Badass Fitness

Three Moves for One Plank-tastic 20-minute Core Workout

When in doubt, keep it simple. It's a universal life truth that applies just as much to fitness and healthy eating as anything else.

In Sunday's 60-minute Power Core class at Yoga Quest, the most intense 20 minutes consisted of just three moves: Walking planks, slow push-ups (down for 3 counts, up for 3 counts, ensuring strength is used instead of momentum), and planks of varying durations.

Even if your day is crazy, squeeze this 20-minute routine in. It's also great for doing while watching TV. Consider it the anti-Couch Potato workout!

Plank-tastic Core Workout

• 10 walking planks, 10 slow pushups, 2-minute plank
• 10 walking planks, 10 slow pushups, 2-minute plank
• 10 walking planks, 10 slow pushups, 90-second plank
• 10 walking planks, 10 slow pushups, 90-second plank
• 10 walking planks, 10 slow pushups, 1-minute plank
• 10 walking planks, 10 slow pushups, 1-minute plank
• 1-minute right side plank
• 1-minute left side plank
• 30-second right side plank
• 30-second left side plank

Calories Torched, Muscles Burned: All-Tabata TRX

The beauty of TRX Suspension and Rip Training is its versatility -- and the constant challenge it puts on our muscle power and cardio endurance. TRX engages multiple muscle groups at once, strengthens the core and builds simultaneous strength and agility.

Whether you're using it for pure strength training or cardio intervals, TRX will kick your mother-lovin' Badass to the curb every time.

Today's featured workout uses Tabata intervals on both the Suspension and RIP Trainers for a challenging half-hour routine that will leave your muscles and heart feeling like they got in a much longer sweat session. When you're short on time, doing high-intensity Tabata intervals makes the most of the time you DO have - and boosts metabolism long after you put up those TRX straps.

So fuel up, water up, and get to work....

All-Tabata TRX Workout

*Rest 1-2 minutes in between each Tabata circuit

Warmup: 30 seconds each of jumping jacks, pogo hops, skaters and mountain climbers

Tabata Circuit 1 (TRX at mid-length)

• Regular Biceps Curlsx2
• Jump Squats x2
• Regular Biceps Curls x2
• Jump Squats x2

Tabata Circuit 2 (TRX at mid-length)

• Center Squat-Side Kicks Right x2
• Center Squat-Side Kicks Left x2
• One-Legged Right Leg Squat x2
• One-Legged Left Leg Squat x2

Tabata Circuit 3 (TRX fully extended)

• Chest Press x2
• Front Squat x2
• Chest Press x2
• Front Squat x2

Tabata Circuit 4 (TRX at mid length)

• Tricep Presses x2 (facing away from anchor point)
• High Rows x2
• Tricep Presses x2
• High Rows x2

Tabata Core Circuit (TRX almost fully lengthened)

• Saws x2
• Plank x2
• Crunch x2
• Pike x2


Coming up: 5 Foods that are Super...for unexpected reasons...

 

All-Tabata Bootcamp: Burn it Out

Tabata. You know it burns. But you also know it works - torching calories and working lots of muscles. And if you alternate cardio Tabata drills with strength Tabata and even core Tabata drills, it can become the format for an entire bootcamp class or solo sweat session. Each Tabata circuit is 4 minutes long and consists of 20-second working intervals followed by 10 seconds of rest, for a total of 8 rounds. This method is one of the most efficient methods of exercise. You get a full workout that works you head to toe, yet doesn't require 90 minutes or two hours of your time.

A couple dozen students and I proved it last week with the bootcamp routine below. This one uses little equipment - just dumbbells - and even that can be swapped out for resistance bands. So give this a whirl, knowing that at the end of the 45 minutes or so you will have pushed your Badass to the limit - and conquered!

