HIIT

5 Fun Workouts To Do On A Cruise Ship

One of the things I love most about cruising is being able to mix up my workouts and take advantage of all the fun workout environments on board the ship. On my last Carnival cruise a few weeks ago – I decided to do some of my workouts outside because I wanted to enjoy the view.Â I feel like I get a new perspective on my workouts and feel so much more alive just by having a completely different workout environment. It’s so amazing being able to workout in the middle of the ocean!

I recommend trying the ship’s gym as well – because most are very well equipped and even have great classes. But, if you want to mix things up, try theseÂ 5 fun ideas for workouts to do on your next cruise that are not in the gym.

*Please be careful when exercising outdoors on a cruise ship. Ships are often rocky, windy and unstable due to the weather conditions. Always be mindful and hold on to railings where applicable, or head indoors if it’s safer.Â

1. Outdoor Run + HIIT Circuit

This was my favorite. I took advantage of the ship’s outdoor track (almost all of them have an outdoor track) and decided to mix in some strength training. I started my Runkeeper app during my first run and soon found out that the gps was too accurate. It was factoring in the speed of my ship with my run and said I ran 8 miles in 25 minutes at a 3:03 min mile pace! If you aren’t familiar with running….let’s just say that would make me a world record holder and gold medalist! haha!

Warmup jog 5 minutes

Do 20 walking lunges along side of the track, do one loop around and then find a bench or stable chair and do 20 pushups + 20 tricep dips.
Run 3 minutes at a medium/fast pace.

*Repeat entire circuit 2-3 times.

2. Outdoor Stair Workout

Ships have LOTS of stairs. Most are 12+ floors high – so you can always get in a mini workout each day by taking the stairs alone! Sometimes it’s actually quicker too! The outdoor areas also have stairs leading from the lido deck and upper decks, etc. I found some stairs near the back of the boat along the jogging track. Here is a quick sample workout I did there:

Warmup walk or jog around the ship for 5 minutes.

15 elevated lunges on each leg (place your back foot behind you on the first or second step)
15 tricep pushups with hands on step (the lower the step – the harder)
Jog (or walk) stairs for 2 minutes

*Repeat entire circuit 2-3 times.

3. Yoga on The Upper Deck

I like to find a spot that’s a little more hidden. On Carnival they have the “Serenity Deck” and also areas outside on level 12 that sometimes are a little more private. If it’s too windy – you can just do a standing vinyasa flow, or if you are on a lower deck or less windy place you can grab your pool towel and even do a series on the “mat” (towel). Keep in mind – yoga you will do on the ship will be quite challenging since the ship is moving! This will make it harder to balance – but that makes it great for your core! Here is a Simple Yoga Workout you can do, or if you prefer something more challenging try This Hip Opener Sequence.

4. Mini Body Weight Circuit on Balcony

I did have a balcony room, but if you don’t you can do this same circuit out by the pool or on one of the upper decks. This was a workout I did sometimes while my kids were napping and it worked out great. I packed an extra resistance band to use to mix in some extras like bicep curls (you can borrow one from the ship’s gym) and then I used a towel to do core on the ground.

Warmup 5 minutes (do fast squats, go walk around the ship, etc)
20 pushups with hands on balcony railing (please be careful not to lean over!)
20 alternating reverse lunges
20 jump squats
20 tricep dips using the deck chair or table (make sure it is stable/sturdy first!) *another option is to do them on the ground (aka crab dips)
60 second plank hold on the ground

*Repeat entire circuit 2-3 times.

5. Swimming Workout In The Pool

Most of the pools on cruise ships aren’t very big – but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in a workout. During peak hours they are probably going to be too crowded to get in some laps – so I recommend going during an off-peak time like when they first open in the morning. Your “laps” will be very short – but you can still swim laps on one side of the pool away from the other swimmers, or just dodge your way around your family and kids and make it a fun game!

Swim laps or tread water for about 2 minutes.
Inner/Outer Thighs. Hold on to the side of the pool and do 25 standing hip abductions (push leg out to the side) and then 25 hip adductions (bring leg across your body to work inner thigh). Keep your legs pretty straight. Repeat on both legs.
Swim laps for 2 minutes.
Ab crunches. Tread water and do standing abdominal crunches (if you have to hold on to the side you can). Bring your knees up to your chest and do a mini “crunch” with your core, then straighten legs back out. Repeat 10 times.
Swim laps for 2 minutes.
Shoulder Raises. Stand or tread water and keep your hands by your sides (by legs). Make sure your shoulders are under the water and keep your palms your legs. Keep arms straight and raise them up so they come up to the top of the water, then press them back down to your legs. Repeat 20 times.
Swim laps 2 minutes.

