Jump Rope

AMRAP Quickies Workout

May 7, 2014 by Nicole 17 Comments

I’m back from Mexico! Each time I go on a trip, I get so excited about all the blog-worthy pictures I can take and ambitiously plan out all the amazing posts that will come from them. The outfits I wore, hotel room workouts I did, a food diary post about what I ate—every vacation, I think about the endless blog potential. And every vacation, I come home with four blurry iPhone photos and…well, that’s about it.

On the one hand, it’s a shame and I’m a terrible blogger. On the other hand, I think it’s a really good sign that I’m doing something right. Sometimes, you’ve gotta just shut the computer, enjoy life and the people around you, and experience things without worrying about documenting it all on social media.

I’m pretty deep, huh? In actuality, the resort we stayed at didn’t have Wi-Fi and after a couple mild panic attacks, I was forced to just put away my iPhone. It was good for me.

And Mexico was great—the wedding was beautiful, we went snorkeling, the food at the resort was delicious, and despite the continuous drinking, it really was so relaxing. I even got in a couple workouts!

Now that vacation is over, I’m excited to get back to my usual fitness grind, and did this AMRAP Quickies workout yesterday morning before tackling my dreaded post-vacation email inbox.

AMRAP Quickies Workout

Equipment I Used:

Jump rope
15-lb kettlebell
Exercise mat
Timer

AMRAP stands for As Many Reps/Rounds As Possible. That means no breaks between exercises and pushing yourself as hard and as fast as you can without sacrificing proper form. You’ll do three 5-minute AMRAP mini workouts. In between each, jump rope for 2 minutes for a quick cardio blast. The first AMRAP will focus on lower body exercises; the second on upper body; the third on abs.

I used my Gymboss Interval Timer and set it for 3 rounds of 5 minutes of work and 2 minutes of “rest” (jump roping). During the five minutes, I pushed through as many rounds of the mini routine as possible until the timer went off, then grabbed my jump rope and went straight into my cardio blast. Full breakdown after the pictures.

5-MINUTE AMRAP—LOWER BODY

10 Jump Squat Lunges: Start in a lunge position, both knees at 90 degree angels. Jump up, landing in a squat position. Do a jump squat. Jump back into a lunge position, this time with the other leg in front. Each time you land after a jump squat, that’s one rep (1 jump lunge + 1 jump squat = 1 rep).
20 Tip Toe Pulse Squats (Alternating): In a deep squat position, lift one heel and pulse up a couple inches and down a couple inches back into the squat. Repeat, this time on ball of other foot. You’re staying low in a squat throughout the whole 20 reps—these are small pulse movements.
10 One-Leg Hip Bridge Thrusts (Each Side): Start in a bridge position, one foot firmly on the ground with knee bent, the other lifted straight up in the air. Thrust your hips towards the ceiling, engaging your glutes and hamstring to lift body into an inclined position. Lower hips down until they’re just a couple inches off the ground and repeat.

2-MINUTE JUMP ROPE

5-MINUTE AMRAP—UPPER BODY

10 Push Ups: I did triceps pushups, keeping my elbows locked in tight next to my sides as I lowered down. Halfway through the second round, I needed to modify and do the pushups from my knees—I’m getting stronger but still
10 Superman Lifts: Lay on your stomach, arms overhead. Lift arms, chest and legs off the ground, squeezing those glutes and back muscles. Hold for a second, then lower slightly (but not all the way down to the ground) before repeating.
5 Kettlebell Clean ‘n Press (Each Side): With feet a little wider than shoulder width apart, bend knees and bring kettlebell from a straight-arm hanging position to closely held by the center of your chest with arm bent. From there, straighten legs as you extend your arm skyward. Reverse the moves to bring yourself back to starting position. Try to keep the kettlebell towards the center of your body throughout this move. When done correctly, this isn’t just an upper-body workout, but great for your core.

2-MINUTE JUMP ROPE

5-MINUTE AMRAP—CORE

10 Full-Body Crunches: Start laying on your back, arms overhead, core engaged, legs straight and hovering off the ground. Crunch your chest up as you bring your knees in towards your chest, wrapping your arms loosely around your knees. Extend everything back out, lowering down into starting position.
10 Side Plank Lifts (Each Side): Start in a side plank position. Lower your hips towards the ground, and then lift upwards, crunching into an arch passed your original straight plank position. Continue lowering and raising.
10 Hip Dip Planks (Alternating): Start in an elbow plank position. Keeping shoulders level, twist your torso to lower your right hip to the floor. Return to plank position and then twist the other way, lowering your right hip to the floor.

2-MINUTE JUMP ROPE

WEARING | leggings & sports bra c/o Reebok / tank: LF / sneakers: Nike

Filed Under: AMRAP, Full Body, Jump Rope, Workouts

20-Minute HIIT Workout

February 5, 2014 by Nicole 21 Comments

Oh joy. More snow.

