Search Results for: curtsey lunge

25-Minute Circuit Workout with Cardio Blasts: Legs & Butt

October 27, 2017 by Nicole 3 Comments

Happy Friday! I’m looking forward to a busy, fun weekend. Tonight I’m heading to Credo for a makeup event with some other Boston “influencers” (I hate using that word to describe myself but “Instagrammers” also sounds weird—can’t win) and tomorrow I’m doing a photoshoot with Reebok. I’m really excited for the shoot but admittedly a little nervous. Getting the chance to work with a big fitness brand brings out the little insecurities as my mind falls into the comparison trap (I don’t have a visible, ripped six pack; I’m not flexible enough to do crazy-cool poses; blah blah blah). It’s useless chatter that doesn’t serve me and I’m sure the shoot is going to be a blast and my tight hip flexors and l will be fabulous. *snaps fingers and flips hair*

Now to shift focus on to a photoshoot I most definitely was not nervous about … let’s talk about me alone in my living room with a camera set up on a tripod (aka today’s workout). 😉 This 25-minute circuit workout focuses on legs and butt and damn did it burn!

25-Minute Circuit Workout with HIIT Blasts: Legs & Butt

EQUIPMENT I USED:

20-lb kettlebell (you can use a dumbbell, or just your bodyweight if you’re a beginner!)—pick a weight that works for your fitness level
Resistance band loop

This workout is broken up into four mini circuits. For each of the circuits, you do three exercises for 30 seconds each, three times through. So that’s four and a half minutes of continuous work. You then rest for 30 seconds and finish the circuit with 30 seconds of cardio finisher. The last circuit is a little different in that instead of resting after the circuit, you go right into your finisher which is just a 30-second hold.

I’m using a 20-lb kettlebell but you could totally do this with a dumbbell and, as always, adjust the weight to fit your current fitness level. I’m also using a resistance band loop. If you don’t have one, don’t sweat it. All the exercises can be done without it as well (and will still be challenging, I promise).

As with all workouts, make sure to warm up beforehand. I have a 5-minute warm up on my YouTube channel or you can do your own. Listen to your body and modify as needed. If something doesn’t feel right, stop. There’s a difference between challenging your body and hurting it—let’s stick to the former!

Circuit 1

30 seconds each exercise x3 – loop band around thighs, use weight

Sumo Squat | Hold your weight at your chest with elbows in tight (like a goblet squat). Feet are a little wider than hip’s width apart, toes are angled out. Keep your chest open and upright, shoulders back and you bend your knees and sink down into your squat. Actively push out against the resistance band so that your knees track in line with your middle toes the whole time. Press back to the top, bringing your hips forward and squeezing your butt at the top.

Sumo Squat Pulses | Hold your lowest squat and pulse up and down at the bottom. For these, you’re going to keep the weight at your chest as long as you can. When it gets to be too much, place it on the floor but stay low in your pulses!

Low Squat Side to Side Step | No weight for this one (unless you’re really advanced and want it—then be my guest!). Staying in a low squat position, you’re going to walk side to side, three or four steps to the left and three or four steps to the right. You want tension on the resistance band the whole time so never let your feet come in too narrow as you do these. Think wide and low.

CARDIO BLAST (30 sec): Squat Jacks | No weight for this one either. Start in a low squat position with feet wide, weight in your heels, low abs engaged, hips back. Staying low in a squat, jump your feet in close together and then jump your feet out wide again to the starting position. When your feet are wide, bring one hand to touch the ground, alternating hands each time.

Circuit 2 – RIGHT LEG

30 seconds each exercise x3 – use weight

Single Leg Deadlift to Reverse Lunge | Hold the weight in your left hand. Your right foot will stay firmly planted on the ground the whole time. Left toes are *lightly* on the floor about six inches behind the right foot. From here, do your deadlift, sending your hips back and hinging from the hips as you lower the weight towards the floor. This is a hinge, not a squat, so the weight doesn’t need to come all the way down to the ground. Keep your chest open as you do this. Come back to stand and then step your left foot far back behind you, sinking into a reverse lunge. Come back up, bringing the left toes lightly to the ground behind the right and repeat.

Curtsy Lunge | Start standing with feet hip-width apart, weight held at your chest. To modify, do these without the weight. From here, sink down into your curtsey lunge: right foot stays planted on the ground and as you bend that right knee, reach your left foot behind it as far to the right as you can until the ball of the left foot is planted on the ground as well. From this deep lunge position, you’re going to slowly stand up on the right foot, bringing the left foot back to center, lighting touching it to the ground (don’t shift too much weight into that left side)

Reverse Lunge to Low Squat | No weight for this one (unless you want it, in which case rock on!). Start in a low squat position. Staying low, step your left foot back into a low lunge and then quickly back up to the squat. You continue lightly stepping back and up, staying low through the legs and keeping weight in your right heel. This one burns!

