This total body workout is devoted to two types of exercises that you might despise because they're so hard, but man, they are effective at strengthening your thighs, butt, core, and abs!
It's just six moves, done for 30 seconds each, for a total of three minutes. So you can do this short workout once, or repeat it a few times for a longer workout, whatever you have time for, or before your muscles give out — whichever comes first.
Squat With Overhead Reach
- Begin with your feet slightly wider than hip's width apart and toes pointed slightly outward. Raise your arms up until your upper arms are even with your ears. If this is too difficult, rest your hands on your hips.
- Keeping weight in your heels, sit back into a deep squat. Make sure your knees do not go beyond your toes or roll in or out of alignment. Keep your abs engaged as you squat.
- Deepen your abdominal engagement as you press through your heels to return to standing, completing one rep.
- Do as many reps as you can for 30 seconds.
Plank Jacks
Take your jumping jacks to the floor for this plank variation [2] that not only works your arms, core, and lower body, it'll also get your heart pumping.
- Begin in plank position with your feet together. Keep your upper body stable and engage your abs.
- Begin doing jumping jacks with your legs. Hop them wide, then hop them together. Jump as quickly as you want.
- Do as many reps as you can for 30 seconds.
Pulsing Plié Squat
Shake up your squat routine with the pulsing plié squat [3], which targets glutes and inner thighs.
- Start in second position, with your legs opened wide to the sides and your toes turned slightly outward.
- Placing your hands on your hips, bend your knees, going as low as you can. Make sure your shoulders remain directly over your hips and your back stays in a straight vertical line.
- While holding this wide squat position, in a pulsing fashion, lower and raise your hips one inch for 30 seconds.
Up-Down Plank
Reps: 10 reps, each side.
Work your arms, shoulders, and core with this push-up variation:
- Come into a plank position with your legs straight and forearms resting on your mat. Your feet should be hip-width distance apart. Draw your navel toward your spine to engage your core and to avoid straining your lower back.
- Keeping your torso parallel to the floor, plant your right palm on the mat as you raise your body, so your right arm is straight.
- Repeat with left arm, so you're now in a straight-arm plank.
- Now, move your right forearm back onto the mat and then the left, lowering yourself back down into elbow-plank position. Try to avoid swaying the torso from side to side.
- Alternate which elbow you lower first, doing as many reps as you can for 30 seconds.
Jump Squats
The classic squat is a great exercise for toning the derriere, and when you add a jump, the move becomes more effective. Jumping also increases your heart rate to burn even more calories — bonus!
- Begin in an athletic stance with feet shoulder-width apart and arms bent with hands at chest level. Bend knees and come into a full squat.
- Jump up as explosively as you can, reaching for the ceiling.
- When you land, lower back into the squat position to complete one rep.
- Do as many jumps as you can for 30 seconds.
Elbow Plank With Hip Dips
- From an elbow plank position, slowly rotate the spine to lower your right hip to just above the floor. Come back to elbow plank.
- Now lower the left hip toward the floor.
- This counts as one rep.
- Do as many reps as you can for 30 seconds.