30-minute Total Beach-body Workout (Sand Optional)

Provided by American Council on Exercise

This 30-minute total-body, high-intensity interval workout is effective, efficient and invigorating. For more on high-intensity interval training, check out High-intensity Interval Training: Why it Works.

Here are four reasons why you should incorporate this type of workout into your training routine:

• You can do this type of workout anywhere, literally—from a living room or a parking lot to the gym or the beach. On occasion, I will throw in dumbbells or bands, but you can keep things simple and stick with body weight. The only other thing you need is a determined mindset.
• You can do this workout in 30 minutes or less. The body of this workout is 20 minutes (with five minutes for the warm-up and five minutes for a cool-down). Don’t let that fool you though—it’s an intense 20 minutes because you’ll be pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone.
• You will hit every major muscle group. This workout engages upper body, lower body and core muscles, which makes it a nice complement to any specific program you might be following.
• You will engage both muscular and aerobic fitness. This workout not only challenges the body’s strength, but also incorporates sprint work that taps into the body’s anaerobic fitness.

The Workout

Warm up for five minutes with some dynamic movements or jogging. For the 20-minute block, complete as many rounds as you can and rest as often as you need to.

Squat Block

• 25 Squats: Feet shoulder-width apart, hips to parallel, go quickly
• 20 Pulsing Squats: Pulse at the bottom of the squat position
• 15 Jumping Squats: Explode on the way up, jumping as high as you can  

Lunge Block

• 15 Walking Lunges: 15 reps on each leg, drop your knee back to the ground

Push-Up Block

• 15 Push-ups: Drop to knees when form starts to fail 
• 20 Burpees: A squat thrust with a push-up
• 25 Mountain Climbers: 25 each leg, knees up to chest

Sprint Block

• 1 Sprint: Sprint back to the spot where the squats were done

Note: Do the three squat variations (squat block), perform the walking lunge for 30 paces, and then do the push-ups, burpees and mountain climbers (push-up block) at this end point. Sprint back to where you completed the squat block and repeat.

Author

Kelley Vargo

Contributor

Kelley Vargo, MPH, MS, CSCS, ACE Health Coach is a recent graduate of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University where she received her MS in Exercise Science with a concentration in Strength & Conditioning and her MPH in Communication & Marketing. Ms. Vargo has contributed content to Discovery Health as well as the ACE Fitness Journal. She is a member of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, Delta Omega Public Health Honors Society, and a Metabolic Effect Instructor. She enjoys sharing her passion and energy with others, helping them create healthier and happier lives. Follow Kelley on twitter @kelleyvargo or contact her at kmvfitness@gmail.com or www.kelleyvargo.com.