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- Our Favorite Part of This 20-Minute Bodyweight Workout Are the 4 Intense Core Moves at the End
Our Favorite Part of This 20-Minute Bodyweight Workout Are the 4 Intense Core Moves at the End
by
jenny sugar
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Not everyone can train for the 2021 Olympic Games like Priscilla Frederick-Loomis, but we can certainly try to train like we are! Professional athlete, former certified Level 1 high school and college track and field coach, and 2016 Olympian, Loomis is a high jumper who represents Antigua, and she created this workout for POPSUGAR.
The purpose of this workout is to include a variety of exercises to strengthen your entire body and make you feel pushed, motivated, and energized. Loomis is eager to encourage others to find self-fulfillment and gratitude through mind and body movement and said, “I want everyone to do exercises that an Olympian actually does. By completing this workout, they can say, ‘I did a 20-minute Olympic workout and I feel phenomenal.'”
Priscilla’s “Olympian in the Making” Full-Body Workout
Directions: Warm up with a few minutes of riding a bike, jogging in place, or jumping rope, plus do a few dynamic stretches like reaching reverse lunge, Downward Dog to high plank, and fire-hydrant circles. This workout includes four circuits. You’ll complete each circuit twice, taking little to no rest in between each exercise and one minute of rest in between rounds. Take two minutes of rest between each circuit. After you perform two rounds of the first three circuits, complete circuit four (which is all core-strengthening moves) for one round with no rest in between exercises. After the workout, do this 10-minute stretching routine.
| Circuit 1 | Complete 2 rounds |
|---|---|
| Exercise | Time |
| Exercise 1: High knees | 30 seconds |
| Exercise 2: Caterpillar thruster | 30 seconds |
| Exercise 3: 3-way lunge | 30 seconds per side |
| Circuit 2 | Complete 2 rounds |
| Exercise | Time |
| Exercise 1: A-skip | 30 seconds |
| Exercise 2: Plank with leg raise | 30 seconds |
| Exercise 3: Mountain climber | 30 seconds |
| Circuit 3 | Complete 2 rounds |
| Exercise | Time |
| Exercise 1: Lateral squat walk | 30 seconds (15 seconds per side) |
| Exercise 2: Single-leg calf raise | 30 seconds (15 seconds per side) |
| Exercise 3: Rocket jump | 30 seconds |
| Circuit 4 | Complete 1 round |
| Exercise | Reps |
| Exercise 1: Dead bug | 30 (15 per side) |
| Exercise 2: V-up | 25 |
| Exercise 3: Superman | 25 |
| Exercise 4: Russian twist | 50 (25 per side) |
Love trying new workouts? Want a community to share your fitness goals with? Come join our Facebook group POPSUGAR Workout Club. There, you can find advice on making the best out of every sweat session and everything else you need to help you on your road to healthy living.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 1, Exercise 1: High Knees
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width distance apart.
- Staying tall and moving with control, quickly raise your right knee up to waist level, balancing on the ball of your left foot. Swing your left arm in front of you as your right arm swings behind you.
- Continue performing high knees at a rapid pace for 30 seconds.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 1, Exercise 2: Caterpillar Thruster
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width distance apart.
- Fold forward, bending slightly at your knees, and place your hands on the floor directly in front of your feet, trying not to round your spine.
- Without moving your feet, walk your hands out until your body is in a high-plank position.
- Jump both feet forward toward your hands, coming into a low-squat position.
- Jump both feet back behind you, coming back to the high plank position, and walk your hands back toward your feet. Stand up to complete the rep.
- Complete as many reps as you can in 30 seconds.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 1, Exercise 3: 3-Way Lunge
- Begin with your feet hip-distance apart. This is the starting position.
- Keeping your shoulders relaxed and your back straight, step your right foot forward, coming into a front lunge with your right knee directly over your right ankle. Your left knee will be at a 90-degree angle hovering just over the floor.
- Step your right foot back, returning to the starting position, and immediately step your right foot out laterally, extending your left leg, coming into a side lunge with your right knee aligned with your right ankle.
- Step your right foot back, returning to the starting position, and immediately step your right foot behind you, coming into a reverse lunge, with your left knee directly over your left ankle.
- Step your right foot forward, returning to the starting position. Repeat the three-way lunge with your left leg, lunging forward, laterally, and behind you.
- Complete 30 seconds of three-way lunges per leg.
- Rest for one minute. Complete circuit one once more, then rest for two minutes before starting circuit two.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 2, Exercise 1: A-Skip
- Begin in a standing position with your feet hip-distance apart.
- With control, lift your right knee up toward your chest, keeping your left leg straight and taking a little hop on the ball of your left foot. Stand tall, and keep your right foot flexed as you swing your left arm in front of you and your right arm behind you.
