The 20-Second Metabolic Workout

The 20-Second Metabolic Workout

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 20 second intervals with a few seconds of transition time. You will move from one exercise to the next without resting and then rest 20 seconds after both moves are complete. Complete 5 rounds of each circuit before resting 1-2 minutes. Then move on to the next circuit. Do not rest during the 20 seconds of work!

CIRCUIT #1:
20 seconds Burpee Sit Thru
20 seconds Snowboard Hops
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #2:
20 seconds Plyo Jacks
20 seconds Climber Push Ups
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #3:
20 seconds Split Squat Jumps
20 seconds Plank Skier Hops
20 seconds Rest

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Hips/Glutes
Chest
Back

NOTES:

Make sure to work as hard as you can during the 20 seconds. If you go easy or rest, you won’t get as much out of the workout. Regress movements as necessary to keep moving.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

20 second metabolic

Burpee Sit Thrus – To do the Burpee Sit Thru, start standing with your feet together. Then bend down and place your hands on the ground as you jump your feet back into a Bull Dog position. Unlike the Basic Burpee, you won’t jump your feet back into a plank. You will want to jump your feet back so you are in more of a crawling position with your knees bent. From this bent-knee position, kick one leg under your body and through as you lift the opposite hand to “sit through.” Then bring the leg back under your body as you lower your hand back down and sit through on the other side. You will again kick the leg under your body and through as you lift your opposite hand. You want to rotate all the way through so you could actually sit if you lost your balance. Once you’ve performed a sit thru to both sides, jump your feet back into your hands and come to standing. Jump up off the ground at the top and then repeat the movement. Beginners may find they want to jump back into more of a plank position to make the sit thru easier. Advanced exercisers with more mobility will want to perform the sit thru from more of a bull dog hold starting position. AKA straighter legs makes the movement easier. Move quickly, rotating open and sitting all the way through on each sit thru.
Snowboard Hops – To do Snowboard Hops, start standing with your feet parallel and about shoulder-width apart. Face toward one foot, keeping your feet parallel and then step your back foot slightly forward so your stance is slightly staggered. Then squat down, pushing your butt back as you reach the same arm as the foot in front down outside your front toe. You can hinge over at the hips, but do not let your core collapse and simply lean forward. Then explode up off the ground, lifting your hand as you rotate forward and then to face the other way with your body. When you land, your back foot should be in front and your front foot should be in back, slightly staggered forward. Land and squat back down, dropping your front arm down to touch the ground outside your front toe. Then jump back up and rotate back to face the way you started. Beginners may not sink as low or jump as high. They may also do more of a “step” to switch than a full jump. Move quickly and make sure to bend your knees and sink down as you land. Also make sure your heels come down as you squat down. Keep your back flat even as you hinge over to touch the ground.
Plyo Jacks – To do the Plyo Jack, start standing tall with your feet together and your arms down by your sides. Then just slightly squat, pushing your butt back, to load your glutes so you can explode up off the ground. You will then perform the same movement as with the Basic Jumping Jack, but instead of jumping your feet out wide on the ground, you will want to explode up off the ground as you jump your feet out wide. As you jump up off the ground, raising your legs up to the sides as you jump, you will swing your arms out to the sides and up overhead. To land, bring your feet back together and sink back into a little squat. You want to squat a little as you land to help load your legs for the next jump while also landing softly to protect your knees. Bring your arms back down to your sides as you land and then repeat, jumping back up. The bigger your jump and the quicker you do the reps back to back, the harder this move will be. To make the move a little easier, pause between jumps.
Climber Push Ups – To do the Climber Push Up, start in a plank from your forearms. You can set your feet wider apart if needed to create a more stable base. Engage your abs and, keeping your body in a nice straight line, climb one hand at a time up to a plank position from your hands. Place your hands right below your shoulders, but outside your chest as you climb up. Then at the top perform a push up. Then climb back down and repeat. You can do the Push Ups from your knees if needed or even regress to just the Plank Climbers as you fatigue.
Split Squat Jumps – To do Split Squat Jumps, step one foot back and sink into a deep lunge, bending both knees as if kneeling down to the ground. Then from this lunge, explode up and as you jump, switch and land in a lunge on the other side. As you land, sink down into a deep lunge on the other side. Once again in the deep lunge, explode back up and jump back into a lunge on the first side. Beginners may need to do quick step back lunges instead of jumping to switch. The lower you go in the lunge and the quicker you jump to switch, the harder the move will be.
Plank Skier Hops – 
To do Plank Skier Hops, start in the plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your legs together. Your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Then, with your legs together, jump your feet in toward your right elbow, rotating so that your knees come outside your elbow. Jump back into the plank position with your feet back center and your body in a nice straight line. Then jump your feet back in, but this time toward your opposite elbow. Rotate to bring your knees toward the outside of your elbow. Jump your feet back out center. Do not let your body shift backward as you perform the hops and jump back out. Try to keep your chest over your hands instead of letting your hands get way up by your head. Keep alternating hops toward each elbow.

