I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I spent mine up in Maine with my dad relaxing at the house and snowmobiling. It’s so pretty up here!

A photo posted by Nicole Perry (@nicoleperr) on Mar 8, 2015 at 10:48am PDT

I have one more towel/slider workout today and then I’ll relax with all these faux-megaformer moves, promise.

15-Minute Towel (or Slider) Workout

Equipment I Used:

• Towel (or sliders if you have them)
• Exercise mat
• Gymboss Interval Timer

Set a timer for 15 rounds of 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. I know 10 seconds isn’t very long—it’s basically just giving you enough time to set up for the next exercise. If you’re a beginner, you can change the interval lengths (maybe do 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest). You’ll go through the following five exercises three times. 

Sliding Side-to-Back-to-Curtsey Lunges (Right) |

Your right leg will be the base leg; the towel will go under your left foot. Starting in a standing position, slide the left leg straight out to the left, bending your right knee down into a side lunge. Press through the right heel to come back up to standing and then transition smoothly into a back lunge, sliding the left foot back behind you as you bend the right knee. Again, press through that right heel to rise back up to standing and then slide the left foot to the right, shooting the left leg behind the right foot as you bend the right knee down into a curtsey lunge. Press back to standing and start from the top of the sequence.

Form cues to keep in mind:

• The right knee should never stick out farther than the toes. To achieve this, think of sitting your hips and bum back into the lunges as you lower.
• At the top of each lunge (when you’re standing), try not to lock your right knee straight. Keep a soft micro bend in it so that the muscles are still working (rather than shifting your bodyweight into a locked joint).
• Keep your bodyweight in the right heel. The left foot is supporting little—if any—of your bodyweight.

Siding Side-to-Back-to-Curtsey Lunges (Left) |

Army Crawls |

These are fun! Well…”fun”. You know what I mean. The move is called Lizard in Lagree Fitness and it’s the feet that stay still while you move the carriage with your forearms (everyone loves to hate this move). Off the machine, put your feet on a towel and get into a plank with your forearms at the end of an exercise mat. Army crawl your way up the length of the mat, one forearm in front of the other, maintaining the plank position as you slide forward. When you can no longer go any farther forward, reverse the motion, crawling your forearms backward towards the starting edge of the mat. As you move, try to keep your hips level in a plank. They’ll want to dip side to side with each step of the forearms; use your core strength to stabilize them. Beginners: you can do these from your knees, just make sure to add an extra towel for padding.

Hip Bridge Heel Sliders |

Start in a bridge position, feet on a towel stacked underneath your knees, shoulders, neck and head resting on the ground with arms by your side. Squeeze your glutes and core to lift your hips off the ground so that from shoulders to knees is a straight, diagonal line. From this starting position, start to slide your feet out, straightening your legs and rolling onto your heels. Try to keep your butt off the ground, even at your farthest extension. When you’ve gone as low as you can comfortably go, drag your heels inward, coming to a flat foot as you slide your feet back to the starting position. A note about form: This goes for any hip bridge exercise, but especially when you’re adding in these sliding hamstring curls: you don’t want to overextend your low back. It’s the smallest change in position (as you can see below), but think of it as the difference between engaging and not engaging your abs. In the picture to the left, I’m engaging the backside of my body to keep my hips lifted: squeezing my glutes and back, but not activating the front of my core. You can tell by the slight upward arch of my midsection. In the picture to the right, I’ve engaged my whole core, pulling my abs in tight with a slight upward tuck of the pelvis. My low back is not over-stressed, and the top of my body forms a straight diagonal line.  Beginners: you can do these from a crab bridge position (think of the crab walk you used to do as a kid). Support yourself on your hands instead of resting shoulders on the floor, keep your hips lifted, and slide the feet out and in from this all-fours position. 

Windshield Wipers in Plank |

Start in a forearm plank position with feet on a towel, shoulders stacked over elbows. From here, you’re going to swish both feet to the left, squeezing the left sidebody. Swish them back to center, then to the right. Continue: left, center, right, center. Maybe my floor just was a little sticky, but these had to be one-part slide, one-part hop for me in order to get a full range of movement. Keep this exercise in mind, too, if you struggle with windshield wipers laying on your back. 

WEARING | tank & leggings: Fabletics // sneakers: Nike (similar here)

SHOP A SIMILAR LOOK:

 

This is the last of my scheduled vacation posts—I’ll be back blogging in real time tomorrow (or the next day … let’s see how jet lag treats me).

Also, don’t mind my struggle-bus pistol squat pictures—I can’t freaking do them (well) to save my life. But that’s exactly why they’re in this workout! Gotta keep working at them…

30-Minute Jump Roping + Strength Training Workout

Equipment I Used:

• Jump rope (I have the Nike Weighted Jump Rope and LOVE it)
• Gymboss Interval Timer

You’ll go through a circuit of jump roping and bodyweight exercises three times. The circuit alternates between 60 seconds of jump roping and 60 seconds of strength training (30 seconds on each side/arm/leg). To make things easier, I set my interval timer for 31 rounds of 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest. This setting will tell the timer to beep every 30 seconds, accounting for two 30-second periods of rest in between each completed round of the circuit. Keep in mind that while jump roping, you’ll go through one of the interval beeps, staying with it for a full minute.

GO THROUGH THE FOLLOWING CIRCUIT THREE TIMES:

Jump Rope | 60 seconds

Side Plank Kicks | 30 seconds right, 30 seconds left

Start in a side plank (if you have wrist issues you can do this on your forearm) with right hand stacked underneath your shoulder, left leg hovering in the air, and left arm outstretched overhead. From here, kick your left leg in front of your body as you bring your left hand to meet it—it’s like a scissor chop. Return to starting position. Your goal is to never rest the left leg on the ground (or on top of your right foot)—always have it hovering.

