Step HIIT Workout for Lower Body – 15 Minutes

March 18, 2019 by 1 Comment
Step HIIT Workout for Lower Body - This HIIT workout uses a step bench and weight to burn out the lower body. #stepper #hiit #lowerbodyworkout #stepworkout

This step hiit workout will take you just under 15 minutes to complete and targets lower body. I’m using a cube stepper, but a longer step bench works great, too.

When I was home visiting my parents last week on the Vineyard, I shot a bunch of stepper workouts. I keep my step bench there because I have zero space in my apartment. I know not all of you have a stepper, so I’ll spread out publishing the workouts I shot using mine. In between will be bodyweight, resistance band, etc. workouts.

Step HIIT Workout for Lower Body

EQUIPMENT I USED:

  • Stepper (a step bench works, too) – I’m using all four risers; use fewer to make the exercises easier.
  • 1 heavy weight (or two medium weights) – I’m using a 20-lb dumbbell, scale up or down to match your fitness level. A kettlebell or medicine ball would work, too.

This step hiit workout uses an interval structure of 30 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. You’ll go through five exercises a total of four times. The middle three exercises in the circuit isolate one leg. The first time through the circuit, do them all on the left leg. Second time through, all on the right leg. And so on.

If you’re following along with the video, at the halfway point, I give you 30 seconds of recovery instead of 10 seconds.

As with all workouts, you want to make sure you’re properly warmed up beforehand. Always listen to your body, modifying or stopping as needed.

Step HIIT Workout for Lower Body - This HIIT workout uses a step bench and weight to burn out the lower body. #stepper #hiit #lowerbodyworkout #stepworkout

Step HIIT Workout Breakdown

See 1:31 in the above video for a preview of all the exercises and how to modify them.

  • Squat to Sit – This is the one exercise that will be more challenging if you use fewer risers on your step bench. If your bench is too low to sit down completely, just do a regular weighted squat.
  • Uneven Squat Pulse to Step Up – Use the weight for this one unless modifying.
  • Uneven Squat Hop to Step Up – This builds off of the previous exercise, adding in more explosive movement and ditching the weight.
  • Pistol Squat – If you’re advanced, do this with the weight.
  • Up ‘N Overs

If you enjoyed this workout, I have a couple other lower body stepper workouts you’d love:

xo Nicole

Filed Under: Hand Weights/Dumbbells, Interval Training, Lower Body, Step Bench, Video, Workouts Tagged With:

High Rep Biceps Workout to the Beat of the Music

January 21, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Immediately after posting the arm song workout focusing on shoulders a couple weeks ago, I got a ton of requests for more. Ask, believe, receive, my friends. Today’s workout will focus on biceps and I have one more coming your way to hit triceps. If you’re feeling super ambitious, you can do all three songs back to back (yikes lol).

High Rep Biceps Workout to Music

This is an endurance workout using light weights and high repetition numbers to achieve burn-out. Following along with the video, we’ll move to the beat of the music and I’ll guide you from one movement to the next. The song is about 6 minutes long and we’ll be moving continuously throughout the whole thing.

Because of the nature of the movements, you’re going to feel this in your shoulders as well. A lot of the movements are done with the arms elevated so that those tiny weights are actually effective. If we did biceps curls with our arms down by our sides the whole time, you would not achieve the feeling of burnout.

For this workout to be effective, you also want to make sure you’re actively squeezing the weights the whole time. This is going to active the biceps more than if you were simply letting the weights rest in the palms of your hand.

As with all workouts, you want to make sure you’re properly warmed up beforehand and always listen to your body, modifying or stopping as needed.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

Give this high rep biceps workout a try this week! And if you’re looking for more, take it a step further with this biceps & triceps workout from the archives that mixes high rep-low weight with heavier weights. It’s a favorite on YouTube!

I’ll end this post with a GO PATS! That 4th quarter last night gave me gray hairs—I was hiding under a blanket for most of it because I couldn’t take the stress. Should have known Tom would get the job done. 😉

xo Nicole

Filed Under: Hand Weights/Dumbbells, Upper Body, Video, Workouts Tagged With:

Arm Song Workout (Spin Class Arms)

January 7, 2019 by 2 Comments

I’ve got a quick shoulder burnout for you today! If you’ve ever taken an indoor cycling class that incorporates hand weights, you’ll be familiar with this arm song workout. We’ll use light weights and small movements done to the beat of the music to burn out the upper body.

A couple years back, I teamed up with Recycle Studio here in Boston to make another of these arm song workouts. If you want a longer burnout, try doing both back to back.

Arm Song Workout (Spin Class Arms)

Because moving to the beat of the music is what makes this mini workout what it is, I’m not going to include a breakdown and preview of the exercises. It’s small movements done repeatedly so you shouldn’t have any trouble following along with me in the video.

I’m using a set of 2 lb hand weights. You could use anything from 1-5 lbs. If you’re a beginner and the weights are too much, make tight fists with your hands and just do it bodyweight.

The song is just over 5 minutes long, so this would make for a great finisher to a longer workout. Or you can do the two arm song videos I have back to back for a longer burn (linked above).

Hope you all are starting your week off on the right foot! Cheers to a productive week.

xo Nicole

Links to equipment are affiliate.

Filed Under: Hand Weights/Dumbbells, Upper Body, Video, Workouts
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