Fit Villains: Selfish, Shameless, Sassy, Fitness.

Are you ready to BURN?

Welcome to your Fire Drill!

Fire Drills are high intensity cardio workouts that you can do just about anywhere. No equipment is required, but you need to bring your A-game! And the BEST part? They’re only 16 minutes long!

This is the first of TWO Fire Drill workouts from your 16 Day Dorm Room Challenge! Stay tuned for your full calendar and all 16 (yup, 16!) workouts. All workouts are 16 minutes long or less. 

Is 16 minutes enough? HELLS YES! But they need to be jam packed with intensity. Intensity is all about how it feels, and is different for everyone. Choose the right intensity and modifications for your level, and you’ll get a great workout, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced exerciser.

Remember, cardio is ALL about heartrate: not about the exercises you do (for those of you who are stuck on jogging & the elliptical).

The more muscles you use, the faster you go, the deeper your movements, the more intense of a cardio burn you’ll get. This workout is designed to maximize the muscles you’re using, boost your heart rate for short intervals, and recover while still working.

FIRE DRILL: 16 Minute Cardio Breakdown

This workout can be done a few different ways: in timed intervals (30 seconds per exercise, with 10 seconds rest between them), as an AMRAP (as many rounds as possible in 16 minutes) or 4 rounds for time (if you want to go your own pace). 

*See below for scaled rep suggestions for beginner, intermediate & advanced exercisers.

Dorm Room Modifications! Get an intense workout WITHOUT the jumps. 

Whether you’re a beginner or simply can’t jump around in your room, low impact modifications are provided for each and every exercise. Low IMPACT does NOT mean low INTENSITY: move as quick as you can, expand your range of motion (deeper, wider, bigger) and stay light on your feet.

HOW TO DO IT

1. Warm Up. 5-10 minutes. Have a dance party, do a few sets of stairs, jog in place, or do this workout after a long walk. Warm up your muscles for at least 5 minutes. (squats, mountain climbers, walking lunges, jog in place etc) before starting.

2. Complete the Fire Drill 

3. Cooldown and stretch.

FIRE DRILL CIRCUIT

A. Set your interval timer for 24 rounds x 10 seconds rest & 30 seconds work. Use the 10 seconds to get into position for the next exercise (add an extra few seconds if you need a longer recovery time).

Need a timer? This timer is ready to go: click here when you’re ready to sweat. Just push start. Or, download the Gymboss Interval Timer App.

There are no breaks scheduled, but take them if needed.

1. Scissor Runs
2. Burpees
3. Speed Skaters
4. Pushup ‘N’ Swivels
5. Squat Jumps
6. Marching Wall Sit (recovery)

B. AMRAP or 4 Rounds For Time

Set your timer for 16 minutes and complete as many rounds of the following reps as possible. Move quickly between each exercise and push yourself to do as many rounds as you can.

Alternatively, you can complete 4 rounds at your best pace. Set a stopwatch and time yourself so you have a score to beat for next time.

Reps: (beginner/intermediate/advanced)

1. Scissor Runs (40/50/60)
2. Burpees (6/8/10)
3. Speed Skaters (20/30/40)
4. Pushup ‘N’ Swivels (6/8/10)
5. Squat Jumps (10/15/20)
6. Marching Wall Sit (recovery) (20-30 for all levels).
   

INSTRUCTIONS & MODIFICATIONS

A. Scissor Runs

How To Do It

A. Stand tall in a split stance with one foot in front of the other (good posture: shoulders back and relaxed). Keeping your feet parallel, like train tracks, sink down a few inches, distributing weight between the front foot and back foot.

B. Alternate switching your feet, like scissors, and as quick as you can (like a run). Use your arms to fire up your burn and boost your heart rate even more.

Tip: the lower you go, the harder the move, even if you move slower. Try to keep your torso from bouncing up and down as you switch your feet; keep core tight and move controlled.

Dorm Room Modification

This move can be done very quietly if you stay on the balls of your feet and land as softly as you can (you can also try it on a mat to reduce shoe noise).

If you’re not there yet, omit the jumping and come to a slight squat with feet hips width apart. Step your right foot back into a mini-lunge (no need to go low: this is for speed). Repeat switching sides (like mini-step back lunges).