All-Tabata Badass Bootcamp 

Warmup

30 seconds each of:

• pogo hops
• jacks
• high knees running in place
• skaters
• mountain climbers

Tabata #1: Cardio

• Burpees x2
• Skaters x2
• Jump Squats x2
• Side kick squats x2 (kick out to the right, squat in the center, kick out to the left, and keep going)

Tabata #2: Strength, Pushups

• Regular Pushups x2
• Tricep Pushups x2
• Decline Pushups x2
• Incline Pushups x2

Tabata #3: Cardio

• Skaters x2
• Jump Lunges Right Side x2
• Jump Lunges Left Side x2
• Burpees x2 

Tabata #3: Strength, Legs

• Weighted Regular Squats x2 (holding dumbbells at side)
• Weighted Sumo, aka Plie, Squats x2
• Weighted Right Side Lunges x2
• Weighted Left Side Lunges x2

Tabata #4: Cardio

• Mountain Climbers x2
• Plank Hops x2
• Leg Thrusts x2
• Dead Man Crawls x2 (with dumbbells)

Tabata #5: Strength, Bi's and Tri's

• Side Biceps Curls x2
• Tricep Kickbacks x2
• Regular Biceps Curls x2
• Tricep Kickbacks (or floor/bench dips) x2

Tabata #6: Core

• Plank x2
• Ab Sprawls x2
• Side Plank Right with Crunch x2
• Side Plank Left with Crunch x2


Coming up: All-Tabata cycling profile, and Chris reaches #360to60!!

20 Minutes of Core Power for lasting strength

It would be great if a rockin', rock hard core came easy. It would also be great if money grew on trees and every weekend spanned just three days. None of these are the case, so we have to just suck it up - and keep on workin'.

A strong core doesn't just look good in bathing suit trunks and bikinis come spring and summer. It makes every activity we do easier, more efficient and more effective. A strong core prevents injuries - to the back in particular - and makes competitive athletes (and weekend warriors) more competitive at the finish line.

Today's routine takes about 20 minutes, and if done two to three times a week along with cardio and clean eating, will before long bring out the definition you want and - more importantly - the strength you need. Note that it includes zero crunches, because crunches are not as effective for total core strength as planks, Pilates-inspired boat poses and other moves. Happy plank-ing!

Core Power in 20

• 10 walking planks (video below), followed by 10 slow pushups (down, 2, 3, up, 2, 3) on or off your knees
• 60-second plank
• 10 walking planks, 10 slow pushups
• 60-second plank
• 10 walking planks, 10 slow pushups
• 30-second plank
• 10 walking planks, 10 slow pushups
• 30-second plank
• 30-second right side plank with 10 knee pull-in crunches
• 30-second left side plank with 10 knee pull-in crunches
• 15 ab sprawls
• 25 knee pull-ins (a faster version of the ab sprawls: balancing on butt/tailbone, knees bent, exhale as you push your legs out and inhale as you pull them in using core muscles)
• 30-second boat pose (pictured above right)
• Repeat 15 ab sprawls
• Repeat 25 knee pull-ins
• 30-second boat pose
• 90-second plank to finish strong!!!

 

Coming up: Badass Eats: The ideal menu - A day of Mediterranean eating

 

March Monday Madness calls for a Core Quickie!

We're deep into the March Madness brackets, with late-night games that don't quite jibe with our Monday morning alarm clocks -- and the chaos that tends to kick off a busy week of school, work or even Spring Break activities. Plus the bikinis and swim trunks are starting to pop up right near the Easter candy. You know what that means: Crunch time.

Except crunches and sit-ups aren't the most effective methods for whittling our middles. Planks, pilates-inspired V sits and obliques moves are the way to go, in combination with clean eating and cardio. So today's workout is a "Core Quickie" - 5 minutes of pure burn. Quality over quantity, and no room for "I don't have time" excuses.

As with the daily #50BadassReps challenge, if you have 5 minutes to spare, you can do this.