Jump Rope | 60 seconds

Pistol Squats | 30 seconds right, 30 seconds left

If you’re not a pistol squatting pro, I highly recommend doing these on a bench or other elevated surface—it helps me a ton! This way, you don’t have to worry about holding the non-squatting leg up in front of you. Start facing sideways with your right foot standing on a bench/step and the left foot dangling off the edge. Squat down on the right side, sending your hips and booty back and down behind you (don’t let the knee jut farther forward than the toes). You’ll want to hold that left leg as far in front of you as you can while you squat, so that as you lower, it takes a good distance before that left heel touches the ground below the bench/step. When you’re as low as you can get into the squat, press up through the right heel to return to standing.

Jump Rope | 60 seconds

Side Push Ups | 30 seconds right, 30 seconds left

Lay on your left side, left arm hugging your torso (to get it out of the way), and right hand planted firmly on the ground in front of you, aligned with your shoulders. Push your upper body off the ground with that right arm (hips are your point of contact with the floor), then slowly lower without ever fully coming to rest back on the ground. Continue.

Jump Rope | 60 seconds

Starfish Crunches | 30 seconds right, 30 seconds left

Start laying on your back with arms overhead. Arms and legs should be out wide so that your body is forming an “x” shape on the ground. From here, lift your legs an inch off the ground, engaging your core. The goal is to never let them come to rest, but if you’re a beginner, do so in between reps. From this starting position, crunch up, bringing your right leg straight up into the air as you bring your left arm up and across your body to touch that right foot (get as close as you can—it’s ok if you don’t actually make contact). Slowly lower back to starting and then repeat, going in the same direction for the full 30 seconds before switching over to the opposite hand and foot.

Jump Rope | 60 seconds

Push-Off Side Lunge | 30 seconds right, 30 seconds left

From a standing position, step your right foot out wide to the side (both feet still face front), bending the right knee and lunging down to bring your left hand across the body down to the floor by your right foot. Next, push off that right foot to bring yourself back up to standing, and as you do, drive the right knee up towards your chest and hop up into the air on the left foot. As you land, send that right foot immediately back out wide, sinking into your next lunge.

I rested for 30 seconds in between each round. Feel free to stretch that out to 60-90 seconds.

WEARING | leggings, tank & sneakers c/o Puma

Enjoy the workout! Can’t wait to share some pics and stories from my Australia trip on the blog—stay tuned!!!

This is another workout that I (clearly) shot a few weeks ago–DEFINITELY not wearing a tank top outside today as we’re about to get a massive snowstorm. But speaking of that tank, I got it at the Shore Store where MTV’s Jersey Shore cast would work each summer. When I saw the shop, I just had to go in and buy something. I had to! Snooki used to work there—c’mon!

I know, I’m so basic.

20-Minute Lower Body HIIT Workout + Burpee Challenge

Equipment I Used:

• Set of 10-lb hand weights
• Set of 15-lb hand weights
• Exercise mat
• Gymboss Interval Timer

Before and after the HIIT circuit, you’ll do a 60-second burpee challenge. Count how many burpees you can do in 1 minute and write the number down. When you repeat the challenge after completing the HIIT circuit, try to match or beat that rep number. It’s much harder after you’ve tired yourself out with 20 minutes of HIIT—that’s where the challenge comes in.

For the HIIT circuit, set an interval timer for 20 rounds of 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest. 

BURPEE CHALLENGE/ROUND 1 – Do as many burpees as possible in 60 seconds.

• Burpees: Start standing, feet about shoulder-width apart. Squat down, bringing your hands to the ground by your feet and jump both feet back into a plank position. Quickly jump your feet back up by your hands and shift the weight into your feet, bring torso upright into a low squat position. From here, jump up, arms overhead. Land softly on your feet, sinking right back down into a squat and starting from the top. If you want to add in a push up at the bottom, go for it!

HIIT CIRCUIT

• Surrenders (leading with the right): Start standing with feet hip’s distance apart holding weights in each hand, arms straight overhead. Your hands will stay up like this the entire time. Step your right foot back behind you, planting the ball of the foot on the floor as you bend your knees, lunging down until the right knee rests on the ground. Both knees should be at opposing 90-degree angles. Step your left foot back to meet the right so that you’re kneeling on the ground. Step your right foot forward so that you’re in the same position as before, just with the opposite foot in front. Press off that front right foot as you stand up and bring the back left foot to meet the right in your starting standing position. It sounds more confusing than it is—you essentially just go from standing to kneeling to standing, leading with your right foot the whole time.
• Surrenders (leading with the left)
• Jumping Jack Squats: Think of a standard jumping jack, except every time you jump your feet out wide, you bend your knees and sink down into a deep squat. So one part jump squat, one part jumping jack. Hold a set of weights at your chest as you do these.
• Side Lunge Hops (right): Hold a weight in your left hand. From a standing position, step your right foot out wide to the side (both feet still face front), bending the right knee and lunging down to bring your left hand across the body down to the floor by your right foot. Next, push off that right foot to bring yourself back up to standing, and as you do, drive the right knee up towards your chest and hop up into the air on the left foot. As you land, send that right foot immediately back out wide, sinking into your next lunge.
• Side Lunge Hops (left)

BURPEE CHALLENGE/ROUND 21 – Do as many burpees as possible in 60 seconds.

Beat your reps from round 1.

In the pictures, I’m holding a pair of 8-lb hand weights because I forgot to bring the ones I actually used. To clarify, I actually used 15-lb weights for the surrenders and went a little lighter with 10-lb weights for the jumping jack squats and side lunge hops. Adjust according to your fitness level! If you’re a beginner, you don’t need to use hand weights at all.

I love tacking on little challenges and races to workouts like this beat-your-previous-score burpee blast. It’s especially fun in a group fitness setting! I’ve done this one with my Tone ‘N Torch class at Btone a few times, and I think (if I’m remembering correctly), the record is 22 burpees in the 60 seconds. Leave a comment with your score if you beat that!

