Tag Archives: squat

Lower Body/Core Tabata Workout

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Hey everyone!  It’s time for another Home Workout of the Week!  This week I have a Lower Body and Core Tabata workout for you to try.

Tabata’s have been gaining popularity in the fitness industry over the last while due to it’s effectiveness at revving up your metabolism and ability to burn massive calories in a short amount of time.  They are also great for increasing your cardiovascular endurance as your heart rate will remain fairly high throughout.

If you’re not familiar with Tabata’s, they are short bursts of activity followed by short rests with as many sets as you see fit.  Tabata’s are really great for busy people who don’t have time to do an hour workout.  A Tabata workout can be done in as little as 10 minutes

For this week’s Tabata workout however I have 6 pairs of exercises for you to do with 4 sets of each.  Combined with the warmup, this workout should take you approximately 30 to 40 minutes to complete.  If you’re short on time, just pick a couple sets of exercises and you can complete this in as little as 10 minutes.

So give it a shot and get ready to sweat!  Also note that the rest time between each group of exercises is 1 minute.  If this is your first time doing a Tabata workout, you may need to rest a bit longer until your cardiovascular endurance improves.

Lower Body/Core Tabata Workout

Tabata Protocol – 20 seconds of as many reps as you can do followed by 10 seconds of rest; 4 rounds of each pair of exercises followed by a 1 minute rest before moving on to the next pair of exercises

Warm-Up

  • 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks
  • 10 Spinal Rotations for each side
  • 10 Shoulder Circles for each arm
  • 10 Pushups
  • 12 Spiderman Climbs

Tabata 1

Tabata 2

Tabata 3

Tabata 4

Tabata 5

Tabata 6

Full Body Circuit Workout 2

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I have another Full Body Circuit Workout for you to try this week for the Home Workout of the Week!  The feedback I have received from last weeks workout was that it was very effective and there were a lot of sore muscles going on so this workout should be equally effective!

This workout has the same structure as last weeks but the exercises are different.  The goal is to do all 8 exercises before taking a rest and then repeating it two more times before moving on to the core finisher.  Do your best and get that liquid awesome pouring!

Full Body Circuit Workout 2

Warm-Up

  • 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks
  • 10 Pushups
  • 12 Spiderman Climbs
  • 10 Spinal Rotations for each side
  • 10 Shoulder Circles for each arm

Superset

Rest for 60 to 90 seconds then repeat the superset 2 more times

Core

Lower Body/Core Workout

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I have a Lower Body/Core workout for you to try for this week’s Home Workout of the Week.  Make sure you are well warmed up before trying this routine as it is fairly challenging.  This workout includes plyometric training so if you are not used to jumping or if you have knee or back problems then please regress the movements until you feel you are strong enough to handle them.

This Lower Body/Core workout will help with your balance and explosive power as well as increasing your muscle strength and the amount of calories burned.  For an extra challenge, try holding on to some dumbbells if you have some.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Lower Body and Core

Warm-up

  • 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks
  • 12 Body weight Squats
  • 20 Mountain Climbers
  • 5 Burpees

Superset 1

Rest for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the superset 1 more time

Superset 2

Rest for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the superset 1 more time

Superset 3

Rest for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the superset 1 more time

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Squat and Hold

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I have a lower body exercise I would like you to try for the Home Exercise of the Week.  It’s called the Squat and Hold.

The Squat and Hold is an isometric exercise that targets all the major muscles of the lower body – quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.  The isometric aspect of this exercise will build strength and endurance.  The muscles of the back will be working as well and If you raise your arms out in front of you then you will also be working your shoulders.

Let’s take a look at the key points to doing the Squat and Hold properly.

  • squat down pushing your hips back and arching your back up slightly until your thighs are parallel to the floor
  • sit your weight on your heels and keep your knees directly over your ankles
  • raise your arms out in front of you to shoulder height and retract your shoulder blades
  • keep your head up and maintain this position for 30 to 60 seconds

There will be a great amount of lactic acid buildup in the muscles so this will burn!  Make sure you are taking in deep even breaths to get the most amount of oxygen to your muscles.  This will help flush out the lactic acid and help you get through the entire set.

Oftentimes the simplest move can bring the greatest results so make sure you add this great isometric strength and endurance building exercise to your routine!

Dumbbell Swing

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Get your legs and shoulders fired up with this Home Exercise of the Week.  It’s called the Dumbbell Swing and it’s a great full body exercise that will get your heart rate and metabolic rate up.  Full body exercises burn more calories and strengthen your cardiovascular system.

The Dumbbell Swing targets your quadriceps, inner thighs, hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and deltoids so there are many muscles working together with this exercise.  More neurons are firing and more oxygen is needed so stay focused, breath deeply, and get ready to sweat!

If you don’t have a dumbbell at home that’s ok.  You can use any object that provides resistance and is easy to hold on to like a jug of water for instance or if you’re a new mom you can even use your child!  They will think it’s great fun!

Let’s take a look at how to do the Dumbbell Swing properly.

  • start by standing up tall with your feet in a wide stance, toes pointed slightly outward
  • let your weight hang down in front of you
  • squat down with your body weight on your heels, pushing your hips back, and keeping your head up and shoulders back
  • push up through your heels and at the same time swing the weight up to shoulder height while keeping your arms fairly straight
  • immediately squat down again dropping the weight between your legs and repeat
  • it’s ok to use momentum on this exercise but don’t get sloppy on the form

So there you have the Dumbbell Swing.  If you want a challenging full body exercise that will boost your metabolic rate and get that liquid awesome flowing then you’ll want to make sure that you are adding this exercise in to your routine!