The Jack It Up Cardio Circuit

The Jack It Up Cardio Circuit

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 30 second intervals of work and 15 second intervals of rest in between each exercise. Move from exercise to exercise, resting the 15 seconds in between and then rest for 1 minute between rounds. Complete 5-8 rounds of the circuit.

CIRCUIT:
30 seconds Jack Burpees
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Oblique Jacks
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Split Squat Jacks
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Crossover Jacks
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Jack Sit Ups
1 minute Rest

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders

NOTES:

Do not rest during the 30 seconds of work. Rest during the 15 seconds and during the 1 minute between rounds, but keep moving the entire 30 seconds even if it means bringing the exercise down a notch.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Jack Burpees – To do the Jack Burpee, start standing with your feet together. Then bend over and place your hands on the ground as you jump your feet back into a high plank position with your feet together. From that high plank position with your feet together, jump your feet out wide. Do not let your butt go up in the air as you jump your feet out. Jump your feet back together then jump your feet into your hands and come up back up to standing. As you lift your hands and come back to standing, perform either a basic Jumping Jack or a Plyo Jumping Jack. If you do the Plyo Jack, you will jump up off the ground as you spread your legs wide and swing your arms up to the side and overhead. To regress the movement, step back into a plank position instead of jumping back. You can also step your feet out to the side and back in when doing the Plank Jack. And at the top, perform a Basic Jumping Jack or even no Jack at all. The quicker you do the movement and the bigger and higher your Plyo Jack is at the top, the harder the move will be.

jack-burpee
Oblique Jacks – To do Oblique Jacks, start standing tall and place your hands either behind your head or up just to the sides of your head. Bend your right knee up and out to the side as you crunch your upper body to the side, dropping your right elbow toward your right knee. Then jump and switch, bending your left knee up and out to the side as you crunch your left elbow down toward your left knee. Quickly jump and switch to the other side. Go back and forth between the sides as quickly as you can, crunching your elbow down to your knee as you raise your knee up as high as you can.

wacky-jacks
Split Squat Jacks – To do the Split Squat Jack, start by stepping one foot back and sinking into a lunge with your arms down by your sides. Then jump up off the ground and, as you do, switch to land in a lunge on the other side. As you jump and switch to a lunge on the other side, swing your arms out to the side and overhead. When you land in the lunge on the other side, your arms should be up overhead. Quickly land and then jump right back up and again switch to a lunge on the first side as you lower your arms back down by your sides. Try to jump from lunge to lunge quickly. Beginners may not be able to sink as low in the lunge or move as quickly. They may also want to perform more of a “skip” to switch from lunge to lunge instead of completely jumping up off the ground.

split-squat-jacks
Crossover Jacks – To do Crossover Jacks, start standing with your feet together and your arms out in front of you at about shoulder height. Then jump your feet out wide to about shoulder-width or wider. As you jump your feet out, swing your arms out to the side at about shoulder height. Then, when you jump your feet back in, cross one in front of the other. When you jump back in, cross your right leg in front of your left as you swing your arms back in front and cross your right arm on top of your left. Jump back out wide and open your arms out to the sides. Keep your arms up at about shoulder height. Then when you jump back in, cross your left leg in front of your right and cross your left arm over your right arm. Jump back out and repeat, crossing your right side back in front. Keep alternating crosses until all reps are complete. Beginners can modify this by stepping instead of jumping.

crossover-jumping-jacks
Jack Sit Ups – To do the Jack Sit Up, start seated on the ground. Then draw your knees into your chest and wrap your arms around your shins as you lean back and lift your feet off the ground so you are balanced on your butt. Then relax open, opening your arms out wide overhead as you straighten your legs out wide. Try to open your legs out wide closer to the ground. The higher up your legs stay, the easier the move will be. You should look like a big X on the ground with arms and legs out and open. Then sit back up, crunching everything back in so that you are balanced on your butt with your arms hugging your shins. Try to keep your feet off the ground the entire time.

cherry-bomb

The 20-Minute Metabolic Blast

The 20-Minute Metabolic Blast

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 20 second intervals. Complete both exercises back to back with no rest then rest 20 seconds between rounds. Complete 5 rounds of each circuit before moving on to the next. Rest 1-2 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
20 seconds Bull Dog Burpee
20 seconds Forward/Backward Table Top Crawl
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #2:
20 seconds Side Lunge with Hop
20 seconds Mountain Climbers
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #3:
20 seconds Circle Shuffle with Sit Thru
20 seconds Plank Skiers
20 seconds Rest

