If you ask women the area they want to tone the majority are going to say “legs, and butt!”, and yes, I’m one of them. Luckily interval workout #3 from my free 31 day bootcamp is sure to light up the upper body. However it really sets fire to legs, giving you a booty burner of a workout. I admit my legs and butt are something I work on three times a week as it’s where I tend to hold my fat, thanks to genetics. Now you can’t spot reduce fat remember, but by doing exercises that incorporate strength and cardio like those in this workout (along with a healthy diet) and you’re on the way to toned lean legs!

I’ve already broekn down interval training workout #1 and #2 This week will be workout #3 including the modifications for each exercise. The full follow along video is available on youtube. Remember that the 31 day no excuses bootcamp is available for free, along with my free health & Fitness planner. Plus, I have so much more coming! Stay tuned.

BOOTY BURNER – INTERVAL WORKOUT #3

Interval workout #3 is a little longer than workout #1, due to single leg exercises. So bear that in mind. With the warm up and cool down stretch it’s going to take around 40 minutes. Still totally doable for most people. If you absolutely positively MUST only have a 30 minute workout then I have a couple of options for you. Reduce the rest time. The standard rest time is 15s between exercises, if you cut that out completely you save 5 minutes! Another way is to shorten the workout set time, standard is 45s so you could reduce that to 40s and save 3 minutes. Another way would be to do the first half of the workout only. Or do TWO sets of each exercise rather than the recommended three. The last option would be a better choice as it immediately saves you 10 minutes.

LEAPFROG

Ok we’re starting straight into the thigh and booty burner exercises. No rest for the wicked is the expression right? Stand in a semi-squatted position. So feet shoulder width apart, knees and hips bent. From that partial squat JUMP forward, twice. Then JUMP backwards twice. Now If you have more room you might want to do 4-5 jumps forward and back, but if I did that I’d be jumping into the pool here. The goal is to try to stay LOW in the partial squat to get the booty burner.

Modification: This is a high impact move. You want to retain the thigh and booty burner movement so stay in the partial squat and ‘walk’ the feet forward and back. Think of a wide legged Groucho Marx kind of walk. The thighs will be on fire, promise!

SINGLE LEG DEADLIFT*

Consider the leapfrog the kindle to the booty burner, now we get to set them alight! Single leg deadlifts challenge more than just your glutes though. It’s also a great move for your core and balance. Stand on one leg, with the knee slightly bent. Hinge at the hips and reach the hands towards the floor. The lifted leg can ‘float’ out behind you for balance. *Repeat on both sides

Modification: As with most exercises, just reduce the range of motion. Instead of coming down to the floor, instead use a chair/box in front of you to touch. If your balance is really an issue then lightly support one hand on the wall.

SCAPULAR RETRACTION – ALL FOURS

Name all the bodyweight exercises for your back? Yeah, difficult without equipment isn’t it? This exercise though is great for not only working the muscles of the upper back, but is great for re-educating the shoulders on how to move. This is a great exercise for those sitting at a desk all day! Set up on all fours as shown. Keeping the arms straight, push the floor away strongly. This should contract through the chest making the shoulder blades separate. Then, still keeping the arms straight (KEY!) pull the shoulder blades together.  This lowers the chest a little downwards towards the floor. It’s like pinching a pencil between the shoulder blades.

No modifications for this one is it IS a modification. What’s interesting is it’s a pretty challenging movement for most people due to poor posture. I plan on breaking this movement down further in a future post. Different ways to do it etc. It’s an amazing little movement that is great as a prep for rowing or as  warm up for back strength exercises in the gym.

BOAT HOLD

Cardio, legs and upper body done, now time for core! This is totally stolen from yoga and I love navasana/boat pose for working the abs. Sit on your butt, knees bent feet on the floor and hands behind the thighs. Pull the belly in, slightly tuck in the chin, and allow the lower back to round slightly. Lengthen the arms so the torso is behind the hips. Then lift the feet off the floor, they should naturally want to lift anyway. Options: extend arms, and/or extend legs. Many people do this exercise with a straight/arched back thinking it’s work the abs, but the abs cannot contract in an extended position. *Allow the core to contract and a slight round in the back.

Modification: Extending the arms and legs is the full version of boat. However if that’s too much keep the knees bent (as shown), or keep a hold of the back of the thighs. For a beginner you may find it challenging enough just leaning back with the feet on the floor. So that’s a valid modification too.

QUICK HEELS

One of my bootcamp favorites is quick heels. It’s a take on a soccer drill where you tap the toes on the top of the soccer ball, but hey we don’t have a soccer ball. So heels it is! Standing, place one heel in front, then hop to switch to the other heel. Keep a little bend in the knee on landing.

Modification: This is cardio and high intensity. To make it lower intensity, step one heel in front. Then step the heel back to standing before switching sides. Essentially reducing the impact and intensity.

SINGLE LEG CALF RAISE*

Thighs were on fire, booty burner done now for calves of steel! I admit that calves are not something I work often as I have pretty developed calves thanks to genetics (and lots of step aerobics in the 90’s). The single leg calf raise not only works the calves strength but challenges balance too! Stand on one leg with the supporting knee slightly bent. Raise up onto the ball of the supporting leg, the lower with control. *Repeat on both sides

Modification: Balance is the key factor here. If balance is an issue then go to a wall (or fence) for support, or hold onto the back of a chair. Lightly place one hand on the support, try not to use it as a crutch.

PIKE PUSH UP

Sometimes called a pike push up, or a downward dog push up. Again we’re taking inspiration from yoga. We’re working the shoulders and back again here which is difficult to work with on a purely bodyweight exercise, no equipment. From a down dog or pike position, which is clearly shown below. Hands and feet down, butts (ungracefully) up! In an inverted “V” position. With the heels raised, knees soft and hands firmly on the floor. Bending the elbows, lower the crown of the head towards the floor, keeping the back flat and belly pulled in. Lower and raise with control.

Modification: This one is a little hard to modify and still work the shoulders/back. I’d suggest bending the knees a lot. This will lower your body’s relationship to gravity and reduce the tension on the shoulders. Try to keep the head, neck and spine in one line.

WINDSHIELD WIPERS

A pilates favorite of mine for working the obliques. Lie back, with arms outstretched to sides, knees bent to 90° and shins parallel to the floor. Ideally, have the knees directly above the hips. Keeping the shoulders and arms grounded to the floor, rotate at the waist allowing the knees to fall halfway to one side, then lift back to center and repeat the other side. Control the lower/lifting of the legs. This can be done with straight legs for an advanced version.

Modification: Beginners may need to reduce the range of motion. Maybe only lowering a quarter of the way towards the floor. Another modification would be to have the knees closer towards the chest rather than the knees above the hips.

[tweetthis]Burn fat & build strength with this interval #workout that targets the thighs & booty! #weightloss[/tweetthis]

Each exercise is done for 45s, with 15s rest between exercises. You have options. In the videos I chose to do the first four exercises and repeat them three times, then do the same thing for the next four exercises. Or you could work through all eight exercises and repeat three times the whole way through all eight. The idea is that you don’t change the sets of four. This is to get the body working through cardio, lower body, upper body and core for a little peripheral heart action training. This helps get you fitter, faster.

 

Those are the exercises for interval workout #3 of the no excuses bootcamp. Even if you don’t do this format, I hope you found something useful, inspiring or motivational from this post, and the program. Interval workout #4  is already on youtube, and I’ll breakdown the workout in a few days. Until then keep moving and make at least one workout a booty burner!