"POSTSEASON WORKOUT"

Originally Published on October 12, 2016

If you're a baseball fan, chances are you're excited about watching postseason games this October but if you're like me, that just means you now have less time in the day to get everything done.

That's why I made up this simple workout one night so I could exercise and watch the Cubs at the same time.

It's an easy-to-follow, no-equipment-necessary routine that's based on what's happening in the game.

Grab your tennis shoes, a water bottle, and turn the channel to your favorite team. You can do this for 20 minutes, the first 3 innings, or until you can't anymore. It's all up to you! Just make sure you're taking breaks and drinking water whenever you need to and breathing the whole time. Let's get started.

PREGAME: STRETCH AND WARM UP!

Before the game (and your workout) starts you want to make sure you're stretched out and warmed up. So march in place, touch your toes, do a couple side lunges, whatever you need to do to get your blood pumping and muscles ready to work. Your workout officially starts when the first pitch is thrown.

DURING THE PITCH: JUMP!

Each and every time the pitcher winds up, bend your knees. When the pitch is thrown, jump straight up as high as you can. Get started on your next move right away depending on what the batter does.

BETWEEN PITCHES: JUMPING JACKS!

Baseball is a slow game and there's lots of downtime between pitches. Keep your heart rate up by doing basic jumping jacks in between each pitch of a player's at-bat.

BALL IN PLAY: FAST FEET!

If the batter puts the ball in play, run in place as fast as you can until the play is over.

BETWEEN BATTERS: SQUATS!

After the play is over, do basic squats until the next batter receives his first pitch. Keep your feet shoulder width apart and sit back as if you were sitting in a chair. Make sure your knees stay directly over your toes and try to go down far enough so that your thighs are parallel with the floor. If you wish, you can hold a dumbbell to make these a bit harder but you certainly don't have to.

RUN SCORES: PUSH UPS!

For every run scored, do 5 push-ups. If you can, make them regular push-ups with your hands and toes on the ground but if that's too difficult, you can do modified push-ups with your hands and knees on the ground instead. Just make sure you have a straight, flat back whichever way you choose to do it.

DELAY IN GAME: CALF RAISERS!

Whether it’s a challenge, an injury, or a timeout, there's bound to be some time when the game is delayed. This is a great time for calf raisers. While standing, simply come up to your toes and then go back down. If you want you can use your dumbbell for this too but you will have time to get plenty of calf raisers in so the dumbbell isn't necessary.

COMMERCIALS: AB WORK!

Commercials are the perfect time for ab work. We will do three different exercises, one for each commercial. If there are more than three commercials during your workout just start the rotation again.

1ST COMMERCIAL: PLANKS!

To do a plank, get up on your toes and forearms and make sure your body makes a straight line from your neck to your heels. Hold this position for as long as you can, shooting for at least 30 seconds. When you need to stop, take a quick break and get right back up again. Continue this until the commercial is over.

2ND COMMERCIAL: LEG LIFTS!

Lay flat on your back and lift your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Keeping your legs straight, lower them slowly until they almost reach the floor, and then slowly lift them back up again. Don't let your legs hit the floor until after the commercial is over. When you need a break, hold your legs straight up again instead.

3RD COMMERCIALS: BASIC CRUNCH!

Lay flat on your back with your knees bent and raise your head, neck, and shoulders up toward the ceiling. Be sure to support your neck with your hands but don't pull it. Try to see how many you can do before the commercial is up.

Once you decide you're done with your workout, take a half inning or so to stretch out and cool down. After that's done you have finished your postseason workout! Hopefully, the Cubs have a nice lead by now :)

Thanks for joining me in this workout today! Let me know what you thought about it!