Fit Villains: Selfish, Shameless, Sassy, Fitness.

Ahhh, bootcamp. The highlight of my week. :)

I love teaching bootcamp: it gives me the freedom to run my class MY way, and try out a variety of exercises and combos with students of all levels. It’s amazing what people can do when they just have a little push, and I’m over-the-moon excited to see them grow and get better!

A few days ago, I posted my bootcamp playlist and some bootcamp tips (Crazy Bitch Bootcamp Songs & Tips To Make Your Workout Playlist WORK.). The post started a chit chat with Gwen from Fit Friends about our all time favorite bootcamp moves (she’s an instructor too) and we talked about sharing our top 5. I’ll admit: coming up with only 5 was a challenge. I like to mix things up a TON, and every class is different. But it’s almost a guarantee that one of these five (or more) will make their way into my Crazy Bitch Bootcamp.

I like combining different exercises to make them more challenging (also to help them “fit” my music). Working more than one muscle group at a time also torches more calories, and allows my students to build strength in different areas, without thinking about it too much. Most of my students don’t realize how tough the workout was… until the next day!

May need to do a part 2 sometime soon, but for now, here are 5 moves & combos that I just freaking LOVE.

CHICHI KIX’S TOP 5 BOOTCAMP MOVES

1.    Quick Feet to Plank. 

This one’s great for beginners & advanced students alike. It’s not complicated, SHOOTS the heart rate WAY up & is easy to adjust with tempo, speed and rhythm to suit your class. Core & Cardio! I like to keep my students guessing as to when I’ll call ‘plank’, but the shorter the time between the intervals, the higher the heart rate. Encourage students to move quickly between moves (transitions are a fun place to dawdle, but dawdling’s not for bootcamp).

A. From a standing position, take the feet wider than hips width apart bend slightly at the knee. Shift the weight from one foot to another quickly (like a fast tip toe run). Keep your core tight and minimize wobbling from side to side - try to keep the weight balanced between your feet as you move. Pump your arms with your legs for a bigger boost, and think speed.

B. Quick feet it out for 5-10 seconds, then drop down to a plank position. Hold it in plank for a few beats, then pop back up again for quick feet.

2.    Modified Burpee With Pushup & Plank Crunches.

This move works really well on two 8 counts, and although I’ll challenge advanced students to do the full version (hopping back instead of stepping back), I usually keep the BPM low enough that even beginners can catch the beat. The pushup part can be modified or skipped (or you can swap it for 2 extra plank crunches, or plank rows).

A. From standing, drop your hands to the ground (beats 1 & 2), and step back one foot at a time (beats 3 & 4). Lower down to a pushup, (beats 5 & 6), then back up again (beats 7 & 8).

B. Bringing your right knee to your right elbow, do a side crunch (beats 1 & 2), then the other side (beats 3 & 4). Then step your feet forward (beats 5 & 6) and stand up for the last 2 counts (jump optional).

Altogether: Down, Step To Plank, Pushup, 2 Knee Crunches, Stand.

3.    Lunge Matrix With Squats.

Booty WORK that goes so well with hip hop it’s scary! We do one side at a time, with or without weights.

Starting with the RIGHT side: lunge forward with the right leg (beats 1 & 2), then come back to a squat (beats 3 & 4). Lunge to the side, then back to a squat. Lunge to the back (reverse lunge), then yup, a squat. Then do a curtsy lunge (step back and to the left with the right foot), then squat. 4 lunges, 4 squats on the same side. I usually repeat 4-6 times, then switch to the left. (The song Booty Werk by T-Pain is GREAT with this combo).

4.    High Knees To Mountain Climbers.

HIGH Intensity cardio KILLER, so we don’t do it for long. Sometimes I’ll have them repeat the combo for a minute, switch to something lower intensity, then bring it back up again. Like Quick Feet To Plank, I can play with the tempo & speed, and I like to keep them guessing: high BPM’s are a must.

From standing, run in place bringing your knees up as high as you can. Pump your arms as you run: this should be a sprint. After 5-10 seconds, drop down to plank position for mountain climbers. Go as fast as you can, same time interval, then pop back up for high knees. Usually doing the combo 3 times is enough to get heart rates sky high, but you can gauge as you go!

5.    Bear Crawl Run Backs.

This combo is better if you have a ton of space, or are working outside (it’s great as a race/game too if you want to split your class up into teams).

Starting from one end of the room/field, have participants drop down to a crawl position, keeping knees off the floor. They bear crawl for 5-20 feet, as fast as they can, then pop up and sprint back to the start. This can be done relay style if you put them in teams, and you can have them do squats/jacks ANYTHING while they wait for their next crawl. Bear crawls are tough, so you should shorten the distance if your students are still getting used to it. 3-5 crawls per person is ideal, more if they can handle it.

There are lots of ways to do the bear crawl, but some ways are safer than others. Check out a demo here.

My favorite stretch after all this bootcampery? Happy baby.  Literally, not a frown to be found when everyone’s in this position after a tough workout.

Follow Fit Friends on Facebook and show some lovin’! They post great tips daily, and are a fab, FRIENDLY resource if you need a boost! (and don’t forget me! The Fit Villains page is rockin’ too and it’s easier to connect with my Tumblr friends there as well).

Have you ever been to a bootcamp class? What were your favorite moves?