Today’s workout is a seriously sweaty one! And the best part? No burpees. You’re welcome. I took these pictures just three weeks ago—it’s crazy how much colder it’s gotten since then. You couldn’t pay me to go outside in a tank top and capris right now…

Actually, I’ve got a big trip to Australia coming up. You could most definitely pay me to go outside in a tank top and capris. Homegirl needs some spending money!

Cardio Tabata Superset Workout

For each superset, you’ll do a 4-minute tabata: 8 rounds of 20 second of work and 10 seconds of rest, alternating between the two exercises each work round. Once you’ve gone through all four supersets, start back at the top, completing a total of two rounds (= eight 4-minute tabatas total). 

SUPERSET 1 | Hot Feet + Snowboarders

• 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.
• Snowboarders: This is essentially a rotating squat jump. Squat down, hips and butt back and down, weight in your heels. Bring your left fingertips towards the ground in front of you and look over your right shoulder (think of the stance of a snowboarder or skateboarder looking ahead). From here, you’re going to jump up and turn towards your right shoulder, rotating 180 degrees in air and landing back in a squat facing the other direction, this time bringing your right fingertips towards the ground and looking over your left shoulder. Repeat, rotating towards your left shoulder this time. A good way to think about it is you’re always looking ahead in the same direction, just changing which foot is in front.

SUPERSET 2 | Frog Stamp Push Ups + Mountain Climbers

• Frog Stamp Push Ups: Start in a plank position, hands aligned under shoulders, core tight. Do a push up (you can always modify by dropping to your knees for this). Next, jump your feet up towards the outside of your hands, landing in a wide-stance crouching position, and then jump the feet quickly back to plank. Try to keep these quick! Push up, jump up, jump back, push up, jump up, jump back—no pause, keep moving.
• Mountain Climbers: These are like doing high knees in a plank position. Start in a plank, hands stacked underneath shoulders, core squeezing in tight (don’t let your low back sag or your butt stick up in the air). From this position, drive one knee at a time up towards your chest, like running horizontally. The pace on these should be quick.

SUPERSET 3 | High Knees + Jump Lunges

• High Knees: Maintaining good posture (don’t hunch forward!), run in place, using your core to drive your knees up high as you do. I like to hold my hands at about belly button height as a guide and drive my knees up to hit them. Keep these quick! If you have knee issues or need to modify, march in place instead of run (but still get those knees up high!).
• Jump Lunges: Start in a split-stance lunge: right foot in front, ball of left foot planted on the floor behind you. Both knees should be bent to 90 degrees, front knee aligned over ankle, back knee hovering just a couple inches off the floor. From here, push off your feet to jump up in the air, switching feet in mid-air and landing back in a lunge with left foot forward and right foot planted behind. Continue, alternating feet with each jump.

SUPERSET 4 | Bicycle Crunches + Full-Body Crunches

• Bicycle Crunches: Start laying on your back, hands behind your head (but not pulling on your head) and legs extended straight out, hovering off the floor a couple inches. From here, bend your left knee in, keeping the right leg extended out straight, and crunch your upper back up off the floor, twisting the right elbow across your body to meet the left knee. Repeat to the other side, fluidly moving from one side to the next, legs alternating in a pedaling motion. Don’t move so quickly through these that you aren’t extending your leg out completely straight with each rep.
• Full-Body Crunches: Start in a seated position balancing on your tailbone, hands lightly on the ground by your side for support, feet lifted off the ground and torso leaning back, core engaged. Extend your legs out straight in front of you as you lean back further (feet should be hovering), and then crunch everything inward, bringing your knees into your chest and sitting up a little straighter, abs in tight.

WEARING | leggings + sweatshirt c/o Augusta Active // bra: c/o Cory Vines // tank: LF Stores // sneakers: Nike

THREE workout posts in one week?? It’s still New Year’s resolution month, so I figured the added motivation would be welcome.

Today’s workout comes to you via my lovely friend Gina from The Fitnessista. I was really excited to check out her new book, HIIT It!, because—as you’ve probably noticed by now—I love high intensity interval training. The book is great, especially if you’re a beginner. In it, Gina doesn’t just give you a proverbial filet of cod, she really teaches you how to fish. Starting with the basics, she goes over major muscle groups, what HIIT is and why it’s effective. She then shows you how to apply it to cardio workouts as well as strength training, and gives tons of sample workouts and weekly workout plans. 

The tabata I’m sharing today is actually one part of a full sample workout in the book: warm-up with cardio, a full-body strength training circuit, this tabata, and then a cool down. Yesterday I had a ridiculously busy blogging and teaching day and knew I wasn’t going to make it to a fitness class, so I decided to instead slip this 4-minute HIIT workout in a few times throughout the day to give me a break from the computer. It was perfect! I ended up doing it four times throughout the workday, so even though I didn’t get a long workout in, I still felt good. That’s the whole idea behind HIIT—you don’t have to workout longer, just smarter.

Before we get to the tabata, I just wanted to add that HIIT It! also has a great index of exercises with written descriptions and accompanying pictures. Ya know, like professional photos—not this: 

(Couldn’t resist posting another blooper from yesterday’s blog post—they’re just too awesomely awkward. Butterfingers!) The book then ends with a whole section on nutrition with lots of yummy recipes.

4-Minute Tabata HIIT Workout

Set an interval timer for 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. You’ll go through the following four exercises twice. To clarify, that’s: 20 seconds of as many high knees as you can do; 10 seconds rest; 20 seconds of as many burpees as you can do; 10 seconds rest…and so on.

