Chin ups, sit ups, push ups. We’re keeping things super simple with today’s workout. Pull ups and chin ups are something I can’t yet do unassisted (I’m working on it!), so I tie a resistance band around the bar and place one of my feet through it. It helps so much! The lower the resistance of the band, the harder the pull ups will be; if you need more support, go for a band with a heavier resistance. 

“Ups” Pyramid Workout with Cardio Intervals

Equipment I Used:

• Pull up bar (with a resistance band tied around it for assistance)
• Treadmill
• Exercise mat

You’ll go back and forth between a set of the “ups” and the treadmill. Every time you switch, the number of reps gets reduced by one and the distance you run gets reduced by .05 miles. So round one = 10 push ups, 10 v ups, 10 chin ups, .5 mile run. Round two = 9 push ups, 9 v ups, 9 chin ups, .45 mile run. By the end, you will have run a little under 3 miles and done 55 reps of each exercise. The rounds are quick! You’re running as fast as you can and getting through the “ups” taking as few breaks as possible. I know push ups and chin ups are familiar to most people, but if you’re unsure of what a v up crunch is:

• V-UP CRUNCH | 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.

WEARING | tank: Lorna Jane // leggings: Lululemon (out of stock, but similar ones here and here) // sneakers: Asics c/o Millet Sports

SHOP A SIMILAR LOOK:

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.

Hello, weekend, you beautiful thing!

I wanted to share the tutorial to the quick kettlebell workout I posted to my Facebook page earlier this week for anyone who’s unfamiliar with the exercises (and, of course, for all of you who don’t follow the blog on the ‘book). This took me just under 15 minutes to complete and was the perfect way to start the day. I was going to take a class at Btone later that night before teaching, but needed to do something before gluing my butt to my desk chair. This did the trick!

Quick Kettlebell Ladder

Equipment I Used:

• 25-lb kettlebell

You’ll go through the following exercises five times. The first round, complete 50 reps of each. Next round: 40; and so on, down to a final round of 10 reps of each. For the side bends, split up your reps (for example, during the first round, you’d do 25 to the right and 25 to the left).

• Kettlebell Swings: Start with kettlebell on the floor between your legs and lift it up to starting position with both hands, flat back, using your legs to lift. With kettlebell hanging between your legs, use your arms as a pendulum, and swing the bell to chest-to-eye level by thrusting with your hips while keeping your core tight as you stand up straight. Swing back down and repeat. Your knees should remain slightly bent, but the main source of movement is hinging at the hips—not so much squatting.
• Figure 8 Squats: Start standing with feet a little more than hip width apart, holding the kettlebell in one hand. Squat down, and as you do, pass the bell through your legs to the other hand, tracing half of a figure 8. Stand up, squeezing that booty and popping your hips forward. Squat back down, finishing the figure 8 shape around your legs as you pass the kettlebell through your legs to the starting hand.
• Standing Side Bends: These are sneaky! The first few reps you’ll feel like you aren’t doing anything, but man are these effective. My obliques were noticeably sore the next day. Stand upright with fieet hip-width apart, holding the kettlebell in your right hand. With your left hand on your hip or overhead (I have mine overhead in the pictures, but it doesn’t matter—do what’s comfortable), lean to the right, lowering the kettlebell towards the floor. Return to starting position using your core (arm isn’t moving or doing any of the work; your torso is where the movement originates). Split up the reps between sides. Round one, you’ll do 25 to the right and 25 to the left. Round two, 20 to each side, and so on.

Lorna Jane Picks

In today’s post I’m wearing the Coco Excel Zip Through and Berry Support Full Length Tight that Lorna Jane so graciously sent me. I was super excited about the top because black zip-ups are such a wardrobe essential—gym, running errands, grabbing lunch on the weekends. I actually lost the one I previous owned so thank you for the perfectly timed gift, LJ! In addition to the items I’m wearing, I wanted to share some of my other favorite picks from the brand (just in time for holiday shopping wink wink).

Keeping It Real Tank // Sabina Stripe Bra // Erica Active ¾ Pant // Cruz 7/8 Tight // Mia Excel Tank Bra Combo

Lorna Jane also sent me their 2015 Move Nourish Believe Diary which is essentially a weekly planner with healthy recipes, workouts and pictures thrown in. To go along with it, LJ has the Move Nourish Believe site that covers all things health and fitness (sort of like an online magazine meets blog)–check it out! In particular, this Beetroot Crust Pizza looks delish and I loved this article comparing cold press juicers to centrifugal juicers.