B. Burpees

How To Do It

A. Stand tall, feet wider than hips width apart.

B. Sink down and BACK into a squat, lowering your hands to the floor. Keep your chest facing forward, and chest above your booty. (Tip: take feet out wider to make this easier). Shoulders should be in line with your hands.

C. Step or hop your feet back into plank position. Core is tight. Take feet out wider than hips to help with balance.

D. Sink down to the floor, connecting your chest and thighs to the floor (release the tension in your arms). Keep hands on either side of your chest.

E. Reverse the motion like a wave: press through the palms of your hands to lift your torso, and use your core to draw your feet back into the deep squat.

F. Find yourself in the squat, then jump up into the air. Work on building up to bigger and bigger jumps over time. (Beginners can stand instead)

Dorm Room Modification

Remove the jump at the end (simply stand), but move quickly to lower back down into the squat. 

Beginners: step back one foot at a time, instead of hopping back into plank position. You can also omit the chest to floor, and do a half burpee (step back to plank, then back in to squat).

Speed Skaters

How To Do It

A. Sink down into an athletic position (knees bent, body lowered chest open, eyes forward).

B. Leap to the right, bringing your left leg behind and across your body. Right arm swings behind and left arm comes in front (like a speed skater).

C. Quickly, push off your right foot and leap to the other side, landing on your left and bringing the right leg back and across your body. Continue alternating sides.

Tip: the lower you sink and the further you leap, the bigger your burn. Add depth before speed, but adjust this move to your needs.

Dorm Room Modifcation

These are easy to modify without losing much intensity: simply step (no leap) side to side, bringing one foot behind you (like a speed skater). Work on adding depth (sinking lower into the skater) before you add speed. Use your arms and engage your core throughout.

Pushup & Swivels

How To Do It

A. Come to the top of a pushup. Core tight, feet hips width and hands out to the sides (outside of your shoulders). When you look down, eyes should fall between your hands and beyond your fingertips. Try to look about 4 feet in front of you: this will put you in the right position.

B. Perform one pushup. Keep your quads and core contracted to help with balance, and visualize pushing the floor away from your instead of lifting from it.

C. Keeping your core tight and hips facing the floor, draw your right knee into your left elbow. Engage your core: this should feel like a crunch. Repeat on the other side.

D. Repeat with the pushup. (Pushup, 2 Swivels)

Dorm Room Modification

This move is as dorm friendly as they come! If you want to make it HARDER, try it with your feet elevated on a chair or bed. See here: Decline Pushup & Climbers

Beginners: Modify the pushup by coming on to your knees, then lift up to plank for the swivels. If that’s too difficult, place your hands on a bad or chair for the pushup and draw your opposite knees to opposite elbows while on an incline.

Prisoner Squat Jumps

How To Do It

A. Stand tall, with your hands behind your head. Work to keep your chest open, and elbows out to the side as you squat down Don’t pull on your neck: keep everything relaxed.

B. Sink down and back into a squat. Make sure the weight is in the heels of your feet (you should be able to wiggle your toes). Take your knees out to the side and feet wide to sink down deeper.

C. Explode up into the air into a jump. Land softly, back in the squat, then lower and repeat. Imagine each squat like pulling back an arrow and each jump like releasing it.

Dorm Room Modification

Take the jump out and simply squat instead. Work on getting low in the squat, and power up quickly, squeezing your glutes as you stand and powering through your hips.

20 Wall Sit Marches

How To Do It

A. Stand facing away from a wall. Position yourself so your shoulders and back make contact with the wall. Tuck your tailbone under, and slide down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Feet can be narrow (like mine) or taken out side to make this more challenging.

B. Keeping your back against the wall, and using your core, draw one knee up above hip level.

C. Repeat marching from side to side, engaging your core.

Dorm Room Modification

No need to modify this, unless you need to! No wall? Try this as a squat hold march instead: Squat down and lift each knee up slightly while maintaining the squat. 

Beginners can take out the march if it’s too difficult, or sit a little higher against the wall.

It’s ONLY 16 minutes, but you NEED to push HARD to get the most out of this workout!

Kill it!