After working all day and commuting home from the office, it’s only natural to want to dive headfirst into your sofa and stay there all day. Netflix and chill? Yes. Work out and be productive? No. But there’s a way you can do both with the lazy girl workout (LGW).
The latest in a long line of “girl” trends (see: lazy girl job, girl dinner, girl math, and so forth and so on), the LGW is exactly as it sounds: a workout you can do when you don’t feel like working out.
The LGW trend isn’t exactly new (after all, it’s essentially a rebranded version of low-impact workouts), but it has seen a rise in popularity with more than 69.4 million views on TikTok. One of the fitness instructors contributing to the movement is Vicky Justiz, founder of Daily Thrive, a wellness app and platform. With nearly 2 million YouTube subscribers, she describes LGWs as a “gateway workout.”
“It’s a lot easier to commit to a 10-minute at-home workout than a full-blown gym routine,” she says. “Lazy girl workouts help build consistency and competency, as well as help people get comfortable with the idea of moving their body and increase their confidence.”
What is a lazy girl workout?
At its core, a lazy girl workout requires minimal effort and can be done while watching TV, scrolling on your phone, or lying down in bed. Most of the moves can be done on your back or your side, and LGWs are typically also shorter than traditional gym workouts, averaging between 10 to 15 minutes.
“It’s way less intimidating and more beginner-friendly than traditional gym workouts,” explains Justiz. “I always say that something is better than nothing, so when someone sees a quote-unquote lazy girl workout that looks easy, they’re a lot more motivated to actually give it a try because they believe in themselves and being able to do a workout.”
For those returning to exercise after an injury or starting their fitness journeys altogether, Justiz recommends a 10-minute LGW per day to build consistency. After you start to build some strength and stamina, she encourages people to start incorporating more high-intensity movements into their workout routine.
The benefits of a lazy girl workout
In addition to being low-impact, LGWs also tend to be more inclusive workouts for those with injuries and mobility issues and thereby allow people to build a more sustainable movement practice, according to Ashantis Jones, a master’s level counselor, certified personal trainer, and weight-inclusive wellness advocate.
“It’s more attainable for folks and allows them to feel a little bit more successful with their workouts because it’s something they can do while they’re doing something else that’s already on their schedule,” she says.
But it’s important not to “set it and forget it” when it comes to LGWs, as body awareness is a critical component of all fitness regimens.
“You want to make sure you’re still actively thinking about the movement that’s taking place,” says Jones. “Movement is supposed to be a very therapeutic form for us as humans, and that mind-body connection is so important.”
And while the workouts may be targeted toward “lazy girls,” the trend is really for everyone, regardless of how they identify, says Jones.
“I feel like it’s more appropriate to call it an every-girl workout,” they say. “Because it’s for all the girlies. It’s for everyone, as simple as that.”
