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The final Stefon sketch from Saturday Night Live.
The Stefon bit was one of my favorites. I’m gonna miss him
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Me for the past three days!
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Paleo Banana Bread
After starting the paleo diet, I started craving the exact foods I wasn’t allowed to eat. This is my first...
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Apologies for the terrible image quality - I’m lacking scanner access at the minute so I had to take these photos on my phone
I was...
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Extended Standing Leg Stretch Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
One of the biggest myths about...
Bulgarian Squat To Rotation
This modification will give you a little stretch as you work your core and balance. The lower the surface, the easier it will be. :)
Nail The Form
- Keep weight in the heel of your planted foot. Your back foot should feel more like a balance aid: keep the weight in the front heel. (wiggling your toes is a good sign the weight is in the right place)
- Your front knee will likely stay on top of, and not past, your toes. If you’re taller, it might edge forward naturally, and that’s ok! As long as your weight is in the heel, it’s fine. :)
- I like to keep my back knee right under my hip, but you may find it more comfortable to create more distance. That’s cool. Depending on your hip flexibility, play around with the angles. :)
- As you twist, use your core to stabilize yourself and focus on keeping the weight in the heel. (notice a HEEL theme here?).
Beginners: if this it too tough, try a back lunge to rotation instead.
Single Leg Deadlift, with Curl ‘N’ Row
I’m obsessed with single leg deadlifts (though my bum leg won’t let me do them at the moment). Because I work out at home primarily, I am always looking for ways to add intensity/difficulty using the equipment I have. My sandbag goes up to roughly 40lbs (Pink Power Package) but it’s an unstable weight, making it very difficult to perform balance moves (and my water bag makes this move SO much harder, even though the weight is lighter! The water moves from side to side, making it uber tough to balance).
Single leg deadlifts are wicked to work your glutes, hamstrings, core and inner thighs (plus they help with balance and coordination). The modification above also targets your biceps and upper back while making it tougher to keep your balance. Tap down ANYTIME. :)
Ways To Do This With No Sandbag
- Just bodyweight: form is VERY important and comes before adding resistance. Squeeze the muscles in your hamstrings, back and biceps, pretending you have weight in your hands. Go slowly and make sure your form is on point before adding weight.
- Dumbbells. Either in both hands or just one hand (one hand makes it more challenging to balance. Try switching up which hand has the weight to feel the difference.
- Use what you have! Soup cans, laundry bottles, water bottles etc. The more wiggly and unstable the object, the harder this will be, even without heavy weight.
Beginners: No need to start on one leg. Tap the back foot down for balance, but keep your weight in the front leg. Keep a slight bend in the knee, and use a wall or chair for balance if needed. (CONTRACT THE CORE! Protects the low back: you should feel this in the hamstrings, glutes and core.)
How To Do It:
A. Starts with a one leg bicep curl (curl the weight up & down while balancing on one foot). Keeping your leg lifted, bend/hinge at the hips to bring your chest parallel to the floor. Keep a slight bend in the standing leg.
B. Perform a row, scraping your elbows up past your back. Keep them close to your body and squeeze your shoulder blades. Focus on a spot 6 feet in front of you to help with balance.
C. Using your glutes and keeping core tight, come back to standing, balancing on one leg. Avoid using your back to do the lifting: keep it flat and focus on your hips/glutes. Repeat, starting with the bicep curl.
Try to work up to 10-15 consecutive per leg, then go a little heavier! Repeat for 3 to 5 sets. (throw in some cardio to recover. Jump rope, deadlift, jump rope, deadlift etc).
Get sandbag details below if you’re interested! You know how much I freaking love mine. They’re awesome to travel with too if you’re going on vacation this summer (just bring the shell and fillers: fill up on the beach!).
For those who think regular burpees are ‘too easy’.
Yeah. Have fun with this one, lol. #cantdressherself #sore
Tips: keep legs wide to help with stability (both in plank and in your squat), and keep hand directly under your shoulder (plant it first). Use your core to shoot back into plank, and step your feet back if that’s too difficult. Omit the jump and one hand pushup until you’re ready! Baby steps. :)
Challenge: try for 50, spread out however you like in your workout (25 per side). I prefer 5 sets of 10 (5 per side each set), followed by a light jog or recovery move. :)
Sandbag Get Up Challenge: 10 Minute AMRAP!