• High Knees: Use your core to jog in place, lifting each knee up to belly button height. I like to keep my hands in front of me and drive the knees up to hit them to hold myself accountable for really getting them high.
• Burpees: Start standing, feet about shoulder-width apart. Squat down, bringing your hands to the ground by your feet and jump both feet back into a plank position. Do a push up. Quickly jump your feet back up by your hands and shift the weight into your feet, bring torso upright into a low squat position. From here, jump up, arms overhead. Land softly on your feet, sinking right back down into a squat and starting from the top.
• Mountain Climbers: These are like doing high knees in a plank position. Start in a plank, hands stacked underneath shoulders, core squeezing in tight (don’t let your low back sag or your butt stick up in the air). From this position, drive one knee at a time up towards your chest, like running horizontally. The pace on these should be quick.
• Squat Jumps with Rotation: Perform a squat facing one side. As you power up, jump and rotate 180 degrees so that you land facing the opposite direction, sinking right back down into a squat and repeating. Make sure you’re turning towards the opposite shoulder each time you rotate so that the legs are worked evenly.

This is an intense tabata—each exercise really gets your heart rate up! Use it as part of a longer workout or on its own when you’re having one of those super busy days.

Before I end this post, I just wanted to let you guys know of an awesome promotion ClassPass is running right now. If you’ve been on the fence about trying it, now (until Sunday evening) when you sign up using THIS LINK you’ll get a $50 Visa gift card. I use ClassPass and LOVE it. For $99/month (in some cities, it’s even less expensive) you can go to classes at a huge variety of fitness studios. You can go to each studio up to three times in a month, with the total number of classes across the board unlimited (it might not be unlimited forever, but I’m pretty sure it is until at least March). When I first started using ClassPass, it was only in New York and Boston, but now it’s in 20 cities!

Full disclosure, as part of this promotion they’re running, I would also get a $50 gift card if you sign up, so there is some selfish motivation behind this (:)), but I use CP myself and recommend it to all my fitness-loving friends, so the hype is 100% genuine. And, c’mon, you get $50, too—I gotta share the love!

If you follow me on Instagram, you already got a hilarious (at my expense) sneak peek of this workout via blooper reel. Trying to time an overhead toss sit-up so that it could be caught on camera resulted in me getting hit in the face, the chest, the stomach, my lady parts…it wasn’t pretty. But oh man was it FUNNY. I think I got a better ab workout laughing at the outtakes than I did actually doing this workout.

But before we get to pictures that did make the cut from this workout, I want to draw attention to the pullover that’s keeping me warm in them. 

I got the chance to sample the new athletic wear line EIGHTYONE 20, and with the weather in Boston being…typical freezing Boston weather…the timing was perfect. The Bulky Neck that I’m wearing is incredibly warm and soft. The outer material has that performance sheen of quality athletic apparel, but the inside of the pullover is a soft, heavenly fleece. You know that feeling of pulling on a pair of new sweats that haven’t gone through the wash yet? Is it not the best?? I think it’s even better than putting on a fresh new pair of socks—and that’s saying a lot because that feeling is magical.

The drawstring on the neck is also great for cold days without a scarf, and the sleeves have thumbholes for easy layering. As a long-limbed chick, I don’t always use thumbholes unless a top has extra long arms, but I figure it’s a feature worth mentioning since everyone loves those little sleeve slits.

The EIGHTYONE 20 collection is small right now, but their other piece of outwear, the Raglan Zipper Hoodie, is worth checking out at well—I love the two-tone color detail, and could totally see myself wearing it to and from the studio.

Medicine Ball Wall Workout

Equipment I Used:

• 6-lb medicine ball (similar one here)
• Gymboss Interval Timer
• Exercise mat

Important: Make sure you’re doing this workout against a concrete wall or other sturdy surface—don’t go hurling a medicine ball at your grandmother’s living room walls.

For this 30-minute interval workout, set a timer for 30 rounds of 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest. You’ll go through the following five exercises six times. 

Med Ball Burpees with Chest Pass to Wall

Start standing about four-five feet away from a wall, holding the medicine ball at your chest, with feet about hip’s width apart. Squat down, bringing the ball to the ground in front of your feet. Keeping your hands firmly on top of the ball, arms straight, jump your feet back into a plank position. From there, jump your feet back up towards the ball, power up to your feet, bringing the ball to your chest, and pushing forward with both hands, throw the ball at the wall. When it bounces off, catch it with both hands and go right into your next rep.

Overhead Toss Sit Ups

There are a few ways to do these, all with varying degrees of difficulty. I want to take the time to go over them, because when I did this workout, I had to switch between them as I fatigued.

Lay on your back with your feet about one-two feet from a wall. Hold a medicine ball in your hands, outstretched overhead. From here, think of your upper body as a catapult. You’re going to do a sit up with arms still outstretched and launch the med ball overhead at the wall. Think of a soccer goalie launching a ball overhead back into play (except you’re seated). As it bounces off, you’ll catch it and return back down to starting position. You have to generate quite a bit of force to do this, so if it’s not happening, switch it up a little by doing the following:

Modification: Instead of launching the ball overhead in a smooth catapulting motion, do the sit up and then bring the ball down to your chest and throw it forward at the wall from there. A chest pass is a lot easier in the scenario than an overhead pass. Here’s what it looks like: 

Up for a challenge? You can also make this exercise harder by doing with your legs hovering off the ground, forcing your core to work overtime. I can’t to an overhead toss with my feet hovering (yet), but I did a couple intervals of the sit-up-to-chest-pass this way and really felt the burn in my abs! 

Wall Ball Squats

Start standing about four-five feet away from a wall, holding the medicine ball at your chest, with feet about hip’s width apart. Squat down, sending your hips and butt back and down, weight in your heels, med ball still held at your chest. When you reach the bottom of your squat, power up from your legs to standing position, thrusting your hips forward. As you do so, throw the medicine ball forcefully up and forward so that it hits the wall at least several feet above your head. Catch it as it bounces off and falls back down, and go right into your next squat.

