The 15-Minute Cardio-Core Killer

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out.

WORKOUT
Set a timer for 20 seconds intervals with a few seconds to transition. You will perform each move for 20 seconds and then rest 20 seconds between rounds. Complete 3 rounds of the circuit then rest 40 seconds before moving on to the next circuit. Try not to rest during the 20 seconds of work. Just regress moves as necessary.

CIRCUIT #1:
20 seconds Snowboard Hop Burpees
20 seconds Push Ups with Toe Touch
20 seconds Plank Sit Thrus
20 seconds Leg Lowers
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #2:
20 seconds Squat to Alternating Lunges
20 seconds Rotational Reach Push Ups
20 seconds Sprinter Sit Ups
20 seconds Side Plank Stars
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #3:
20 seconds Jack Burpees
20 seconds Plank Skiers
20 seconds Bird Dog Planks
20 seconds Leg Wipers
20 seconds Rest

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out.

NOTES:
See exercise descriptions below!

Exercise Descriptions:

Snowboard Hop Burpees – To do Snowboard Hop Burpees, start with your feet in a slightly staggered stance and your back foot out in front of your front foot. Look forward over that front leg and then squat down to place your front hand down on the ground by your toe. Do not simply round over to place your hand on the ground. Squat down. Do not touch the ground if that means rounding over with your butt up. Then jump up and rotate, switching to land in the slightly staggered stance on the other side. Touch your hand back down to the ground as you sink into a squat on that side. Jump back up and rotate back to the first side. Then in the squat, place your hands down on the ground and jump your feet back into a plank position. Keep your core engaged and your body in a nice straight line. Jump your feet back in and come back into the squat. Jump and switch to a snowboard hop on the other side. Repeat 3 jumps and perform the jump back on the other side.

Push Ups with Toe Touch – To do the Push Up with Toe Touch, set up in the plank position on your feet and hands with your hands under your shoulders and your feet about shoulder-width apart. Putting your feet closer together can make it harder to balance and force your core to work harder. Your body should be in a nice straight line. Then from this plank position, reach one hand back toward the opposite ankle. As you reach back, push your butt up in the air. Reach back toward the opposite ankle and then move back into the plank position, placing your hand back down on the ground. Perform a push up, dropping your chest toward the ground with your body moving as one unit. Press back up and then reach the other hand back toward the opposite ankle. Push your butt up into the air every time you reach back, but make sure to come back forward into the plank position before performing the push up.

Plank Sit Thrus – To do the Plank Sit Thrus, start in a bulldog position from your hands and feet, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees bent so that your knees are under your hips. Your knees should be about an inch off the ground. Then jump  your feet back into the plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your body in a nice straight line from your head to your toes. Jump your feet back into the bulldog position, then rotate into a Sit Thru on one side. Kick one leg under and through as you lift the opposite hand up off the ground. As you kick the leg under and through, your body should rotate so that you could “sit” on the ground with one leg out straight. Bring the leg back under your body and place the foot back on the ground so you are back in the bulldog position. Jump back into a plank and then repeat on the other side. You can also cut out an extra plank between Sit Thrus to make the move slightly easier. Move as quickly as possible and rotate all the way through with each Sit Thru.

Leg Lowers – To do Leg Lowers, lie on your back with your arms behind your head or down by your sides and brace your abs by setting up in the pelvic tilt. Then lift your legs straight up toward the ceiling, keeping them together and as straight as possible. Then with your low back firmly against the ground and your abs braced, lower both your legs down toward the ground. Lower them as close to the ground as possible without touching or without letting your low back come up off the ground. Keep your legs as straight as possible as you lower them down. Then lift them back up, keeping your low back against the ground and your legs striaght. Use your abs to lift and lower. If at any point while you lift and lower your legs, your low back comes up off the ground, stop and reset. Then either decrease your range of motion (not lowering as close to the ground) or regress to single leg lowers, lowering one leg down at a time. If you can keep your abs engaged and not let your low back take over, lower your legs down so your heels are no more than an inch off the ground before raising them back up. You should also engage your glutes as you lower down and hover just off the ground. And make sure that your legs stay as straight as possible throughout the movement.

