Home Workout With A Dish Towel

I love working out at home with simple things available in the house. Space at home has now become multi-functional, saving a lot on transport expenses. There is also less chance of falling into the trap of laziness and unnecessary excuses. 

Also, so many fitness apps and YouTube videos offer a wonderful opportunity to try different workouts and dance styles.

One of the most convenient ways to work your core is with a dish towel. You may think this seems too easy or like another fitness craze. But wait till you try it. I had my doubts about this workout when I saw it. So I decided to try it out myself.

Disclaimer: All contents in this post are for general health information only. Please consult an expert physician before trying any new exercise, diet, or health advice. There are no affiliate links attached to this post.

Why use Dish Towel to do a workout?
. Dish towel is easily available at every home.
. It is easy to use and wash.
. It is not expensive.
. Working out with a dish towel does not requires much space.
. It helps in body weight training.
. It works just like a good Slider for a workout.
. In fact, I am pretty sure that the use of a slider started as a stylish alternative to the humble dish towel. 

What are the benefits of working out with a dish towel that may not be there with other gym equipment? 

A simple, lightweight dish towel is made of cotton. It is used to support hands, elbows, knees, heels, toes, and sometimes the entire foot so they can slide across the floor easily. It is easy to use and, because of the cotton fabric, it’s easily manageable but not too slippery like satin or silk. 

A dish towel when used for workouts helps the body to avoid too much friction against the floor. As you will see below, the small size of a dish towel can be used as an advantage for workouts. 

What muscles a dish towel workout targets?

The most important muscle that every fitness geek swears by is core strength. And this is the target of the dish towel workout. The workouts are not static but a combination of using legs and hands simultaneously to achieve the best results.

Most of the dish towel workouts are done on the floor but without using the mat or any cushioning. The idea of this workout is to stay close to the floor and activate and engage your core while moving. 

The maximum number of sets that are recommended is 20 and the minimum is 10. Speed is not as important as keeping the form correct. Which means that, especially when doing plank workouts, the core should always be engaged and you should avoid arching your back too much. When your butt is sticking out, your spine suffers, and that leads to incorrect posture. 

*Not recommended for senior citizens or children under the age of seven. If you have had any injury or surgery, then please consult your physician before trying these workouts. 

Warm up before workout:

Head rolls
Shoulder and arm stretches
Toe touch
5 minutes walking on the spot
15 seconds plank

Here are the dish towel workouts.

Standing Workouts:

Side Lunge

Keep the dish towel under one foot. From the standing position, slide your foot to the side into a lunge and then come back to starting position. 5 reps on right side and 5 reps on left side.

Curtsy Lunge

Keep the dish towel underneath both your feet. From the standing position, keeping your arms either spread out to the side or on your hips, lunge backwards towards the opposite direction like shown in the pic. Don’t go too deep into the lunge or too backwards otherwise you will lose your balance. Try to keep your spine straight throughout. 5 reps on the right side lunge and 5 resps on the left side lunge.

Back Lunge

This exercise is similar to the one above. With the dish towel underneath your feet, slide one foot straight backwards. Again, not too deep and not too backwards, trying to maintain the balance and spine straight. 5 reps on the right leg and 5 reps on the left leg.

Plank workouts:

Pikes

Start in a plank position keeping your dish towel underneath your toes. Engage your core and slide upwards with your butt to the ceiling like shown in the picture. Balance by shifting your weight to the arms. Return to starting plank position. 5 to 8 reps.

Mountain climber

Starting from a basic plank position with a dish towel underneath your toes, pull your knee towards your chest like you are climbing a mountain. Alternate legs while maintaining the balance and weight on your arms. Keep your core engaged and do at least 10 reps. 

Leg Floor wiper and push up

From the plank position and dish towel under the toes, slide one leg outwards keeping your knees straight while coming down to do a push up. Everytime you wipe your leg outwards, you do a push up and then return to the starting plank position. 5 reps to the right side and 5 reps to the left side.

Plank hand walks

This exercise may seem easy as long as there are no obstrctions like furniture, baby, dog, or a cat coming in the way. From the basic plank position with dish towels under your palms, slide one arm forward and then drag your feet forward. Now do the same with the other arm. Basically, you are sliding across the floor with the strength of your arms and core. Try 10 reps or may be less. Remember keeping your form correct is very important to target the correct muscles.

Side to side knee tucks

From the plank position and dish towels under your toes, slide and bend your knees towards your chest. You can do a variation by tucking your knees towards the arms instead of the chest. So, first bend your knees towards the right arm, stretch your knees to starting plank, and then bend your knees towards the left arm, and then stretch to plank. 5 reps on each side.

Arm circles in supine position

Lie flat on your stomach with your arms stretched above your head. With dish towels under your palms, slide your arms to the sides together and at the same time lift your upper body. Come back to the starting position. 10 reps. 

Hamstring curls

Lie on your back, knees bent, with the dish towel under your feet. Keep your arms by your side. Lift the hips up into a bridge without arching your back, keeping your chest, stomach, and knees in one straight line. Slide both feet forward out almost straightening your legs and then come back to bridge position. Keep your core engaged throughout and don’t forget to breathe at an even pace. 10 reps.

Straight leg forward and backward swipe with hand support

Lyign on your back and dish towel under your feet, lift your body with the support of your arms like shown in the picture. Slide one foot out and return to bend knee position. Alternate legs. 10 reps or more, depending on your strength and stamina.

Cool down stretches

Final Thoughts

My experience of trying the dish towel workout has been rewarding. Of course, my room looks cleaner with all the sliding and dragging. I have a deeper arch in my back, so I really challenge myself to keep my form correct while doing all the above workouts. Even though each workout requires just 10 reps, I ended up sweating. Not everyone is comfortable doing workouts so close to the floor. It’s like discovering your relationship to gravity at a completely different and diverse level. This workout is an interesting way to start bodyweight training with just a dish towel.