Well, lo and behold, we`ve decided to stop the insanity and get our daily workouts in, even if it`s just 10 minutes to focus on building up a sweat. We issued a challenge to the insanely talented (and quite handsome) Will Torres, personal trainer and founder of the private training gym WillSpace, to create a simple, safe, and butt-burning workout that you can do anywhere. The only thing you`ll need? A file box with handles that weighs about eight to 10 pounds, some floor space and some sweat-wicking workout gear, because you WILL break a sweat with this workout.
Tips For Working Out:
Hydrate: "You always want to be well hydrated before working out. If you wait until you`re thirsty, it`s already too late: you`re dehydrated. Have a bottle of water with you while you`re working out, too."
Eat Beforehand: "Generally, you want to eat up to two hours before you work out. It`s kind of a trick question what to eat before you sweat: there are so many variations. You can work out with just a cup of coffee if you want to do this in the morning, or just have a light snack sometime before you work out."
Warming Up: You`ll want to warm up before you move, so Will suggests 60 seconds of Box Taps (the first move demonstrated) for both heating up your muscles and for your cool down.
Please go through the program as quickly as YOU can, no rest between the moves. The whole workout should take you nine-and-a-half minutes to complete, and you can run through the workout two to three times without stopping (or with small breaks, who are we kidding?) depending on your level of fitness.
Hair and Makeup by Ashleigh Ciucci; Styled and Modeled by Madeline Lee.
Tap that toe on the box and quickly switch feet so the previous foot will land 3 to 6 inches from the box while raising the other foot to tap the box.
Quicken your pace so you`re swiftly tapping your feet on the box without stepping all the way onto the box, keeping your arms raised at your sides at the 45-degree angle. Keep this pace for 60 seconds. Ok, now you`re warm and ready to start your workout.
Engaging your glutes, butt, and core muscles, hinge forward by sending your hips back and lowering the box straight to the ground between your knees with straight arms, keeping your head neutral and your eyes peering to the floor in front of you.
When the box hits your knees, you`ll feel a slight stretch along the back of the legs. At this point, bend at the knees and lower the box safely all the way to the ground.
Benefits of this move: "By bending the knees at an angle rather than keeping your legs straight out, you`re able to feel the move more in your abdominals," advises Will. "You also able to move more quickly, which is the key to this workout: we want to try to get your heart rate up and fatigue your muscles at the same time." This move is also the key to flat abs. Which, you know, wouldn`t suck for most of us.
Raise your arms behind your head along the floor, then engage your abs and lift your upper body, pulling your arms overhead.
Use your abs to pull yourself forward so your hands touch your toes or the floor in front of you. Release the position and slowly return to the original position. Do 20 reps of this move.
Trainer`s note: "Keep thinking `touch and go`," says Will. "Once your hands touch the floor, quickly go backwards to your starting position, and once your back touches the floor, swing the arms forward to maintain momentum…even when it burns."
Benefits of this move: "It`s a great way to do a burpee while maintaining complete alignment. It helps work your arms, triceps, shoulders, chest and, most importantly, your core." Amazing, this will be great for our sleeveless looks.
Start in a standing position with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart.
Squat, extending your hips straight back, keeping your knees in line with your toes, and reach your hands toward the floor.
Spring backward into a plank position. Focus on maintaining complete alignment with your entire body straight from your heels to the top of your head.
Lower your body to the floor for five seconds, keeping your abs engaged.
Push your upper body backward onto the knee, with your arms outstretched in front of you, hands flat on the floor.
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Trainer Note: If you have lower back issues and can`t necessarily spring back into a plank position, place your hands on the floor and step back into plank one foot at a time. This will protect you from any risk of injury.
"You want to think about reaching your fingers away from your toes," advises Will when it comes to form. We`ll picture an ice-cold beverage just out of reach for inspiration, preferably one with a masseuse holding it.
Benefits of this position: "This is all about strengthening and lengthening your legs, getting them to look toned and long," enthuses Will. "But it`s also a great balance exercise since your backside is working like crazy to keep you stable on one foot, and you`ll also feel it in your calves and your lower legs."
As you begin to hinge at the hips, raise both arms forward. Imagine your fingers reaching away from your toes. While keeping your spine straight, your gaze should be down at the floor and slightly in front you. Imagine your neck and head as an extension of your spine. Hold for two counts, then engage your core and return your body to your starting position. Perform 10 reps on each leg, and then repeat on the other side.
Since many of us have moved multiple times, lifting a box over our heads isn`t necessarily a new concept. But with bent knees on the floor, it becomes a whole new level of exercise, and quite the pathway to a tighter core. We kind of love it.
Benefits of this position: It helps to strengthen your balance, but it really also activates your core muscles: your glutes and your abs. Oddly enough, this move is a big time stomach and butt shaper, even though you`re using your arms to lift the box." Sneaky, Will. We like it.
Start by kneeling on the floor with your shoulders, hips, and knees stacked in line with each other. Press the thighs together and hold an eight-to-10-pound box in front of your face with your arms bent at a 45-degree angle, hands underneath the bottom of the box.
Engage your core by squeezing your glutes and tightening your the abs, then straighten your arms, raising the box overhead so that the hands are directly over your ears at the top.
Imagine lengthening your torso as you reach overhead and for the sky. Lower your arms to your starting position, and repeat this move for 20 reps for a daily attempt at a ripped core and high-and-tighty-Lord-Almighty backside.
BDST: 1559 HRS, Dec-09, 2013
