BeWOW: The Ultimate 30-Minute Workout
This week’s workout reminds us that we don’t have to spend an hour sweating it out at the gym to get a good workout. Because, really, who has time for that?
I’d like to introduce you to the ultimate 30-minute workout, a true test of speed and form that will leave you feeling strong and accomplished. Here’s what you’re going to do: Spend five minutes getting nice and warmed-up, then set your clock for 30 minutes and go. In those 30 minutes, you are going to work as hard and as fast as you can (with good form, of course) and challenge yourself to get through as many rounds of the exercises below as possible. Once your 30 minutes are up, that’s it.
This workout is only as hard as you make it, so push yourself for 30 solid minutes so that by the end you know you gave it 100 percent.
BeWOW: The Ultimate 30-Minute Workout
*Do the following exercises, in order, as many times you can for 30 minutes.
50 mountain climbers
40 squat pulses
30 crunches
25 lunge jumps
20 push-ups
15 deadlifts
10 bent-over rows (10 each side)
5 burpees
1 minute plank
1 minute wall squat
Explanation of exercises
*Click the links below for how-to videos and photos.
Mountain climbers: Get in plank position. Alternating legs, bring your knee into the chest, keeping your upper body strong. Extend leg and switch.
Squat pulses: Get into a squat and hold, pulsing down towards the floor and never standing all the way back up.
Crunches: Get in sit-up position, with knees bent and hands behind the head. Without pulling the neck, squeeze your abs and sit halfway up. Hold for a beat, and return to starting position.
Lunge jumps: Start standing with feet together and step forward with the left leg into a lunge, bending knee to about 90 degrees. Jump as you stand back up and switch legs before you land, so your right leg is forward. Lunge again, then jump, putting your left leg forward, and so forth. Left and right counts as one.
Push-up: Start lying face down with your chest on the floor, with hands facing forward and palms down in line with your shoulders; elbows should be pointing back. Push up until arms are extended (the inside of the elbow should be facing forward) and drop back down.
Deadlifts with dumbbells: Hold dumbbells with arms extended down so they’re resting on your thighs, feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping shoulders back and abs tight (and without locking your knees), bend at the hips and let the weights lower towards the floor, going as far as you can without bending your knees too much. Drive your heels in to the floor and stand to return to the starting position.
Bent-over rows: Hold a dumbbell in your hand with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Bend forward from the waist, keeping your spine straight and letting your hand fall forward in front of you. Pull the dumbbell back (you should feel like you’re rowing a boat), squeezing your shoulder blade. Do 10 on the left then switch and do 10 on the right. For more of a challenge, try a plank row in a push ups position with your hands on the weights)
Burpee: Just like an up-down in football. Put your hands on the ground, jump your feet out behind you so you’re in push-up position, lower to the ground, bring your feet back in, and stand up.
Plank: Get in push-up position, resting on your elbows; keep back, hips, and legs in a straight line. Hold.
Wall squat: Do a squat (legs forming a 90-degree angle) with your back against a wall. Hold.
>> Did you complete this week’s BeWOW? Tell us how you did in the comments! Or, feel free to tweet at us about it using the hashtag #BeWOW. Check out all the BeWOW workouts here.
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Audrey McKenna Hasse is the owner of A.M.Fit, a personal training and healthy consultation business on the Main Line. You’ll find her workouts every Monday right here on Be Well Philly.
Photo: Shutterstock