CARDIO BLAST (30 sec): Sprinter Hops | Start in a low lunge position with right foot forward and fingertips lightly on the ground framing your front foot. From here, you’re going to hop everything off the ground (your feet barely need to leave the floor) and land right back low. Keep your chest open as you do these (try not to hunch). If mobility issues make these ones tough, do regular lunge hops with your torso upright instead of getting so low through the upper body.

Circuit 3 – REPEAT CIRCUIT 2 ON LEFT LEG

Circuit 4

30 seconds each exercise x3 – resistance band loop around thighs

Circuit 4 is five straight minutes of hip bridge work (talk about a glute burn!). If you want it to be harder, you can place your feet on an elevated surface or place a weight across your hips. In the video for this workout, I talk a bit about form in hip bridge exercises and if you’re new to working out, it’s definitely worth watching. Scroll up to the embedded video and fast forward to 20:05 for form tips.

Hip Bridge Lifts | Start laying on your back with knees bent, feet hip’s width apart, heels under knees, arms by side. Pressing into your heels and squeezing into your glutes, lift your hips up to a bridge position. Lower back down to hover your hips over the floor (try not to rest them)

Hip Bridge Pulses Out + Up | Hold the top of your bridge and pulse your knees out wide against the resistance band then pulse your hips up an inch higher to the ceiling. Continue pulsing out and up.

Hip Bridge March | Holding the top of your bridge, you’re going to lift one foot at a time, crunching the knee in towards your chest like a march. Try to keep your hips level as you do this (both hip bones same distance from the ceiling). If your resistance band rides up during this, don’t sweat it, just keep on marching.

FINISHER (30 sec): Hip Bridge Hold | Hold the top of your bridge.

WEARING | (outfit c/o of adidas) leggings / tank / sports bra / sneakers

I know that last picture of my outfit has nothing to do with the workout, I just think it’s cute. [insert sassy girl emoji] Speaking of cute …

Activewear Sale Alert!

Now until 10/29 you can take 20% off your *first* order from Carbon38 with the code CARBON20. I pretty much want every single piece of activewear on their site, but if you’re looking for specific suggestions, almost everything in this fall style roundup post I did last month is from Carbon38. Shop the site HERE.

Links to equipment and outfit details are affiliate.

Filed Under: Butt, Hand Weights/Dumbbells, Kettlebell, Lower Body, Video, Workouts

Lower Body Circuit Workout with HIIT Bursts

October 5, 2016 by Nicole 2 Comments

You have no idea how many technical difficulties I had making this post–every electronic device I own mutinied on me yesterday. So a day and a half later than planned, let’s just get right to it…

Consider THIS with Weighted Low-Body Exercises

Before getting to the workout, I want to talk a little about choosing weights for the exercises we’ll be doing in the circuit portion. With weighted lower body exercises, don’t just think to yourself “Ok, how much extra weight can I handle for these exercises?” Consider where that added weight will be. A squat with a 20-lb dumbbell held at your chest, for example, will feel different from a squat with two 10-lb dumbbells held at your shoulders. That added front weight is going to alter your center of gravity and will require your back to work a bit harder to stabilize. This is especially true for any exercise in which your torso is hinging forward rather than remaining perfectly upright.

I mention this because you can really use any weight (dumbbell/s, kettlebell, medicine ball, etc.) for this circuit (or just body weight!), and if you go with a singular weight, you’d be holding it at your chest. If your form is on point and you know these exercises like the back of your hand, challenge yourself–go heavy! But if you’re newer to working out or have any history of back issues, I’d definitely encourage you to go lighter than you think you can handle. And that goes for everyone, regardless of where you’ll be holding your weight (shoulders, chest, down to your sides).

Lower Body Circuit Workout with HIIT Bursts

Equipment:

Set of dumbbells (or just one held at chest) — I’m using 8-lb weights because they’re the heaviest available at the studio where I filmed the workout. Normally I would have gone with 12-lbs. (No complaints haha).
Exercise mat — I didn’t have one when I filmed and my knees were angry during the surrenders. Use a mat!
Interval timer — I used this tabata iPhone app for the HIIT bursts and a regular stopwatch for the circuit.

