Here is a fun little workout that you can complete at any time of the day. It is short, it is fast and it is very effective. It does not require any equipment and can be done in less than five minutes to re-energize you.

This program is intended to drive your heart rate up and challenge your lactate threshold. If you are new to fitness, try doing one move for 30 seconds and take a 60-second break before moving on to the next. Perform one round. As you become more efficient, you can start to move faster and progress to a higher number of rounds.

The moves:

  • Diver Push-Up
  • V-Sit Toe Touch
  • Side Sit Switch
  • Bear Crawl
  • Drop Squat Jump

How-to:

Perform each movement for 30 seconds before switching to the next one. Try to complete two full rounds in five minutes. If you have 10 minutes, do four rounds without stopping.

Diver Push-Up

  • Start in a prone high-plank position, with your hands under your shoulders and your feet hip-width apart, toes on the ground.
  • Drive your hips back and your heels toward the floor. You are now in Downward Dog.
  • Initiate the drill by lowering your hips and diving your head into the “water” as your head passes in front of your hands very close to the ground. At this point, you are now in Upward Dog.
  • Reverse the sequence and return to Downward Dog.

V-Sit Toe Touch

  • Lie on your back with your arms overhead, toes pointing up to the sky.
  • Lift both toes up to hip height, and at the exact same time, reach your hands to meet your toes as they get to hip height. Lower yourself with control to the starting position.

Side Sit Switch

  • Start in a seated position with your feet pointing toward the ceiling.
  • Rotate your torso to the right and place both your hands on the ground on the right side of your body.
  • Now bend your left leg and place your left foot on the ground next to your right knee. Anchor your left foot into the ground.
  • Push off your left foot and off both hands to pull your straight right leg underneath you to come into a quadruped position with your toes curled under so that you can pivot into the next part of the move.
  • Pause there only briefly and then slide your left leg straight underneath you, rotating your torso to the left and pivoting your right foot, keeping it flat on the ground. This is the mirror image of the previous starting position. Return to the starting position. Continue to alternate left to right and right to left.

Bear Crawl

  • Start in a quadruped position with both hands on the ground under your shoulders and your toes on the ground hip-width apart.
  • Keep your back flat and hips square to the ground as you lift your hips just enough to hover your knees off the ground.
  • Crawl forward three steps and then backward three steps, keeping your hips level as you crawl.

Drop Squat Jump

  • Start in a standing athletic position. Your feet should be hip-width apart.
  • Jump your feet wide to come into a squat.
  • Jump your feet back together to stand.

Photo credit: AzmanJaka, Getty Images; Tom Casey, box24studio.com
Model: Benedict Meneses, 24 Hour Fitness

MEET THE MODEL

Benedict Meneses is a Master Trainer at 24 Hour Fitness Torrance Del Amo Super Sport in Southern California. He took time out of his busy schedule to answer these burning questions from 24Life.

24Life: Why did you become a personal trainer?

BM: I became a personal trainer because my coaches growing up, whether it was basketball, baseball or jujitsu, I know how much they impacted my life and I wanted to pay it forward.

24Life: Favorite and least favorite workout move?

BM: My favorite workout move is probably box jumps, or jumps, vertical jumps in general. My least favorite is balancing.

24Life: Finish the sentence “When I’m not working out, I am…”

BM: I’m usually hanging out with my family and doing fun things outside.

24Life: Your favorite fit tip?

BM: It’s never all or nothing; it’s some or more. Nothing should never be an option.

24Life: Your power/pump-up song?

BM: Nipsy Hussle’s “Hussle and Motivate.”

24Life: Favorite memory as a trainer, so far?

BM: One of my favorite memories since I became a trainer is of my client Pauline. Just about a year-and-a-half ago she could barely stand up for more than two minutes without her lower back hurting and things of that sort. After going to the doctor and getting cleared, we started working together. Now she can do multiple pull-ups. She can knock out 15 push-ups. We even have this little fun drill where she will be in the middle of a session and I say “fire drill,” and she has to get on the floor and knock out ten quick push-ups. She could barely hold herself up in a plank for more than ten seconds, and now she’s doing push-ups.

24Life: This summer, what’s one thing you wish every client knew?

BM: I like to tell my clients that, one, they’re going to definitely have to move more. Two, stay hydrated. And three, a lot of people know what to do. You probably know that the double cheeseburger is not going to be better than a chicken salad. So you know what to do; it’s time to do what you know.