Beginner & Experienced Benchmark Workouts to Track Fitness Gains

Your fitness achievements should never be gauged by a number on the scale! We have a tendency to group exercise and weight loss together, which prevents us from celebrating our fitness achievements independently from weight loss goals.

One of the best ways to measure your fitness progress is to conduct a benchmark workout. I usually have a client benchmark where she is at the beginning of her fitness journey and revisit the same workout in a month or two. The strength and cardiovascular gains are always so impressive (and encouraging)!

Your benchmark can be one or several exercises. I always tie the exercises to the overall goal my client has identified. If my client has a goal to do 20 push-ups, I will make sure “doing push-ups to exhaustion” is one of her benchmark exercises. I also make sure I incorporate exercises that test balance. We always need to be working on our balance and flexibility! Whatever exercises you choose, make sure you always go in the same order when you do the benchmark workout.

I’m including some of my favorite benchmark exercises below. Take time this summer to benchmark where you are at and revisit it again this fall. You will be amazed at your progress!

For additional ideas about benchmarking, visit my other post “Three Ways to Measure Your Fitness Progress”.

Benchmark Exercises/Workout:

Plank to exhaustion. Plank time: ________________

Wall sit for as long as you can: ___________ Minutes (Make sure your arms are out straight, crossed over your chest or against the wall. No bracing your hands against your legs.)

Push-ups to exhaustion: __________ Repetitions

Total number of Jumping Jacks in one minute: ______ Repetitions

Balancing on one leg (Warrior 3 Pose) Time for Left:_________ Time for Right:__________

How long it takes you to do 100 walking lunges (option: while holding dumbbells): ________Minutes (50 lunges per leg)

Waterfalls/Ball Exchanges in one minute: _______Repetitions

On-the-ground Triceps Dips (or on bench):__________ Repetitions (until exhaustion)

Balancing on one leg with arms straight overhead – and looking up at the ceiling:

_______ Left Leg _______Right Leg

Top 5 Most Popular Workouts of 2019

I’m always interested to see what workouts on this site get the most traffic and interest. All of the workouts on this list are bodyweight workouts, so you don’t need equipment. You can easily do them from the comfort of your home, at the gym or even in a hotel room. Many of these workouts have knee-friendly or wrist-friendly variations, so be sure to scroll down through all of the workouts.

My five most popular workouts for 2019 are:

5. At-Home Tabata Workout (An equally popular workout on this blog post is the Knee-Friendly Tabata workout.)

Click on the image for instructions on how to set up a Tabata timer and do the exercises.

4. Heading Back to the Gym Bodyweight Workout - Beginners Workout, Knee-Friendly Workout and Wrist-Friendly Workout

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

3. Bodyweight Cardio Workout You Can Do Anywhere

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

2. Bodyweight Knee-Friendly Workout

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

1. Five Minute Ab Workout

Click on the workout image for additional information about the workout and the specific exercises.

Visit my workout page for more cardio, strength training and HIIT workouts.

Can Exercise Tone Flabby Arms?

Can exercise tone flabby arms? Absolutely! We all carry our weight in different parts of our bodies, and for some people, their upper arms are a common place. Exercise can’t spot reduce a specific area of your body; however, a balanced diet coupled with exercise can help reduce body fat – including the backs of the arms.

Triceps exercises will help strengthen your triceps muscles, which will help reduce the appearance of flabby upper arms. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) sponsored a study to identify the most effective triceps exercises. After testing several well-known movements, the triangle push-up was identified as the most effective triceps exercise.

If you are hoping to strengthen your triceps, check out my quick, five-minute “banish flabby arms” workout that you can tack on to an existing workout or if you are short on time, do it by itself. Additionally, I’m including some of my favorite cardio and strength training workouts, which will help with overall weight loss and strength training.

5 minute Triceps Workout:

12 Triangle Push-ups

12 Triceps Dips on the Ground

12 Triceps Kickbacks

Repeat 2-3 times total.

Here are some of my favorite workouts to help burn calories and strengthen muscles:

Small-Space Workout

Isometric Burn Workout

20-Min. AMRAP Workout

Personal Trainer's Top 3 Tips for Exercising

I’ve been a personal trainer for many years, and there are three tips that I wish the general public knew: 1) don’t let an old injury or sore body part keep you from exercising 2) you know your body best and 3) all exercise is beneficial – even if it’s only for 5-10 minutes!

If you have a sore knee, you don’t need to forgo exercising altogether. There are so many knee-friendly modifications that can be made for your workouts. It would be worth hiring a personal trainer for one or two sessions to share modifications for popular workout moves. 

Sore lower back? Avoid exercises that require you to have both of your feet/legs hovering off the ground (if you are lying on your back); opt for a plank rather than lying double leg lifts. Again, research back-friendly workouts or hire an exercise professional to share some modifications.

I have had dozens of clients come to me with a variety of physical ailments – plantar fasciitis, artificial hips, artificial knees, rheumatoid arthritis, broken arms and legs, etc. We always find a way to keep them active while being conscious of the injured area. (In some instances, we are able to strengthen and improve the functionality of a chronically injured body part!)

You Know Your Body Best

No matter how experienced an exercise professional is, he or she does not know your body as well as you do. If a movement hurts, stop. Tell the individual that you don’t want to do that movement or explain the discomfort you are feeling. There are so many exercise modifications that it’s easy to substitute another movement.

I want clients to tell me when something is painful, uncomfortable or if they don’t feel the movement. On many occasions, I’m able to identify a muscle weakness because of their feedback. We can then focus on strengthening that body part.

Exercise – Even If It’s For 5 Minutes

Moving your body is beneficial. If you only have 10 minutes, work out for 10 minutes!  Being active is the overall goal, so fit exercise in wherever you can. We are working out to improve our overall health, which means any and all activity is welcome.

Many times, a client will tell me she didn’t exercise because she only had 20 minutes. A 20-minute workout is all you need on most days. I have several 5, 7, 10 and 20-minute workouts on my workout page. Check them out if you are needing a fast workout!

You can be active even if you have an injured body part or have limited time. However, remember that you know your body the best! If you need modifications or have questions, please comment below or email me!

If you are interested in doing a low-impact workout or one that is modified for sore knees or wrists, check out some of my favorites:

Wrist-friendly Bodyweight Workout

Best Workout for Bad Knees

Back-friendly Ab Workout

Low-Impact, Full-Body Workout