BONUS!:
20 seconds Squat Jacks
20 seconds Push Up Shuffle
20 seconds Rest

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders

NOTES:

Do not rest between exercises. Quickly go right from one to the other, resting 20 seconds between rounds.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Bull Dog Burpee – To do the Bull Dog Burpee, start standing with your feet together. Then squat down and place your hands down on the ground. With your hands down, jump your feet back into the Bull Dog position. Jump your feet back so your knees are an inch off the ground and about under your hips while your hands are about under your shoulders. Then jump your feet back in and outside your hands. Lift your hands and jump up as high as you can before squatting back down and placing your hands back on the ground to jump back into the Bull Dog position.

bull-frog-burpees
Forward/Backward Table Top Crawl – To do the Table Top Crawl, set up on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. Flex your feet and lift up onto your toes/the balls of your feet. Then take a step forward with your left foot and right hand, keeping your knees close to the ground and your back flat. Make sure to brace your core so that your hips don’t wiggle a lot side to side as you crawl forward. Then step forward with your right foot and left hand. Keep crawling forward, moving the opposite arm and opposite leg together. Take small steps forward so that you don’t get too spread out. You don’t want your hips to start to wiggle and your butt to go up in the air. Also, keep your knees as close to the ground as possible. You can also do the Table Top Crawl backward. Backward may be a bit more challenging and harder on the shoulders. Make sure to keep your steps small, especially when starting out, so that you don’t overload your shoulders and can keep up the contralateral movement. To do the Table Top Crawl backward, step back with the opposite arm and leg. Make sure you don’t get too spread out as you crawl backward. If you reach too far back with your feet and get too stretched out, your going to put a lot of pressure on your shoulders and then you wont’ be able to move fluidly. Keep you steps nice and short and compact to start with and your knees close to the ground. Make sure to brace your core and keep your butt down.

basic crawl
Side Lunge with Hop – To do Side Lunges with Hop, stand tall with your feet together. Step one foot out to the side nice and wide. Bend the knee of the leg you stepped out to the side with, keeping the other leg straight. Sit your butt back and lean over as you sink into the side lunge. Keep your back flat as you sit back. Then drive back up off your outside foot to come back to standing. When you come back to standing, jump up toward the ceiling, reaching up overhead. Then lunge out to the other side before coming back center and jumping toward the ceiling. Keep alternating lunges until all reps are complete. Make sure your heels stay down as you lunge out to the side. You want to make sure to sit your butt back.

side lunges with hop
Mountain Climbers – To do the Basic Mountain Climber, set up in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet together and legs out straight behind you. Your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Brace your abs before you start so that you don’t feel this in your low back or let your hips sag as you run your knees in. Then, maintaining the nice plank position, begin to run your knees in toward your chest. Bring your right knee in toward your chest with your left leg still out straight. Keep your butt down as you run the knee in. Then straighten your right leg back out as you bring your left knee in toward your chest. “Run” your knees in as quickly as possible until all reps are complete. The faster you go, the harder the move will be. Do not let your butt go up in the air or your hips sag as you run your knees in.

mountain-climbers
Circle Shuffle with Sit Thru – To do the Circle Shuffle, Sprawl, Sit Thru, it is good to have a reference point or object to circle around. To start shuffling, bend your knees with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Move laterally, shuffling around the cone/object. Make full circles, half circles and even quarter circles, moving both ways. Mix it up. Circle around the cone/object both ways. While circling mix in a sprawl and sit thru occasionally. To do the Sprawl and Sit Thru at points while shuffling, drop down to the ground on your hands and the balls of your feet. Your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Then rotate open toward the right, lifting your right hand and kicking your left leg under and through toward where your right hand was. You should be almost sitting with your left hand down to support you. Then bring the left leg back through so you are back in the starting position on your hands and the balls of your feet. Next rotate to the left and kick your right leg through and forward as you lift your left hand. Once you’ve done a sit thru to each side, stand back up and begin shuffling again. Again change direction quickly and don’t just simply shuffle in a full circle. Mix in the Sprawl to Sit Thru every so often to force yourself to work on getting down and up off the ground quickly.

circle shuffle with sit thru
Plank Skiers – To do Plank Skiers, start in the plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your legs together. Your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Then, with your legs together, jump your feet in toward your right elbow, rotating so that your knees come outside your elbow. Jump back into the plank position with your feet back center and your body in a nice straight line. Then jump your feet back in, but this time toward your opposite elbow. Rotate to bring your knees toward the outside of your elbow. Jump your feet back out center. Do not let your body shift backward as you perform the hops and jump back out. Try to keep your chest over your hands instead of letting your hands get way up by your head. Keep alternating hops toward each elbow.

