Get Strong With This Five-Move Workout

*Challenge your body with a short full-body circuit using dumbbells, a medicine ball and a jump rope. *

It’s not too late to get a fresh start for 2017 and challenge your body with weights and a total-body session designed to get you sweaty and strong. The fastest way to get in shape is to complete compound multi-joint movements, which this strength workout (designed by fitness expert Alex Carneiro) delivers in just five moves, along with a warm-up and cool-down.

To optimize your workout, watch the videos and listen to the technique tips first, and then follow along maintaining focus on your breathing and executing your technique to the very best of your ability.

Warm up

Explosive bodyweight jump squat Reps: 20 Sets: 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvnP0SQE_lc

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed forward and parallel.
• Relax your hands at your sides.
• Descend into a full squat position with thighs parallel to the ground and hold for two seconds.
• Quickly explode up, driving through your heels to jump off the floor.
• As you jump up, raise your hands to the sides as if you were doing a jumping jack until they almost touch.
• Land softly and return to starting position.
• Tip: Jump as explosively and safely as possible.

Circuit

1. Goblet squat to overhead press Reps: 20 Sets: 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfQDk8ankQM

• Stand in a half squat, with your knees slightly bent and your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell that’s a comfortable weight for you at chest level.
• Descend into a full squat, with thighs parallel to the ground, and hold for two seconds.
• As you return up from your squat, start elevating your kettlebell or dumbbell.
• Fully extend your elbows and lift the kettlebell or dumbbell.
• Bring the kettle bell or dumbbell back down to chest level, and initiate the full movement again.
• Tip: Breathe in as you lower the weight and squat down. Breathe out as you come up and raise the kettlebell or dumbbell in the air.

2. Plank to mountain climbers Duration: 40 seconds Sets: 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MXPvwMFiGE

• Start on the floor in a basic plank – glutes and spine aligned. Form a straight line from your head to your toes, and align your hands right underneath your elbows.
• Keeping your pelvis tucked, bring one knee up close to your chest, keeping your toes off the ground.
• Reach your leg back, and bring the other knee close to your chest.
• Keep your core tight as you bring alternating knees to your chest as fast and as safely as possible for the full 40 seconds.
• Tip: Keep your elbows slightly bent throughout the entire movement, and breathe out every time one knee comes up toward your chest.

3. Floor glute kick-back with front hand raise Reps: 15 Sets: 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P82KpLyF8Zc

• Start on your hands and knees on the floor. Bend at the waist with your arms extended in front of you. Keep your look down, as this will align your spine.
• As you exhale, lift the right leg until you feel your glutes activated or your leg is parallel to the floor. As you raise your leg, lift your right arm up in the air and pretend as if you are reaching out to grab something. Make sure you’re keeping a strong and straight back.
• Slowly lower your arm and leg, and repeat the movement on the other side.
• Continue to alternate legs and arms until you’ve completed 15 reps on each side.
• Tip: Start slowly as this exercise will test your coordination.

4. Lunges with rotational abdominal twist Reps: 24 Sets: 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjQhiZ-vWcw

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed forward and parallel.
• Hold your medicine ball close to your midsection. Slowly lift a foot off the floor and step forward, engaging your core to stabilize yourself. The size of each step is up to you. Start with short steps and progress into longer strides.
• Press the standing foot firmly into the ground with first your heel, then your toe.
• Shift your weight forward, and focus on lowering yourself down towards the floor rather than forward.
• As you shift your bodyweight onto your foot, engage your core to avoid any swinging.
• Your knee should not pass your toes as you lower yourself down. While in a lunge position, slowly twist your body and the medicine ball to the side, over the top of your forward leg.
• Maintaining the lunge position, rotate back to center.
• Bring yourself back to an upright position as you exhale, and center your weight on both legs again. Re-center the medicine ball.
• Repeat with the opposing leg. You can also perform this movement as a walking lunge, walking forward for 24 steps.

5. Jump rope Duration: 45 seconds Sets: 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j4zxNDEtYA

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed forward and parallel.
• Hold the jump rope in front of your feet.
• Keeping your body relatively straight, with no forward hunch, jump slightly off the floor from the balls of your feet.
• As you start each jump, use your wrists to begin the movement of the jump rope.
• Tip: You might have to stop and re-start a few times as your coordination develops. Don’t get discouraged! Just keep at it.

Cool-down

Child’s pose stretch with hand rotation Duration: 30-40 seconds Sets: 2-3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ81C8v3ZqY

• Begin by kneeling on the floor. Sit on your heels and touch your toes together with your knees about shoulder-width apart (or more if you wish).
• Drop your pelvis and glutes towards your heels as you stretch the rest of your body down and forward.
• Reach forward with your hands as comfortably as you can. Rotate your hands until your palms are facing up.
• In this fully stretched position, allow your arms to rest and relax in front of you on the mat or floor. Rest your head if you can on the floor or mat.
• As you stretch further, you should feel this stretch all over your body.
• Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply to bring your heart rate down.

Have fun!

This workout is modeled by 24 Hour Fitness group fitness instructor, 24Life.com editor and blogger, Ashley Pitt.