Rotational Scoop Toss (Right)

This is a great one for the obliques. Start standing about six feet from the wall, with the wall to your left, ball held at your hip in your right hand. Plant your left foot and pivot on the back right foot as you launch the ball towards the wall with your right hand. It may take a couple tries to get it down, but you want the ball to hit the wall and then bounce once off the ground before you scoop down to grab it. You want to do this move rapid fire, so as soon as you catch the ball, wind up for the toss and twist right back into it.

This one is easier to show than explain, so I’d check out THIS VIDEO of it in action. You’ll notice in the video, the guy uses an underhand toss—I don’t get enough power when I do that, so I scoop down for the ball then bring it up and push it from my hip. Do whichever works for you!

Rotational Scoop Toss (Left)

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Enjoy the workout! It’s a little different from other workouts I’ve posted in that it’s focused completely on power and dynamic movements. It’s a fun one–especially if you’ve got some anger to work off.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by EIGHTYONE 20. While I was compensated, all opinions—as always!—are my own.

Earlier this year, I attended a demo event in New York and had the chance to meet the ladies behind Crane & Lion, a new women’s activewear line. I was immediately drawn to the collection by the soft, pretty color palette, and then was completely sold after feeling how comfortable (and high-quality!) the material is. And I know it’s a small detail, but I am a huge fan of the signature back seam on the leggings—so flattering.

Ranging from $60-$100, Crane & Lion’s collection of bottoms isn’t exactly cheap, so I’m pumped to be able to giveaway a pair to one lucky reader! In today’s post, I’m wearing their original tight in marlin, but the winner can choose from any one of their styles and colors (and sizes, of course!). I’ve been wearing my tights a ton, so I know you guys will love them. Details on entering are at the bottom of this post—if you’re not interested in today’s booty workout and want to get straight to winning free swag, scroll down.

Bodyweight Butt Workout

This workout will take you 20 minutes to complete. You stay on each exercise for 20 seconds and then move immediately onto the next (no rest!). Once you’ve completed each exercise, rest for 30 seconds. Repeat twice more, going through the set of exercises three times in total.

The list of exercises below looks long, but you’ll notice the changes from one to the next are small. In some ways, it’s very similar to the work you do on the floor in barre classes. You start with a bunch of squat variations, then move onto a bunch of hip bridge variations, then finish with a bunch of variations in a tabletop (hands and knees) position. It’s really just a handful of movements, making a few small changes to each as you go: full range (large movement) –> pulse (small movement) –> hold (isometric).

I’m breaking up these explanations into three groups: squat moves, bridge moves, tabletop moves. This is just to give you a better idea of the flow of the workout—you do not take breaks in between these groups of exercises. You only rest when you’ve completed the entire list of exercises.

Even though the whole point of this workout is that no equipment is involved, you could always do it with ankle weights on and hold a set of dumbbells during the squats to make it more difficult (neither are needed to feel the burn though—I promise!).

Squat moves:

• Squat: Feet about hips-width apart, squat down, sending your hips and butt back and down (not the knees forward!). Keep your chest open, shoulders back—it’s natural to lean forward slightly as you lower down, but we don’t want to hunch Bring your hands in front of you as you sink down to your lowest point, bodyweight staying in your heels. From there, powerfully stand back up, straightening your legs and thrusting your hips forward (squeeze your bum at the top!) and driving your arms behind you. Make sure you’re actively engaging the outer thighs to prevent the knees from caving inward (knock-knees) as you lower down into your squat.
• Pulse Squat: Now just take it down to your lowest squat and from that position pulse up an inch and down an inch.
• Squat Hold: Take out all movement and just hold down low in your deepest squat. Make sure weight is in your heels.
• Plié Squat: This is your basic squat but with feet much wider than hip-distance apart and your toes pointed outward (like a ballerina’s feet when doing a plié). Keeping your spine straight, abs in tight and chest open, bend your knees and lower your booty down into a squat. From there, return to standing, squeezing those buns and straightening your legs as you power up. Knees should track out in the same direction as your toes the entire time, and feet should be wide enough apart so that as you squat down, your knees are jutting forward, in front of the toes.
• Pulse Plié Squat: You’ve probably got the drill by now—lower down into your deepest plie squat and pulse from there, up an inch and down an inch.
• Plié Squat Hold: You guessed it—take out the pulsing movement and just hold your deepest plie squat.
• Alternating Sumo Squat Leg Lifts: This is a wide-stand squat with alternating side leg lifts. Feet wider than hip-distance apart, squat down low. Shift your weight into the right side and, staying as low as you can (it’s natural for the right to straighten a little, but don’t come out of the bent knee all the way), lift the left leg straight up and out to the side. Lower it, bringing your weight back to center in that deep squat. Repeat to the other side.

Bridge moves:

Do these all on the right…

• One-Leg Hip Bridge Thrusts: Lay on your back, arms flat on the ground by your side for support, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. From here, squeeze your glutes and lift your hips a couple inches off the ground so that your butt is hovering. Lift your left foot into the air as well. This is your starting position. Your butt and that lifted foot will never touch the ground again (well, not until you’re done with this side). From here, thrust the hips upward, squeezing your glutes and pressing through the planted foot. Hold for a second at the top and then slowly lower hips back down to a hover.
• Pulsing One-Leg Hip Bridge Thrusts: Make the movement of the previous exercise smaller—you’ll send your hips up as high as you can, and then from there just lower the hips down an inch and up an inch. It’s a small, pulsing movement at the top of your range of motion. Think of it as a squeeze (of the glute/hamstring) and release. Left leg still is pointing straight up in the air as ou do these.
• One-Leg Hip Bridge Hold: Now take out all movement, holding your hips up as high as you can with that left leg pointing up towards the ceiling, squeezing your right glute and hamstring.

