I promise that I didn’t plan to follow the salted fudge brownie recipe with a workout but I think it works nicely with the whole theme of my blog…workout hard, eat well! 🙂
I have a workout to share with you today that I did myself on Tuesday. I only had a 30 minute window to get my workout in so I needed something that would combine strength and cardio and I was in the mood to do legs. So I present to you…Legs on Fire!
This workout combines three of my favorite things…lunges, burpees (yes, I actually love burpees) and running. There is a fourth movement, wall balls, but I can’t say that they’re on my list of my favorite movements. I find them slightly more tolerable than I used to but they’re still brutal. I included them because they’re so effective and you get a three-for-one benefit of cardio, legs and shoulders with them.
I made a video demonstrating the form for each of the movements (minus the running).
Let’s break down the workout.
Lunges
I’m asking you to perform front stepping lunges holding a kettlebell or dumbbell at your chest. This is for two reasons…1) to add weight/intensity to the movement and 2) to encourage you to keep your chest lifted and to keep you in the proper form. Front stepping lunges are AMAZING for the glutes but people have a tendency to let the chest fall forward. Holding something at the chest helps with this. So even if you have to use a very light weight, try the goblet lunge.
In addition to not letting the chest fall forward, please keep your knee aligned directly over your ankle and don’t let it come forward of the foot or cave inward. Really drive off that front heel when you push back from the step forward.
Burpees
Burpees are challenging no matter how you slice it so just get these done. Modify to your ability level. I show four different burpee variations in the video starting with the most challenging and scaling down to the least.
Wall Balls
Wall balls are a combo of two movements, a squat and a toss overhead. The thing I see most often here is not squatting deep enough. You want to squat to about parallel (if your body allows) and then explode out of the bottom of the squat as you toss the ball up. Focus on catching the ball high to avoid wall ball smash to the face/chest/stomach. That is no fun.
Running
400 meter (0.25 miles) run at the end of each round. Hop on the treadmill or map a course outside.
Please let me know if you have questions and I love feedback if you try it! Happy sweating!
Jen this is my favorite style of workout when I am limited on time. I haven’t done the goblet lunge in awhile and will definitely be adding that to my routine! I love burpees too – I do them in almost every high intensity workout because they are just the perfect heart racing blood pumping exercise.
I didn’t know you love burpees so much…you are crazy girl! HA! I guess I like them better than squat jumps…I am not a fan of any of them, but they do the job! Great workout and thanks for sharing!
yikes, this seems to be a very appropriately named workout.
Hi Jen –
This looks like a great workout. Just wanted to ask– my CF coaches say front stepping lunges are hard on the knees and we should always do walking lunges or reverse lunges and never front. Any thoughts on that?
Thanks!
i wouldn’t do them ALL the time as the only variation of lunges you do…i prefer static or walking on a regular basis…but front stepping are great for a change as long as you have healthy knees and good form. they really work the glutes in a way that the other variations do not. you can always modify them to a walking lunge, backward stepping lunge, static lunge or step up!
I have a very small window of time to workout in tomorrow morning so I will be trying this workout! Thanks Jen!
I’m curious as to why on some of your burpees you completely hit the deck and on some you jumped back and forth. I was taught to either jump back and forth or to add a push-up. I’ve never seen anyone hit the deck like that. Is that a better workout? Do you think the push-up is unnecessary? I just want to do the best form of that movement, and now I have no clue what it is! Haha
hey andrea – i was showing modifications in the vide (see burpee text above). i always do chest to the deck burpees and this is our standard for crossfit. i have seen some people do them with a push up, that’s just another variation. there are tons of ways to burpee! i think the push up can be beneficial if you’re doing them as a strength building exercise but for me burpees are usually programmed for strict cardio.
I love the “just get it done” on the burps! So true!
it’s true! i had a coach tell me one time it’s going to burn just as bad if you stop and start again so just pace yourself and keep going!
I was first looking at your yoga shoulder stretches, ( Love those )
Looking forward to adding some of your fun stuff to my training classes.
Thank you for sharing!