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It's officially summer! Time for barbecues, fireworks, and best of all, vacation. But just because you're off from work doesn't mean your body is on break too, especially if you're going to the beach. You may not have a gym, you may not have weights, and with these exercises, brought to you by Mike Donavanik (C.S.C.S.), you definitely don't have an excuse.
Donavanik, a Los Angeles-based personal trainer whose clients range from celebrities to regular joes, the creator of the Amazon top-seller "Extreme Burn" fitness DVD series, and just an overall fit, cool guy, gave us a list of five exercises you can do anywhere, anytime, without a single piece of equipment. Combine them all and you have a fat-burning, muscle-building workout perfect for when you're far from home or for toning up and getting the pump you crave before parading shirtless on the playa.
5 Moves // 15-Minute AMRAP (as Many Rounds as Possible) Workout
Perform 20 reps of each move, going as fast as you can through each move, while maintaining proper form.
Once you finish all five moves (one round), repeat.
Take breaks as needed but keep the time running/counting down.
The goal is to fit in as many rounds as possible within the 15-minute time frame.
1. Prisoner Squats
Get into a squat position -- feet hip width apart, toes slightly turned out -- with your hands behind your head and elbows pulled back. Lower your body into a squat as low as your range of motion allows, while keeping your back straight and in proper alignment. Drive through the heels, and squeeze the glutes at the top. Repeat.
Progression: Add a plyometrics element by turning it into a Jumping Prisoner Squat. Same form applies, but at the bottom of the squat, powerfully jump up. Land back in a squat. Repeat.
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2. Walking Plank
Start in full-plank/push-up position. Keeping the core, quads, and glutes engaged, lower down into a half-plank, one arm at a time, starting with the right arm. From half-plank, raise back up into full-plank position, again starting with the right arm. Repeat and alternate leading arms each time. Each time you return to the starting position counts as one rep.
Helpful Hint: The goal is to keep the hips as steady as possible throughout the exercise.
Get into a lunge position with your hands behind your head and elbows pulled back. Lower your body into a lunge until your front knee forms a right angle. Quickly jump up and switch legs in the air so that you land in a lunge on the opposite leg. Repeat. Each jump is one rep.
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Helpful Hint: If the impact is too much, perform alternating reverse lunges instead.
4. Burpees
Start in a plank/push-up position. Perform a push-up and immediately jump your feet to the outside of your hands. Quickly jump up, then land in a low squat and bring the hands to the ground, just inside the feet, and jump the feet back to starting position.
Progression: Add a tuck jump, instead of a regular jump, to make the burpee substantially more taxing.
5. V-Ups
Lie on the ground, face-up. Extend your arms overhead so they are resting on the floor. Draw in the abdominals to push the lower back into the ground. Simultaneously raise the legs (keeping them straight) and torso, and reach your fingers to your toes. Slowly return to starting position. Repeat.
Modification: If this causes lower-back pain, instead of keeping legs straight, tuck the knees into the chest (vs. raising them straight up).
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