Workouts

30-Minute Medicine Ball Circuit Workout

December 16, 2015 by Nicole 8 Comments

Bahhhhhhhh sowenyaaaaaaah mamabeatsababahhhh

That’d be the Lion King song, but I’m sure you don’t even need me to clarify that. Me as Rafiki, the med ball as baby Simba — get it? GET IT?!

Fun fact of the day: The lyrics are actually “Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba” which means “Here comes a lion, Father” in Zulu. I was pretty close though.

30-Minute Medicine Ball Circuit Workout

Equipment I Used:

Medicine ball (if you don’t have a medicine ball use a dumbbell!)

I didn’t include a printable cheat sheet for this one because the structure is super straightforward: Do each exercise in the circuit for 1 minute. Rest for a minute at the end of the circuit. Repeat a total of 3 times. You’ll notice the flow of the circuit is right side of your body, full body, left side of your body.

Torso Twist Knee Drivers in Low Lunge RIGHT

Start in a lunge position with front leg bent to 90 degrees and a med ball held in both hands, arm extended out in front of you at chest height. To make sure you have proper form, roll your shoulder cage back and down before you start the exercise. From this starting position, twist your torso over the front leg (if right foot is forward, twist to the right), keeping arms straight as you do. You want your whole upper half moving as one unit on this—imagine your waist is a wet towel that you’re wringing out as you twist. Twist back to center and staying low on your front foot, weight in that heel, drive your back knee forward in towards your torso and then quickly extend it back out into your lunge.

When you do the knee driver, it helps to have a slight forward lean with your torso so that your bodyweight is over the standing heel.

Modification: Depending on the weight you use, it can be really difficult to keep your arms outstretched as you do the knee drivers. Try bringing the ball in towards your chest as the knee drives forward and then extending the ball back out front as you step the foot back into your lunge.

Crossbody Chops RIGHT

Start in a split-stance lunge position right foot forward, ball of left foot planted behind you, both knees bent to 90 degrees, holding the medicine ball by your right foot with straight arms. Your left foot is going to pivot as you stand up, bringing the medicine ball across your body (keep arms straight) and reaching it up to the left. Chop it back down diagonally across your body to starting position, pivoting left foot and bending your knees.

Full-Body Russian Twist Crunch RIGHT

Start laying on your back with legs outstretched and hovering a couple inches off the ground. Holding a med ball in your hands, arms should be outstretched overhead and hovering as well. From this starting position, crunch up, bringing your knees in towards your chest as you lift your shoulder blades off the ground and bring the weight up and over to the right of your legs. Twist through your waist as you do this, stopping the med ball a couple inches off the ground and then extending back out, lowering to starting position. Repeat, twisting to the right every time.

The goal is to never bring the legs and/or med ball to rest on the ground when you extend out and crunch up.

Squat Jacks with Oblique Scoop

For the low body, think jumping jacks in a squat position. For the upper body, think paddling a canoe. This one can be like rubbing your stomach while patting your head, so don’t be frustrated if it feels uncoordinated at first—you can always eliminate the upper body movement and just hold the med ball at your chest as you jump your feet in and out.

Start in a low squat position with feet wide, weight in your heels, low abs engaged, hips back and a med ball held at your chest with both hands. Staying low in a squat, jump your feet in close together as you scoop the ball down and around to the left of your left leg. As the ball comes up and back to center, jump your feet out wide again to the starting position. Repeat, this time scooping the ball down and around to the right side of your legs as you jump them close together. The goal is to stay low in a squat as you jack your feet in and out, fluidly scooping the medicine ball side to side like a figure eight or canoe oar.

Med Ball Burpees

Start standing, feet about shoulder-width apart, med ball held at your chest. Squat down, bringing the ball to the ground by your feet and, pressing onto it with your hands, jump both feet back into a plank position. Quickly jump your feet back up by the med ball and shift the weight into your feet, bringing the med ball to your torso, lifting upright into a low squat position. From here, jump up, weight held at your chest. Land softly on your feet, sinking right back down into a squat and going into your next rep.

Torso Twist Knee Drivers in Low Lunge LEFT

Crossbody Chops LEFT

Full-Body Russian Twist Crunch LEFT

WEARING | Fabletics leggings // tank (can’t find it online but similar here) & sneakers c/o Reebok

Let me know if you give this one a try! As a reminder, I’m in Costa Rica for the week so there will be a delay in responding to emails/comments (then again, there always is with me haha). You can follow my vacation on Instagram @nicoleperr.

