This is a 50 minute interval workout, alternating cardio with core work. Anni works out with a step and Amy modifies without one. I enjoyed using the step for all of these exercises but if you don’t have a step you’ll do just fine without it. Use one pound hand weights throughout the workout for intensity. The workout has three chapters:

1) Workout guidelines
2) Workout
3) Cool down

The workout is designed so that you can workout from 20 to 50 minutes. You can advance to the cool down at ten minute intervals.

1. Warm-up - march briefly, pickup the weights. A-step, pumping arms, then add two hamstring curls at the end of each A-step. This takes about 2 minutes. The rest that follows are all one minute intervals.

2. Squats while swinging one arm forward and one behind you. Look back over your shoulder each time you squat.

3. Tap out right and left while reaching overhead rand left, then reach across your chest alternating right and left. Switch back and forth between overhead reaches and cross chest reaches.

4. Go to the floor for some core work. Each floor segment begins by sitting on the floor, grasping behind your quads and pulsing down and up four times, then you recline. This interval was rope climbs, lifting shoulders off the floor as you reach forward between your legs as if rope climbing.

5. Stand and do cardio twists - hop and twist with weights held at chin height. This elevates your heart rate and works your abs.

6. To the floor, pulse and recline. Tuck your knees to your chest and your arms in to meet them and then extend both out long. Keep repeating for a minute.

7. Alternating basic steps then add in a rear leg extension, extend arms over head, up and down. Add a little plyo hop onto the step each time.

8. Stationary lunges with biceps curs.

9. Pendulum swings with lateral arm raises. This evolves into a pattern of hop left, hop right, lift left leg higher, hop right, hop left, lift right leg higher. Sounds boring as I type it but it’s actually quite fun!

10. Stationary lunges on the other leg with overhead triceps extensions.

11. Stand at one end of the step with one foot on the bench, one on the floor. Hands behind your head and alternate knee lifts twisting your upper body toward the lifting knee. This actually got to be quite intense, plus it’s standing ab work.

12. To the floor, pulse and recline. Lower ab or reverse crunches.

13. Standing on the step, alternate rear lunges. Start swing both arms up and down, then add a little plyo hop in between lunges.

14. Back to the floor, pulse and recline. Bring the soles of your feet together and let your legs fall open, forming a diamond shape and crunch.

15. Repeat the knee alternating knee lifts and upper body rotation combo on the other end of the bench.

16. To the floor for knees bent diamond pushups with hands on the bench. If you don’t have a step you can make the push ups a little easier by separating your hands.

17. Back up again with the weights. Hop onto the bench with both feet and step down. Hop up, step down, repeat. Add military presses.

18. Back to the floor, this time lying on your side for oblique crunches with straight leg lifts.

19. Stand and jump rope, then diamond jump, north, south, east and west.

20. Back to the floor for oblique crunches and leg lifts on the other side.

21. On your feet and leap back and forth across the bench. Add a lunge back and reach down to touch the floor as you reach either side of the bench. Reach arms over head as you leap across.

22. Bob and weave and alternating upper cuts.

23. Wide stance, arms extended laterally and do rib cage slides. Add shoulder rotations, just flipping your arms over and back.

24. Turn steps, then add three alternating knee lifts on each side of your turn step. Add a little plyo onto the bench and on the floor if you wish.

25. Back to the floor. Sit at the end of the step with your lower legs hugging the step. Extend arms over head, interlock your hands and crunch.

26. Stand and straddle the bench. Step up with a knee lift then step down and lunge back. Add alternating punches.

27. To the mat for elbow planks with alternating leg lifts.

28. To you feet, wide stance, run, run, knee lift. Arms up and out as you run, down and in as you knee lift.

29. Wide stance, fast alternating upper cuts.

30. To the mat for some scissors. Pulse and recline, legs straight up, lower one leg and reach hands to the ankle of the raised leg. Keep alternating left and right.

31. Straddle step, knee, lunge combination again, this time on the opposite side of the step. Add plyos and punches.

32. Stand to one end of the step and leap across, Squat off the other end. Leap back across and squat of that end. Repeat.

33. To the mat, pulse & recline. Hands behind head, knees up over hips and do bicycle twists.

34. L-steps, As you L-step, kick, on the back plyo.

35. Jab, pivot and cross punch, hesitate, knee up. As you knee up, add a plyo. Hard to describe but it’s kickboxing-esque.

36. To the floor, pulse & recline. Crunch and extend both arms reach out past and outside of your knee on one side only. Single count crunches, then three count, then switch sides and repeat.

37. Up with your weights. L-step combo on the other end of the step.

38. At the long end of the bench, step over with your outside leg first, add a hop and pump arms overhead.

39. Power (plyo) squats. Criss cross your feet in between squats.

40. Jab, cross knee combo on the other side.

41. Cool down!

I only had time for twenty minutes of this workout this morning and it was intense! I just loved it! Nothing is endless, it’s all over in a minute and there is so much variety.

Instructor Comments:
Personable, no nonsense, good cueing and form pointers.

Helen K (antbuko)