Enjoy your weekend! If you’re in Boston and looking to get a workout in, I’m subbing tomorrow morning at Btone and there are a couple spots left in the morning classes. Sign up here!

This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Lorna Jane.

Whenever I don’t feel like working out (but, ya know, should), I always do a pyramid workout. The structure makes it so much easier to psych yourself up to make it to the end because the rounds get shorter and shorter as you go, getting the worst out of the way first. This is basically my internal dialogue during pyramid workouts (@fuckjerry is HILARIOUS to follow on Instagram, BTW):

25-Minute Bodyweight Interval Ladder Workout

There are five exercises in this workout and you’ll go through them four times, with the intervals getting shorter each round. The first time through, you do each for 2 minutes. The second round: 90 seconds. The third: 1 minute. The final: 30 seconds each. At the end of each round, rest for 30-sec to 1-minute. Don’t rest between exercises in the round; move from one right to the other until you’ve completed each of the exercises.

You could just watch the clock, but I used my break in between each round to quickly reset my interval timer. First round: 5 rounds of 2 mins work and 0 sec rest (so that it just beeps every 2 minutes, signaling the next exercise). For the second, I just quickly dropped the 2 min interval down to 90 sec, keeping all the other settings the same.

• Spider Man Lunges to Frog Stamp: Start in a plank position, hands aligned under shoulders. Keeping hips level, step your right foot up by the outside of your right hand. Step it quickly back to plank and then repeat on the left side. Once you’ve done one of these spiderman lunges to each side, from the plank position, jump both feet up towards the outside of your hands, landing in a wide-stance crouching position, and then jump the feet quickly back to plank.
• Alternating Jump Lunge to Jump Squat: Jump squat, right-foot-forward jump lunge, jump squat, left-foot-forward jump lunge…and so on and so on. Start in a squat, feet shoulder-width apart, weight in your heels, knees stacked over ankles, butt down and back. Jump up and land in a lunge position, right foot forward, ball of the left foot back, both knees bent to 90 degrees. Jump up again, landing back in a squat. Repeat, this time with the left foot forward in your lunge and right foot back.
• Rolling V Crunches: For these, you just alternate between a side v-up crunch on your right side, then roll onto your back for a regular v-up crunch, then roll onto your left side for another side v-up, back to center, and so on. Start laying on your right side with right arm stretched outwards on the ground for support. Do a side crunch, lifting your legs up and crunching the knees in to meet your left elbow and raised torso. Lower down and roll onto your back with arms overhead and legs straight out, hovering a couple inches off the floor (to make these challenging, try your best to never let your feet rest on the floor, even while rolling from side to side). From this position, do a v-up crunch, lifting your straight legs up towards the ceiling as the same time as you lift your torso off the floor, bringing your hands up towards your toes. Slowly release back down onto your back and roll over to your left side for your next side crunch.
• Mountain Climber Burpees: These are regular burpees, except you do 10 mountain climbers at the bottom of each. So the full sequence of one looks like this: start standing; squat down, placing your hands by your feet; jump your feet back into a plank position; do 10 mountain climbers, driving your knees up towards your chest one at a time (like horizontal running) while holding the plank position; jump both feet back up towards hands; shift weight into feet and come upright, jumping up with arms overhead; land and go right into your next rep.
• Skaters: These are like side-to-side leaping courtesy 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 courtesy). 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.

And in Trendy Sh*t I Wish I Could Afford news, aren’t these Lucas Hugh leggings fun?? You sort of feel like you’re stepping into a wetsuit, but once they’re on—bam!—nothing is jiggling in those babies. It’s like wearing chic Spanx. These are another piece of eye candy from the selection of workout apparel Btone has at the Sudbury and Boston locations that have been taunting me the past few months.

Some additional Lucas Hugh window shopping splurges:

P.S. I shot these pictures a couple months ago and looking through this post is making me seriously miss my long hair!

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.

This marks my third time teaming up with Target® and their C9 collection, which is pretty exciting—if you had told me when I first started this blog that companies as big-time as Tar-jey (I prefer the classier French pronunciation) would want to work with me, I definitely wouldn’t have believed you. For today’s post, I got to pick out a couple items from the C9 line and went with the Short Sleeve Slub Yoga Tee in rain cloud and white and the Premium Leggings in stately blue (it’s more of a purple in person though).

