Kitchen Workout: 7 Moves to Do While Dinner Cooks

Pasta takes ten minutes. Fish fingers take fifteen. A slow cooker takes all day, but you still end up standing around stirring things at 5.30pm while the kids do homework at the table. That is free training time. A kitchen workout uses those little gaps while dinner cooks to squeeze in some strength work, and it needs nothing more than a worktop, a wall and a tin of beans.

I suggest this to parents who swear they have no time to exercise. Most of them, it turns out, have 20 minutes a day standing at the hob. Here is how to use it.

Kitchen safety first

Hot pans, sharp knives and small children do not mix with exercise, so a few rules:

• Never exercise next to a pan that is boiling or frying. Do your sets a step or two away, and go back to stir between sets.
• Turn pan handles inwards so nobody can knock them.
• Wear shoes or grippy socks. Kitchen floors can be slippery.
• If little ones are around, keep them on the other side of the room from the hob, not under your feet.
• Use a sturdy worktop for push-ups, never a table that could tip.

The kitchen workout exercises

1. Worktop push-ups

Hands on the edge of the worktop, slightly wider than shoulders, walk your feet back until your body is in a straight line. Lower your chest to the edge and push back. The worktop is the perfect height for beginners. Aim for 8 to 15 reps. To make it harder, move your hands to a lower surface, like a sturdy chair or the bottom stair. My push-up progression for beginners shows how to work your way down to the floor.

2. Calf raises at the hob

This one you can do while stirring, as long as you are steady. Stand tall, rise onto the balls of your feet, pause, lower slowly. Do 15 to 25 reps. Harder: one leg at a time, holding the worktop for balance (away from the pan).

3. Split squats

Stand in a long stride with one hand on the worktop. Lower your back knee towards the floor, then press back up through your front foot. Do 8 to 12 reps on each leg. Harder: hold a heavy shopping bag or a bag of potatoes in your free hand.

4. Wall sit

Back against the kitchen wall or fridge door, slide down until your thighs are as close to parallel with the floor as is comfortable. Hold for 20 to 45 seconds. Great for when you are waiting for the timer to beep.

5. Tin can rows

Hinge forward with a flat back, one hand on the worktop, and row a heavy tin, bottle of water or bag of flour up towards your hip. Squeeze your shoulder blade back. Do 12 to 15 each side. If you have a kettlebell, even better.

6. Countertop plank

Forearms on the worktop, feet back, body straight. Hold for 20 to 40 seconds. It is an easier plank than the floor version, and no chance of getting crumbs in your face.

7. Hip hinge with a broom

Hold a broom handle along your back, touching your head, upper back and tailbone. Push your hips back and hinge forward without the broom losing contact. Do 10 slow reps. This teaches the movement pattern for deadlifts and lifting kids off the floor.

Three ways to fit it around dinner

The 10-minute pasta plan

Put the pasta on. Then, every two minutes, do one exercise and go back to stir:

• Minute 0-2: 12 worktop push-ups
• Minute 2-4: 10 split squats each leg
• Minute 4-6: 15 tin can rows each side
• Minute 6-8: 30-second wall sit
• Minute 8-10: 20 calf raises while you drain the pasta (carefully)

The oven timer circuit

If something is in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, do three rounds of: 10 worktop push-ups, 10 split squats each leg, 12 rows each side, 30-second countertop plank. Rest a minute between rounds. That is a proper session.

The “every time you wait” rule

Waiting for the kettle? 10 calf raises. Waiting for the microwave? A wall sit. Over a week, these tiny bits add up, which is the whole idea behind exercise snacks for busy parents.

Make it a family thing

Kids love copying. While you wait for dinner, challenge them to wall sits (“who can last longest?”) or calf raise races. Teenagers might even be persuaded to do push-ups against the worktop if you turn it into a competition. It is a nice way to spend time together and keeps everyone out from under the hob.

And while we are in the kitchen: what you cook matters as much as what you do while it cooks. My guide to meal prep for busy families has simple ideas for getting decent food on the table without spending your whole evening on it.

What a kitchen workout cannot do

Cooking-time training is a great way to build a habit and keep moving. But it has limits. You cannot lift much weight, you cannot really push hard with pans on the go, and you are always half-distracted. For real strength gains, you need some focused sessions where you can work harder and learn good technique.

That is what my classes are for. In the SYP Built To Last functional strength class, we take the same moves you practise at the worktop, like squats, hinges, rows and push-ups, and load them properly with kettlebells, with coaching on every rep. Then your kitchen sessions become extra practice between classes.

FAQs

Does exercising while cooking really make a difference?

Yes, especially if you do it most days. Short, regular bouts of strength work add up, help you feel stronger and make you more likely to keep exercising.

Is it safe to exercise while cooking?

Yes, if you are sensible. Stay a step or two away from hot pans, keep handles turned in and stop to stir between sets.

What can I use as weights in the kitchen?

Tins, bottles of water, bags of flour or potatoes, or a shopping bag with a few heavy items. Make sure the handles are strong.

How many times a week should I do it?

Most evenings is fine because each session is short. If you feel very sore, skip a day or do only calf raises and planks.

Book your first class

Ready for a session where you can focus on yourself, without a pan on the hob? SYP Bootcamp runs 45-minute small-group classes indoors in Archway N19, max 10 people, every move with an easier and harder option, £15 a class. You will get the timetable when you book. Book my £15 class, or call or WhatsApp me on 07301 512215. If you and your partner would like to train together with me later on, see my partner personal training.

About the author

Artem Olekhnovych is a personal trainer in Archway and the founder of SYP Fitness and SYP Bootcamp. He has coached clients in Archway, Highgate and across North London for over 10 years, and runs small-group bootcamp classes for busy mums and dads. Read reviews from his 1-1 clients.