For most people the holiday season is a time that is spent with family and friends enjoying food, drinks and good company. It also is a disastrous recipe for many people’s exercise and nutritional plans. Holidays often mean that many individuals are less likely to be physically active due to travel and socializing yet more likely to eat and drink excessively due to the many festivities focused around food and high calorie meals. Avoid the holiday weight gain by trying this high-Intensity full body cardio and core workout that requires no equipment and can be done practically anywhere.
WARM UP:
Instructions: Perform each exercise consecutively for 20 seconds with a 10 second rest in between each exercise. Perform two rounds total to get yourself warmed up
High Knee Jogging in Place
Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart. Raise up your right knee as high as it’ll go, and then place the leg back down alternating sides rapidly as if you were jogging.
Jumping Jacks
Start with your feet together and hands at your sides, keeping the core engaged. Next, jump both legs out to the side (wider than your hips) while raising your arms overhead. Keep your knees bent as you jump again to bring your feet back together and arms down
Inchworm
Stand tall, and bend over until your fingertips are on the floor. Next, walk the hands forward while keeping the legs straight until you’ve reached a traditional push-up position. Finish off the move by taking tiny steps to get your feet back up to your hand
WORKOUT:
Instructions: Perform each exercise consecutively in the complex set. Perform each exercise for 20 seconds with a 10-second rest in between exercises. Perform 5 rounds of the complex with one-minute rest in between each round.
Complex 1
Burpee-Tuck Jump-Plank Jack
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms down by your side. Lower into a squat position with your hands flat on the floor in front of you. Kick your legs backwards into plank position then jump so feet come apart with legs out spread. Jump so feet maintain a plank position and lower your chest to the floor. Push your chest back up to the plank position thrust both feet forward so you are back in the squat position. Jump up and at the apex of the jump compress into a tuck position with hands next to your feet. Explode out of the tuck as quickly as possible and land with both feet on ground.
Jumping Lunges
Stand with one foot forward and other foot back with knees initially bent only slightly. Dip body down by bending legs more. Immediately jump upward. Quickly reposition legs and land with feet in opposite positions. Immediately dip body down by bending legs just short of rear knee making contact with floor. Keep torso upright and hip of rear leg straight. Repeat sequence with opposite leg movement. Continue jumps by while alternating leg positions.
Single Arm Plank-Pikes (20 seconds each side)
Start in a plank position, with hands down beneath shoulder, and lift one hand off the ground. Lower hips towards the ground, driving extended arm forward, then drive hips upwards toward ceiling and drive extended arm behind you, so that your feet are flat and head points downwards, forming an upside down V with your body.
Mountain Climbers
Place hands on floor, slightly wider than shoulder width. On forefeet, position one leg forward bent under body and extend other leg back. While holding upper body in place, alternate leg positions by pushing hips up while immediately extending forward leg back and pulling rear leg forward under body, landing on both forefeet simultaneously.
Bicycle Crunches
Lie flat on the floor with the lower back pressed into the ground. Place your hands slightly either side of your head, do not lock your fingers or pull the head up. Lift your knees to a 45 degree angle. At first slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion with the legs. Alternately touching your elbows to the opposite knee twisting back and forth through the core, keep the elbows back rather than forward to the chest as this could strain the neck.
Use this routine throughout the holiday season and all year long. Perform it anytime, anywhere, no equipment required. Then get your friends and family involved to make this workout a healthy cardio core holiday tradition.
Justin Smith
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