Total Body Strength and HIIT Workout

Today I’m excited to share a total body strength and HIIT workout I’ll be teaching in a group ex class today. It’s a strength circuit with cardio blasts mixed in to keep your heart rate up while you build lean muscle! Scroll to the end for the workout!

Hey hey! How’s the day going?? Hope you’re having a wonderful morning.

Yesterday, I trained a client (we did tons of cardio drills), got in a short legs workout, and spent the day hanging out with the girls. 

Apparently we don’t see that wet stuff that falls from the sky very often. We probably sat in front of the window for 30 minutes watching the pouring rain.

Watching the rain

Since I was teaching at night, I wanted to make sure dinner was as quick and easy as possible. During P’s nap, I made some turkey bolognese (using Uncle E’s recipe!),

turkey bolognese

and chopped up zucchini to sauté. I stored it in the fridge, after seasoning with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary from our little garden. When the Pilot got home from work, all he had to do was heat up the sauce, boil the noodles, and cook up the zucchini. 

Zucchini

I gave the girls baths, did a ton of laundry, and cleaned up around the house. On Monday, I feel like I’m put-together and crushing it, and by Friday I’m a hot mess and drinking wine by 11am. Mostly kidding.

Lunch was leftovers from the night before: rice, romaine, shredded chicken, salsa, + a side of berries.

strawberries

Afternoon snack was some of this chocolate cashew ice cream. I think I was cranky one day because the Pilot ordered an entire case of cashew ice cream and it appeared on the doorstep.

cashew ice cream

We hit up the park before it started to rain, and the dinner was quickly cooking as I headed out the door to teach my first class back in V-town.

You guys.

I had no idea how it would go, and how many people would be there. There were about 15 people, and it was SO MUCH FUN. The community at the studio where I’m teaching is truly incredible, and everyone was so kind and welcoming. I taught barre, and we were all shaking and laughing and groaning together haha. It was such a blast, and I feel really thankful to have found such an awesome spot to teach.

Total Body Strength and HIIT Workout

Today, I wanted to share the workout I’ll be using for my small group training class today. It’s a group of 4 girls, and they’re all super fit. While I love teaching all fitness levels and demographics, it’s definitely fun to be able to really push them with strength and cardio during our short workouts.

Today, we’ll be doing a circuit workout, alternating between strength endurance stations. Each exercise station will be one minute of work before moving onto the next station. (Since we’ll be in a group, everyone will rotate.) We’ll do these stations twice through and then head into a cardio drill. Then, the exercises switch! We’ll be using 4 main tools in this workout: the Bulgarian bag, TRX, kettlebell and plyo box. If you don’t have access to these tools, I’ve provided some modifications below. 

Kettlebell Swing

(Photo: Lindy Waddell)

Here’s what it looks like if you’d like to try it out on your own!This total body strength and HIIT workout is an awesome mix of endurance work and cardio drills. You can do it anywhere, and metabolism will be cranking all day! fitnessista.com #strengthandHIIT #totalbodyworkout #circuitworkout

Form cues and tips:

1 minute each exercise: (do as many as you can with good form in one minute)

TRX: Single leg squats. stand away from the TRX base point, holding onto the straps with both hands. The straps will be straight, and your chest will be lifted, with a tight core. Bring one leg off the floor and flex your foot, bringing the leg up as high as you can. Inhale to sink down into a squat (goal is to end up with your knees in one line) and exhale to rise. Really pay attention to the standing leg and keep it as stable as possible. Squeezing the glutes really helps. If you need to, start with a smaller range of movement. Modification: regular dumbbell walking lunges. 

Bulgarian bag: squat press. Holding the Bulgarian bag, or a pair of dumbbells, keep your chest lifted and your weight in your heels as you squat down and back. Exhale and squeeze your booty to rise, and perform an overhead press at the top.

Plyo box: box jumps. Make sure to land with bent knees at the top and the bottom of the movement. Modification: step-ups (change leading leg at the 30 second mark).

Kettlebell: swings. Ground into your feet and stand hip-width apart. Hold the kettlebell in between your knees and start to gently swing it so you can gain some momentum. When you’re ready, power through your hips, glutes and core to swing the weight up to shoulder height, then bend your knees, swinging it back to start. Remember that you are NOT using your arms to lift the weight; this is pure glute and core power. Every time the weight goes up, make sure you’re strongly exhaling. 

Repeat all of these exercises so you complete two total rounds.  

Cardio drill: 

1 partner does bodyweight squats while the other does suicide runs. Set a timer for 4 minutes and see how many rounds you can do. If you aren’t working out with a partner, do 20 bodyweight squats and your own suicide runs. (I like to set out a few things, like a weight, a water bottle, and a medicine ball, and go back and forth between the objects).

1 partner does 20 push-ups while the other does plank. Set a timer for 4 minutes and see how many rounds you can do. If you don’t have a partner, do 20 push-ups and a 30-second plank for 3 rounds.

1 minute each exercise:

TRX: Push-up and mountain climbers. On your knees, toes, or modified against a wall. Keep your hips down in line with your spine, and exhale, squeezing your chest, to rise. For the mountain climbers, move as slowly or as quickly as you like. 

Plyo box: box jump burpees. Complete a box jump, but at the bottom of the movement, add in a burpee. You can decrease the impact by walking out to plank instead of jumping, and stepping onto the box instead of jumping. 