March Monday Madness Core Quickie

• 30-second plank
• 25 right side planks with knee pull-ins (video below)

  

• 25 left side planks with knee pull ins
• 30 second plank
• 25 Ab Sprawls (video below)

 

• 25 Walking Planks (video below)

 

• 30 second plank
• 25 ab sprawls
• 25 walking planks


Coming this week: Two Spring salads that don't taste like lame rabbit food...and a glutes-on-fire routine in honor of warmer temps (and more shorts, fewer layers to hide under)

 

Badass Road Warrior Workout: No Excuses

Spring Break. Work trips. Family visits. They all bring us out of our regular environment and throw our routines off, for better (hello, beach weekend!) or worse (oh, look, another work conference).

Sometimes, these trips force us to take the recovery and rest time our bodies need. But if you start to get stir crazy or need to keep your workouts as part of your training regimen, the reality is we can find find ways to fit in fitness - wherever we are, and without equipment.

This equipment-free workout combines Tabata drills for cardio with a series of #50BadassReps for strength to work lower and upper body as well as core. If you want to center in on just lower or just upper body, simply run through that portion of the #50BadassReps 2-3 times depending on your schedule.

Badass Road Warrior Workout, Spring 2012 Edition

Warmup

30 second each of:

• Pogo, or side-to-side, hops
• Jacks
• High Knees
• Skaters
• Mountain climbers
• Plank hops (from plank position, feet together, hop feet from right to left)

Tabata Drill #1 (20 second-sets with a 10-second rest, eight times)

• Burpees, 2 sets
• High Knees, 2 sets
• Burpees, 2 sets
• High Knees, 2 sets

#50BadassReps Lower Body

• 50 Squats
• 25 Right Leg Lunges
• 25 Step-Ups on a bench/chair
• 25 Left Leg Lunges
• 25 Step-Ups on a bench/chair
• 50 Sumo Squats

Tabata Drill #2

• Jump Lunges, Right Leg, 2 sets
• Jump Lunges, Left Leg, 2 sets
• Skaters, 2 sets
• High Knees, 2 sets

#50BadassReps Upper Body

• 25 Walking Pushups
• 25 Tricep Dips on a chair/bench/step
• 25 Decline Pushups
• 25 Walking Planks
• 25 Walking Pushups
• 25 Tricep Dips
• 25 Decline Pushups
• 25 Walking Planks

 #50BadassReps Core

• 5 50-second planks
• 50 90-degree crunches (legs bent at 90 degrees)
• 25 right side oblique crunches
• 25 left side oblique crunches

 Stretch!!!

Coming up: A review of the Nike Fuel Band...

 

The #50BadassReps Multiplier Workout

There's a certain satisfaction that comes in doing a significant number of something. I just ran 26 miles. I just rowed 10,000 meters. I just cycled 25 miles. I just did my first 5 k!

The #50BadassReps challenge, issued each day on Twitter and Facebook, is meant to push us all to doing more than we might have previously thought possible. And today's #50BadassReps Multiplier Workout raises the bar even higher by combining several of those challenges into a full workout.

A few of these exercises include dumbbells but can just as easily be done with nothing but your own awesome Badass for resistance. If you aren't sure about form or technique, check out the how-to videos on the Badass Fitness YouTube channel.

Tackle this one with 110 percent and enjoy the feeling afterward of I just did #50BadassReps, multiplied!

