Be Well Workout of the Week: Total-Body Tone Up

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Your workout this week is pretty straightforward. It goes like this: Complete the following circuit four times, performing the exercises below as fast as you can while keeping good form. At the end of the circuit, do a quarter-mile sprint. You can do the sprint on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, somewhere outside, or if none of those are an option, you can always do the workout without the sprint. Try not to rest for more than a minute or two between circuits; this keeps your workout efficient and your heart rate high.

Good luck!

Total-Body Tone Up Circuit Workout

50 jump-rope jumps (or jumping jacks if you don’t have a rope)
40 alternating toe-touch abs
30 ski jumpers
25 kettlebell swings
20 push-ups
15 reverse fly
10 lunge jumps
5 pull-ups
.25 mile sprint (on treadmill, elliptical, track, bike, whatever!)

Explanation of exercises

Alternating toe-touch abs: Lie on your back and reach your feet to the ceiling, so your body forms an L shape. Then reach up with your hands and alternate tapping right hand to left toes and left hand to right toes. For this workout, do 40 reps total, so 20 touches on each foot.

Ski jumpers: Start in a skier’s stance (like a squat, but bent forward at the waist slightly). Using your arms for momentum, jump up and to the left, landing on both feet. Jump to the right. Repeat. For this workout, do 30 jumps total, so 15 each side.

Kettlebell swings: Standing with feet about hip-width apart, hold a kettlebell in front of you both both hands. Bend your knees into a squat, swinging the kettlebell back through your legs as you drop down and forward to about shoulder height as you stand. Repeat in a fluid motion.

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.

Reverse fly: Stand with feet hip-width apart and hinge forward at the waist. Holding a weight in each hand (palms facing towards each other), keep your arms slightly bent and using your back, squeeze your shoulder blades together, lifting your hands to the side.

Lunge jump: Position yourself in a lunge. Jump upwards switching the front and back legs. Once landed, repeat.

Pull-ups: Suspend yourself on the pull-up bar with your hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull yourself up, keeping your body as straight as possible, until your chest reaches the bar. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

» Want more sweaty workouts? Check out the BeWOW archive 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 week right here on Be Well Philly.

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