Get fit for the summer: 5 workouts that will get you ready for the heat
Summary
Make your workouts count while the weather still helps you. Here is the ultimate guide to five high-impact fitness routines that build resilience before summer kicks in
The three best months to workout given how the sun shines in India are probably February to April. It is the best time to prime the body for the summers, get stronger, gain some good weight with whole carbs and protein and fruits and vegetables, and also sweat it out with some solid higher intensity work. The body will thank you when it becomes tougher to workout in higher temperatures. Treat them as transition months between winter and the heat.
For those who set goals in December for the new year, this is the time to see how far you’ve come and how far you have to go. The best part about fitness is that the end goal keeps changing as the body keeps changing. Keeping that in mind, make the most of April with these five workouts that test you and get you ready for the heat.
45-minute full body mobility routine: When it comes to mobility routines, EDR Fitness shows you how it’s done. It’s no fun doing 10 minutes of this unless you are serious about how to optimise the way your body should move and feel. One thing you should never lose sight of is that mobility needs to be taken as seriously as strength.
I’ve done this one only once but it is really good especially if you have been on a break for a few days and need to get the rust off the body to lift again. It can also be done at the end of a good week of exercise. The pace is slow, relaxed, has many variations and mixes the best of calisthenics and yoga moves.
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30-minute lower body and abs HIIT workout with no equipment: There’s no better test of how fit you are than going through a gruelling lower body workout. This one is nicer because it gives the leg muscles a break with some core exercises as well. The key here is not to get as many reps as possible but to make sure the body is moving when it is supposed to.
It operates on a 30-seconds-on and 10-seconds-off pattern and has six different circuits. The first five are for the legs and the finisher is for the abs. Which is unique in a way because I would usually look for a different abs workout after an HIIT circuit. If you can get through this particular workout, then you’re quite ready to sweat.
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30-minute isometric bodyweight only workout: Let’s not forget the power of strength holds. You can do this workout at home with the help of some chairs and other basic furniture. One great resource for this is fitness trainer Tom Merrick, who has more than a million subscribers on YouTube and puts out some quality content on Instagram as well and this is one of his best videos. Like many fitness videos, it was posted during the first Covid lockdown, and is quite simple in what it needs you to do.
For those who don’t want to follow along, then all you need is a list of six exercises: pike handstand hold, natural hamstring curl hold, and a supported or tucked L-sit hold. This is the first set and is followed by paused bodyweight rows, single-leg wall sits, and an oblique plank. However, it is recommended you follow the video since he has warm-ups and a cool-down integrated as well.
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30-minute back and bicep focused workout: Caroline Girvan’s workouts need to be on everyone’s follow along lists. Her non- equipment workouts are usually her most viewed videos, but this one, with light weights, can be done in the gym or at home and is a great tester of one of the most important muscle groups.
She says in the video that she focuses on the upper and middle back with a sprinkle of bicep moves as well to give you the perfect 30-minute test. Sure one can do longer back and bicep days in the gym, but to do it in a time-tested format will be a good challenge.
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Athlean-X’s chest workout for gyms: Jeff Cavaliere has come out with a new series of what he calls the “perfect" workouts for 2025. Released just two months ago, his latest chest workout is not very different from last year but has some tweaks which he has integrated. This one needs a full-fledged gym with heavier weights and a cable machine, and also a resistance band for certain warm-up moves.
He starts with an inclined dumbbell press, goes to the cable crossover and then into the floor flys. Then comes the deficit pushup ladder and dips. This is just day one. He includes the second chest day of the week as well which is a great bonus to have. These two workouts are so good and easy to understand, that they’re worth the time.
Pulasta Dhar is a football commentator and writer.
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