The Public Body "Stay Hot and Awesome During Thanksgiving Travels" Workout

Busy travelling for the holiday?  No worries, Public Body has your back….and your abs and your chest and your arms.  We’ve created an all body-weight circuit for you to take with you wherever you go. These body weight exercises can be done in your living room, bedroom, deck, hallway, atrium, greenhouse… you get the idea.  GUUURL, you don’t need no body but ya own body!  Body weight workouts the “no excuses workout” since you need no equipment, they’re fast and you can do them anywhere. So what’s your excuse? Oh right, you don’t have one.  Considering the possible nutritional and beverage indiscretion that you may experience over this holiday weekend, you probably want to commit to at least one day of a solid, sexy workout!  The workout below includes progressions for all levels of hotness and awesomeness. We've provided two options: an AMRAP and a body-weight, drop set workout. You choose your own delicious fitness adventure. (Always consult a physician prior to starting any exercise regimen.)

Option A:  AMRAP- Do one exercise in each progression for 12-15 reps and complete as many rounds as possible with 1 minutes rest between ROUNDS.

Option B: Drop sets- Within each exercise group, Start with progression 2, then do EVERY exercise in each progression for 10-12 reps each. Work to failure on the last exercise you perform in each drop set. Be sure to start with progression 2 (the most challenging) and work to the least challenging. In the case of body weight drop sets which are done without weights, you start with the most challenging exercise, and progress the the least challenging. 

            BOTH workouts include cardio segments in between strength work!                     

1) The Plank – Start with a one minute plank to warm up and strengthen your core and abs. Place your hands on the floor shoulder length apart and stack your elbows and shoulders over your wrists. Straighten your body with your toes on the floor.  Hold this pose for at least 45 seconds to 1 minute.  Don’t let your body sag towards the floor or lift your butt in the air. There are several static and dynamic plank options to advance this exercise, like single leg, adding alternating shoulder taps. Don’t be afraid to explore.

2) Wall Sit – Place your feet shoulder length apart and far enough from the wall so that your knees are bent at a 90 degree angle.  Your back, shoulders  and butt will be up against the wall – hold for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Raise your arms in front of you and hold them there to give your shoulders a little love.

            Progression 1: perform calf raises during your wall sit

            Progression 2: during your wall sit, extend one leg in front of you. 30 seconds each leg         

3) Tricep Dips – Place the palms of your hands on the front edge of a chair, shoulder length apart.   Keep your back as close to the chair as possible, shoulders down, and your legs are out in front of you.  You can put your legs up on another chair if you want a harder exercise.  Slowly lower your body until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle and then straighten your arms and lift your body back up. 

Progression 1: Tricep Pushup - Place your hands on the floor in directly under the shoulders and toes on the floor in a plank position. From here lower the chest to the ground like a pushup, but keep the elbows tucked in tightly along your ribcage. The raise your body and return to the starting position.

Progression 2:  Side Tri Rise - For yummy triceps, and obliques, lay on your side; place the hand of the arm closest to the floor on the shoulder of the other arm.  Then place the upward arm hand on the floor below the lower arm shoulder (you may have to read that sentence twice).  Lift your upper body off the floor and then slowly lower again.  Repeat on other side.

4) Lower Body Cardio Burst – Perform 30 seconds of max rep squats then 30 seconds of explosive squat jumps

5) Pushups–  Lay on the ground facing the floor.  Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder length apart and push your body off the floor while straightening your arms.  Lower your body until your chest gently touches the floor and repeat.  There are a number of pushup variations! Spiderman, single leg, 3 count, diamond, incline, decline…..The list is endless. Be sure to mix it up so your muscles are constantly challenged.

Progression 1: Single Leg Pushup  Raise one leg off the ground for 30 seconds then raise opposite leg off the ground for 30 seconds

Progression  2: Decline Pushup Place your feet on a chair or bench and perform decline pushups.

**Advanced Progression: Plyometric Pushups  Push your body up off the floor enough to clap between pushups (or at least get your hands off of the ground).  For extra credit, do narrow hands, wide hands, and tricep pushups.  You can also have your feet wide, narrow… Pushup options are endless! Once you can’t do anymore plyometric, get in a couple of reps of regular pushups!

6) Lower Body Cardio Burst -  Perform 30 seconds of alternating reverse lunges, then 30 seconds of plyometric (jumping) lunges

7) Single Arm-Single Leg Plank – Return to your plank position as in exercise 1. While maintaining a solid plank position, extend your right arm forward and list your left leg off the ground slightly. Hold for 5 seconds to challenge shoulder stability and core strength. Switch sides every 5-10 seconds for one minute.

Progression: Shoulder Pushups – This is essentially a pushup from a downward dog yoga position.  Start in a solid downward dog position. From there, drop your head/shoulders straight toward the ground, by bending your elbows out to the side. Then straighten the elbows and return to the original position.

8) Cardio Burst - One minute of high knee sprint in place

9) Abdominal Crunch -  Lay flat on the ground, knees slightly bent. Raise your head and shoulders off of the floor. Hold for three deep breaths, then return to starting position. You'll feel tension in the muscles in your abdomen. When you're doing crunches, don't clasp your hands behind your head. Instead place your fingertips behind your ears.

Progression 1: Ab Crunch with Legs at 45 Degrees – perform crunches, but extend your legs forward at a 45 degree angle

Progression 2: Ab V Sit/Jackknife - Lay flat on your back with your arms extended straight back behind your head and your legs extended forward . Bend at the waist while simultaneously raising your legs and arms to meet in a jackknife  “V” position. The legs should be extended and lifted at approximately a 35-45 degree angle from the floor and the arms should be extended and parallel to your legs. The upper torso should be off the floor.  Lower your arms and legs back to the starting position

10) Cardio Burst – Everyone’s favorite!!!! One minute of burpees.

             In case you need the instructions for burpees:

Stand with your feet hip width apart and your arms down by your side. Lower into a squat position with your hands flat on the floor in front of you. Kick your legs backwards into a pushup position and lower your chest to the floor. Push your chest back up to the up position thrust both feet forward so you are back in the squat position. Jump up and raise both hands over your head.

Have a hot and awesome Thanksgiving!!! Love, The Public Body team