Tag Archives: cardiovascular

Full Body Circuit Workout

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Hey there everyone!  I have a challenging Full Body Circuit Workout for you this week for the Home Workout of the Week.  It’s going to work all of the major muscle groups as well as your core and because there is no rest between the exercises, you will be getting a great cardiovascular workout as well.  The goal is to do all 8 exercises in a row before taking a rest but you may need to work up to that point so do what you can and take a rest if you’re not feeling well!

Give it a shot and let me know how you do!

Full Body Circuit Workout

Warm-Up

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

Superset

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

Core

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!

In and Out Squat Jump

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The holidays are fast approaching so get a jump start (no pun intended) and burn some calories with this plyometric Home Exercise of the Week!

The In and Out Squat Jump…talk about a leg burn!  You’ll be sweating, your heart will be pumping, and your legs will be on fire with this one.  Sounds fun doesn’t it? 🙂

Aside from all the uncomfortable side effects of this exercise you will really build some explosive strength and endurance since the In and Out Squat Jump is a plyometric exercise.  When your feet are together you will be working your outer thighs and when your feet are wide you’ll be working your inner thighs.  Your glutes and hamstrings will also be working hard too.  So overall this is a great exercise to add in to your leg or full body routine and the cardiovascular aspect to it will really rev up your metabolism and burn calories…much needed before the surplus of calories that usually come with the holidays!

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

  • whether your feet are close together or apart, when you come down in to the squat make sure that your head and chest is up, back is straight, and your weight is on your heels.  Always make sure your knees are over your toes and not shooting out past them.
  • start with your feet together and explode up in to the air spreading your feet apart and landing softly in the wide stance
  • explode up again but this time bring your feet together and land softly in the close stance
  • with each squat try to get your thighs below or at least parallel to the floor

So there you have the In and Out Squat Jump.  A 12 to 15 repetition set is a good starting point and if you want an extra challenge hold on to some dumbbells!

Keep working hard and don’t forget to treat yourself over the holidays.  That being said, stay active and it will be that much easier to get right back on to your routine in the new year! 🙂

Plank Crawl

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If you live in Canada, the Thanksgiving long weekend just finished and if you are like me, you took advantage of that and indulged in some good food!  Now it’s time to get back to your routine of healthy eating and regular exercise and this week’s Home Exercise of the Week may help you burn off some of those extra calories consumed over the past few days!

This week I will be talking about the Plank Crawl!  From the video demonstration, you might have visions of this being done in army boot camps through dirt and mud and under barbed wire but this exercise can be done in the comfort of your own home.  I say comfort but I wouldn’t say this is a comfortable exercise!  Far from it actually.  The Plank Crawl will challenge you and get your core working in ways that you may not be used to.

The Plank Crawl will work your core like the regular plank but the added movement will add a cardiovascular component to the exercise and you will also be improving your coordination.  Your shoulders, legs, and lower back muscles will be involved as well giving you a full body workout!

Important tips to remember when performing the Plank Crawl:

  • keep your abs contracted throughout the movement (pull your belly button up towards your spine)
  • keep your body as straight as possible
  • go forward and backward in small movements

Start with one to two timed sets of 30 seconds and build your way up to 1 minute sets.  If you need an extra challenge or if you are thinking of enlisting in the army, wear a weighted vest or heavy back pack.  I guarantee your muscles will be burning!

So there you have the Plank Crawl.  Give it a shot and let me know how it feels.  Happy crawling! 🙂

Helicopter

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The Home Exercise of the Week this week is the Helicopter.  I could have called it a squat jump with a 180 degree turn but that’s pretty boring!  This is a plyometric exercise that will target your quads, hamstrings, and glutes while building explosive power and improving agility and coordination.

Also, since this is a plyometric movement that requires many muscle groups to work together, your cardiovascular system will be working hard and your body will require a lot more oxygen.

Is this a challenging exercise?  A big YES to that question!  The movement itself is fairly straight forward but the challenge comes with the jumping and turning part of the exercise.  Your heart pumps faster and harder and your breathing rate increases quite a bit to get that much needed oxygen to your muscles.  But…the rewards to doing this exercise and many others like it far outweigh the uncomfortable feeling while doing it.  You will burn more calories with this exercise than just a regular squat and if your goal is fat loss then definitely try adding this to your routine!