Fit Mag: “Who needs a gym?… asks Siobhan Byrne”

You would be surprised at how small an area you can get a good workout in. People assume you need lots of space, but in reality, all you need is a 7ft by 3ft area. With this space you can manage everything from lunges and squats to burpees, sit-ups, mountain climbers and V-ups, to name but a few.

The key to getting a good workout in is, of course, making sure you do each exercise with the correct form. But getting the heart rate up is good too.

One of the easiest ways to do this is with exercise selection. Choose exercises that are compound or functional, so that they work multiple joints and muscles. This also saves you time.

The next thing to do is to look to alternate between working your upper and lower body – for example, a squat or a lunge followed by press up will really get the blood flowing and in turn race the heart rate.

Finally, one of my favourite ways to get a workout in a small place is to use plyometrics involving a jump in the exercise like a split-squat.

In-out squat jump

1. Start in a squat position with feet wider than shoulder width apart.
2. Jump into the air, changing your foot direction to split-squat before landing again.
3. Dip toward the floor before jumping back to squat position and completing a squat, repeating as you go, alternating legs.

Reverse lunge

1. Stand upright, holding dumbbells if you want to make it more advanced, with arms straight at your sides.
2. Take a step backward, dropping your back knee to the floor and leaning your torso slightly forward with your weight on your front leg. Push off your front foot to return to the start position.

Walk out push-up

1. Stand upright with arms by your sides.
2. Bend forward at the waist, putting your hands on the floor and walking them out into push-up position.
3. Bend forward at the waist, putting your hands on the floor and walking them out into push-up position.
4. Complete a push up, then walk your hands back into the start position.

Plank jack

1. Start on your hands and toes with your arms straight, back flat and your feet together.
2. Jump your feet out to the sides without moving your hand-position. Immediately jump back to the middle and repeat. Keep your back flat throughout.