Between vacations, kids being home for summer and body-baring fashions, you often need quick and efficient total body workouts that will have you dripping in sweat in an hour or less. (Who can spare more time?) This TOTAL BODY WORKOUT will have your arms, abs, butt and thighs feeling tight, so you can rock your swimsuit and summer gear. Grab a towel, and let’s get to work!
TOTAL BODY BLAST WORKOUT
1. Train quickly and with intensity.
2. No rest between the exercises. If you need a rest, keep it to 15-30 seconds.
3. Use a weight that challenges you, but allows you to complete all of the reps.
CARDIO 1, REPEAT 3 TIMES (6 MIN)
1 min: StepMill, low to moderate intensity
1 min: StepMill, high intensity
CIRCUIT 1, REPEAT 3 SETS (15 MIN or less)
10 leg raises
20 reverse crunches
25 regular crunches holding 10-lb weight
25 regular crunches, no weight
15 (each leg) alternating lunges holding dumbbells
20 sumo squats, holding 1 dumbbell or plate
CARDIO 2, REPEAT 2 TIMES (6 MIN)
1 min: Treadmill, 5.5 mph – 6.5 mph, Incline 3%
1 min: Treadmill, 5.5 mph – 6.5 mph, Incline 5%
1 min: Treadmill, 5.5 mph – 6.5 mph, Incline 7%
CIRCUIT 2, REPEAT 3 SETS: (15 min or less)
15 dumbbell shoulder presses
15 dumbbell side lateral raises
15 barbell biceps curls
15 bench triceps dips with plate or dumbbell in lap
20 high jumps (KICK IT UP: hold a 10-lb weight while jumping)
1 minute high knees run in place (KICK IT UP: hold a 10-lb weight while running)
CARDIO 3, REPEAT 5 TIMES (5 MIN)
45 sec: Treadmill, 7.5 mph-9.5 mph, Incline 1%
15 sec: Jump off treadmill and rest
CIRCUIT 3, REPEAT 3 SETS: (15 MIN or less)
10 Smith Machine squats
10 Smith Machine lunges
10 Smith Machine push-ups (set bar low)
10 Smith Machine pull-ups*
IF YOU STILL HAVE TIME, FINISH WITH…
100 no weight squats
100 crunches
50 mountain climbers
20 burpees
* Smith Machine Pull-Up: Set Smith Machine bar at shoulder height. Hold the bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulders. Walk feet forward and under bar until body is at an incline and you’re balanced on heels with your feet together. Keeping wrists straight, straighten arms and hang in a plank position. (Your body should form a straight line from shoulders to heels.) Keep hips lifted, abs drawn in and butt and legs tight. Maintaining the plank, draw shoulder blades down and together. Then bend elbows out to sides and pull your body up to bar. The bar should be over your breastbone at top of movement. Slowly lower while staying in the plank, keeping abs tight.
Push Toward Your Best
Remember to appreciate where you are TODAY in your fitness and life journey. We all get so caught up in where we are going, what we are working toward and the things we want to change, that we rarely take time to just bask in our current awesomeness. So, go ahead and do it. Take a good long look in the mirror and account for all the work your have done for your health, your body, your mind and your soul. Be grateful for all you got. It’ll infuse you with potent positive goodness to keep you smiling and moving.
Keep pushing— your best is waiting.
