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Hi there and happy Friday!! We’re still hanging in Aruba so if you need me I’ll be sipping a skinny piña colada by a palm tree or relaxing on a raft in the ocean. I’m definitely planning on enjoying every minute because today is our last day here. I’ll be back to regular posting soon, but today I have another guest post for you. Emily of Life in Spandex has created a workout that combines weight work with a cardio burst! I love her advice about lifting weights and the workout looks awesome. I can’t wait to try it myself when I get home. Without further ado, here’s Emily.
Hi there! My name is Emily and I’m so excited meet all of you on EBF today! I am a certified personal trainer, barre instructor, and the founder and blogger for Life in Spandex where I help women look and feel their best. I want every woman to feel confident, energized, strong, and beautiful. I spent a lot of my life feeling like I wasn’t good enough, going to extremes to attain a modelesque body on my 5’4″ frame. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I decided enough was enough. I was exhausted from hours of cardio, minimal carbs, and feeling inadequate because of my body-type. Since focusing on my health, I not only feel better than ever, I look better than ever! Who would’ve guessed?! I love having the energy, confidence, and brain power necessary for me to go after my dreams!
You don’t have to go through what I have. I’m here to show you that you don’t need to go to extremes to attain a body you love to live in. But since I can’t do that all here in just one post, I thought I’d start by giving you one of my favorite total body workouts! 🙂
Take this vow now – “I, (say your name), will lift weights. Not just light weights, but heavy weights, ones that make me feel out of breath but also like a freakin’ strong badass!” Women have been scared away from the weight section of the gym for decades. We’ve been told that lifting heavy weights will make us “bulky” and “manly.” Girl, please! It takes way more time than I know any of us are willing to give and supplements that we won’t take for us to build muscles like a man. What we can do though, is use heavy weights to build lean, toned muscle and decrease our overall body fat! I’m guessing this is what you’re looking for? “How?” you ask. (This is my favorite subject so I’m so glad you asked!)…. Muscles burn calories at rest! I’m not kidding. This means that the more muscle you have the more episodes of The New Girl you can watch AND lose weight simultaneously.
Now that you’re convinced, let’s get to the fun part! I’ve created a workout that targets all your big calorie-burning muscles, like your thighs, booty, back, core, and chest while also sculpting and shaping what I like to call “accessory muscles,” like your triceps and biceps. To make this workout even more effective, it ends with a quick cardio burnout that will sky rocket your metabolism immediately and for hours after you’re done sweating. Grab a set of dumbbells that really challenge you on the last 2-3 reps of each exercise and let’s get to it!
Complete10-15 reps of each exercise. Repeat each superset two to three times before moving onto the next. For the cardio burnout section, complete each exercise for 30 seconds with no rest in between each. Then, take a 30 second rest after you’ve completed all three exercise. Repeat for a total of 2-4 rounds.
Exercise Explanations
Superset 1
1. Deadlift to Row
Targets: Back, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, core
Start with feet hip-distance, parallel. Hold one dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in towards your thighs. Pull your abs in and transfer your weight back on your heels. Keeping your back straight, lean forward, slightly bending your knees until your hands reach your shins or ankles. Squeeze your glutes and engage your hamstrings as you straighten your legs propelling your hips forward back into a standing position. Then, come into an upright row, bringing the weights up to your shoulders. Come back to your starting position. This is one rep. Complete 10-15 reps.
2. Hip Bridge with Chest Press
Targets: Chest, hamstrings, glutes, core
Lay on your back, feet planted, holding one dumbbell in either hand. Hold each dumbbell up towards the ceiling, elbows bent in a 90-degree angle, palms face towards your feet, wrists over your elbows. Pull your abs in and squeeze your glutes as you simultaneously press your hips and hands up towards the ceiling. Come back to your starting position for one rep. Complete 10-15 reps.
Superset 2
1. Squat to Biceps Curl
Targets: Glutes, thighs, biceps, core
Stand with your feet hip distance, parallel, abs engaged. Hold one weight in each hand. Keep your weight back on your heels as you lower down into a full squat keeping your back as straight as possible, knees tracking over your toes. (Don’t let your knees come over your toes, though! Keep them stacked over your ankles.) Stand back up, squeezing your glutes. Complete a bicep curl, bringing the weights to your shoulders. Come back to your starting position. This is one rep. Complete 10-15 reps.
2. Tricep dips
Targets: Triceps, chest, core
Sit on your seat, feet out in front of you. Place each hand underneath your shoulders, fingers facing forwards. Squeeze your glutes and life your hips off the ground (this is where they should stay for the entire exercise!). Bend your elbows straight backwards. Straighten your elbows for one rep. Complete 10-15 reps.
Superset 3
1. Slow cross-body mountain climbers
Targets: Core, obliques, shoulders, back, glutes
Start in a straight-arm plank position, wrists underneath your shoulders. Pull your belly-button into your spine as you bring your right knee to your left elbow. You should feel this in the sides of your waist. Come back to your starting position and then repeat on the left. This is one rep. Complete 10-15 slow and controlled reps.
2. Plank to row
Targets: Back, shoulders, core, glutes
Start in a straight-arm plank position with one weight under each hand. Grip the weights. Using your back muscles, pull your right elbow up towards the sky, holding onto the weight with your right hand. Set your right hand back down and repeat on the left for one rep. Keep your abs tight and complete 10-15 reps.
Cardio Burnout
1. Jump Squat
Stand with your feet hip distance, parallel, abs engaged. Keep your weight back on your heels as you lower down into a full squat keeping your back as straight as possible, knees tracking over your toes. (Don’t let your knees come over your toes, though! Keep them stacked over your ankles.) Using all of the force you got, jump high into the air. Land back down into your squat position for one rep. Complete for 30 seconds.
2. Ice Skaters
Start on your right foot, left leg behind you, foot off the ground. Jump off of your right foot as high as possible landing over on the left foot. Keep your knees over your toes when you land and your abs engaged. Complete for 30 seconds.
3. Plank jacks
Start in a straight-arm plank. Hop both feet out as wide as you can. Hop your feet back together for one rep. Complete for 30 seconds.
It’s so nice to meet all of you! I hope you like this workout :). If you do, please let me know by commenting on this post, pinning the image, and subscribing to my blog so you receive exclusive member fitness tips and tricks sent to your email.
Health and happiness,
Emily
Thanks for a great post, I will definitely try these ideas for workout out! 🙂
Yay! Let us know what you think of the workout if you try it. 🙂
Yay thank you so much for featuring me, Brittany! I’m so excited and honored :D. I hope you all like it!
You are so welcome, Emily! Thank you for contributing a post while I was enjoying myself on vacay. I’m going to try your workout when I get home. 🙂
Looks like a great workout Emily, thanks for sharing! I love any workout that targets major muscle groups and includes heavy weights, so this one looks like a winner to me.
Some good ideas for an interesting an intense workout. I like that it really engages your whole body when most routines seem to focus only on one or two areas.