Challenge: As many reps of this move as you can manage in 10 minutes! Take breaks when needed, but don’t stop the timer! Make sure your form is spot on: you’d rather do less but have perfect form than do more half-assed. :)
My score (don’t compare): 52 with the sandbag. My first score? 30 with no sandbag. Come a long way!
Swap the sandbag for a dumbbell or plate if that’s all you have: grab it in both hands! You can also do this with just your body weight (beginners can use their hands to help them up and for balance).
If you are using light weight or no weight, but want a more intense challenge, add a jump at the end.
This is total body and CRAZY for your core. Add this to the end of your cardio workout, or use it as a workout in and of itself. :)
Wicked Warmups: Crescent Lunge To Side Plank
Love this move! It’s great to throw into any circuit, and is especially awesome for your warm up: the dynamic motion pumps blood into your whole body, gets your heart rate up, and provides a gentle stretch all at the same time.
Modification: come to your knees for the side plank, or omit it all together. Instead, try adding two swivels: in plank, cross your knee to the opposite elbow.
Not flexible enough to step your foot through? Try this with your hands slightly elevated on a sandbag, dumbbells or a small bench. It makes it easier to step through to crescent pose, and when you get better you can lower down.
How To Do It
A. Start in plank: hands directly under your shoulders, butt is down and core is tight. Flex your quads and work to keep your hips from sinking (keep your eye line just between your hands and try to look forward a few feet).
B. Keep your butt down as you step one foot forward into a runners lunge. Some people MAY need to help their foot forward with their hands: totally okay. As you get more flexible, it will become easier to do it in one step. (see modifications for other suggestions)
C. Plant your foot firmly into the ground as you lift your hands into the sky. Keep hips facing forward. BEGINNERS: no need to lift your hands up if it’s too difficult. Place them by your hips; just get them off the floor into a high lunge.
D. Replace hands to the ground and step the front foot back to plank. Rotate your body open to one side, keeping your shoulder in line with the hand (my feet are staggered, with the top foot in front of the bottom foot). Hold for a moment, then come back to plank. That’s one rep. Repeat with the crescent lunge and side plank on the opposite side.
Try for 10-20 reps in your warm up on your next workout! :)
Plank Row And Kickback
This is a great move for beginners and intermediates! It’ll challenge your back, shoulders, core and glutes. Go as heavy as you can while keeping good form.
How To Do It
A. Come to a table top position, with dumbbells in each hand. Keep back flat and hands under your shoulders.
B. Keeping your hips facing the floor, row one dumbbell up past your back, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Bring elbow up past your back. Simultaneously, extend your opposite leg out to the back of you in a donkey kick. Squeeze the glutes as you kick, and think about the contraction instead of height (don’t over extend your back).
C. Hold for a beat and repeat on the same side or switching sides.
Advanced? Try this in full plank, simply lifting the back leg up.
Challenge! 3 x 1 minute intervals in your workout. As many as you can in one minute (30 seconds per side), recover and repeat.
Elevated Pushups: Basic, Single Leg, Spiderman
Time to level up? :)
When I first started doing full pushups, it was awesome, but after awhile I wasn’t progressing/getting better at them. I still had a hard time doing more than 20-25 in a row, and I stayed there for a long time.
Once you mastered a move for the first time, you have a few options to get better at it: do more (high volume, like our pushup challenges), do harder modifications, add resistance/weight or plyometrics and be consistent about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Elevating my pushups was much harder ( I could do dozens and dozens from the floor, but less than 10 elevated), but within a few workouts, I was already feeling stronger. My burpees got better, my plank time improved, and yes, pushups from the floor felt like recovery.
START SLOW: If you’re used to doing a certain number of reps from the floor, know that your reps will be slightly less. That’s okay! Add in short intervals until you get stronger. If you’re still struggling with pushups from the feet, this may be too advanced.
TIPS
1. Make sure your hands are lined up with your shoulders and take your hands wide. Your eye line should fall in front of your hands (when you look down). You should be able to see a few feet in front of you without straining your neck.
