6 Exercises You Can Literally Do In Bed

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For almost every lazy girl problem, there’s a lazy girl solution, even when it comes to your fitness game. When your head says workout but your heart says bed, you can have both, believe it or not. You can do these six exercises without even leaving your cozy comforter—but getting some movement in might just be the boost you need to get #UpNOut for real.

Chosen for SELF by FitFusion trainer Kenta Seki, these moves are all about you and your bodyweight (and for a couple of moves, a pillow, too). Try them on their own while you’re watching Netflix on your laptop next to you, or combine all six into a workout by repeating the circuit two to three times.

1. Forearm Plank — hold for 30 seconds

Valerie Fischel

“This is a great exercise to get a lot of the muscles in your body engaged all at once,” says Seki. “Your core, quads, chest, and back all fire up and get stronger.”

• Start with your forearms and knees on your bed, shoulder-width apart. Elbows should be stacked underneath the shoulders, your forearms straight in front of you on the bed.
• Lift your knees off the bed and push your feet back to bring your body to full extension, so your body creates one long line. 
• Keep your core tight and your hips lifted, and keep your neck in line with your spine. “Make sure you keep your weight evenly distributed between your hands and your elbows, without letting your elbows sink too deeply into your mattress,” says Seki. And keep breathing!
• Hold for 30 seconds.

2. Downward Dog To Plank — 15 reps

Whitney Thielman

“A big benefit of doing this exercise on your bed is the cushioning your wrists get from your mattress,” says Seki. “It can remove any strain you might normally feel in your wrists when doing them on the floor.”

• Start in high plank with your hands and wrists stacked directly under your shoulders, your body in one straight line.
• Keep both hands and feet on the ground, shift back into downward dog so your butt is in the air and your heels are closer to the bed. 
• Shift forward into high plank. “Shifting forward and backward between these poses increases hamstring flexibility and tones your shoulders,” says Seki.
• That’s 1 rep, do 15.

3. Pilates Roll-Up — 15 reps

Whitney Thielman

“This exercise is great for strengthening your abs, while increasing the flexibility of your lower back and hamstrings simultaneously,” says Seki. “Reach for your toes a little further each time.”

• Lie faceup on mat with arms resting on floor above head.
• Float arms up so wrists are directly over shoulders, and begin to curl your spine up and off the floor.
• Fold over legs, forming a “U” shape with body. Reverse movement to lower back to mat.
• “If you have a very soft mattress and find it too difficult to perform a full roll up, place a pillow beneath your hips to elevate them slightly,” suggests Seki.
• That’s 1 rep, do 15.

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