Sep 16, 2011 by Tatianna
Today’s workout I wanted to take it easy a little bit so I did some light and fun cardio routine. This type of training is good to do in between High Intensity Interval Training Workouts, because it gives your body time to recover and at the same time it keeps you moving ( we recover faster doing something better than nothing at all, it keeps the blood flow going ). This was a a very fun circuit and it went by pretty fast. I will share my time at the end of the post.
Read the workout explanation with full attention ( not just skip your eyes over it ), this way you will always know how to do the exercises properly!
Workout Explanation
In this workout I was using my pink toy aka “ Lebert Equalizer “, but you don’t need this equipment to do this workout. You can use 2 chairs for leg lifts and a balance ball ( like in the picture above ) for bridge exercises, or just a chair ( I use to do that all the time ).
Set your timer Gymboss Max as a stop watch, if you don’t have a Gymboss you can use this free online stopwatch. This is a circuit workout made of 4 exercises, complete 8 – 10 rounds ( I did 8 ). Don’t take any breaks in between the exercises or rounds, the reps are not very high so it will give you the leverage to keep going without getting tired right away.
- The skipping – on one leg with the other flexed – 30 reps each leg
- Power Jacks – 10 reps
Notes: It is important to keep the bent leg flexed ( not dangling ), use your abs to hold that leg up.
Power Jacks are NOT like the regular jump rope jacks, they require more power from your legs to push off the floor. The feet should drive up as you jump back and forth, also it is very important to use your abs in this movement.
If you are a beginner – you don’t have to flex your leg, just do a regular jump on one leg. Instead of Power Jacks you can modify to regular Jump Rope Jacks.
- Lebert Bridge – 10 reps on each side
Notes: In this movement it is very important to squeeze your butt at the top ( give it all you have! ), otherwise it will not be effective. I love to do these types of exercises because they firm the muscles from the outside inn ( lunges, squats etc, firm the butt from the inside out ).
It really requires both types of exercises ( inn and out ) to firm your glutes. I have a post about the techniques I use – ” How To Get A Firm Butt “.
- Extended Legs Knee Lifts – 10 reps
Notes: As you can see in the video, I was extending my legs backwards while squeezing the back of my legs and butt. This move is very effective in firming the back of your legs and butt, but also giving your abs time to stretch before you contract them. Exercises where your abs stretch further are the one’s more effective.
Don’t rush, really pull your legs up you can even give it a hold for a second. This movement should be controlled ( not dangling ).
If you are a beginner, try just lifting your knees up, you don’t need to extend your legs backwards.
It took me 21 minutes and 17 seconds to finish this workout.
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