Then do the same moves on the left…

• One-Leg Hip Bridge Thrusts
• Pulsing One-Leg Hip Bridge Thrusts
• One-Leg Hip Bridge Hold

Tabletop moves:

Do these all on the right…

• Donkey Kicks: Start on all fours: knees stacked under hips, hands stacked under shoulders. From here, you’re going to press the bottom of your right foot up towards the ceiling, squeezing that right butt cheek. Pause at the top and then lower down most of the way (don’t let the right knee come to rest on the floor). As you do these, keep a straight spine by engaging your abs, pulling the belly button in towards the spine.
• Fire Hydrants: Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position, hands stacked under shoulders, knees stacked under hips. Keeping your right leg in that 90-degree angle, lift that knee out and up in a wing motion (like a dog lifting to take a pee), opening up at the hip. Bring it back in close to the starting position, but try not to fully rest the knee back on the floor. As you do these, pay attention to your core: You wants a straight spine, protecting the low back by pulling your abs in tight the whole time.
• Straight-Leg Side Lifts in Tabletop: This is like the fire hydrant move, except with a straight leg. Get on your hands and knees in a tabletop position, hands stacked under shoulders, knees stacked under hips. From here, bring your right leg straight out to the right side. Lift it up a couple inches so that it’s hovering off the ground. This is your starting position. From here, lift the right leg up as close to hip height as you can (it’s tough!) and slowly lower back down to a hover. As you do these lifts, try to avoid shifting all your bodyweight into that opposite left side—instead of leaning in the opposite direction as the right leg lifts, you want to keep your body in a centered tabletop. A good way to achieve this is to lift the opposite, left hand off the ground (it’s also more challenging this way).

Then do the same moves on the left…

• Donkey Kicks
• Fire Hydrants
• Straight-Leg Side Lifts

If you’re like me, you’ll feel it more in your quads than butt during the squats, but then as the sequence progresses, you’ll really feel the burn in your booty—and by rounds two and three, you’ll notice what the squats are doing for your glutes as well. Ok now on to the fun stuff…

Crane & Lion Workout Tights Giveaway

One winner will get the leggings (or pants) of her choice! Right now, Crane & Lion doesn’t ship internationally, so for this one—sorry global friends!—only US readers can enter. Here’s how to do so:

1. Browse Crane & Lion’s collection of bottoms here—which style is your favorite?

2. Leave a comment on this blog post telling me which item you’d pick if you won. Make sure you record your entry using the widget below so that you’re properly accounted for in the randomized winner selection!

As you’ll see, you can also receive bonus entries for getting social on Twitter, but it’s totally optional. I’ll pick the winner Friday at noon and will send that lucky person an email shortly thereafter. Good luck!

In addition to their original tight, I’m also wearing Crane & Lion’s bra tank. I love it!

I’ve posted lots of pyramid workouts on the blog—some where the number of reps declines as you go, some where the length of interval time declines as you go, but never one where you move less as you go. It’s been my favorite workout structure recently, so I had to debut the movement pyramid on the blog. Say hello to my at-home winter workout go-to!

If reducing motion sounds relaxing, you’ve got another thing coming. What I love about this workout is you get the benefits of both explosive movements and isometric holds: two different, but equally beneficial, burns.

30-Minute Bodyweight Movement Pyramid

I don’t want you guys to feel robbed—this workout technically takes only 29 minutes and 20 seconds, but 20-Minute-and-20-Second Bodyweight Movement Pyramid Workout didn’t have a great ring to it. Forgive me…

I recommend glancing over the pictorial of the this workout below before reading the next couple sentences so that everything makes sense—it’s not a complicated structure, but explaining it with words is harder than showing you.

This workout is made up of five exercises that you’ll circuit through four times. You spend 60-80 seconds on each exercise (you’ll see below why it differs for a couple moves). During that time, you’re reducing your range of motion every 20 seconds. For example, jump squat 20 seconds, stationary squat 20 seconds, squat hold 20 seconds. First you take out the air time, then you take out the movement altogether. I think of the progression as explosiveà stable movementà isometric.

After each exercise progression, you’ll rest for 20 seconds before moving onto the next exercise. The 20-second rest will feel like a long time at first, but by the end you’ll really appreciate it (trust me). I set my interval timer for 44 rounds of 20 sec work and 20 seconds of rest. This basically just meant that my timer was beeping every 20 seconds to signal me onto the next progression or exercise. 

SQUATS | Spend 20 seconds on each of the following variations…

• Jump Squat: Feet about shoulder-width apart, squat down, sending your hips and butt back and down (not the knees forward!). Bring your hands in front of you as you sink down. From there, explosively jump straight up, swinging your arms back behind you as you do. Land softly and sink right back into a squat, hands swinging forward.
• Power Squat: Just take out the jump! Feet about hips-width apart, squat down, sending your hips and butt back and down (not the knees forward!). Keep your chest open, shoulders back—it’s natural to lean forward slightly as you lower down, but we don’t want to hunch Bring your hands in front of you as you sink down to your lowest point, bodyweight staying in your heels. From there, powerfully stand back up, straightening your legs and thrusting your hips forward (squeeze your bum at the top!).
• Squat Hold: Sink down to your lowest squat and hold. Weight should be in your heels, knees not sticking out farther than your toes.

PUSH UPS | Spend 20 seconds on each of the following variations…

This was by far the hardest exercise for me. I did all of the variations in a modified push up position (from my knees).

• Hopping Push Ups: Start in a push up position (feet) or modified push up position (knees) with hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart. From here, you lower down like a normal push up and then explosively push yourself up, lifting your hands a couple inches off the ground at the top and then landing back into push up position. If you’re more advanced, you can do clapping push ups here instead (they require a little more air time so are harder).
• Push Ups: Take out the air time! Hands stay on the ground the whole time. You know the drill.
• Push Up Hold: Lower down in your push up so that elbows are bent to about 90 degrees. Hold there.

