With the festive season just around the corner, there’s no better time to start getting into the holiday spirit than with a 12 Days of Christmas workout!
This lifting workout is designed to help you build strength and muscle endurance while having a bit of fun, so you can keep up with all the holiday festivities and head into the new year with all your strength. Let’s go!
Why Add a Fun Fitness Routine Into Your Festive Season?
The holiday season is a time for fun, family, and friends. But it can also be a time of stress, overindulging, and lack of exercise.
Adding a fun fitness routine into your festive season can help offset some of the inevitable holiday indulgence and help you stay on track with your fitness goals, whether you’re a cross-training enthusiast, Powerlifter or just someone looking for some healthy holiday fun!
This 12 days of Christmas lifting workout is the perfect way to add some fitness fun into your holiday season, whether you’re working out at home or with a great Powerlifting coach. This workout combines strength training with a bit of festive cheer, so you can stay strong and healthy all season long.
How To Use the 12 Days of Christmas Workout
This workout is designed to be done as a circuit, adding more reps of each exercise as you go. So, on day one you’ll do one power clean, on day two you’ll do two push presses in addition to the power clean from day one, and so on.
The goal is to complete all 12 days of the workout before Christmas Day – so ideally start on the 12th of December, but really you can do this workout at any time over the holidays.
For the early days with few exercises or just one exercise, you can do each lift for some additional reps to add to your workout time, or alternatively you can focus on accessory exercises – like pull ups or other bodyweight exercises – to work up to your desired lift and really work on your form.
As you get further into the 12 Days workout and the number of lifts per day gets higher, you may find you don’t need those repeated early reps. These lifting workouts may start off easy breezy, but by day 12 you’ll be feeling that heart pumping and those muscles burning!
Note: If you find you can’t make it through the whole circuit, you can always break it down into smaller sets to complete the workout.
Whatever your fitness level, remember to warm up thoroughly before starting this workout and cool down afterwards. And remember – focus on form! This is a great opportunity to really work on your lifting technique and master some of those difficult lifts.
Have fun and enjoy getting stronger this holiday season!
Your 12 Days of Christmas Workout: Lifting Edition
As a weight recommendation we advise doing all the exercises with the same weight on the bar. To find your ideal load, take the exercise that you are weakest in, and choose a weight you could do for 10 reps.
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Power clean
The first exercise in this circuit is just one rep. A nice easy start.
To practice your power clean, start with the bar on the ground and use your legs to lift it up, then bring it towards your shoulders while tucking your elbows under and standing tall. Lower the bar back down to the ground in a controlled movement.
The power clean makes a great lift for building strength, power, and muscular endurance.
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Push presses
On day two, add in two push presses. Start with the bar at shoulder level and use your legs to drive the weight up towards the ceiling. Lower it back down to shoulder level under control before repeating for your second rep.
The push press makes a great overhead exercise for building upper body strength and power.
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Snatches
Day three brings three snatches into the mix. This is a more advanced lift, so take your time and make sure to have good form.
Start with the bar on the ground, drive it up towards your shoulders and then use that momentum to continue lifting it above your head in one smooth motion. Lower it back down to the ground under control, before repeating for your remaining reps.
The snatch is a great full body exercise that works on power, strength, and coordination.
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Overhead squats
On day four, add in four overhead squats. Start with the bar held overhead and then lower into a squat, making sure to keep your core engaged and the bar steady overhead throughout the movement. To release, stand back up to start position, engaging your glutes and core, before lowering the bar.
The overhead squat is fantastic for building core strength as well as leg and shoulder strength.
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Thrusters
Day five brings in five thrusters. To do a thruster, start with the bar at shoulder level and then lower into a squat before driving upwards, using that momentum to press the bar overhead. Lower it back down to shoulder level before repeating for your remaining reps.
This exercise combines both a squat and an overhead press for some serious full body strength building.
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Hang cleans
On day six, add in six hang cleans. This lift starts with the bar at hip level and using your legs to drive upwards, bring the bar towards your shoulders while tucking your elbows under. Lower the bar back down to hip level before repeating for your remaining reps.