- Alternate sides by lowering your right foot back to the floor, quickly driving your left knee up, hopping with your straight right leg.
- Continue performing alternating A-skips, raising your knees as high as you can, making sure to land on the ball of your foot with each hop while swinging your arms.
- Do as many A-skips as you can in 30 seconds.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 2, Exercise 2: Elbow Plank With Leg Raise
- Start in an elbow plank position with your shoulders over your elbows and your shoulders, back, hips, and ankles in a straight line.
- Keeping your abs engaged and your pelvis parallel to the floor, raise your right foot off the floor a few inches or as high as you can while maintaining a neutral spine.
- Slowly lower your right foot back to the floor.
- Repeat the leg lift on your left side.
- This completes one rep. Perform as many reps as you can in 30 seconds.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 2, Exercise 3: Mountain Climber
- Start in a high-plank position with your shoulders over your hands and weight in your toes.
- With your core engaged, bring your right knee forward under your chest, with your toes just off the ground. Quickly switch legs, bringing your left knee forward, keeping your shoulders over your wrists and your back flat.
- Keep switching legs and begin to pick up the pace until it feels a little like running in place in a plank position.
- Continue for 30 seconds.
- Rest for one minute. Complete circuit two one more time, then rest for two minutes before starting circuit three.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 3, Exercise 1: Lateral Squat Walk
- Begin standing with your feet directly underneath your hips. Squat halfway down so your thighs are almost parallel with the floor, with your hands clasped together and resting in front of your chest.
- With your abs engaged, back flat, and weight in your heels, step your right foot sideways about two feet to the right. Remain in the squat position.
- Slowly step your left foot to the right so you’re back in that starting squat position, keeping your weight in your heels.
- Continue taking lateral squat steps to the right for 15 seconds, then take lateral squat steps to the left for 15 seconds.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 3, Exercise 2: Single-Calf Raise
- Begin in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart.
- Keeping your left leg straight and strong, put weight into your left foot to find balance and raise your right knee to hip level. Stand tall with a neutral spine.
- Staying balanced on your left leg, raise your left heel off the floor so you’re standing on your toes. Raise your heel as high as you can without losing your balance; hold onto a wall or chair if you need help balancing.
- Slowly lower back down to the starting position.
- Perform 15 seconds of calf raises on each leg.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 3, Exercise 3: Rocket Jump
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Bring your arms out in front of you with your hands together at chest height.
- Keeping weight in your heels, your back flat, and your core engaged, lower your hips and squat down so your thighs are parallel with the floor.
- Quickly push off the balls of your feet with power to raise up, jumping as high as you can.
- Land softly as you return to the squat position. This completes one rep.
- Perform 30 seconds of rocket jumps.
- Rest for one minute. Complete circuit three one more time, then rest for two minutes before starting circuit four.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 4, Exercise 1: Dead Bug
- Lie on your back with a neutral spine and your knees bent at 90-degree angles. Extend both arms in the air. This is the starting position.
- Pull your abs in toward your spine, keeping your ribs and pelvis still as you slowly lower your right leg and left arm down away from each other, extending them down until they are almost parallel to the floor. Move your leg and arm with control as you keep your torso and spine completely stable.
- Return to the starting position, and repeat on your left side. This completes two reps.
- Perform 30 reps (15 per side).
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 4, Exercise 2: V-Up
- Lie on your back, with your legs and arms extended a few inches above the floor. Press your lower back into the floor to engage your abs. This is the starting position.
- In one movement, lift your arms, shoulders, and legs off the floor, reaching your hands toward your feet with straight legs, creating a “V” shape with your body. If this is too difficult, slightly bend your knees.
- Lower your arms and legs back down to the starting position.
- This completes one rep.
- Perform 25 reps.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 4, Exercise 3: Superman
- Lie on your belly, engage your abs, and extend your arms straight out in front of you, with your legs straight behind you. Keep your shoulders relaxed.
- Simultaneously lift your legs, arms, and chest off the floor. Hold for five seconds, then slowly release your body back to the floor.
- Perform 25 reps.
Priscilla Frederick-Loomis
Circuit 4, Exercise 4: Russian Twist
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent.
- Slowly lean your torso backward until you feel your lower abs engage. Lift your feet off the floor, or rest them on the ground if that’s too hard. Try not to round your back.
- Place your arms out in front to help you stay balanced on your sitz bones.
- Keeping your core strong, slowly twist your torso to the right, touching your hands to the ground. The movement is not large and comes from your torso rotating, not from your arms swinging.
- Slowly rotate your torso back to center and twist to the left, touching your hands to the ground.
- This completes two reps.
- Perform 50 reps (25 per side).