If you’ve heard of the new mini workouts trend, you may have heard about “workout stacking.” To understand stacking, think of one longer dynamic workout made up of smaller, targeted components. If you’d like to learn more, keep reading – we’ll explain several methods for workout stacking right here!
Workout stacking refers to combining several mini workouts, or workout snacks, to create one longer workout. You can use a few different methods to create your own customized, stacked workout, including:
- Full body
- Single muscle group
- Multiple muscle groups
- Opposites
In the rest of this article, we’ll explain each of these methods in more detail (and include examples!) so you can confidently create your own workout plan. So, let’s get started!
4 Ways To Stack Your Workouts
Full Body
To create a full body workout, you’ll need to target each of the main muscle groups – abs, arms, legs, and back. You could choose four 10-minute workouts that target each one individually, or you could select workouts that hit multiple areas at the same time.
To round out your full-body workout, you can also add a foot workout and a cool down stretch. Make sure your stretch targets the same body parts that you worked out, instead of exclusively focusing on legs or arms.
Here’s an example of a stacked full body workout that incorporates several different types of workout routine:
10-Minute Ab Workout + 10-Minute Stationary Bike Ride + 10-Minute Arms and Back Workout + 5-Minute Foot Workout + 10-Minute Stretch
Single Muscle Group
Another way to approach stacking your workouts is focusing on a single muscle group. For example, if you focus on your legs, your exercises should target your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves. You can select a separate mini workout for each one.
Here’s an example of a stacked workout that focuses on every part of your abs:
5-Minute Core Warmup + 10-Minute Mid Core Workout + 10-Minute Oblique Workout + 10-Minute Lower Ab Workout
Multiple Muscle Groups
Building off the previous workout stacking method, you can also create workouts targeting related muscle groups. The goal in this method is to group parts of your body that naturally work together.
Some good combinations are legs and abs; arms, chest, and back; or feet, legs, and back. These areas of your body mutually support each other and benefit from being worked out together.
Here’s an example of a stacked workout sequence that targets the arms, chest, and back:
10-Minute Bodyweight Arm Workout + 10-Minute Weighted Chest Workout + 10-Minute Pilates Back Workout
Opposites
Finally, you can stack workouts by pairing opposite styles to challenge your body in different directions. For example, you could follow a weightlifting workout with a stretch session, or start with a HIIT cardio workout and end with a series of static exercises.
Here’s an example of a stacked workout sequence featuring opposites:
20-Minute Kettlebell Cardio Workout + 20-Minute Yoga Class
Stacking your workouts is a great way to customize your workout experience fully. We hope this article gave you some ideas to create a workout plan that works perfectly for your interests and body!