The hang clean is great for building power and muscular endurance in the upper body, legs, and core.
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Push jerks
Day seven includes seven push jerks. Start with the bar at shoulder level and elbows slightly in front of the bar and then dip down, before using your legs to drive upwards and pressing the bar overhead, landing with legs bent in a quarter squat position (this makes it different from a push press). Lower the bar back down under control before repeating for your remaining reps.
The push jerk is a great exercise for building upper body strength and power as well as coordination.
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Bent over rows
By now, you’ll be feeling it! But don’t give up! On day eight, add in eight bent over rows.
Start bent over with a flat back and the bar hanging down in front of you. With your shoulders rolled back and engaged, use your back muscles to bring the weight up towards your chest, keeping the core engaged and back flat throughout the movement. Lower it back down under control before repeating for your remaining reps.
The bent over row is fantastic for building strength, stability and muscle in the back, core and arms.
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Front squats
Next up, we add nine front squats. Start with the bar held on the shoulders with the elbows raised in front of the bar and then lower into a squat, making sure to keep your core engaged and chest lifted throughout the movement. Stand back up to start position before repeating for your remaining reps.
The front squat is great for building strength in the legs and core as well as improving stability and balance.
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Back squats
The tenth day of this Christmas workout adds in ten back squats. Start with the bar resting on your upper back and then lower into a squat, making sure to keep your chest lifted and core engaged throughout the movement. Stand back up to start position before repeating for your remaining reps.
The back squat is a great exercise for building strength and power in the legs, glutes and core, but make sure to avoid these common squat mistakes while lifting!
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Deadlifts
On day 11, add in eleven deadlifts. Start with the bar just above the ground and then, keeping your back flat and core engaged, lift the weight towards your thighs before lowering it back down under control.
The deadlift is a fantastic full body exercise that builds strength and power in the legs, glutes, back and core.
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Clean and jerks
In the final round of our Christmas workout we add 12 clean and jerks. This lift starts with the bar just above the ground. Using your legs to drive upwards, bring the bar towards your shoulders while tucking your elbows under. From here, dip down slightly before driving upwards and pressing the bar overhead, landing with legs bent in either a squat or a split position. Lower it back down under control before repeating for your remaining reps.
The clean and jerk is great for building power and explosive strength in the upper body, legs and core.
12 Days of Christmas Workout FAQs
What is the 12 Days of Christmas workout?
The 12 Days of Christmas workout is a strength training circuit where you add more reps of each exercise as you go, following the song “12 Days of Christmas.” It’s a fun way to mix up your lifting routine and get in a good workout during the busy holiday season.
How long does the 12 days of Christmas workout take?
This will vary depending on the weight you use and how many reps you do for each exercise, but it typically takes around 45 minutes to an hour to complete all 12 days of the circuit. The circuit length can be built up each day or broken into smaller sets if needed.
How many reps are in 12 Days of Christmas?
On day 12, the final round of the circuit, you will do 12 reps of the final exercise, in addition to 11 from the previous day, 10 from the 10 before, and so on. In total, there are 78 reps in the 12 Days of Christmas workout, which is why we recommend breaking it up into smaller sets if needed.
Can I modify the 12 Days of Christmas workout?
Absolutely! This workout can be modified for any fitness level by adjusting the weight and reps used, or focusing on technique and form with lighter weights rather than going for max reps.
Alternatively, you can add in additional accessory exercises to work up to your desired lifting weight. The important thing is to find a version of the workout that challenges you and helps you reach your fitness goals.
Looking To Improve Your Lifting in a Top-Quality London Gym?
So, there you have it! Add these exercises in with your regular workouts to get a strength building, muscle sculpting Christmas workout that will leave you feeling strong and confident heading into the new year. And don’t forget to stretch and cool down after each workout, and make sure to listen to your body and give it rest when needed.
If you want a hand perfecting any of the lifts in this 12 days of Christmas workout, why not stop by our gym? Our Powerlifting Coaches can help you work on your form, strength and endurance with our expert strength training classes.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this fun lifting routine. Happy holidays!