No Equipment, No Problem: Full Body Workout

Spring is one of the times of year where I find people start to feel more motivated to make some change in their life. Whether it’s because of the green grass and blooms when everything feels new again, the thought of summer being right around the bend or something else entirely, in my experience people make changes in the spring. And for many, those changes include fitness changes. In past years spring always meant the return to running for me (since I’ve always been a fair weather runner), for others that means cycling, outdoor sports or whatever! And for yet another group that means they want to find more time to spend outside with their family, and spend less time in the gym or working out.

That last one is where this post comes in! Because I’m taking the year off from running (aside from the odd 5K like the one I ran yesterday), my transition into spring training is all about short, fast, heart pumping workouts that build muscle while burning fat and helps to regulate cortisol levels. My friends at Sport Chek decided to help make the transition into spring a little bit easier with some new gear and were kind enough to make my fitness loving heart explode with new sneakers, capris, two tanks and a FitBit Blaze.

Pictured above: Diadora Studio Lux Women’s Elastic Mesh Tank, Nike Pro Hypercool Capris (this colour not shown on website any longer), Under Armour Run Streaker Women’s Tank (in blue), Nike Free Run Distance Women’s Running Shoes, and the FitBit Blaze.

Because there are a few things that make working out a bit more fun (and yes, I too find it difficult to convince myself to exercise sometimes – even when it’s my job!), than new clothes and a fun new gadget to play with!

I already wrote about the Blaze last week and went on a few times about how smitten I am with it – and I really am! It’s such a cool little gadget. Yesterday in my 5K I wore both it and my Polar just to see how they compared, and I gotta admit the stats weren’t far off (max heart rate, average heart rate, pace, etc.). I think when it comes to serious heart rate training the Polar still wins for me as I like the chest strap and feel it is still a bit more accurate, but otherwise I’m all about the Blaze!

Anyway, back to my spring workout. Because I’m crazy, I decided not only to develop an 8-week exercise program for myself, I also packaged it into a virtual 8-week boot camp and have a bunch of clients participating as well! Misery loves company and all of that. 😉 And while my clients are now on week 3 (sadly I haven’t been able to participate for the past week as I am having some health issues), you can still get in on the fun with this quick  full body workout I’ve put together for you with some of the moves from my bootcamp workouts!

For this workout, you are going to do each move in order for the number of reps indicated, and then you are going to repeat the whole thing through 1 time. The plan is to time yourself, and to do each move as quickly as you can with good form. This is a workout you could add into your workout rotation once/week for a few weeks and watch yourself get stronger and faster as the weeks go by! While they are quick, these workouts are also intense since you are going as fast as you are able (again – with good form) so no matter what your fitness level, you are pushing yourself.

For this workout you will be doing:

• 20 V Sit Dips
• 15 Prisoner Get Ups
• 15 Push-ups (full or kneeling)
• 20 Curtsy Lunge Kicks (10/leg)
• REPEAT

V Sit Dips

Start from a seated position with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Sitting tall through your spine Contract your abdominals and lean back so that you are sitting in the spot between your sitz bones and your tail bone. If you find that it still bothers your tailbone, fold up an exercise mat and sit on that to give yourself a bit more cushion. You may leave your heels on the floor or lift them up for a more advanced option, this is your starting point. From here you will lean further back while extending your legs and then squeeze your core to lift back up to your starting position.

Prisoner Get Up

Start in a laying position on the floor with your arms behind your head. Contract your core muscles and sit up. Next bend your left knee and press up onto it, then push through your heel and stand up. From standing, lower back down onto your left knee, then down into a seated position before laying back down on your back. Next time repeat leading with the opposite leg. If you need to modify the move, use your arms to assist you in getting up and down.

Push-Ups

Starting from a full plank or kneeling plank position with your arms shoulder width apart, lower yourself down towards the floor as far as you can while keeping your body in one long line as you exhale. On the inhale press yourself back up to the starting position and repeat.

Curtsy Lunge Kick

Standing with your feet hip width apart transfer your weight into your right leg as you step your left leg behind you into a curtsy. The weight in your left leg should be in your toes, and it is there primarily for balance with the bulk of your weight now in your right foot. Bend through your knee into a lunge and as you come back up to standing press through your right heel and squeeze your right glute and engage your abdominals as you lift your left leg and kick out to the side. then step back into your lunge and repeat. Once you’ve completed all reps on your right leg repeat on the left side kicking out with the right leg.

I’ve created a downloadable PDF for you to print off and take with you when you workout. You can download/print that by clicking HERE.

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Thank you again to Sport Chek for helping me transition into spring training with some amazing new gear, all of the items I received are so light weight, they are going to make working out on those hot spring and summer days so much cooler – looking and feeling! If you are looking for some new gear to help with your transition into spring training be sure to check out Sport Chek in-store or online. And if you try out the workout above please let me know how it goes!! Those prisoner get up’s can be brutal!

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Sport Chek, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.