Welcome to the WORKOUT OF THE WEEK #1.

Please read THIS before you continue with this week’s post.

So I have set up this workout so that we are doing 8 different exercises- each exercise for 20 seconds and have 10 seconds to recover in between. The total amount of time including recovery time is just 3 minutes and 50 seconds. So this entire set can be repeated 2-3 times. Believe me, you will feel it.

So here it is:

WARM UP: 3-5 minutes

STEP UP, STEP DOWN: 20 seconds

RECOVER : 10 Seconds

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS: 20 seconds

RECOVER: 10 Seconds

SQUAT JUMPS: 20 seconds

RECOVER: 10 seconds

LYING DOWN LEG CROSSES: 20 seconds

RECOVER: 10 seconds

WOODEN SOLDIERS: 20 seconds

RECOVER: 10 Seconds

JUMPING LUNGES: 20 seconds

RECOVER: 10 seconds

HIGH KNEES WITH OVERHEAD ARMS:20 seconds

RECOVER: 10 seconds

JUMPING JACKS: 20 seconds

REPEAT 1-2 times with a minute break in between.

COOL DOWN AND STRETCH: 3-5 minutes

Some tips for each exercise are at the end of this post.

Here’s a timer to help you move from one exercise to recover to the next exercise. Its just set up for one round of the workout so you will have to start it again when repeating it.

Have fun with it… and please do let me know if you try it.

RECOVER: It means just keep walking around where you are, catching your breath, grabbing a sip of water- not lie down!!

STEP UP, STEP DOWN:

Keep your back straight and don’t hunch your shoulders. To make it harder, look for higher steps around your house, but be sure it’s a safe/ stable surface. Another option is to hold some weights in your hands as you do the move.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS:

Keep your body straight, bring each knee up as high as you can, as if you are trying to wack yourself in the chin with your knee (sounds delightful, eh?)!!

Keep your core engaged in this process – first so that you get the most out of the move and more importantly, so that you don’t strain your back. 

SQUAT JUMPS:

Start in a squat position and jump straight up, landing back into a squat position. If you want to touch the ground with your hand that makes it harder since you have to be low enough to touch the ground. To make it more difficult turn 180 degrees when you are in the air so that you will be facing the opposite direction when you land back into a squat. These are hard, but are actually one of my favorites!!

If you don’t want to do jump squats, just do regular squats for 20 seconds.

LYING DOWN LEG CROSSES:

When bringing your legs together to cross, try to exhale all the air inside you, which will contract your stomach muscles too. You want to consciously engage your core at this point as this helps reduce the hip flexor getting all the action and thus give your core more of a workout. 

WOODEN SOLDIERS:

These are typically used in dynamic stretching but I like to incorporate them in the midst of these circuits too. Keep your legs and back as straight as possible as you bring each leg up, with alternate arm reaching straight out towards the foot. You don’t have to touch your toes, but just reach towards it.

JUMPING LUNGES:

Start in a lunge position,  then jump and while in the air switch your legs so that you land once agin in a lunge with the opposite legs forward and behind. If you don’t want to do jump lunges you can just do regular lunges. HIGH KNEES WITH OVERHEAD ARMS:

Legs: Standing straight and as you bring one knee up so that the thigh is parallel to the ground. Bring that leg back down and then lift the opposite knee up so that this thigh is now parallel to the ground.

Arms: Bring your arms down so that your hands are on either side of the lifted leg.

When bringing the leg down lift your arms over your head and form an arc and then you bring your arms down on the opposite side on either side of the now lifted other leg.

Hope that didn’t sound too confusing. 

JUMPING JACKS:

You can go as fast or slow with these. It’s at the end and you might be getting tired- push through it and give it all you’ve got.

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