2. Keep your hips lifted (don’t sag) and engage your core and legs (quads). Keep hips facing the floor at all times (especially for single leg or spiderman modifications).
3. Place chair on a secure surface like a mat or against a wall. The first few times, take a peeksie to make sure your feet are in the middle of the chair seat.
4. Push the floor away from you instead of lifting from it.
Beginners: Flip these around to make them easier! Place your hands on the seat of the chair and feet on the ground. The higher the surface, the easier it is. (Easiest: against a wall on an incline).
Give these a try this week in a few of your workouts!
More options here: Working Your Way to Perfect Pushups…
Knee Strikes
Cardio, legs, core
Those of you asking for a “jump free” way to sneak in some cardio, core and leg work: here you go! Utilize your entire body: the bigger your range of motion (using your arms, getting low), the more intense this exercise will be.
How To Do It
A. Start in a lunge position, sinking into the heel of the front foot and bending at the knee. Keep chest up and back flat as you raise your arms overhead.
B. In one motion, draw your back knee forward and up as you bring your arms down. Pretend your breaking a stick over your knee. This should also feel like a standing crunch: engage your core.
C. Replace the leg, tapping the foot down behind you. Repeat as quickly as you can while keeping good form.
BEGINNERS: Reduce range of motion, sitting a little higher in your lunge and drawing the knee up only slightly.
ADVANCED: Try this weighted (light weights are ideal since it’s cardio), or add a small hop at the top of the move (hop on the lunging leg as you draw your knee forward).
Challenge: Aim for 50-200 per leg!
Crab Kicks
Cardio, legs, core
Crab kick are a fun cardio move that work your legs, core, shoulders and back. (those of you doing the ZCUT challenge might recognize it!). I adore this move! Feels like you’re doing the can-can. :)
HOW: In a table position, keep hands under shoulders and hips lifted as you jump switch legs and kick towards the ceiling. Beginners can modify it by marching (and not jumping) or by doing it elevated with hands on a chair or couch.
Core tight throughout, and add speed only after you’ve gotten the form down.
Try ‘em! :)
Goal: 50-100 split up however you like. :)
Drop Squat Chops
Works: Glutes, inner thighs, and core.
Modifiers: Static Squat & Chop (no jump). Stand with hands overhead and interlaced. Squat down and back, while rotating hands over to one side (arms straight). Engage the core as you chop.
How To Do It
- Stand tall and bring your arms overhead. Interlace hands together into a fist (or with fingers pointed).
- Jump your feet into a deep wide squat, while rotating your hands to one side. Keep back flat and twist through the shoulders, not the arms, to rotate. Concentrate on engaging your core & keep your chest up.
- Swing your hands back overhead as you jump your feet into standing position. Repeat switching sides and move as quick as you can.
Tips: Keep arms as straight as you can throughout the move, bending only slightly at the elbow for comfort. Bring elbows in close to the body as you chop down to the side, and crunch through the obliques on the chopping side. Land softly in the jumps, and move as quickly as you can with good form.
Need a workout? Try these in Unleash The Beast 3: Sweat Revenge! Intense 1000 Rep Total Body Challenge
Shapeshifter Squats
Lower body WORK! This is an intense booty challenge, so work up to it gradually. It’s body weight only, so no equipment is required.
Beginners: tap the back leg down throughout the move, but make sure your weight is predominantly in the front leg. The opposite foot should rest about 1-2 feet behind the squatting ankle. You can also keep the extended leg bent throughout the move and/or use a chair for balance.
Challenge: Aim for 20 reps (10 per side) and repeat 3 times per leg.
How To Do It
A. Stand, lifting one leg up behind you and bending the standing knee slightly. Sink down into a squat on the standing leg, lowering your chest towards the floor but keeping your eyes forward. Keep weight in the standing heel, and make sure your knees stay over the tops of your toes. The lifted leg is slightly behind you and bent at the knee. Back is flat and arms cross your body, like a hug.
B. Hold for a beat, and maintain your posture as you push through the heel, straighten your standing leg and extend your back leg behind you. Extend your arms to the back of the room, squeezing your shoulder blades and open your chest, like you’re flying.
C. Without tapping down, return to the single leg squat, sinking down slowly.
Repeat 10 times per leg x 3 sets.