I thought the pattern of the leggings was fun and different from any other pair I own, and they proved to be super comfortable—very supportive and with a super wide waistband (a must!). I chose the tees because of how versatile they are and liked the rolled sleeves look. I can wear these when working out or teaching, as well as with jeans for a casual everyday look.

Today I’m wearing my Target® C9 picks in a bodyweight workout made up of five mini pyramids. I did a similar one with my Tone ‘N Torch class at Btone the other week and it was a winner. I’d say if you’re advanced, you could finish it in about 20 minutes. If you’re a beginner, set aside 30+ minutes for sure.

Mini Superset Pyramids Workout

For each of the following supersets (pairs of exercises), you’ll do a 10-to-1 pyramid. That means 10 reps of each, then 9 reps of each, and so on, down to 1 rep of each. When you finish a superset, take a 30-60 second break and then move onto the next superset.

Superset 1 | Jump Lunges & Mountain Climbers

• 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 with the front knee aligned over ankle and the back knee hovering just a couple inches off the floor. From here, push off your feet to jump up in the air, switching feet mid-air and landing back in a lunge with left foot forward and right foot planted behind. Continue, alternating feet with each jump. Each set of jumps = 1 rep (every time right foot is in front = 1).
• 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. Each set (left, right) = 1 rep (every time right knee is in front = 1).

Superset 2 | Jumping Crab Kicks & Side-to-Side Elbow Plank Hops

• Jumping Crab Kicks: Start in a crab position: feet on ground, knees bent, hands on ground underneath your shoulders, body facing upwards. Lift one foot into the air, straightening that leg. This is your starting position. From here, you’re going to alternate kicking one leg into the air and then the next, switching feet mid-air so that there’s never more than one foot on the ground at a time (hence jumping crab kick instead of just a crab kick, in which you’d return the foot to the ground before kicking up the other). Your whole body will be working during these: you lower your bum and bend the elbows (almost like a triceps dip) to prep for the jump kick, and then push through the hands, thrusting the pelvis upward to give you time to switch feet mid-air before landing. Each set (right, left) = 1 rep.
• Side-to-Side Elbow Plank Hops: Start in a forearm plank (elbows stacked underneath shoulders, core pulled in tight—don’t let your low back sag or your butt stick up in the air). From here, hop your feet in unison to the right, back to center, to the left, and back to center (that’s one rep). While you hop, try to hold your body in a straight line, not letting your bum pike up into the air. One rep = right, center, left, center.

Superset 3 | Skaters & Jump Squats

• Skaters: 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. Each set (to the right, to the left) = 1 rep.
• Jump Squats: 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.

Superset 4 | Burpees & Full-body Crunches

• 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.
• 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.

Superset 5 | Reptile Push Ups & Jump Tucks

• Reptile Push Ups: Start in push up position (a plank with hands aligned under shoulders). As you lower down, crunch your right knee forward, in towards the right shoulder, squeezing those obliques. Return the foot back to the ground as you press back up into high plank position. Repeat, this time on the left. Each push up = 1 rep.
• Jump Tucks: Jump up into the air, using your core to pull your knees up towards your chest. Lower them quickly in time to land. You’ll want to bend your knees, sinking into a squat to prep for the jump, and you’ll land this same way, sinking into a squat to absorb the landing. As you jump up bring your hands in front of your rib cage and try to hit them with your knees.

Happy Friday! For any of you lucky ducks heading out to the beach or a lake for the weekend, this is a great workout to bring along with you. No equipment required, but holy sh*t does it do the trick. I’m sure you already guessed that by the word “burpee” though.

As I mentioned before, I’m in the (slow) process of moving, so my belongings (and workout equipment…and schedule) are all over the place. I wanted to get in a sweat before the movers arrived yesterday, and put together this seemingly simple workout. It’s basically just burpees, then each individual part of a burpee (the jumping of the feet into plank, the push up, the vertical jump back into squat). Yeah, not so “simple” when you try doing it without stopping for 10 minutes…then 8…then 6…then 4…then 2. This one’s a killer—enjoy!