Squat to Alternating Lunges – To do the Squat to Alternating Lunges, start with your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Squat down, sitting your butt back. Do not round forward as you squat down. Keep your heels down and sink your butt so that your quads are about parallel to the ground. Then jump up and switch into a lunge stance as you land. One foot will be forward and then other will lunge back as you drop your back knee down toward the ground. Sink low in the low and keep your chest up. In the lunge, your front heel should be down and your weight should be fairly centered. Jump back into the squat and then lunge on the other side. Move quickly, exploding up off the ground to switch. Beginners can start with stepping between the two moves instead of jumping.

Rotational Reach Push Ups – To do the Rotational Reach Push Up, start in a plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet about shoulder-width apart. The closer your feet are together, the harder the move will be. But don’t place them so close together that your butt goes up in the air, especially as you rotate. Then reach one hand under your body and rotate slightly that direction. Reach that same hand back open toward the ceiling, rotating your body into a side plank from your hand as you open up. Rotate back closed and place the hand back down on the ground before performing a push up. Make sure your body moves as one unit as you perform the push up. Lower your chest down to the ground then press back up and lift the other hand up to reach under and across your body before rotating open into the side plank. Place the hand back down and perform another push up. You can keep alternating rotational reaches on each side or you can stay on one side for a number of reps before switching.

Sprinter Sit Ups – To do the Sprinter Sit Up, lie on your back with your legs out straight and your arms down by your sides. Then raise both legs just slightly off the ground. Beginners may keep one leg on the ground. Then, sit up, moving to balance on your butt as you bend one knee and bring it in toward your chest. Reach your arms out toward your feet as you come to balance on your butt with one knee drawn in. Lie back down and straighten both legs back out, but try to keep them up off the ground. Also, do not fully relax your shoulders back on to the ground as you lie back down. Keep your abs engaged. Then sit back up and bring the other knee in toward your chest. Keep alternating, trying to keep both legs up off the ground when you straighten back out. Make sure you feel your abs and not your low back working.

Side Plank Stars – To do the Side Plank Stars, start in a side plank position with your elbow under your shoulder and your body in a nice straight line to your feet. You can choose to stack your feet or place your top foot in front. Beginners may need to drop their bottom knee down toward the ground. Keeping your bottom hip up, lift your top arm up toward the ceiling as you raise your top leg up. Lift them up then lower them back down and rotate into a front plank with your elbows under your shoulders and your body in a nice straight line. Do not let your hips sag or your butt go up toward the ceiling as you shift into the front plank. Do not touch your knees down or relax in this position although beginners may do this from their knees. Then rotate into a side plank on the other side. In this side plank position, with your bottom hip up and body in a nice straight line, lift your top arm and leg up. Do not rotate toward the ground or rotate your leg way open as you lift. Lower back down and rotate back into the front plank before switching to the other side.

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.

Plank Skiers – 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.

Bird Dog Planks – To do the Forearm Plank Bird Dog, set up in a plank position from your forearms and toes with your elbows under your shoulders and your feet about hip-width apart. Placing your feet closer together will make the move more challenging because your core will have to work harder to stay balanced. Then, holding this plank position, lift one arm and the opposite leg up off the ground. Reach them as if reaching toward opposite walls. Do not rotate open or let your butt go up in the air as you reach. Also, engage your glute as you lift your leg so that your low back doesn’t take over. Pause at the top of the lift then lower back down and lift the other arm and leg. Move slowly and stay balanced. You can also stay on one side as that will be easier to stay balanced. Do not rush this move or let your core wiggle a ton as you perform the arm and leg lift. You want to keep your core stabile.

Leg Wipers – To do Leg Wipers, you will set up like you did for the Leg Lowers with your abs engaged and legs straight up toward the ceiling. Stretch your arms out at shoulder height on the ground. This will help you keep your core engaged and prevent you from completely collapsing over as you lower your legs down to each side. Keeping your abs braced and legs straight, lower your legs down toward one side. Try not to let them move too far away from you as you slowly lower them down to one side. You want to try to keep your hips bent toward 90 degrees as you lower them down to the side. Keep your arms stretched out on the ground as you lower down. Lower your legs close to the ground without touching all the way down. If you relax your legs down onto the ground, you release tension on your abs. So lower close but not all the way down. Then use your abs to pull your legs back up center. Keep your legs straight as you rotate back center. Then lower toward the other side. Only lower down as far as you can while keeping your abs engaged. Beginners may need to bend their knees to 90 degrees to do the rotations instead of keeping their legs straight.