AB LIFTS | Spend 20 seconds on each of the following variations…

• V-Ups: Start on your back with arms stretched overhead and legs hovering just slightly above the ground. Pull your abs in tight and press your low back to the ground. You’ll then crunch up, bringing your hands towards your toes (keeping legs and arms straight). When done correctly, your body will make a “v” shape as you crunch; this means you’re not just reaching your arms up, your chest needs to move towards your knees. Lower back down to starting position. If possible, your feet should never touch the ground between reps.
• Leg Lifts: Take out the movement of your upper half. Lay on your back with hands under your butt for support or by your sides. Lift legs straight up, perpendicular to the ground and then lower until they are just a couple inches off the ground. Legs should stay straight the whole time, and should never come to rest on the ground in between reps. As you do these, pull your abs in tight and press your low back to the ground. If you feel your low back lifting off the floor and straining in anyway, add a bend to your knees as you do these.
• Leg Hover Hold: Still in leg lift position, lower your legs down so that they’re hovering about a foot off the ground. Hold them there, keeping them as straight as possible (again, if your low back feels strained while doing these, add a bend to the knees).

LUNGES | Spend 20 seconds on each of the following variations…

• Jump Lunges: Start in a split-stance lunge: right foot in front, ball of left foot planted on the floor behind you. Both knees should be bent to 90 degrees, front knee aligned over ankle, back knee hovering just a couple inches off the floor. From here, push off your feet to jump up in the air, switching feet in mid-air and landing back in a lunge with left foot forward and right foot planted behind. Continue, alternating feet with each jump.
• Alternating Forward Lunges: Just take out the jump! Start standing with feet hip-width apart. Step your right foot forward, bending both knees to 90-degree angles—really get low on these! At your lowest point, the back knee should be hovering just a few inches off the ground. Push off the front right foot to return to standing and then repeat, lunging the left foot forward this time.
• Hold Lunge Right Foot Forward: Step into a lunge (a la the previous exercise description) with right foot forward and hold down at the bottom.
• Hold Lunge Left Foot Forward: Same as above, just switch your lead leg.

CROSSBODY PLANKS | Spend 20 seconds on each of the following variations…

• Crossbody Mountain Climbers: These are just like traditional mountain climbers except you drive your knees across your body at an angle instead of straight forward to engage the obliques. Start in a plank, hands stacked underneath shoulders, core squeezing in tight (don’t let your low back sag or your butt stick up in the air). From this position, drive one knee at a time up towards the opposite elbow, like running horizontally (with a twist). The pace on these should be quick.
• Crossbody Knee Tucks: Essentially just the previous exercise, but slower and more controlled. From your plank position, pull your left knee across your body towards your right elbow, making physical contact if you can. That means you really need to crunch everything together. Step the left foot back into plank position and then repeat with the right.
• Hold Right Knee to Left Elbow: Pretty self-explanatory, but you’re going to hold that crossbody crunched position. Challenge yourself! For how many of those 20 seconds can you keep your knee physically touching the opposite elbow? It’s going to want to quickly start drifting away—don’t let it!
• Hold Left Knee to Right Elbow

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Target® C9 through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Target® C9, all opinions are my own.

I get tons of requests for arm workouts, and since this upper body workout using light hand weights was a big hit, I decided to do another. This time, I’m making all the arm exercises a little more dynamic so that you work your core as well. Instead of just doing a shoulder press, you do it while holding a boat pose; instead of just doing a triceps kickback, you do it while in plank. This one is quick (12-18 minutes, depending on the intervals you choose) so it’s great to pair with a cardio workout or to do on days you’re “too busy” to workout.

Arm (+Core) Workout with Hand Weights

Equipment I Used:

• Set of 5-lb hand weights
• Set of 8-lb hand weights

As you can see, I used two different weights (light and medium), but you could definitely get away with just using one light pair. I only used the heavier ones for one exercise.

This workout flows from right to left. You’ll start with exercises isolating the right side, move into exercises with both arms, and then end by isolating the left side. You go through that a total of 3 times, taking a 30 to 60-sec rest in between each round (try not to rest between individual exercises; push to make it through the entire sequence before shaking out those arms!).

Your fitness level and the weight of the dumbbells you’re using will determine how long you stay in each exercise. To start, do each exercise for 20 seconds. If you’re more advanced, spend 30 seconds on each exercise. To help you gauge where you should start, when I did this workout using 20-second intervals, I was able to make it through the complete sequence without breaking. When I did it with 30-second intervals, I had to cheat and put my feet down a few times during the boat pose exercises.

RIGHT SIDE (IN PLANK)

• One-Arm Flys: Start in a plank position with your left hand stacked directly under left shoulder and right hand gripping a hand weight. Hips should be level—fight to keep them this way throughout the exercise (your right hip will want to open up, shifting weight towards the left—don’t let it happen!). From here, squeeze your right shoulder blade in towards your spine as you lift the hand weight up and out laterally, keeping a soft bend in the elbow. Pause at the top and then slowly return right arm down to starting position.
• Triceps Kickbacks: In a plank position, have left hand stacked directly under left shoulder, right hand holding onto a hand weight, elbow bent. Keeping your hips level as you do this (fight your body’s natural tendency to shift all the weight into your left side), extend your right hand straight back behind you, really squeezing the back of the arm (triceps) as you do. Hinging at the elbow, bring the weight slowly back to starting position. This is the one exercise I used an 8-lb weight with instead of 5.
• Serve the Platter: In a plank position, keep left hand stacked directly under left shoulder, right hand holding onto a hand weight, palm facing up, elbow softly bent. From here, keeping your hips level (resist your body’s tendency to lean into that left side), reach that right hand forward, getting as close to a straight arm as you can. Slowly return to starting position.
• Push Ups: Use both arms for these! If you need to modify, drop down to your knees.

BOTH ARMS (IN BOAT POSE)

All the following exercises are down while holding a boat pose. For boat pose, you balance on your tailbone, leaning back slightly, legs and upper body lifted in a “v” shape. To do this, engage your core (I think of trying to squeeze my belly button and spine together). I keep my knees bent in boat with shins parallel to the ground (except for during shapers), but if you’re more advanced, you can try keeping them straight the entire time.