Burpee Breakdown AMRAP Pyramid Workout

This workout is made up of 5 AMRAPS, each two minutes shorter than the previous, descending in a pyramid structure. First round is 10 minutes, second is 8 mins, and so on, down to a final round of 2 mins. AMRAP stands for As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible, so you’ll be going through the following sequence of exercises as many times as you can in the given time period. Take a minute break in between each AMRAP (maybe just 30 seconds between the last two since they’re short).

This workout will take 30 minutes in total. If you’re a beginner or looking for a shorter workout, just eliminate the first round and start with an 8-min AMRAP.

• 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 more upper body workout of this workout, add in a push up each time you’re in plank position.
• Frog Stamps:Start in a plank position, hands aligned under shoulders, core tight. 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! Up, back, up, back—no pause, keep the feet moving.
• Push Ups: Do these from your knees if you need to modify! It’s better to keep proper form (i.e. not sagging your back as you lower) from your knees than have sloppy form on your toes.
• Jump Squats: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.

I didn’t write down how many rounds I got in during each AMRAP (no pen and paper…again, I’m moving, my life is a mess), but I did keep track of how many breaks I had to take. The goal of an AMRAP is, of course, to not take any breaks until the timer goes off, but c’mon, 10 minutes straight of burpees?? If you need a few seconds to breathe and walk it out, take a break, but try to keep it brief (under 15 seconds) and take as few as possible. I took two quick breathers during the 10-min and 8-min rounds, one during the 6-min, and pushed through the last two without a break (but slowed down a lot during the last minute of the 4-min round). Keep in mind these “breathers” are in addition to the 1-min breaks that are given between each AMRAP.

At the start of a round, tell yourself you’re going to go as long as possible without taking a breather. It’s better to slow your pace than stop altogether, so try that before breaking.

WEARING | tank: Yogadude // leggings: Target

Speaking of what I’m wearing, I’m including a couple Yogadude tanks in that big Facebook giveaway I have planned for when the page hits 5k likes!

And for the record, I didn’t actually do this workout barefoot on concrete. Just demoing the moves for the tutorial. I wasn’t lying when I said my belongings are all over the place—I had no sneakers!

Have a kickass weekend!

I haven’t worked out with my good ol’ pink med ball in a while, so the other day, after a 3-mile run outside, I decided to do a quick pyramid workout with it. I think it’s probably time to invest in a heavier ball (8 or 10lbs) because my 6lb-er isn’t feeling like enough for certain exercises, but this was still the perfect strength training routine to compliment my cardio.

Before we get to the workout breakdown, I have to give Jackie from PrettyFit Athletics a big thanks for the fun SUCK IT UP tank I’m wearing in today’s post! Not only does it match my medicine ball, but I love the kiss print detail on the back. Check out her Etsy shop for other cute workout tanks—she even has a Boston Still Strong one that benefits the One Fund!

Medicine Ball Pyramid Workout

Equipment I Used:

• 6-lb medicine ball
• Exercise mat

You’ll start by doing 10 reps of each exercise in the circuit. Next, you’ll do 9 reps of each. Next round, 8—and so on and so on down to 1 rep of each exercise. In between each round you’ll hold a med ball plank for 30 seconds.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

• V-Up Split Crunches with the Med Ball: Start laying on your back with arms overhead holding the medicine ball.  Engage your core to lift your legs and arms hovering off the floor a couple inches. This is your starting position. Squeezing your abs, lift your legs straight up and out to the sides as you crunch your upper body up, reaching the medicine ball between your legs. Return to starting position, lowering upper and lower body and bringing med ball back behind your head. The goal is to keep constant tension on the abs and never let the med ball or your feet come to rest on the floor between reps.
• Forward Lunge with Torso Twist (right): Start standing with feet hip-width apart holding med ball at chest. Step forward, lunging onto your right foot, bending both knees to 90 degrees. As you step forward, press the ball out in front of you, straightening your arms. From here, keeping arms straight and med ball extended, twist your torso to the right. Reverse the motion back to standing. That’s one rep.
• Forward Lunge with Torso Twist (left)
• Shoulder Press Toss, Catch & Dip: Standing with feet hip-width apart holding med ball at chest, toss ball straight up overhead, pushing through with both hands. Catch the ball, softening the catch by bringing it back to chest height. Press ball overhead and then do a triceps dip with the ball, dipping it behind your head, keeping elbows in tight to the side of your head as you do so. Extend med ball back up overhead, bring it down to chest height. This is one rep. Start from the top with the toss. (This is the one exercises I wished I had a heavier med ball for.)
• Med Ball Squat Jacks: These are essentially jumping jacks in a squatting position. Start with legs a little more than shoulder-width apart in a squat position, holding medicine ball mid-torso. Jump legs together (remaining in a squat position) and reach medicine ball down and to the left of your feet. Jump back into starting position, then alternate, jumping legs together and reaching medicine ball down and to the right of your feet. One to the right + one to the left = 1 rep.
• 30-second Incline Med Ball Plank: Balancing your feet on the medicine ball, hold a plank position, hands aligned underneath shoulders. If this bothers your wrists, come onto your forearms.

