The 20-Minute Garage Workout

• Hold something for balance and swing one leg forward and back.
• Start small and let the range grow with every swing.
• Stay tall — the movement is at the hip, not the lower back.

Common mistake: Throwing the leg straight to its end range on rep one.

• Face a wall, swing one leg across your body and back out.
• Toes pointed forward, hips square, chest tall.

Common mistake: Twisting the whole body instead of moving at the hip.

• Step into a long lunge, back knee off the floor, both hands inside the front foot.
• Drop the inside elbow toward the front ankle, then rotate and reach that arm to the ceiling.
• Finish by pushing the hips back and straightening the front leg, then switch sides.

Common mistake: Rushing through it. Hold each position for a full breath.

• March first: knee to hip height, opposite arm forward, tall through the chest.
• Then add a small skip. Quick off the ground, stay light on the feet.

Common mistake: Leaning back as the knee comes up.

On the spot is fine if you are short of room.

• Push off the outside leg and bound sideways, landing on the other foot.
• Stick the landing for a beat, hips back and knee over toes, then bound back.
• Add distance as the landings get cleaner. This is your skating stride.

Common mistake: Landing with the knee caving or the chest falling over the knee.

• Swing the arms back, then throw them forward as you jump out, not up.
• Stick the landing: feet hip-width, knees over toes. Hold it for 2 seconds.
• Mark your best one each session.

Common mistake: Knees caving in on landing, or falling forward out of it.

• Back foot on a bench, front foot far enough forward that the shin stays near vertical.
• Lower straight down until the back knee is just above the floor.
• Drive up through the front heel. The single best stride builder here.

Common mistake: Standing too close to the bench, which jams the front knee forward.

• Feet on a bench, body in one line from heels to head.
• Elbows about 45 degrees, chest to the floor, then press away.

Common mistake: Hips sagging or piking up. Squeeze the glutes and hold the line.

Feet on the floor is fine to start.

• Hop forward a short way on one leg and freeze the landing for 2 seconds.
• Knee in line with the middle toes, hips level.
• Only add distance when every landing is quiet and steady.

Common mistake: The knee diving inward when you land.

• Top leg on a bench, bottom leg off the floor, body in a straight line.
• Start short — knee on the bench instead of the ankle — and build up.

Common mistake: Letting the hips sag. Stop the set the moment the line breaks.

Start with the knee on the bench, not the ankle.

• Back knee against a wall or couch, shin up the wall, front foot flat in a lunge.
• Squeeze the glute on the back-leg side and bring your chest upright until the front of the hip stretches.
• Too intense? Let the front knee sit lower and your hands rest on the front knee.

Common mistake: Arching the lower back instead of squeezing the glute.

• On your back, ankle across the opposite knee, pull the bottom thigh toward you.
• Head and shoulders stay down on the floor.

Common mistake: Pulling on the crossed knee instead of the thigh behind it.