*Repeat entire circuit 2-3 times.

Comment below and let me know what your favorite travel workouts or cruise ship workouts are!

*All opinions in this blog post are my own.

Holiday HIIT Workout

I did this workout last night at my bootcamp and it’s super challenging. I had the girls mix in some stair running about halfway through just to mix in some steady cardio. If you don’t have access to stairs – go for a 5 minute jog around your block, jump rope or do some other (medium level) cardio at home. This is a shortened version and should take you about 30 minutes. If you have more time…do the whole thing twice!

The workout incorporates intervals of High, Medium and Low intensities. Do not rest in between. Once you are done with the whole set you can rest 60 seconds (or longer if you need it) before moving on to the next set.

Do each exercise for 1 minute each. You will need 1 set of medium weights for most of the exercises.Â

Set 1

High: Weighted burpee with squat jump at the end – Do a regular burpee but with hands on weights, then when you jump feet back in finish with a weighted squat jump.

Med: Single leg plyo squat jump (1 min each leg) – Start in squat position but then do your jump balancing on 1 leg. Don’t lean forward – keep chest and shoulders back just like in a squat.

Low: Plie squat with upright row

Set 2

High: Lateral high knees over your mat (think 1-2-3, 1-2-3) pulling your knees up high each time and travel left then right.

Med: Squat to shoulder press (we did narrow press with palms facing each other and dropped our elbows to touch knees during squat)

Low: Reverse lunge with bicep curls (alternate legs)

*Do 5 minutes of steady cardio (see above for suggestions)

Set 3

High: Double butt kick jumps (start in squat then jump up and kick both heels up to your butt behind you, land softly back into squat)

Med: Alternating side lunges with overhead tricep extension (alternate side lunges left and right)

Low: Bent over row + fly (row/fly, row/fly, etc)

Set 4

High: Weighted v-ups – hold weight in your hands and reach to toes.

Med: Around the world plank tucks – start in high plank and alternate tucking right knee to right elbow, left knee to left elbow then right knee underneath core to left elbow and then left knee underneath to right elbow – repeat all 4

Low: Weighted Russian twists – alternate twisting elbows towards the ground while leaning back.

Squat ‘Till You Drop Workout

Squats are not only great because they sculpt the lower body and keep your glutes looking tight and lifted…but also they are great because they burn a ton of calories and rev up our metabolism. Some of our largest muscles are located in our lower body (glutes, quads, hamstrings), so by working those large muscles…you burn more calories than if you were just going to target small muscle groups or just one muscle by itself. Try my workout below to boost your metabolism, burn fat and give your backside a lift!

Squat ‘Till You DropÂ HIIT Workout

Do 1 minute of the squat variations below. Then, mix in 1 minute of medium/high intensity cardio (run stairs, run around the block, jumprope, high knees, etc). Do 2 sets of each type of squat like this: (Squat 1min +cardio 1min) x 2 and you can rest 60 seconds in between sets if you need to. To make this harder, hold a set of dumbbells, a sandbag or other weight. Workout time = approx. 30 minutes.

1. Squat With Leg Abduction:
Perform a squat and as you stand up, kick your right leg out to the side (flex your foot). Repeat on the left and alternate sides.

2. In and Out Squat Jumps:
Hold a low squat with feet wider than hips. Jump your feet in together and then back out again to squat position. Stay low the whole time and repeat in and out.

3. Plie’ Squats:
Start standing with toes pointing slightly out (you can add an optional weight as pictured). Lower your body down in a straight line keeping your hips tucked under (not sticking out) and your knees on top of ankles. Press your heels into the ground and return to standing. Repeat.

4. Squats With Kickbacks:
Perform a regular squat and when you stand up, kick your right leg back behind you. Lead with your heel and be sure not to arch your back (don’t kick your leg up too high). Return to squat position and then next time kick left leg back. Repeat and keep alternating legs.

