Core Secrets Cardio Strength Interval Mix

This is a 30 minute workout that does not use a stability ball -- you just need weights (one or two sets.)The workout is broken into 3 segments - lower, upper and core. The lower consists of squats with different leg positions (narrow, wide, wider and widest!) In between the set of squats, Gunnar picks up a jumprope and jumps for about 30 seconds (that's the interval.) There is one person who doesn't use a jumprope (as I did not) -- she does the moves, but you can march, step, rebound...whatever you like to substitute. The first segment is the most aerobic, as the squats get your heart rate up quite a bit.

The second segment is upper (with jumprope intervals) -- you do side lunges with opposite rows, tricep kickbacks (double-arms), bicep curls, and pushups. I think he does 2 set of each - and about 10-12 reps.

The last segment starts with standing oblique work (functional moves) and then to the floor for crunches and reverse crunches. There are a few jumprope intervals as well, in the last segment.

All in all, a fun workout, that seems to go by quickly. There is no dread factor -- and it is a pretty-much total body workout, which you will feel the next day.

It is nice to use as an add on to yoga or pilates, but can also be used by iteself to get a quick workout when you are short on time. You don't need to take out much equipment (just a pair of dumbbells) and I found this to be an efficient morning workout, where you can get in both, cardio and strength.

I did this workout this morning and was very pleased with it. In just 30 minutes, Gunnar Peterson managed to combine strength, aerobics, and stretching. Perfect for the days you don't want to work out for an hour, or if, like me, you are looking for shorter workouts to include in your rotations.

Here's the workout breakdown (comments will follow):

Warmup (actually it's stretching w/o active warmup)

Arm rolls forward/back

Shoulder stretches L/R

Side stretch L/R

Forward bend

Hamstring stretch L/R

Runner's stretch

Hip flexor/quad stretch

Other side runner's stretch

Other side hip flexor/quad stretch

Center split (!!!!!!!)

Butterfly stretch

Outer thigh stretch L/R

Deep squat stretch

Low back roll up

Workout

Lower Body Series

~20x Jump Rope

Narrow stance squat, 5 reps

Wide stance squat, 5 reps

Wider stance squat, 5 reps

Widest stance squat (almost a plie position), 5 reps

~20x JR

Do the above sequence in reverse, wide to narrow.

~20x JR

"Athletic" stance squat, 20 reps

~20x JR

"Athletic" stance squat with shallow plyojumps, 20 reps

~20x JR

Water break

Upper Body (with some lower body) Series

Side lunge with opposite arm row - Rt, 10 reps; Lt, 10 reps

~20x JR

Side lunge with opposite arm row - Rt, 12 reps; Lt, 12 reps

~20x JR

Pushups, 10 reps

Back stretch

~20x JR

Pushups, 12 reps

Back stretch

~20x JR

Side arm lift - Lt, 10 reps; Rt, 10 reps--repeat twice.

Triceps kickback with hand rotation, 10 reps

Biceps curl, 10 reps

Triceps kickback with hand rotation, 12 reps

Biceps curl, 12 reps

Water break

Ab/Core Series

~20x JR

Standing oblique side benders holding jump rope stretched overhead - Lt, 5 reps; Rt, 5 reps

Good mornings holding jump rope stretched overhead, 10 reps

To the floor

Wide feet crunch, 20 reps

Reverse crunch, 10 reps

Back up

Repeat ab/core series (including JR), with 6 reps for obliques.

Final Stretch

Full body stretch

One leg pull in (Lt)

Rotate leg in stretch

One leg pull in (Rt)

Rotate leg in stretch

Sit up

Chest stretch leaning back on hands

Cross leg twist stretch (L/R)

Stand up

Forward bend

Curl up

Overhead stretch then lean back

Quad stretch (L/R)

Shoulder stretch (R/L)

Inhale and press up

Exhale and release down

****************************

As Collage ranks (and I agree), this is a solid intermediate workout. Gunnar's personality is down-to-business with a dry sense of humor. Music is okay, didn't bother me one way or the other. There are 4 background exercisers, with one showing modifications. The only equipment needed is a jump rope and dumbbells. Although Gunnar and the participants only used one-size dumbbells for the entire workout, I switched around depending on which muscles were being worked. The beginning squat series was done with just body weight, but can easily be modified harder by holding dumbbells or a barbell if you would like an extra challenge. If you don't like jumping rope, you can rebound, fake jump rope, jog in place, or step during the extremely short cardio bursts.

Workout pluses:

+Short!

+No stability ball required.

+Light on equipment.

+Hits all the major muscle groups.

+Combines strength, aerobics, and flexibility all in one workout.

+Great intro to jumping rope for those who would like to try it but don't want to spend a lot of time actually jumping.

Workout minuses:

-No active warmup.

-Full center split??????? Even in my cheerleading days, I could never do a split. For this workout, I just held my legs as wide as I could until it was time for the butterfly stretch.

-May not be enough cardio for some.

-I had to be very careful during the first part of the ab/core series, especially during the good mornings. If you have back problems like I do, take special care when doing the oblique side benders and the good mornings. Form is critical here.

Since I'm trying to exercise more in the 30- to 45-minute time range, I found this workout really fits the bill.