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.
Instructor Review
Gunnar gives good pointers, and demonstrates the first rep of each new exercise. He is relaxed and fun to work out with.
10/13/2005
Blueskies
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.
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.
Instructor Review
Gunnar is a straightforward instructor with a dry sense of humor (which I like!). He explains the moves well and is big on the "functional" aspects of exercise.
Reviews from VideoFitness
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.
Gunnar gives good pointers, and demonstrates the first rep of each new exercise. He is relaxed and fun to work out with.
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.
Gunnar is a straightforward instructor with a dry sense of humor (which I like!). He explains the moves well and is big on the "functional" aspects of exercise.