Kettlebell: single leg row. You’ll hold the weight in the same hand as the lifted leg. Keep your hips and shoulders parallel to the ground as you deadlift one leg and row with a single arm. 

Bulgarian bag: biceps curls. Squeeze your biceps and exhale as you curl. If you don’t have a Bulgarian bag, hold onto a barbell or a set of dumbbells.

Repeat.

Cardio drill: 

HIIT blast: 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off of the following exercises

Burpees: Sit into your squat and bring both hands to the floor, firmly planting your entire hand. Walk or hop back to a plank position (push-up here optional), walk or hop your feet back to your hands, and jump vertically, raising your arms overhead.

Jump squats: Get into a squat position (booty LOW and back), and touch the floor. Keep your abs engaged and chest lifted. Powering through your heels, spring up, reaching your arms towards the ceiling. Land with a soft knee. Repeat.

Jumping lunges: Make sure to land with a soft knee and sink into your lunge before springing up. If the impact is too much, try quick and efficient lunges on one side for 30 seconds before switching to the other side.

Mountain climbers

Push-ups

 

Hope you have a wonderful morning and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo

Gina

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Kettle and fire

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20 Comments

  1. Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious on May 2, 2017 at 7:23 am

    That’s awesome you had such a great vibe in your class! I was back teaching cycle yesterday after being off a month for my stress fracture. I wasn’t sure if people would notice I was gone, but they did. It was nice to be missed!

  2. Emily @ Pizza and Pull-ups on May 2, 2017 at 7:51 am

    That workout looks killer, thanks for sharing. I am glad you had a good class. I just added a new class to my teaching schedule, I always feel a bit intimidated walking in to teach that first class.

  3. Stacey on May 2, 2017 at 8:29 am

    I love your workouts! I’ll let you know when I do this!

    • Stacey on May 2, 2017 at 10:35 am

      What exactly are suicide runs?

  4. Amy on May 2, 2017 at 8:34 am

    I really appreciate that you saved the ad portion of the post for the very end. Sometimes it can feel like I’m reading through a magazine ad when blogs post a lot of sponsored content. Or, you read about something and get to the end – only to find it is an ad. Hard to trust the next post when that happens!

    Appreciate all of the great meal and fitness tips along with an update on your move, with a hint of endorsement!!

  5. Jamie @ madrediem on May 2, 2017 at 9:15 am

    Haaaaahahahahaa!! I love that whole bit about feeling put together on Monday and being a hot mess and drinking wine by 11 on Friday. I feel like I could have written that myself. I was just talking to a friend today and said the only reason people don’t see how much of a hot mess I am is because I’m so loud and funny to cover it up. Is it 11am on Friday yet? 😉

    • Fitnessista on May 2, 2017 at 12:41 pm

      at least you have that going for you. i’m quiet and awkward, so by friday, it’s hopeless hahahaha

  6. India on May 2, 2017 at 9:41 am

    Thank you so much for sharing this. Did one of your TRX workouts this morning and loved it. Glad you’re enjoying training and teaching – such a blessing with all the changes you’ve been going through.

  7. Christina @ montessoriishmom.com on May 2, 2017 at 10:52 am

    Thanks for the workout, I’m glad you found such a great place to teach!

  8. Tammy on May 2, 2017 at 11:11 am

    Hi Gina, where did you get your grey jogger pants in the top picture? I am looking for something like this and yours look super cute! Thanks!

  9. Tracy on May 2, 2017 at 11:43 am

    That’s so exciting to hear you love your new studio! I could feel your excitement jump off the screen as I read. Sounds like it’s a perfect fit for you 🙂

  10. Sam @ Hygge Wellness on May 2, 2017 at 1:22 pm

    Looks like such a killer workout! Can’t wait to try it! : )

  11. Bethany on May 2, 2017 at 6:36 pm

    Love this workout!

    Have you seen any smart ways a TRX has been hung in a home? I really do not trust our door frames #onbasehousing

    P.S. The rain picture is too funny! Have they seen snow?

  12. Juliette | Namastay Traveling on May 3, 2017 at 4:34 am

    Sounds like an awesome, an popular (!) first class back! I wish I could take your class, but at least I can get my sweat on with this total body circuit, phewf!

  13. Carrie on May 3, 2017 at 5:48 am

    Great idea with preppingrhe zucchini! Oh god, suicide runs are THE worst, but the best, hah. Gets that heart rate up!

  14. Amanda on May 3, 2017 at 10:24 am

    That workout looks tough! Deff trying it out! Workouts that are for a set ‘time’ instead of reps always challenge me WAY ore than I expect

  15. Janice on May 3, 2017 at 6:42 pm

    After really struggling and feeling very poorly for over a week, I read this and thought, “yum, bolognese!” Is it possible to share Uncle E’s recipe? Or maybe you have in the past and I missed it? It looks delicious!

    So glad to read you are settling in and almost have the unpacking monster conquered. It makes such a different when my space feels settled.

  16. Jessie R on May 5, 2017 at 2:58 pm

    That workout looks amazing/it might kill me. Can’t wait to try it!!! So glad your new fitness home is working out well! YAY!!

  17. kelli @ hungry hobby on May 8, 2017 at 6:16 am

    so glad teaching is going well! Can’t wait to try that workout when my shoulder is feeling better!

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