• Shoulder Press: Start with arms in goal post position: elbows bent at 90 degrees at shoulder height. From here, press your hands up overhead, bringing weights together above your head. Lower back down, but only so far as brings your elbows back to shoulder height. Don’t let them dip down lower than that. As you do these, be careful not to shrug your shoulders up towards your ears.
• Shoulder Shapers: Start with arms in goal post position: elbows bent at 90 degrees at shoulder height. From here, maintaining those 90-degree bends, bring your forearms and hand weights together in front of your face. Return back out to goal post position. Elbows should stay at shoulder height the entire time. As we do these, we’re going to bend and extend our legs in boat pose so that it almost feels like a crunch. When arms are out wide, legs straighten, when forearms come in together, bend the knees, pulling them in slightly towards your chest.
• Arm Circles: Extend your arms straight out to the side, a weight in each hand. Keeping arms straight, trace small, controlled circles with your hands, not letting your hands fall below shoulder height. Each round, alternate the direction in which you trace those circles.
• Crossbody Punches: These are pretty self-explanatory: twist and punch! With a weight in each hand, start by holding them in towards your chest. From here, punch the right hand across your body, twisting your torso to the left along with it. Alternate, doing the same thing with the left hand. These should be quick—punch, punch, punch!

LEFT SIDE (IN PLANK)

Repeat sequence you did on the right.

You will go through the entire sequence (right side, both, left side) three times. If you choose to stay in each exercise for 20 seconds, this workout will take you 12 minutes (plus a couple breaks). If you shoot for 30 seconds, it’ll take you 18 minutes + breaks.

WEARING | tank: Nasty Gal // leggings: c/o Puma // strappy-back sports bra: c/o Cory Vines // sneakers: Nike

Happy hump day!

I’m up early this morning to sneak in a workout (on the blog and in real life) before hitting the road and heading down to New Jersey for Thanksgiving with my boyfriend and his family. I have been crazy busy lately, so these next couple days of relaxing and eating amazing food are so incredibly needed!

To follow up Monday’s blog post, which was packed with general rules and tips for modifying exercises, I wanted to share a workout that was suitable for beginners (without much modification needed). As you’ll see, this is a workout you can grow with—I give an exercise and then show you how to advance it once you’ve mastered the move. I also show you how to modify it further if it’s still a little too tough for your current fitness level.

While I created this for beginners using basic, functional exercises, I don’t want you to brush it off as easy. If you’re more advanced, just do the harder variations given for each exercise.

Beginner Bodyweight Interval Workout

Set an interval timer for 30 rounds of 30 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest (I just realized that in the pictorial below, it says 10 seconds rest–ignore that! It’s 15). You’ll go through the following sequence of exercises 6 times. If you’re a true beginner, do the easiest modification given for each exercise (pictures on the left). After you’ve been working out for several weeks/a couple months, go through it again, trying the unmodified exercise (featured, top picture). More advanced? Do the harder versions of each exercise (pictures on the right).

Squats | With feet slightly wider than hip distance apart, toes pointing forward and weight in your heels, squat down, sending your butt and hips back (not knees forward!). Press through heels to stand back upright.

• Modification = Squats with a Chair | Use a chair to help you get into your squattin’ grove! Start by sitting down completely in the chair each time. As you gain confidence, try to squat down and just lightly touch your bum to the chair before coming back upright. Once you’ve got it down, take away the safety net (chair) altogether.
• Advancement = Squat Jumps | Instead of just standing up from your squatting position, explosively press up and jump, landing softly and sinking right back down into a deep squat.

Push Ups from Knees | Good ol’ fashioned push ups with your knees on the ground. Be careful not to stick your butt up into the air when you do these—from your knees to the top of your head should be one straight, diagonal line.

• Modification = Push Ups against a Wall | Changing your body angle can make push ups easier. Start by doing them against a wall.
• Advancement = Push Ups from Feet | Make these harder by doing your pushups from a plank position, toes on the ground.

Side-to-Side Lunges | Start standing up with feet shoulder-width apart. Step your right foot out wide to the side (toes still facing forward), and bend that knee, lunging to the right and bringing your left hand to the ground by that opposite foot. Your left leg stays straight as you do this; it’s like you’re sitting in a chair on just that right side. Press off the right foot and come back upright to starting standing position. Repeat to the left.

• Modification = Don’t Touch the Ground | To make these easier, just don’t bend down as far. Instead of bending the knee to 90 degrees so that your hand can touch the floor by your foot, start with just a small bend with every lunge.
• Advancement = Add in a Hop | Pick up the pace, switching feet in air between lunges as you add in a little hop side to side.

Thread the Needle in Side Kneeling Forearm Plank (RIGHT) | Start in a forearm side plank position with your knees stacked on the ground. Squeeze the oblique to keep your hips lifted. From here, you’re going to wrap the top arm around your torso, weaving it through the space between the floor and your rib cage. Twist from the waist when you do this so that you face the ground. Return to starting position and repeat.

• Modification = Hip on Ground | If it’s too hard to hold that hip off the ground, plant the side of your hip on the ground along with that forearm. In this version, really emphasize the twist while you thread the needle so that your obliques are still working.
• Advancement = Full Side Plank from Feet | To make it harder, thread the needle from a full side plank position: feet stacked on floor, hips and legs lifted so that body is in a straight diagonal line.

Thread the Needle in Side Kneeling Forearm Plank (LEFT)

WEARING | leggings: c/o Cory Vines // tank: Lululemon

Big thanks to my friends at Cory Vines for the leggings I’m wearing in today’s post—aren’t they cute?? I love the colored pattern on the back of the legs and they’re SO comfortable.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow! This workout is a great one to bring with you if you’re traveling for the holiday—no equipment required!