5. Low Squat Pulses Left and Right:Â
Start in a narrow squat with feet right under hips. Step your right leg out to the side and come to a regular squat (feet wider than hips), then step your right foot back in and return to a narrow squat. Alternate stepping out with the right then left. Stay low the whole time (don’t stand up) and you can use an optional band (pictured) to make it more challenging.

6. Squat With Front Kick:
Start in regular squat position. When you stand up to the top, release your right leg and kick out to the front keeping your abs engaged. Only kick your leg out to about hip height so that you don’t lose your balance or lean back. Return to the squat and next time stand up and kick with the left. Repeat and alternate kicks.

Mix + Match Workout With Lorna Jane

I’m thrilled to be working with the brand Lorna Jane! Have you guys heard of them? They are huge in Australia and are expanding in the US (they are in Dallas now!).Â They have super cute workout clothes, food journals and other fitness accessories. Their founder Lorna Jane is amazing and is always sharing healthy lifestyle tips and recipes! Definitely check them out!

They just featured my “Mix and Match” Workout on their blog: MoveNourishBelieve.com!Â I filmed the workouts while I was on vacation in Cabo, which was fun but super hot! In the pics, I’m wearing their green Velocity Excel TankÂ and black Feline 3/4 Tight.

Visit their site to check out the full workout, which includes some of my favorites like this jump squat!

Workout Like An Olympian

Are you suffering from a case of Olympics withdrawal? Don’t do anything rash like download Cool Runnings or Blades of Glory. Instead – try one of these workouts to channel your inner Olympian! Over the last couple of weeks we held “Bombshell Olympics” at my bootcamp and we did various workouts inspired by some of the top athletes in the winter games. Two of my favorites are Figure Skating (their grace, balance and explosive movements) and Skelton (their speed, core strength and power). After some research I discovered that each sport requires a different set of skills (duh!) but they also have a lot in common. Below are two sample workouts that are similar to the actual workouts that the athletes in each sport would do.

Figure Skating Workout

Workout Focus:Â twisting/turning (for all those triple axels), balance, core, leg endurance (for lots of jumps). Do each of the following for 1 minute and then quickly move to the next with no rest. Repeat entire circuit 2-3 times.

Crossover Lunges: These are like curtsy lunges but you do a forward lunge instead of reverse and take the front leg across at an angle.
1–Leg 90 degree Squat Jump L: Do a single-leg squat on the left side (right leg bent like in the pic below) and jump up and twist to the left landing at 90 degrees (not shown in pic). Jump back to center landing on left leg again. If your balance is bad, you can touch your right toes to the ground to help but 90% of weight should be on your left leg.
1-Leg 90 degree Squat Jump R: Same as above but turn to the right with the right leg.
Front Lunge with a Core Twist (alternate R & L): Do alternating front lunges and whatever leg is out in front – do a core twist to that side. Lift one dumbbell (or medicine ball as in pic) up at shoulder height and do a twist to work obliques.Â
Clean and Press R: With a weight in your right hand, squad down and lower weight towards the ground. In one fast movement, stand up, press the weight up to your chest as you straighten legs, then press weight above overhead.

Clean and Press L: Same as above but place weight in left hand.
90 degree Crunch: Perform regular crunches with your legs in the air and bent at 90 degrees (be sure to hold abs tight!).
“Thread the Needle” Plank: Start in a forearm plank and lift your left arm up in the air (side plank). Then thread your arm (aka “the needle” under your torso towards your right armpit. Release your arm and return to side plank and then repeat. Do 1 minute on the right and 1 min on the left.Â

Skeleton Workout

Workout Focus:Â Explosive power (aka sprinting to get the sled moving), core strength (to stabilize), upper body strength (to hold on to the sled). Do each of the following for 1 minute and then quickly move to the next with no rest. Repeat entire circuit 2-3 times.

High Knees
Pushup to Plank Twist: Perform a pushup, then release your right hand and come up to a side plank on the left. Do another pushup and then do a side plank on the other side. Repeat pushup, plank, pushup, plank, etc.
High Knees
Plank Tuck Jumps: Start in a high plank (arms straight) and jump your feet over towards your right hand, back to center then over to the left hand. Keep repeating right, center, left, center, etc.
High Knees
2 V-up’s alternating with 2 Supermen: Complete 2 V-ups, then flip over onto your stomach and perform2 supermen (pictured below).