For this workout, you’ll be alternating between a circuit of low-body exercises and a quick 2-minute bodyweight HIIT. The HIIT is all about speed and doing as many reps as you can in the given work interval. The circuit is about control and challenging yourself with weight load (keeping the above info in mind!). Each time you go through the circuit, you’ll stay on it for a shorter period of time.

Breakdown of the Workout:

Exercises and descriptions can be found below the pictorial. You’ll get 15 seconds of rest in between sides and before/after the HIIT.

Weighted Circuit on the Right (45 sec each exercise)
Weighted Circuit on the Left (45 sec each exercise)
2-Min HIIT Blast
Weighted Circuit on the Right (30 sec each exercise)
Weighted Circuit on the Left (30 sec each exercise)
2-Min HIIT Blast
Weighted Circuit on the Right (15 sec each exercise)
Weighted Circuit on the Left (15 sec each exercise)
2-Min HIIT Blast

Make sure to warm up before starting this workout (here’s a 5-minute warm up you can do at home). Always listen to your body and modify as needed!

Weighted Circuit

Complete 45/30/15 seconds of each exercise on the right then repeat on the left. Try to go from one exercise to the next without rest. If it gets to be too much, just slow down the pace. You can rest for 15 seconds in between the right and left legs.

Side Lunge to Knee Raise | Start standing with one weight at each shoulder. Step your right foot out wide to the side, bending that knee and sinking your hips back and down into a deep side lunge. Press off that right foot to push yourself back up to standing, but instead of bringing your right foot to the floor, drive the knee up and into your chest and then lunge right back down to the side.

Make it easier: No knee raise; come back up to standing with both feet on the floor instead.
Make it harder: Add a hop off the left foot as you drive your right knee into the chest at the top.

Curtsy Lunge to Side Kick | Start standing with feet hip-width apart. From here, sink down into your curtsey lunge: right foot stays planted on the ground and as you bend that right knee, reach your left foot behind it as far to the right as you can, planting the ball of the foot down. As you come back up to standing, swing that back leg up and out to the left side in a wide kick. As if sweeps back down, lower into your next curtsy lunge.

Squat to Surrender | Start standing with weights at shoulders, feet a little wider than hip’s width apart. Squat down, sliding your hips back and down, keeping your chest open. From here, come to a kneeling position, stepping your right foot back behind you, planting the ball of the foot and knee on the floor and then doing the same with the left. Continuing to lead with the right, return to a low squat position, stepping the right foot forward onto the floor and then the left. From this low squat position, straighten the legs as you drive the hips forward to your starting position.

HIIT Blast

Set a timer for 4 rounds of 20 second work and 10 seconds rest. You’ll go through the following four exercises (20 sec on each with 10 sec rest in between).

Squat Jacks | Start in a low squat position with feet wide. Staying low in a squat, jump your feet in close together and then jump your feet out wide again to the starting position. When your feet are wide, one hand should come to the ground in front. Continue jacking your feet in and out, staying low in the squat and alternating which hands touches the floor (this ensures you’re staying low through the legs!).

Lunge Hop RIGHT | Start in a split-stance lunge position: both knees bent to 90 degrees, right foot flat in front; left foot in back, ball of the foot planted on the ground. Keeping the same foot in front/back, you hop a few inches into the air and land softly back into your starting position. Your legs are never fully straightening during this; it’s a small upward hop, pushing off the balls of the feet. To modify, take out the jump and just pulse at the bottom.

Lunge Hop LEFT

Hot Feet | You probably know these best as a basketball or football drill. You essentially run in place as fast as you can while in a wide-leg squat position. With your feet a bit wider than hip-width apart, squat down. Staying low, you’ll quickly run your feet up and down, staying on the balls of your feet and barely picking them off the floor (an inch or two) so that you can maintain the speed.

WEARING | Terez SU2C Mantra leggings (5% of sales are donated to Stand Up To Cancer) // GAP tank // adidas neo sneakers (also love them in black with the marbled sole!) // Athleta bra (sold out in orange but much cuter colors available)

Just to highlight what’s mentioned above in the outfit details, the leggings I’m wearing in today’s post give back! Terez (also the makers of these skull leggings everyone loves) will donate a portion of the proceeds to Stand Up To Cancer.

Outfit detail links are affiliate (except the charitable one). I appreciate your support!