I love living in a place that sees all four seasons, but man do snowstorms get old quickly. The first snowfall of the winter is always exciting, but with parking bans and frozen pipes and icy sidewalks, the white stuff quickly loses its charm.

If you’re snowed in today like we are in Boston, skip the hike to the gym and do this workout right in your living room. I did it yesterday and loved it—got my heart rate up, and my legs were toast by the last round of snowboarders.

20-Minute HIIT Workout

Equipment I Used:

Gymboss Interval Timer
Set of 8-lb hand weights
Jump rope
Exercise mat

Set an interval timer for 20 rounds of 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest. You’ll go through the following set of exercises four times.

As a great way to challenge yourself, keep track of how many reps of each of the five exercises you do during the first round. On the fourth and final round, try to match those rep numbers. I couldn’t do it for the side-to-side plank jumps, but just having that goal number helped me push myself harder than I normally would have during the last round.

Jump Rope
Side-to-Side Plank Jumps: Start in a plank position. Jump both feet up towards your left hand, landing on your toes (to protect your knees). Jump back into a plank position. Jump both feet up towards your right hand. Continue back and forth as fast as possible.
Alternating Lunges with Shoulder Press: Holding a dumbbell in each hand (I used 8-lb weights), stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart, weights at shoulder height. Lunge forward onto your right foot, both legs bending at 90 degrees. As you step forward, press the weights up over your shoulders, bringing them together above your head. Pushing off that front foot, come back into a standing position, lowering the weights. Repeat on the other side.
In-n-Out Full-Body Crunches: Start sitting on your tailbone, leaning back, hands on the ground lightly behind you for support. Crunch your knees in to your chest,bringing your torso forward to meet them. Extend legs back out, keeping them a few inches off the ground. When fully extended, separate them, bringing them out to the side while keeping them straight. Bring them back in together and crunch knees back in. Feet should stay off the ground the whole time.
Snowboarders: Legs wide apart, squat down with one hand touching the ground. Jump up, turn 180 degrees in the air and land in the same deep squat on the other side, with the opposite hand touching the ground. If you turned towards your right shoulder the first time, make sure to turn towards your left shoulder on the way back.

WEARING | leggings: Ellie // tank: H&M // sneakers: Nike Free Run +3

Do you have a snowday today, too? How are you going to spend it?

Filed Under: Full Body, Hand Weights/Dumbbells, Interval Training, Jump Rope, Workouts

30-Minute Jump Rope Workout

August 2, 2013 by Nicole 6 Comments

I’m cursed when it comes to buying jump ropes. They either break within a week or are designed so poorly that I can barely get the rope to swing around. So before we get to today’s workout, does anyone have any jump rope suggestions? Quality brands? Brands to avoid? I’m one lemon away from stealing a jump rope from the next gym I walk into…

30-Minute Jump Rope Workout

Equipment I Used:

Jump rop
25-lb kettlebell
Two 10-lb kettlebells (hand weights work too!)
Gymboss Interval Timer

You’ll do each of the exercises for 1 minute before moving onto the next. Don’t take a break between exercises. Once you’ve completed all 5, take a 1-minute break. You’ll go through that circuit 5 times. So that I didn’t have to look at the clock, I just set my Gymboss Interval Timer for 30 rounds of 60 seconds of work (and 0 seconds of rest).

Weighted Plie Squats & Pulses: Stand with feet more than shoulder-width apart with toes pointed outwards (like a ballerina doing a plie). Hold weights in each hand for an added challenge (I’m using two 10-lb kettlebells). Squat down, keeping torso upright, and then return to starting position. Do this for the first 30 seconds. For the remaining 30 seconds, hold down in a squat position and pulse, small movements up and down.
Leg Lifts to Butt Lifts: Laying on your back with hands under your bum for support, lift legs off the ground and up, perpendicular to the ground (keeping them straight the whole time). Then lift your butt off the ground, thrusting your legs upward. Lower butt to ground and then lower legs almost to ground (feet should remain off the floor the whole time).
Kettlebell Swings: Start with kettlebell down between your legs and, using your arms as a pendulum, swing the bell to slightly above eye level by thrusting with your hips while keeping your core tight as you stand up straight. Swing back down and repeat. I use a 25-lb kettlebell, although it’s probably time to graduate to a 30-lb bell. Eek.
Cheek-to-Cheek Planks: Start in an elbow plank position. Keeping shoulders level, twist your torso to lower your right hip to the floor. Return to plank position and then twist the other way, lowering your right hip to the floor.
Jump Rope: You know the drill!

WEARING:

Tank: Puma // Spandex: Under Armour // Sneakers: Nike Free Run +3

Filed Under: Full Body, Interval Training, Jump Rope, Workouts