#50BadassReps Multiplier Workout

Warmup

• 25 regular jumping jacks
• 25 skaters
• 25 regular jacks
• 25 skaters
• 25 mountain climbers
• 25 plank hops
• 25 mountain climbers
• 25 plank hops

Circuit 1

• 25 Jump Squats
• 25 5-second wall sits 
• 25 Jump Squats
• 25 5-second wall sits
• 25 right leg lunges
• 25 left leg lunges
• 25 right leg lunges
• 25 left leg lunges
• 15 burpees
• 15 ready-sets

Circuit 2

• 25 walking pushups 
• 25 tricep dips
• 25 plank rows (with or without dumbbells)
• 25 walking pushups
• 25 tricep dips
• 25 plank rows
• 15 burpees
• 15 ready-sets

Circuit 3

• 50 kickbox side kicks, left leg
• 50 kickbox side kicks, right leg
• 25 decline pushups
• 25 step-ups on a bench
• 25 decline pushups
• 25 step-ups on a bench
• 20 burpees
• 20 ready-sets

Circuit 4

• 25 regular crunches
• 50-second boat pose
• 25 regular crunches
• 50-second plank
• 25 oblique crunches right
• 25 oblique crunches left

A bootcamp routine...one minute at a time

Workouts that drag on tediously are, let's be honest, the worst kind. We keep looking at the clock, willing the minutes to speed up so we can get the heck outta there. It stinks.

The routine below, modified from a recent Badass Bootcamp, uses a warmup, cardio drills and 10 strength stations to create a 30- or 60- minute workout that flies by. Forty-five minutes into this bootcamp, a couple of students looked at the clock and said, "Wow is it really almost over already?"

Answer: Yes, but your muscles got a full workout. So it's all good!

If you go through the cardio drills and strength stations once, this will take half an hour. Go again if you're game for the full hour or so! You'll need dumbbells, a bench or step, and/or resistance bands. I have included TRX options as well. Have fun!

One-Minute-At-A-Time Bootcamp Workout

Warmup

30 seconds each of:

• Pogo hops
• High knees run in place
• Jacks
• Squat jacks (Jack and land in a sumo squat)
• Mountain climbers
• Plank hops (From plank position, keep feet together and hop them right to left)

Cardio drill #1

• 15 burpees
• 15 ready-sets
• 15 jump squats
• 15 leap frog jumps forward, 15 back in the same direction

Strength stations: 1 minute at each

• Pushups
• Tricep dips on a bench 
• Step-ups on a bench (dumbbells optional)
• Dead man's crawl
• Plank
• Dumbbell bicep curls (or use TRX/resistance band)
• Squat and press (use dumbbells or place both feet on a resistance band. Squat and as you come up, press the weights/band up into a shoulder press)
• Wall sit
• Decline pushups
• Lunges (dumbbells optional)

Repeat cardio drill (optional)

Repeat strength stations (optional)

Core work (extra credit!):

• 30-second side plank right
• 30-second side plank left
• 30-second boat pose
• 25 regular crunches
• 25 oblique crunches left
• 25 oblique crunches right

Coming Wednesday: The Dallas Mavericks and other pro athletes swear by full-body cryotherapy for muscle recovery and performance...what will my experience in the CryoSauna be?...

Build that six-pack...during six-pack commercials

We lament that we don't have enough time to fit in fitness, yet most of us find the time to fit in our favorite TV shows at the end of a busy day. So in the interest of juggling fitness with pleasure, why not take advantage of all those six-pack and rippled potato chips commercials to whittle your middle into a better kind of rippled six-pack?

The routine below is meant to be done in those 1- and 2-minute commercial intervals, 3 to 4 times a week,during an hour of TV watching. (Or just do it all at once before you hit the sack.) If you haven't been doing core work, know that some of these might be very challenging - but the more you keep at it,the more of the routine you will be able to complete. And it's better to plank for 10 seconds at a time than not at all. Eventually, you WILL master the 30- and 60-second plank!

Keep in mind that clean eating and cardio are vital for uncovering the muscles you're building in your core. And happy chips-free TV-crunching!