Filed Under: Hand Weights/Dumbbells, Interval Training, Lower Body, Video, Workouts

15-Minute Lateral Low Body Workout (Video)

April 28, 2016 by Nicole 8 Comments

Wow my butt is feeling it after shooting this workout yesterday! 🙂

Today’s workout is going to focus on lateral movements and the outsides of our lower body (abductors). It’s great for everyone, but can be especially beneficial for runners. Running is a very forward-backward, single-plane activity so to prevent muscle imbalances, it’s good to mix in some workouts using lateral (side-to-side) movements. I loved megaformer workouts during marathon training for this reason–the lateral sliding on the machine is so good!

I teamed up with Iron Lily on this workout, so let’s first take a second to admire the leggings I’m wearing! Iron Lily is an LA-based women’s activewear line to which I was recently introduced. As a newer brand, the current collection is small, but I instantly was drawn to their leggings. The mesh panel, color blocking and visible seams are totally on trend, and the compression material makes them great for high-intensity workouts. If you like leggings that really hold everything in place, you’ll love these. And the waistband is wide and comes up high enough that the compression material is still flattering around your stomach.

I’m wearing the Vanquish Leggings which retail at $106. It’s a higher price point (although definitely not as high as other brands I’ve seen!), but the quality is great and they’re made right here in the good ol’ USA, which I love. Check them out here!

15-Minute Lateral Low Body Workout

Watch the Video

This 15-minute workout is going to target your lower body using lots of lateral movements. So think abductors. We’re opening up the hips and forcing the outer thigh/side butt area to work. The 15 minutes is broken up into three exercise combos. After each 3-minute combo, you’ll do a 60-second cardio blast. No equipment is needed.

Combo 1 | Curtsy Lunge + Curtsy Lunge Hold (Balance!)

30 seconds of movement + 10 seconds holding x6 (3 times each leg, alternating)

Curtsy Lunge | Start standing with feet hip-width apart. From here, sink down into your curtsey lunge: right foot stays planted on the ground and as you bend that right knee, reach your left foot behind it as far to the right as you can until it hovers off the ground. To modify, plant the ball of your foot on the floor for stability instead. From this deep lunge position, you’re going to press back up to standing, just lightly tapping your left foot to the floor before sinking back down into your next rep.

Curtsy Lunge Hold | Hold the bottom of your curtsy lunge and then try to hover the back left foot off the ground so that you’re balancing low on your right side.

Speed Skater 60 seconds

These are like side-to-side leaping curtsy lunges. Leap to the right, landing on your right foot and bending down to touch the ground by your foot with your left hand as you swoop your left foot behind the right (think of a curtsy). Come up, leaping left and reversing the move. Keep it going quickly, back and forth, trying to never let that back foot come to rest on the ground—keep the weight in the foot you land on.

Combo 2 | Hydrant Crunch with Lift + Pulses (Straight)

30 seconds of movement + 10 seconds pulsing x6 (3 times each leg, alternating)

Hydrant Crunch with Lift | You’ll be in a stacked/open tabletop position for this one. To set up, get onto all fours and then lower onto your left elbow. Open up your right hip like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant so that your hips are stacked and you’re facing the side of the room rather than the floor. From here, you’re going to crunch the right knee in towards the right shoulder. Extend it back out straight and then lift it up as high as you can keeping the hips stable and lower. Repeat.

Straight Leg Pulses | Hold the leg out straight, thigh bone rotated open (knee and toes point to the wall, not the floor) and from there pulse up and down.

Speed Skater 60 seconds

Combo 3 | Sumo Squat Lifts + Pulse Wide

30 seconds of movement + 10 seconds pulsing x6 (3 times each leg, alternating)

Sumo Squat with Lift | This is a wide-stance squat with a lateral leg lift. Feet wider than hip-distance apart, squat down low. Shift your weight into the left side and then as you begin to straighten the left side and rise up, lift the right leg straight up and out to the side. Lower it, bringing your weight back to center in that deep squat.

Wide Sumo Squat Pulses | Hold a wide squat and angle your toes outward, knees tracking in line with toes. From here, you’re going to pulse your legs out wide (think of pulling your knees towards the back of the room while you squeeze your glutes).

Speed Skater 60 seconds

And you’re done!

Good Stretches to Do after This Workout

These are two great stretch options for this particular workout:

WEARING | leggings c/o Iron Lily // tank c/o Reebok (old but similar here) // Nike sneakers

Let me know in the comments if you try the workout!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Iron Lily. While I was compensated for my time, all opinions–as always!–are my own. I appreciate your support of the brands who make this blog possible! 🙂

Filed Under: Bodyweight, Butt, Cardio, Interval Training, Lower Body, Video, Workouts