Filed Under: Full Body, Medicine Ball, Workouts

15-Minute At-Home Bodyweight Workout

December 10, 2015 by Nicole Leave a Comment

Today’s workout is a great one to do at home when you’re short on time. I figure with holiday travel coming up, it can’t hurt to have a no-equipment-needed routine in your arsenal. 🙂

15-Minute At-Home Bodyweight Workout

Set an interval timer for 15 rounds of 45 sec work and 15 sec rest. You’ll go through the following circuit three times.

Lunge Hop Mountain Climbers (right foot forward)

This is a great compound exercise. Start in a split-stance lunge position: both knees bent to 90 degrees, one foot flat in front; one 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.

Staying low in the lunge, hinge forward, bringing your hands to the ground on either side of your right foot. Hover that right foot off the ground so that you’re in a plank position with the left foot planted and the right knee in towards your chest. Do a mountain climber, driving the left knee forward and then the right knee forward so that you’re back in the starting plank position. Place the right foot back on the floor and shift your bodyweight into it as you lift your torso upright, back into your original low lunge position.

Twisted Push Up to Side Plank Rotation (right oblique)

From the waist up, you’ll be in a push up position: hands on the ground a little wider than shoulder width apart, chest square to the ground. From the waist down, you’ll be in a side plank with the left foot stacked on top of the right. It’s important that the twist is from the waist; you want equal weight in both hands. From here, you’ll do a push up, engaging that right oblique to keep your body in a straight line as you lower the chest towards the ground and then press up, straightening your arms. At the top, shift all your weight into the right hand and open your left arm up to the ceiling as you rotate open into a brief side plank. Pause and then bring the left hand back to the ground to your starting position.

Rolling Jump Squats

This is a dynamic, fluid exercise. Start standing with feet about hip’s width apart and begin to lower down into a squat, weight in your heels. Lower all the way down to sit on your bum and immediately start to roll backwards onto the ground, bringing your knees into your chest, butt lifting off the ground as the low, mid, then upper back bears your weight. When your body’s momentum stops, reverse the roll, coming explosively forward and planting your feet on the ground so that you can lift up into a low squat and continue to jump upward off the floor. Land softly, bending your knees and sinking right back down into your next rep.

Twisted Push Up to Side Plank Rotation(left oblique)

Lunge Hop Mountain Climbers (left foot forward)

WEARING | sweatshirt & leggings c/o Champion

I got the chance to work with Champion in styling this workout outfit and am obsessed with the sweatshirt! In addition to basics, they’ve got some fun patterns (love my leggings!) and on-trend styles. In addition to browsing their website, you can follow Champion on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Champion. The opinions and text are all mine.

Filed Under: Bodyweight, Full Body, Interval Training, Workouts

3 Exercises I’m Loving Lately: Medicine Ball

December 7, 2015 by Nicole 3 Comments

Dear Official Namer of Exercises,

Please help.

Why are all my exercise names so verbose?? There’s got to be a more efficient way. I do the same thing when I name recipes, trying to fit literally every ingredient in the title. Butternut Squash Apple-Celery-Carrot Veggie Broth Soup with Pepper-Garlic Sprinkle NO. If you have better names for the following three med ball exercises please chime in.

Note: All of these can also be done with a dumbbell!

3 Med Ball Exercises to Add to Your Next Workout

Overhead Med Ball Squat Slam Catches

Start standing holding the medicine ball overhead. From here, you’re going to explosively drop down into a low squat as you swing the med ball down in front of your body as if you were going to slam it on the floor. You want to build momentum as you do this so really put some oomph into it. Just as the med ball is nearing the floor, stop the movement, catching it hovering over the floor, arms extended out in front of you. Pause in this low position and then just as explosively power back up to the starting position, pressing through your heels to stand as you swoop the med ball back overhead.

The more power you use to swing the ball down, the harder your muscles will have to work to stop the momentum. If you’re a beginner, start with a slow motion and work your way to a more explosive downward swing.

Full-Body Russian Twist Crunches

This is a full body crunch meets a Russian twist.

The goal is to never bring the legs and/or med ball to rest on the ground when you extend out and crunch up.

Torso Twist with Knee Driver in Low Lunge

I love this compound move! It’s leg works meets oblique work meets arm work. Start in a lunge position with front leg bent to 90 degrees and a med ball held in both hands, arm extended out in front of you at chest height. To make sure you have proper form, roll your shoulder cage back and down before you start the exercise. From this starting position, twist your torso over the front leg (if right foot is forward, twist to the right), keeping arms straight as you do. You want your whole upper half moving as one unit on this—imagine your waist is a wet towel that you’re wringing out as you twist. Twist back to center and staying low on your front foot, weight in that heel, drive your back knee forward in towards your torso and then quickly extend it back out into your lunge.

When you do the knee driver, it helps to have a slight forward lean with your torso so that your bodyweight is over the standing heel.