge of the chair should be lightly touching your back.
  • Bending your elbows, lower your body down as far or as little as you desire.  Try to keep your body close to the chair.
  • Push your body straight back up to the starting position.

Heavy Dumbbell Curls

Spell Your Name Workout

Dumbbell curls are great for building the bicep muscles. 

Using a heavier weight for these curls will help promote muscle growth.

  • Holding a dumbbell in both hands, slowly curl one arm up until the bicep muscle is contracted.  As you lower that one, curl the dumbbell in the other hand up.  Repeat this process.
  • Focus on really contracting the bicep on the raise.  For a variation, you can hold the dumbbells at your side and rotate them on the way up for an extra contraction.

Flutter Kicks

Spell Your Name Workout

This is another excellent core strengthening exercise for the spell your name workout.

  • Lay on your back, with legs extended and arms to your side on the floor.
  • Raise both legs so that your feet are about 1-2 feet off the ground.
  • Begin fluttering both feet up and down in an alternating kicking motion. Make sure your feet stay elevated and don’t touch the ground.

Plank Taps

Spell Your Name Workout

Plank Taps are a fun variation of a normal straight plank.

  • Get in a plank position with your hands on the ground, shoulder width apart, your back and legs in a straight line.
  • Balancing on your right hand, raise your left hand and “tap” your right shoulder.  Lower left hand to the starting position.
  • Balancing on your left hand, raise your right hand and “tap” your left shoulder.  Lower right hand to the starting position.
  • Repeat

Side Plank

Spell Your Name Workout

This type of plank strengthens the oblique abdominal muscles

A side plank is more challenging than a normal straight plank. 

You will need to really focus on engaging your obliques to keep your body in a straight line.

  • A side plank is just what is says – a plank done on your side.
  • Lay on one side, stacking your legs on top of each other.  Use the arm closest to the ground to raise your body, along with contracting your obliques.  Doing so, lift your body into a straight line and hold it there.
  • You can hold the plank on your forearm.  For a more advanced move, extend your arm all the way and hold it on your hand.  Some people like to raise the opposite arm into the air during the side plank.
  • Switch sides and repeat.

Wrap-Up

The spell your name workout is a circuit that is determined by the letters of your name. 

It is an awesome way to shake things up and add some fun variety to your workouts! 

To do a quick spell your name workout challenge, use just your first name. 

For a longer more challenging workout, use your first, middle and last names. 

You can use the above spell your name workout challenge, or if you want, make your own! 

Feel free to modify exercises on the challenge or add new exercises that you enjoy doing!

Photo of author

Pat Gould

I'm an avid runner having completed 5 full marathons and countless half's. I love everything about the outdoors and doing my best to stay active!
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