The Men's Health 30-Day Workout Challenge

SOMETIMES, THE MOST challenging part of working out is knowing what to do. You might not have a definite goal in mind other than that you want to get moving, or that you want to look different by the time the summer season rolls around. Not everyone is wired to constantly aspire to build muscle or run fast, following a detailed program designed to elicit peak performance and radical transformation.

Just wanting to get active to live a healthier life is a worthy goal, especially if you're taking your first steps to make fitness part of your daily routine or recommitting to exercise after a break. But you have to be ready to commit to your new routine for it to be effective. That's what the Men's Health 30-Day Workout Challenge is all about: doing something every day.

Rather than limiting the focus to just one specific body part, muscle group, or type of exercise, as we have with our previous challenges, we're more interested in establishing healthy habits and introducing you to common exercise protocols that will be useful for the rest of your fitness life. Beginners can take the challenge and hold their own, while fitness pros can still push themselves to work to their full potential using these routines. You'll take on a new workout routine every day—but there will be some consistencies so you won't be constantly thrown into the deep end if you don't have a ton of experience.

All of the workouts will be comprised out of a pool of just 11 exercises, which you can see demonstrated below by the program's architect, Men's Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. Each week of the program will be focused on a different workout scheme, so you can get the swing of the structure and get comfortable within each protocol. The calendar will also be structured in a manner that allows you to flex all of your muscles, both figuratively and literally; Day 1 of each week will be focused on Mobility and Core, Day 2 is Upper Push/Pull, Day 3 is Lower body, Day 4 is a Mobility focus, Day 5 is Upper Push/Pull, Day 6 is an Upper/Lower/Core split, and Day 7 is all Core.

All you have to do is buy in. By Day 30 (or the bonus Day 31, if you're game), at the very least you'll have completed this challenge. If you put in max effort, you'll also be moving better, feeling fitter, and looking different than you did on Day 1.

For each interval workout, work for 40 seconds, then take 20 seconds off unless otherwise stated. The goal: Work for quality reps for each move. • Minute 1: Spiderman Lunge to T-Spine• Minute 2: Hollow Rock• Minute 3: Plank Shoulder Tap• Minute 4: Mountain Climber • Minute 1: Glute Bridge Reach• Minute 2: Bent-Over T• Minute 3: Pushup• Minute 4: Bent-Over T • Minute 1: Squat To T-Spine• Minute 2: Paused Squat• Minute 3: Glute Bridge Right• Minute 4: Glute Bridge Left • Minute 1: Squat to Reach• Minute 2: Glute Bridge Reach• Minute 3: Spiderman to T-Spine • Minute 1: Spiderman to T-Spine• Minute 2: Bent-Over T• Minute 3: Close-Grip Pushup• Minute 4: Bent-Over T • 1: Squat to T-Spine• 2: Glute bridge Reach• 3: Paused Squat• 4: Mountain Climber• 5: Bent-Over T• 6: Mountain Climber• 7: Pushup• 8: Mountain Climber• 9: Spiderman to T-Spine• 10: Mountain Climber Work for 40:20 first time through, then 50:10 • Minute 1: Glute Bridge Reach• Minute 2: Hollow Rock• Minute 3: Shoulder Tap• Minute 4: Mountain Climber You know the exercises you’re working with. This week, we introduce you to AMRAPS, as many rounds as possible.