plank-skiers
Squat Jacks – To do the Squat Jack, start standing with your feet together. Reach your hands up overhead. Then sit your butt back and squat down with your feet together, like you are doing chair pose. Get as low as you can, sitting back in your heels. Reach your arms straight up overhead. Then staying low in the squat, jump your feet out wide, about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. As you jump out, also bring your hands down and in between your legs to reach for the ground. Do not stand up out of the squat as you jump your feet out wide. Try to touch your hands to the ground as you keep your butt down in the squat. Even try to squat lower as you jump your feet out wide. Then jump your feet back together and bring your hands back overhead. Stay low in the squat the entire time and move quickly. Try to squat lower as you jump your feet out wide. Beginners may need to stand up as they bring their feet together and only squat as they jump their feet out.

jumping-jack-variation
Push Up Shuffle – To do the Push Up Shuffle, place a kettlebell on its side with the handle facing away from you or you can also use a med ball or any object that won’t move on you. Give yourself a little platform up from the ground that you can “shuffle” over. Set up at the top of a Push Up from your knees or toes with one hand on the kettlebell and the other hand on the ground. Make sure your hands are under your shoulders and outside your chest. Don’t let your hands get way up by your head. Perform a push up, dropping your chest as close to the ground as you can. Make sure your body moves as one unit as you lower down and press back up to the top. Then step your hand off the kettlebell and on to the ground on the opposite side of the kettlebell. Step the hand from the ground up onto the kettebell so that you have “shuffled” over the kettlebell. Perform another push up and then shuffle back. Beginners will need to move slowly and do this from their knees while more advanced exercisers can make the shuffle more explosive and “jump” to shuffle their hands over instead of stepping one hand on as they step the other hand off.

med ball push up shuffle

The Valslide 30/15 Workout

The Valslide 30/15 Workout

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Chest
Back/Lats

LOCOMOTION

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Working at about 75% of your maximum effort, jog, backpedal, side shuffle, carioca or do high knees or butt kickers…You can even crawl but move around to really get your blood pumping.

WORKOUT

Perform 3-6 rounds of the circuit below. Work for 30 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds between each exercise. Rest 1 minute between each round. Beginners may find they need more rest between rounds or perform fewer rounds.

CIRCUIT:
30 seconds Oblique Knee Tuck Burpees
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Jumps For Height
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Fly To Push Up
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Plank Wipers
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Glute Bridge and Curl
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Crawling
1 minute Rest

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Chest
Back/Lats

NOTES:

Do as much work as possible in 30 seconds. Do whatever level of the exercise allows you to keep moving the entire time. You should be challenged but you don’t want to have to rest during the 30 seconds of work. You want to go all out without going to failure before the 30 seconds is up.

To get Valslides, click here.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Oblique Knee Tuck Burpees – Check out these 10 Burpee Variations for a video demonstration of the Oblique Knee Tuck Burpee. If you have other equipment or would like to vary it up a bit, try one of the other variations as well!

Jumps For Height – To do Jumps for Height, stand with your feet between hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Sit your butt back and hinge over slightly, reaching your arms back and down by your hips. Then explode up off the ground, reaching your arms overhead and fully extending your hips. Then as you land, swing your arms back and bend your knees to sit your butt back into your starting position. Do not squat too low. If you drop too low in a squat, you will actually reduce your power. You want to hinge at the hips and slightly bend your knees. This is a hip extension movement so you want to load your glutes so they can powerfully propel you up as high as possible. You will also want to use your arms to help propel you up. Make sure that when you land, you land with soft knees. You should never land with your legs completely locked. Bend your knees to help you absorb the impact of landing. Remember, to make the move harder, jump up and sink right back into the hinge to repeat as quickly as possible. Really focus on a soft landing and then exploding quickly into as high a jump as you can.

squat-jump

For Fly to Push Up, Plank Wipers, Glute Bridge and Curl and Crawling – For demonstrations and descriptions of these moves, see this Valslide video.

 

The 15-Minute Travel Workout

The 15-Minute Travel Workout

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Chest/Shoulders/Traps
Back/Lats

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 15 minutes and complete as many rounds of the circuit below as possible. Rest only as needed.

CIRCUIT:
8-15 reps per side Valslide Reverse Lunge
5-15 reps Lateral Push Up Walk
10-20 reps Band Pull Through
8-15 reps per side Plank Wipers

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Chest/Shoulders/Traps
Back/Lats

NOTES:

Complete as many reps as possible in the 15 minutes. Do not go to failure on any exercise so that you can keep moving. Make sure to challenge yourself though and do the hardest variation of each move as possible.

This workout is based on having the Total ValGym. Click here to get your Total ValGym.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

For all the exercises in this workout, check out these 30 Travel Exercises.