This 12 Days of Christmas Workout Challenge is the perfect way to keep your workout routine fun and festive this holiday season!
This post includes two different versions of the workout. One that requires no equipment – meaning you can do from the comfort of your living room or hassle free with a family and friends. The other option is a lifting based workout for more advanced lifters and fitness fanatics.
Which ever you choose, both are sure to spark some Christmas joy!
What is the 12 Days of Christmas Workout Challenge?
The 12 Days of Christmas Workout challenge is a fun way to get active during the holiday season. It is a spinoff for the Christmas holiday song, “12 Days of Christmas“.
“On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me…”
This song is the perfect start to a really powerful and killer workout as well as bringing festive energy and motivation.
During the workout, you will be performing 12 different exercises a variety of different times. The HIIT version of the workout uses body weight exercises that are designed to elevate your heart rate to help burn maximum calories. Additionally, each exercises targets a different part of the body resulting in a complete full-body workout.
The lifting version of the workout incorporates weights and more strength based. This workout is ideal for individuals with experience lifting as proper form is essential with heavier weights.
How to do the 12 Days of Christmas Workout
This workout includes 12 different exercises and 12 rounds. Make sure you are familiar with each one before beginning the workout.
On the first round, you will begin by completing the first exercises one time.
Then you will go on to the next round. You will complete the second exercise two times and then the first exercise one time.
The third round, you will complete the third exercise three times, the second exercise two times and the first exercise one time. Continue this pattern for all 12 rounds.
Therefore, the last round is include all 12 exercises with the respective number of repetitions. (#12 twelve times, #11 eleven times, #10 ten times, #9 nine times…etc.)
Resting in-between rounds is optional. However, for an added challenge, try only rest to switch exercises or rounds.
Don’t be fooled though, this workout moves quickly at the beginning, however becomes more challenging as you complete each round. Try to keep up the speed and you will feel the burn.
See below for the complete workouts.
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12 Days of Christmas Exercises
HITT Workout Challenge (No equipment)
- 1: 30 second plank hold
- 2: Straight leg sit ups
- 3: Burpees
- 4: Push ups
- 5: Mountain climbers
- 6: Lunges
- 7: Tricep dips
- 8: Glute bridges
- 9: Crunches
- 10: Calf raises
- 11: Jumping jacks
- 12: Squats
See below for a more complete overview and breakdown of each round.
Lifting Workout Challenge
- 1: Power clean
- 2: Front squats
- 3: Push presses
- 4: Pull ups
- 5: Thrusters
- 6: Kettle bell swings
- 7: Bent over row
- 8: Walking lunges
- 9: Deadlifts
- 10: Burpees
- 11: Box jumps
- 12: Shoulder presses
Each exercises can use both dumbbells or barbells. You can modify based on your preference and lifting comfortability. See below for a more complete overview and breakdown of each round.
Workout Breakdown Guide
Here is the complete workout breakdown for both the HIIT challenge and lifting challenges. Each workout is 12 rounds and adds one exercise each round.
HIIT Workout Challenge:
Round 1:
- 30 second plank hold
Round 2:
- 2 Straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Round 3:
- 3 Burpees
- 2 straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Round 4:
- 4 Push ups
- 3 Burpees
- 2 Straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Round 5:
- 5 Mountain climbers
- 4 Push ups
- 3 Burpees
- 2 Straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Round 6:
- 6 Lunges (3 each leg)
- 5 Mountain Climbers
- 4 Push ups
- 3 Burpees
- 2 Straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Round 7:
- 7 Tricep dips
- 6 Lunges (3 each leg)
- 5 Mountain Climbers
- 4 Push ups
- 3 Burpees
- 2 Straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Round 8:
- 8 Glute Bridges
- 7 Tricep dips
- 6 Lunges (3 each leg)
- 5 Mountain Climbers
- 4 Push ups
- 3 Burpees
- 2 Straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Round 9:
- 9 Crunches
- 8 Glute Bridges
- 7 Tricep dips
- 6 Lunges (3 each leg)
- 5 Mountain Climbers
- 4 Push ups
- 3 Burpees
- 2 Straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Round 10:
- 10 Calf raises
- 9 Crunches
- 8 Glute Bridges
- 7 Tricep dips
- 6 Lunges (3 each leg)
- 5 Mountain Climbers
- 4 Push ups
- 3 Burpees
- 2 Straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Round 11:
- 11 Jumping jacks
- 10 Calf raises
- 9 Crunches
- 8 Glute Bridges
- 7 Tricep dips
- 6 Lunges (3 each leg)
- 5 Mountain Climbers
- 4 Push ups
- 3 Burpees
- 2 Straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Round 12:
- 12 Squats
- 11 Jumping jacks
- 10 Calf raises
- 9 Crunches
- 8 Glute Bridges
- 7 Tricep dips
- 6 Lunges (3 each leg)
- 5 Mountain Climbers
- 4 Push ups
- 3 Burpees
- 2 Straight leg sit ups
- 30 second plank hold
Lifting Workout Challenge
Round 1:
- 1 Power clean
Round 2:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
Round 3:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
- 3 Push presses
Round 4:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
- 3 Push presses
- 4 Pull ups
Round 5:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
- 3 Push presses
- 4 Pull ups
- 5 Thrusters
Round 6:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
- 3 Push presses
- 4 Pull ups
- 5 Thrusters
- 6 Kettle bell swings
Round 7:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
- 3 Push presses
- 4 Pull ups
- 5 Thrusters
- 6 Kettle bell swings
- 7 Bent over rows
Round 8:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
- 3 Push presses
- 4 Pull ups
- 5 Thrusters
- 6 Kettle bell swings
- 7 Bent over rows
- 8 Walking lunges
Round 9:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
- 3 Push presses
- 4 Pull ups
- 5 Thrusters
- 6 Kettle bell swings
- 7 Bent over rows
- 8 Walking lunges
- 9 Deadlifts
Round 10:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
- 3 Push presses
- 4 Pull ups
- 5 Thrusters
- 6 Kettle bell swings
- 7 Bent over rows
- 8 Walking lunges
- 9 Deadlifts
- 10 Burpees
Round 11:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
- 3 Push presses
- 4 Pull ups
- 5 Thrusters
- 6 Kettle bell swings
- 7 Bent over rows
- 8 Walking lunges
- 9 Deadlifts
- 10 Burpees
- 11 Box jumps
Round 12:
- 1 Power clean
- 2 Front squats
- 3 Push presses
- 4 Pull ups
- 5 Thrusters
- 6 Kettle bell swings
- 7 Bent over rows
- 8 Walking lunges
- 9 Deadlifts
- 10 Burpees
- 11 Box jumps
- 12 Shoulder presses
These workouts may seem straight-forward and simple at the beginning but are actually fairly physically challenging when completed in its entirety. These exercises start adding up and your muscle become tired and fatigued quickly.
Try to stay motivated and push through. Turning on Christmas exercise music or ‘pump up’ music can help make it a more motivating and enjoyable experience.
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