TIPS
Make the motion as fluid as possible and think form over speed. Find your balance and tap down when you need to! It helps to find a spot on the floor about 6 feet in front of you to focus on, and keep your abs pulled in tight for balance.
Kill it!
Deadman Burpees
This is my ALL time favorite burpee modification (and it’s a lot of fun too)! While it’s essentially the same as a regular burpee, lowering fully to the ground and extending your arms helps target the muscles in your back as well. If you’ve become bored with regular burpees, this is a great way to mix things up. :)
How To Do It
A. Lower yourself to the floor, extending arms and legs out (like an X). Think ‘dead’, lol.
B. Draw your hands into your chest very close, and keep arms tight to the body as you press up into plank.
C. Hop or step your feet into a deep squat. Chest up and eyes forward!
D. Stand. Add a jump if you can! Repeat and reverse the motion.
These are hard, but beginners may enjoy the mini-break on the floor! Go your own pace, and add speed when you can.
Advanced peeps can add a ‘superman lift’ at the bottom: lift both arms and legs off the floor while your belly’s on the ground.
Turn it into a workout! Try any of the 3 challenges posted here, depending on your level. Deadman Burpee Challenge
Kill it!
Single Arm Climbers
These are considerably harder than regular mountain climbers, so expect to slow down a bit. Focus on form and not speed. (having a dumbbell underneath your planted hand MAY help if you have wrist issues).
*Not recommended for beginners. It’s ok homies, try the regular version until you can work up to this (this took me YEARS). :)
How To Do It
A. Start in plank position, and step one foot in as far as you can towards your hands, planting your heel (if you can) into the floor. (landing on your toes may put too much strain on the knees - listen to your body). Your opposite hand stays planted on the floor and your other hand swings back behind you, on the same side as the planted foot.
B. Find your balance, then hop and switch your feet, keeping your planted hand firmly on the ground, and swinging your free arm forward. Use your core to switch, and work to keep your butt down throughout the move.
C. Continue hopping your feet out and in for 30-45 seconds, then switch sides.
This is CRAZY core work: focus on tightening your core to really get the most out of this move and practice proper form.
If this is too difficult, you can step the feet in and out OR swap in regular mountain climbers. :)
Lawn Mower Pull & Press
Find a weight that’s challenging, but where you can keep up a decent pace. You can also do this with no weights: focus on squeezing the muscles as if you had one.
*I’m using ONE 15lb dumbbell, but you can use a dumbbell in each hand (two) as well. This is a better option if all you have is very light weights at home.
How To Do It
A. Stand with feet wide, toes pointed out, with one dumbbell up by your shoulder.
B. Rotate into a deep lunge on your opposite side, bringing your hands towards (but not touching) the floor. Press your bodyweight into the heel of your lunging leg, and keep hips neutral.
C. Push through your heel to return to the starting position, pulling the dumbbell up by your shoulder: do this with intention, like you’re pulling on a lawnmower cord.
D. Twist and rotate your body to the opposite side, pressing the dumbbell overhead. Use your core to stabilize yourself, and come up on your toe to help you twist your hips towards the opposite wall.
E. Repeat 10-15 times, then switch sides.
Tips
Stay light on your feet to make this motion fluid: once you get the rhythm, try to think of it as one movement instead of broken into parts. Staying on the balls of your feet will help you pivot without straining your knees or hips.
Pay attention to your hips & core: hips should move with your body and core tight throughout.
Sandbag Elevated Hip Bridge
Ultimate Sandbag Website (All Models)
This is tough even without the sandbag (you can use anything as extra resistance really: no sandbag needed! Just make sure it can sit on your lap without falling). If this modification is too hard, or it hurts your wrists/shoulders, choose the modification that’s right for your level.
Tips
- Press through the heels, and tuck your hips under your pelvis to engage your glutes.
- Hands directly under your shoulders: adjust for comfort.
- No need to lift high: even a mini-lift is enough.
- If you experience discomfort, strain or pain? Stop. This move is not for everyone. Try a different modification if needed (including from the floor), and you’ll still get the burn without the ‘ugh’.
See other hip bridge modifications & instructions here
Advanced? Try this modification instead of the elevated hip bridges in the Booty Murder 2.0 circuit.
