Alright, now that I have your attention let’s be real. As much as I’d love to give you a workout you could complete in 30 seconds that would you bring you the results you want, it’s just not realistic. Sorry 🙁
But this is a super fun workout that will get you burning up some serious calories and will tone and strengthen your entire body.
This workout earned it’s name because you do each exercise in the set for 30 seconds before moving on to the next one. Do all four cycles and you’re looking at a super effective 20 minute workout.
Don’t have 20 minutes for a workout?
No sweat. Use one cycle of this as a “Mini Workout”. You’ll feel great that you squeezed in that daily workout and still see great results.
This workout comes to you curtesy of my fabulous sister, certified personal trainer Nathalie King.
Alright, here we go!
Do a 5 minute dynamic warm up before getting started with this workout.
Do each set full on, with as much intensity as you can. Try to increase the intensity of your efforts with each set. Your muscles will most likely fell fatigued by the last set so pay attention to your body. Push through but don’t overdo it.
As always focus on proper form when you do each exercise.
Jumping Jacks
Start standing with feet together
Jump up landing with feet a little wider than shoulder width apart. Bring hands overhead as you jump, clapping as you land
Jump back to starting position and repeat.
Increase speed or power of jump to increase intensity.
Double Burpees
Stand with feet shoulders width apart.
Reach hands to the ground and shoot feet back, landing in a plank position. Bring feet back to hands then shoot back a second time
Jump up reaching hands overhead and landing in a soft squat. Jump up a second time
Repeat cycle for 30 seconds
Crab Reach
Start sitting on the floor, knees bent, hands slightly behind your hips, fingers pointing behind you. Raise hips about 1 inch off the ground.
Bend your right arm and bring in between your knees in front of your chest.
Reach your right arm up and over towards the ground on your left, pushing your hips as high as you can as you do so, allowing your head and upper to follow your hand and twist out, eyes looking towards the ground. Allow the upper arm to relax and bend 90 degrees.
Lower to start and repeat on other side.
Alternate sides for 30 seconds.
Mountain Climbers
Start in push up position, hands on the floor, back straight, core, glutes, and hamstrings engaged, head neutral, looking at a spot somewhere around your hands.
Keeping your body position as straight as you can, bring knees one after the other into your chest in a running motion.
Push as hard as you can for 30 seconds.
Lateral Hops (Ski Jumps)
Stand tall and arms bent as though you were holding ski poles, jump from side to side keeping knees and feet together.
You can make this move more challenging in one of two ways:
Deepen your jump, going a little further out each time or jump higher.
Jump high as though you were jumping over an object
* Keep your knees and ankle loose (not floppy) throughout this exercise to prevent injury
Reverse Lunge with Kick
Stand with feet shoulders width apart, core engaged, hands on your hips or at your side.
Take your right leg and take a giant step backwards landing into a wide lunge, keeping knee aligned with ankle. Squeeze glutes as you push back to standing and use core as you extend your right leg into a kick. Step back into lunge and repeat for duration of set.
Switch legs and do a full 30 seconds set.
Bicycles
These are a fantastic lower abs exercise!
Start laying face up, hands by your ears or laced gently behind our head (you do not want to put tension and pull on your head).
Engage core and lift torso off the floor a few inches and bend legs slightly.
Scissors legs back and forth touching knee to opposite elbow imitating a pedaling motion.
Make sure to keep core engaged so you don’t strain your back.
Spiderman
This exercise is very similar to mountain climbers but you are going to be bringing your knees out and towards your wrist or elbow as you bring it forward.
Yeah, I am just starting to get some exercising fit into my otherwise lazy life. I have been walking every day for a month now. It has been hard enough doing that.
Yay Sandra! Getting started is the hardest part. Keep walking it’s so good for you. When you’re ready you can add a few short BURST sessions or mini workouts several times a week.
This is pretty cool. Thanks for the workout information. Once I have this baby, I may do this workout after the DVDs I have.
You are most welcome Alicia! A new baby… how exciting! Congratulations and take good care of you mamasita <3
I wish that it only took 30 min to get the desired effect I want.
Great list of workouts!
I hate burrows!!
30 minutes of the right kind of exercise paired with healthy food choices, lots of water and adequate rest, yields amazing results Heather 🙂 I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.
**burpies**. Apparently my iPhone dislikes them too!
Silly auto correct.
lol! Burpies are killer and not the most pleasant but they work 😉
Love quick workouts like these. They’re perfect for busy moms like me. Thanks for sharing 🙂
You are most welcome Jasmine! Yes we busy moms need effective solutions that we can fit in to the busiest of schedules 😉
What a great HIIT workout! Perfect for those short on time! 🙂
So glad you like this Rachel!
I wish I was in shape enough to be able to do these. If I got down on the floor, I’d never get up!
Alright Cindy, I’m going to come up with a fun workout just for you… 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this. I think this will really help me alot
You are most welcome Linda and best of luck!
Ah, you almost tricked me! I do think I could stick with a plan for 30 seconds each, but I’d much rather get it over with in less than a minute! 😉
I like that you do each one for only 30 seconds. Great exercises for even beginners to start off with.
Thanks Kim. I love workouts that can be tailored to your personal level. I find them to be much less intimidating.
Okay, I will have to give this a try. Sounds like a great goal to work up to 20 minutes! I am going to have to google the crab reach. I am so visual and can’t figure that one out in my head! Lol.
I working on creating videos of all the exercises I share Andrea because I too am more visual and I know how important it is to properly execute each activity. It”s important not only to get the maximum benefits but also to prevent injuries. Look for these videos starting next month 🙂
I can do 30 seconds! I need so badly to get back into working out and these seems like a doable way to start!
Yay Jeannette! These are a good place to start and you can ease into a plan like this one by starting with one or two sets and working up to 4. Go for a 15 to 20 minute walk as your cool down and you’ll feel great the next day!
Thank you for sharing, I love this!
You are most welcome Debbie. Enjoy!
Thank you for this post, I go to the gym 3x a week but some of these would work on off days…some I can’t do at all.
You are most welcome Kathleen and hats off to you for your dedication 🙂
Thank you for the information. Sounds very interesting.
You are most welcome Denise 🙂
Thank you for bringing out the healthy forms of excercise that have corrected the old ones of push-ups, excessive weights and many others we were taught..I am going to try your system (though I am 63 and losing it)…Thank you,for I honestly think I can eventually get to the whole program
You are most welcome Ronald! Kudos for you to be exercising and trying new things at 63! That is quite inspiring!
This is very interesting. I know I can get these in everyday before my walk. I’m going to give it a try 🙂
Woohoo Betsy! Let me know how this works for you 🙂