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Cari Fit

Cari Fit

Fitness Advice, Workout Tips, and Inspiration

Leg Workout

“Train Anywhere” – Cari’s Workout Featured in Oxygen Magazine

I’m excited to be featured in the May/June 2017 Issue of Oxygen Magazine! I designed the workout “Train Anywhere” for people looking for a tough yet doable workout they can do when they travel or are away from a gym. I recommend getting the hard copy (on newsstands now) or digital version online so you can read the full workout and also check out some recommended travel fitness gear! Here is a sample of the article with my first 2 workouts:

Workout 1

Time: 10 minutes

Equipment: None

Secret Weapon: Lots of high knees

*see exercise descriptions below…

  1. High Knees 60 seconds
  2. Do 1 pushup then 8 mountain climbers x 15 sets
  3. Heisman Run 60 seconds
  4. Reverse Lunge with Skip-Up 30 (15 each leg)
  5. High Knees 60 seconds
  6. Squat with Front Kick 30 (alternating legs; 15 each leg)
  7. High Knees 60 seconds
  8. Triceps Dip with Knee Lift 20

Reverse Lunge with Skip-Up: Stand with both feet together, then step back into a

deep lunge with your left leg. As you do so, touch your left hand to your forward

right foot. As you stand upright, drive your left knee up and in front of you while

leaping into the air on your right foot. Land softly and repeat right away. Do all reps

on one side before switching.

Squat with Front Kick: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, legs angled outward,

then drop your hips straight down and bend your knees into a squat, descending to

parallel or below. Quickly extend your hips and knees to rise and as you return to

standing, kick your left leg in front of you – high, as if kicking a punching bag.

Alternate leg with each rep.

Triceps Dip with Knee Lift: Sit on a sturdy chair, high step or other fixed object,

with your hands just outside your hips, cupping the edge with your fingers. Extend

your elbows and slide forward to clear your glutes from the seat. Slowly lower

yourself toward the floor by bending your elbows until your arms form 90-degree

angles. Pause, then press yourself back to the start. When your arms are straight,

bring your right knee in to your chest, abs and core tight. Return your foot to the

floor and continue, alternating knees.

Heisman Run: Stand in an athletic ready position with your feet together, knees

slightly bent. Leap to the right and draw your left knee up as you land, trying to

touch your right shoulder to your knee. Hold for a count, then repeat to the other

side. Alternate sides for reps.

____________________

Workout 2

Time: 15 minutes

Equipment: Jump rope

Secret weapon: Ladder format: gradually increase the intensity of your jumping so

your first set hits around 5 out of 10 on the perceived exertion scale (RPE), and your last

set is the hardest (10 out of 10).

 

Set #1:

Jump Rope 2 minutes RPE 5

Incline Push-Up 20 reps

Prisoner Squat with Ab Twist 30 reps

Set #2:

Jump Rope 2 minutes RPE 7

Push-Up 20 reps

Curtsy Lunge with Hip Abduction 15 each leg

Set #3 

Jump Rope 90 seconds RPE 8

Decline Push-Up 20 reps

Prisoner Squat with Ab Twist 30 reps

Set #4

Jump Rope 60 seconds RPE 10

Decline Push-Up 20 reps

Curtsy Lunge with Hip Abduction 15 each leg

Plank Hold 60 seconds

 

Prisoner Squat with Ab Twist: Stand with your feet hip width apart and angled

outward and place your hands behind head, elbows flared. Perform a standard

bodyweight squat, making sure your chest stays lifted (don’t fold forward). Return

to standing then lift your left knee toward your right elbow, crunching your abs and

aiming to meet in the middle. Return to the start and continue, alternating sides.

Curtsy Lunge with Hip Abduction: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, then step

your right foot back and behind your left, keeping your hips square and bending

both knees to 90 degrees. As you return to the start, lift your left leg to the side –

straight out and slightly to the front of your body. Continue, linking your reps

together on one side before switching.

Incline/Decline Push-Up: For an incline push-up, you put your hands on an

elevated surface, like a chair or step, and your feet on the floor; for a decline push-

up, you do the opposite, with your hands on the floor and your feet on a raised

surface.

 

To read the rest of the article and get Workout #3 – please pickup a copy in person or you can get the digital version at OxygenMag.com.

 

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 Drop 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.

Circuit-One-Squat-Side-Leg-Lift-20-Reps-Alternating

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.

squat-jacks

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.

OxygenBeachBody001

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.

200x200-squat_kickback-200x200_squat_kickback

5. Low Squat Pulses Left and Right: 
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.

SideHopsWithRB1

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.

squat-kicks4-151111-large_new

Tips For Using The Leg Press Machine

The leg press machine at the gym is one of my favorites and I try to do it every time I go because it’s something that I don’t have access to at home. I usually do 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps each with one set at a much lighter weight and I do 20 reps. I also usually alternate seated calf raises on this same machine (drop your weight to 20-50lb) in between sets.

There are 2 types of leg press machines: straight press (pictured below) or an incline leg press (feet are up higher than your hips and press more into the air). The straight one works a little more quads because you are pressing your feet straight out in front, where the incline press works a little more glutes due to the positioning of your feet. They are both great and target the entire lower body. In the pic below, my feet are a little more narrow, but for the incline press I recommend placing your feet a little wider than your hips for best results!

Other than my top tips below, I would also make sure you aren’t using too much weight. You want to make sure you can maintain proper form throughout the movement and if you are using too much weight you may not recruit as much of your glutes and you will end up putting pressure on the knees. Think of this machine as a squat machine and when you lower down into the position – you should be in good squat form with your knees at 90 degrees over your ankles. When you press back to the starting position make sure you do not lock out your knees (keep them slightly bent).

Thanks to Six:02 for the awesome workout gear including my new Nike Shoes!

IMG_5892

Workout Like An Olympian

Sochi-2014-Company-OlympicsAre 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: 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.b26d4ab8e4707a66_crossover-2
  • 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.1288802939324-r1ucrv991q41-670-70
  • 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. lunge-ab-twist
  • 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.

dbclean

  • 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. l_FI1107WKOUT008

Skeleton Workout

Workout Focus: 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).db677a42644260d8_Superman-Booty-Lifts.xxxlarge

 

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