WEARING | tank: c/o PrettyFit Athletics // leggings: c/o Champion // sneakers: Nike Free +3

Taking pictures for this workout tutorial has made me realize how desperately I’m in need of a tan. I’m over the Edward Cullen look–hurry up, summer!!

Have a great day, everyone!

At the start of every summer, I have a laundry list of outdoor activities I want to tackle: paddle boarding, rollerblading, tennis, sailing—the list goes on. And, as tends to also happen every summer, August rolls around and I have yet to dust off the ‘blades or invest in some tennis rackets…apparently I’m better at making lists than actually doing things on said lists.

But while tennis may remain a permanently unchecked line item (I’ve wanted to be a tennis star ever since my conflicting softball season prevented me from playing in high school), I’ve taken my workouts outside as much as possible to successfully soak up the summer. If you’ve got a backyard or access to a nearby park or sporting field, this boot camp pyramid workout is perfect. Did I look ridiculous doing traveling burpees across my parents’ lawn? Yes. But I got a little sun on my skin and a couple mosquito bites on my legs, and that’s all that really matters in the summer.

Bootcamp Pyramid Workout

You’ll need 50-60’ of lawn/track/etc. space for sprints and traveling burpees. If you don’t have a way to measure it, just picture the distance between bases on a softball or little league field. Each round, you’ll sprint up the 50-60’ and then return to the start doing traveling burpees. You’ll then do a series of three exercises: push-ups, leg lifts and reptile planks. After your first sprint/burpee, you’ll do 20 reps of each of these exercises. After your second sprint/burpee, you’ll do 18 reps of each; and so on, reducing by two reps each round. For clarity, here’s what the first three rounds look like:

• Round 1: Sprint up, traveling burpees back. 20 push-ups, 20 leg lifts, 20 reptile planks.
• Round 2: Sprint up, traveling burpees back. 18 push-ups, 18 leg lifts, 18 reptile planks.
• Round 3: Sprint up, traveling burpees back. 16 push-ups, 16 leg lifts, 16 reptile planks.

Descriptions of each are below the picture tutorial.

• Sprint
• Traveling Burpees: This is a normal burpee, except you jump forward with both feet instead of up (jump as far forward as you can; this requires more effort and makes it more challenging). Each burpee will go like this: squat down, placing hands on ground in front of you; jump feet back into plank position; jump feet forward; stand back into squatting position, jump forward (with both feet; this isn’t a leap) as far as possible, landing in squat position.
• Push-ups: From your knees or feet, depending on your fitness level.
• Leg Lifts: Lay on back with hands under your butt or by your side for support. 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.
• Reptile Planks: Bring your left knee (bent out to the side and parallel to the ground) up to your left elbow, crunching your obliques. Repeat on the right side.

WEARING:

Top: Under Armour (old) // Shorts: LLD // Sneakers: Ryka

What’s your favorite way to workout outdoors?

So I may have exaggerated a little when I said that THIS workout takes 40 minutes (I recently did it again in a clean 32 so maybe I just read the clock wrong the first time and should go back to the second grade and work on my life?), but today’s workout actually will take you 40(ish) minutes. Like other pyramid/ladder workouts, the time it takes to complete will depend on your fitness level and how hard you push yourself.

Double Ladder Workout

Equipment I Used:

• 15-lb kettlebell
• 20-lb kettlebell
• Exercise mat

You’ll go through the following ladder TWICE. That means 5-10-15-20-25-30-25-20-15-10-5 and then ANOTHER set of 5-10-15-20-25-30-25-20-15-10-5. But if you want to start with just one ladder, you’ll still get a great workout. When I have a longer time for working out, I’ll do the full double ladder, and when I’m in a rush, I’ll just squeeze one in—still leaves me sweaty and out of breath! You’ll do each of the following exercises on BOTH sides.

