10 MINUTE HIGH INTENSITY WORKOUT!

GOT 10 MINUTES?

I hear it all the time…I have no time for exercise, and believe me when I say the 5 a.m alarm to carve our exercise time gets old really quickly! Add to this, your usual walk-jog routine isn’t cutting it anymore! Plateau city! You walk and walk but don’t see results…it makes sense! You have to increase metabolic burn to lose fat, and that’s only accomplished by building lean muscle with exercises that challenge your body to perform with higher thresholds, and yes, with burning massive calories.

Why not focus on more effective and quality workouts in less time? I’m talking about Tabata style workouts that utilize intervals and that provide a variety of exercises to rev up your metabolism while giving you a quick whole body strength workout that targets your core. Unlike the traditional daily workout – your usual grind, you will build muscle and burn fat very efficiently, in little time each day.

There’s solid research that pushing your body to perform in high-energy bursts is more effective to build muscle and to rev up your fat-burning machine. After all, your metabolism, or the amount of energy (calories) you burn daily, is the secret to weight loss. Without challenges, your body adapts very quickly, plateaus are hit, and weight loss just isn’t happening.

So here it is….Take 10-20 minutes 3-4 times weekly to challenge yourself with this workout, and you will see noticeable changes to your physique! Just do yourself a favor…take pictures and measurements before you begin this month-long challenge! Scales don’t reflect changes like a good old tape measure. In one month, you’ll see why, as you peer at new, lean muscles and greater body tone.

I’ve combined sprinting or strides along with strength for an overall workout. Many individuals are fearful of sprints. They can be intimidating for sure! Yet, sprints hold the secret to engaging all leg muscles and to getting your body into an anaerobic state for burning fat, both during the higher threshold workout and afterwards when you are back at a higher resting metabolism. You’ll have to trust me on this one and try out a few sprints! If you want to trick your mind into this one, just act like a seasoned runner and call them “strides!”

Best part about this workout? You can perform each exercise using only your body weight. So, there are really no excuses for getting in a quick total body workout…even when you’re traveling, cooking, or at your desk working. Just promise me you will take time to warm up with some light jogging and active stretching before you proceed to prevent injuries and to maximize your workout!

Combine this workout with my Move Back Into Your Body program, and you will see the weight loss and lean muscle gain within days! Average weight loss is nearly 12 pounds in 10 days!

GET MOVING! Here it is: 

• Warmup – easy jog and active stretches
• Sprints/Strides (start with 3 and work up to 10 x 100 meter; walk or easy jog back to start with each sprint)

Repeat 2-3 sets of the strengthening exercises below, and keep rest intervals short for a Tabata style workout that amps up your cardio.

• Push ups – 3o seconds
• Rest – 15 seconds
• Single Leg Plank – 30 seconds
• Rest – 15 seconds
• Scissors – 30 seconds
• Rest – 15 seconds
• Dips – 30 seconds
• Rest – 15 seconds
• Squats –  30 seconds
• Rest – 15 seconds
• Repeat

SPRINTS/STRIDES: Choose a straight, 100 meter stretch, and go all out. Sprint down 100 meters, and jog back for an active recovery. Start with 3-4 sprints and over the next month, as you build proficiency, work up to 8-10 sprints.

PUSH UPS: core strength, upper body (Pectorals, deltoids, triceps, abs)

• Lie on the floor face down and place your hands about 36 inches apart while holding your torso up at arms length.
• Next, lower yourself downward until your chest almost touches the floor as you inhale.
• Now breathe out and press your upper body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest.
• After a brief pause at the top contracted position, you can begin to lower yourself downward again.
• Complete as many as you can in 30 seconds.

SINGLE LEG PLANK: core strength  (abs, glutes, obliques)

• Start in pushup position.
• Drop down so your elbows are supporting your upper body(standard plank position). Make sure your body forms a straight line from head to heels with bottom in a line with the rest of your body.
• Tighten your abs, then lift your left foot about two inches off the ground. Hold for five seconds, then return to the starting position.
• Repeat on your right side.
• Continue alternating legs and complete as many as you can in 30 seconds.

SCISSORS: lower abs

 

DIPS: chest, triceps, front shoulders

• Stand in front of a chair, facing away from the chair’s seat.
• Sit down on the edge of the chair or bench and place your hands behind your hips; your hands should
  be on the edge of the seat and shoulder width apart.
• Move your bottom off of the seat and walk your feet forward until legs are extended. Make sure your hands are secure on the chair so that you don’t slip off. Keep your chest elevated and head up. Your knees should not bend past your toes.
• Slowly lower your body downward. Be careful that your elbows don’t bend to an angle smaller than 90 degrees.
• Extend your arms, raising your body upward and supporting your weight with your arms.
• Complete as many as you can in 30 seconds.

SQUATS: lower body (quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes) and arms

• Begin with your feet slightly wider than hip width apart and toes pointed slightly outward.
• Keeping your weight in your heels, sit back into your deep squat. Make sure your knees do not go beyond your toes.
• As you sit back in your squat, raise both of your arms overhead. Once you’re in a deep squat, hold this position for a moment, then return to standing while lowering your arms to your sides. This completes one rep.
• Complete as many as you can in 30 seconds.