The "Six-Pack During Six Packs" Badass Core Routine

Commercial Break 1

• Plank for 30 seconds, rest for 15
• Repeat

Commercial Break 2

• Side Plank for 30 seconds on the right
• 10 side plank dips
• Side Plank for 30 seconds on the left
• 10 side plank dips

Commercial Break 3

• Boat Pose for 30 seconds, rest for 15
  
• Repeat

 Commercial Break 4

• 90-degree ab crunches for 50 (legs are bent to 90 degrees, shins parallel to the floor)
• 90-degree left oblique ab crunches for 25 (legs still at 90 degrees, knees tilted to the right, to work the left obliques)
• 90-degree right oblique ab crunches for 25 (legs still at 90 degrees, knees tilted to the left, to work the right obliques)

 Commercial Break 5

• 40 ankle reaches for obliques: Feet on the floor up near butt, shoulders slightly lifted, reach right hand toward right ankle, then left hand toward left ankle, gaze up at the ceiling
• 40 regular crunches

Commercial Break 6

• 45-second plank, 15 second rest
• Repeat

Coming up: A new bootcamp routine you can do anywhere!

Want to perform, feel strong like an athlete? Train like one

Athletes who give anything less than 100 percent do not win. Teams that slack on their training or take it 'easy' do not come in first. Athletes who don't keep pushing themselves a little harder as they get stronger, never discover how far they can really go.

Sunday's Superbowl and basketball's upcoming March Madness basketball are the best illustration. Those players do not get there by going half-hog. They go all the way, every game and every workout.

The workout below, a variation on this past weekend's Badass Bootcamp, was inspired by the Super Bowl. Lots of burpees, ready-sets, sprint drills, pushups, plyometrics, etc. Students burned an average of 100 calories every 10 minutes - and emerged 60 minutes later feeling, as one student put it, 'pumped!'

Completing this workout might not get you a spot in the starting lineup, but it will make you stronger and incinerate some serious calories. (Equipment needed: 3 cones or anything to mark sprinting starts and finishes; a set of 5- to 15-lb dumbbells)

So get after it!

Super Badass, Super Bowl Workout

Warmup

• pogo hops, 30 secs
• jumping jacks, 30 secs
• mountain climbers, 30 secs
• plank hops, 30 secs
• Jog 100 meters up and back x 2
• 25 pushups
• Shuffle 50 meters up and back x 2
• 25 pushups

Cardio plyometric circuit

• 15 ready-ready sets (squat low, run fast in place, and every few seconds 'set' back into a plank by hopping the feet back and dropping down into a plank)
• 15 burpees
• 4 suicides, aka ladder runs (set three cones 25 meters apart. Sprint to the first and back to the start, then to the second cone and back to the start, then to the third cone and back to the start. That's 1.)
• 25 pushups
• 25 floor or bench tricep dips

 

 

 

Legs strength circuit

• Weighted walking luges: Holding dumbbells, lunge up and back between the first and third cone
• 40 dumbmbell close-in squats (legs and feet together)
• Weighted side squats: Holding dumbbells, squat sideways up and back between the first and third cone
• 40 dumbmbell regular squats (legs and feet a little more than hip width apart, knees and toes facing forward, holding dumbbells at your side)

Repeat cardio plyometric circuit

Repeat legs strength circuit

Power Plyo Circuit

• 10 Dead Man's Crawls
• 30 leap frogs
• 10 Dead Man's Crawls
• 10 Ready-Ready-Sets
• 10 Burpees

Strength Tabata 1

• Frog Pushupsx2
• Tricep Dipsx2
• Incline Pushupsx2
• Tricep Dipsx2

Repeat Cardio Plyometric Circuit

Strength Tabata 2

• Jump Squats w Dumbbellsx2
• Sumo Squats w Dumbbellsx2
• Right Leg Lungesx2
• Left Leg Lungesx2

Abs Circuit

• 25 regular crunches
• 1 minute plank
• 25 regular crunches
• 1 minute plank
• 25 right oblique crunches
• 25 left oblique crunches

Stretch and cool down!

Coming this week: "Ultra" inspiration from the Badass Bookshelf, and a Spinning profile using sprint and strength Tabata drills...