• 5 Turkish Get-Ups (on each side): For a detailed tutorial on how to do a Turkish get-up check out THIS previous post. Essentially you start laying on the ground, holding a kettlebell or hand weight (I use 15 lbs), and go from that position to standing, and then back down to laying down, all while keeping the weight lifted. But if you’re unfamiliar with the move, seriously check out the full tutorial, it’s a much better explanation.
• 10 Side Plank Lift Kicks (on 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. Then kick your top leg straight out, bringing your free hand out to meet it.
• 15 Side Burpees (on each side): This is a traditional burpee except you’re jumping your feet laterally out to the side instead of back into a plank position. Full sequence is: squat down with hands on ground, jump both feet out to the side in a lateral plank position, jump both feet back in, stand back up into squat position, jump up with hands overhead. 15 of those on each side.
• 20 Donkey Kicks to Fire Hydrants (on each side): Start on all fours. Kick one leg up, squeezing your glutes, lower it back down and swing that knee up, bringing the leg up to the side (like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant). That’s one rep.
• 25 One-Arm Kettlebell Swings (on each side): Hold kettlebell in one hand with legs a little more than shoulder-width apart. Start with kettlebell down between your legs and, using your arms as a pendulum, swing the bell to eye level by powering through with your hips and legs while keeping your core tight as you stand up straight. Swing back down and repeat. At the bottom of your swing, your thumb should be pointing back through your legs. I use a 20-lb bell.
• 30-second Elbow Plank: You know the drill! This will serve as a little break in the workout, so enjoy that elbow plank.

Before I get to this kettlebell pyramid, I need to call attention to the top I’m wearing—SO comfortable. When it comes to fitness apparel, I think the fabric is everything, and this Cory Vines top is breathable, soft and stretchy—one of those shirts you workout in, then pick out of the dirty laundry hamper the next day and wear again (I can’t be the only stinky kid who does that with favorite clothing items, right??).

I won’t ramble too much, but just wanted to tell you guys about this new line of workout clothes—check out Cory Vines, they’ve got tanks and long sleeves, too!

As for today’s workout, it took me a little under 30 minutes to complete. I did it several months ago on my lunch break so can’t remember too much about it or what muscles were targeted the most, but if it made it’s way to my pile of “must blog” workouts, I know it’s good.

Kettlebell Pyramid Workout

Equipment I Used:

• 10-lb kettlebell
• Two 35-lb kettlebells (any heavy weights or blocks will do)
• 25-lb kettlebell

Go through the following sequence, doing 20 reps of each exercise. Then go through the entire sequence again, doing 18 reps of each exercise. You’ll continue to go through it (16, 14, 12, etc.) until the final round, when you do only 2 reps of each exercise.

• Overhead Reach Sit Up into Russian Twist: Start laying on your back with knees bent and feet up, and holding a kettlebell outstretched overhead. I use a 10lb bell for these. Bring the kettlebell up and over to your chest as you sit up, keeping feet elevated. Do a Russian Twist and then lower back down, lifting bell back overhead into starting position. Each sit up, alternate the side to which you first twist.
• Sprinter Lunge Jumps: Start in a deep lunge position, hands on stationary kettlebells for support and front leg in the center of them. Use 30-lb kettlebells for the best stability (or really any sturdy objects will work). In one powerful movement, jump up and switch legs, landing back in a deep lunge with opposite foot in front. Keep hands on the kettle bells as you continue the jump lunges.
• Kettlebell Swing Punches: This is just like a regular swing except for at the top, bend your elbows wide, bringing the kettle bell in towards your face, and punch it back out. I used a 25-lb bell.
• Figure 8s: Start with legs a bit more than shoulder-width apart and lower yourself into a shallow squat. Keep your back straight and chest up. You’ll hold the kettlebell in one hand (I use a 35-lb bell when I do this move; I recommend using 5-10lbs heavier than the weight you swing), and weave it around your legs in a figure 8 motion, passing it off between hands as you swing through the center. A full figure 8 (around both legs) is ONE rep. Halfway through each set of reps, alternate the direction in which you swing.

Let this past weekend’s beautiful beach weather be motivation to get this workout in!

wearing

top: Cory Vines