I want to start this week off by sharing with you guys a sample of the Power class I teach each week at BURN. The 45-minute class is broken into three circuits—low body, upper body and core—and it’s a fun, challenging interval structure you can incorporate into your own home and gym workouts if you’re not in the Boston area to take class.
I’m breaking it up into three posts. Today I’m sharing a sample low body circuit; tomorrow a sample upper body circuit; and Wednesday a sample core circuit. If you want to experience a full class, do all three back to back, otherwise pick and choose your body part!
Legs & Butt Stacked Circuit Workout
Equipment I Used:
This circuit will take you just 13 minutes to complete. You stay on each exercise for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds after each round, and add on an exercise each round. Confused? Here’s what the start of the workout looks like:
Exercise 1
Rest
Exercise 1 Exercise 2
Rest
Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3
Rest
So the first round is only 30 seconds long (one exercise) and the sixth and final round is 3 minutes long (all six exercises). You’ll do exercise 1 (figure 8 kettlebell squats) six times and exercise 6 (jump tucks) only once at the very end. Even though the length of time you’re working gets longer and longer, you only get 30 seconds of rest each time. I set my interval timer for 26 rounds of 30 seconds of work and 0 seconds of rest so that it beeps at me every 30 seconds, but you could also just watch the clock.
a video of it in action (fast forward to 0:43).
Weighted Side Taps in Squat | Sink low into a squat holding the kettlebell close to your chest. Weight should be in your heels, abs held in tight. From here, shift your weight into your right foot as you extend your left leg out to the side. Lightly tap the foot and then bring it back in, returning to your starting squat position. Repeat to the other side. When you reach the leg out, don’t rise out of the squat. You want to stay low the whole time. Goblet Squat – Goblet Hop | Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart with your toes angled slightly outward. Hold a kettlebell in both hands, cradling it at the base of the handle at your chest. Keeping your torso as upright as possible (you don’t want to hunch forward with the weight of the bell), squat down, trying to get your bum lower than your knees. As you bend the knees, they should track in line with the angle of the toes and not jut forward of them. Once you reach the bottom of your squat, weight in your heels, power up to standing, thrusting the hips forward slightly at the top as you squeeze those glutes. Next time you squat down, don’t go down as far, and as you power up, hop a couple inches into the air, holding the weight at your chest. Land softly and go right down into your next squat. If doing this with the weight is too much, ditch it and do a bodweight squat-squat jump combo instead. Jump Lunges | Start in a split-stance lunge: right foot in front, ball of left foot planted on the floor behind you. Both knees should be bent to 90 degrees, front knee aligned over ankle, back knee hovering just a couple inches off the floor. From here, push off your feet to jump up in the air, switching feet in mid-air and landing back in a lunge with left foot forward and right foot planted behind. Continue, alternating feet with each jump. If jumping is too much, modify by stepping forward into alternating lunges. Back Lunge to Side Lunge Hold ‘n Tap (alternate side each round) | This is similar to the weighted side taps in a squat you did earlier, but now you’re isolating one leg the entire 30 seconds (switch sides each round). Start in a lunge with your right foot forward and ball of the left foot lightly behind you. The right leg is the target and you’re going to keep that knee bent the whole time—stay low! From here, bring your left foot forward, tapping it lightly to the floor by your right foot as if you were coming into a squat position. Immediately step it out to the side, again tapping it to the floor in a side lunge position. Continue: in, back lunge, in, side lunge. Keep your weight on the stationary leg and stay low. If you want to make these harder, hold a kettlebell at your chest or dumbbells at your shoulders. Jump Tucks | Jump up into the air, using your core to pull your knees up towards your chest. Lower them quickly in time to land. You’ll want to bend your knees, sinking into a squat to prep for the jump, and you’ll land this same way, sinking into a squat to absorb the landing. As you jump up bring your hands in front of your rib cage and try to hit them with your knees. These are tiring—try to do as many in a row as you can; if you need to slow down the pace, add in a little hop or two in between each one.
WEARING | tank: Spiritual Gangster (old but similar
here) // leggings: c/o Eddie Bauer (old but similar
here) // sneakers:
Nike Try out the workout and if you’re in the Boston area, get your bum in for a class! I teach every Friday morning. Also, Sarah, who teaches at BURN as well, posted another sample low body circuit from the Power class
HERE. It’s a real time video and requires no equipment.
