After you’ve completed week one of the summer-shape up plan, continue with this calorie-burning routine. Start by doing each move for 1 minute, rest for 30 seconds, then repeat twice for 6 minutes of activity. Bonus: Take a 20-minute walk before your workout for more benefits!
Plank T’s: Tones arms, back, shoulders
A. Start in push-up position with your feet shoulder-width apart. B. Lift your right arm and rotate your body to open to a T, look up at your hand, then come back to start with both hands on the mat. Rotate up on the other side to make a T by raising your left arm; repeat. Tip: Take a rest break between reps.
Around-the-Clock-Lunges: Tones glutes
A. Start standing. B. Lunge forward with your left leg, then bring that leg back to start. C. Take a step out to the side with your left leg so you’re in a side lunge; come back to start. Finally, step back into a lunge with your left leg, then return to start. Do the same half-circle with your right leg, then repeat.
Tuesday
Crab Kicks: Tones arms, back, legs, glutes
Come into a tabletop position with your hands and feet on the floor and your torso lifted. Kick your right leg up, lower, then repeat on the left. Make sure you straighten your arms and squeeze your glutes.
Jumping Jacks: Tones legs, arms
Stand with your feet close together, arms by your sides. Bring your arms over your head while you hop your legs out. Hop your legs together while bringing your arms back down by your sides; repeat.
Wednesday
Hip-Hop-Touch: Tones glutes, legs
A. Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Do two hops in a row (with legs wide). B. Immediately squat and touch the floor. Return to start; repeat.
Apple Pickers: Tones core, shoulders
A. Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Raise your arms. B. Pull both your elbows down and bring your right knee to your right elbow, then come back to start with arms over your head. Next, pull both elbows down, bring your left knee to your left elbow and repeat.
Thursday
Quad Drops: Tones legs, shoulders
A. Start on your hands and knees with wrists underneath your shoulders, knees underneath your hips and toes curled. Lift your knees and rear a few inches. B. Drop your knees and rear a few inches until you almost hit the mat. Continue to raise and lower in a gentle pulsing motion.
Arm Circuit: Tones arms
A. Stand with your arms out in a T shape. With your hands in fists, do 20 forward circles and 20 backward circles. B. Keep your arms out and turn your palms up to the ceiling. Lift your palms up and down an inch or two and repeat for 20 reps. C. Turn your palms straight out in front of you, move them forward and backward an inch or two and repeat for 20 reps. Return to arm circles until you reach 1 minute total.
Squat Front Kicks: Tones glutes, legs
A. Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. Squat. B. Kick forward with your right leg as you come up. Bring that leg back so you’re standing on both feet, then squat and kick with your left leg. Repeat.
Knee Tucks: Tones shoulders, core
A. Start in a downward dog position (hands and feet flat on the ground, rear in the air, so your body makes a V shape). B. Come forward into a push-up position and bring your right knee toward your chest. Hold for 10 seconds, then bring your knee back and return to downward dog. Do the same on the left and repeat.
Summer Shape-Up Fitness Plan—Week 1
Kick off the season with this Summer Shape-Up feeling better than ever with this two-week routine from trainer Jenna Wolfe.
If you listen closely enough, you can practically hear the anxious rumbling from your friends about getting fit in time for vacation. So many women want to shape up for the season, but few of you have the time or energy to get started. And if you’re anything like me, you spend most of your day doing everything for everybody else…kids, colleagues, family, friends, pets. You’re so wrapped up in life that you fail to carve out time for yourself. It happens!
When you can’t find the motivation to get moving, map out two weeks of super-short routines that—no matter what—you have to find time in your day to do. Why two weeks? Because it’s just long enough for your body to get used to exercising again and for you to see results. Remember, you have to start somewhere to get somewhere.
These workouts incorporate calorie-burning moves to target your whole body. To see even greater changes, repeat both weeks for a full month of movement. It’s the perfect summer slimming plan!
Monday – Summer Shape-Up
Squats: Tones legs, glutes
Stand with your legs a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Push through your heels as you bend your knees and bring your rear down as if you’re sitting in a chair. Thrust your hips forward to stand back up to start; repeat.
Assisted Push-Ups: Tones arms, chest
A. Start in a push-up position, with knees on floor and shoulders in line with wrists (upper body in a straight line). B. Bend your elbows and lower your chest until it’s a few inches from the ground. Push up and repeat.
Tuesday
Toy soldiers: Tones legs, shoulders
Stand with your arms straight out, parallel to the ground, palms facing down. Kick your left foot up so your left toe touches or comes close to your left palm. (Be sure you don’t move your arms up or around your back as you kick.) Repeat with right foot to right palm.
Crab Walk: Tones arms, back, glutes
A. Start in a tabletop position (hands and feet flat on the ground; shoulders in line with knees). B. Walk three steps back using your arms and legs, then go three steps forward and repeat. Squeeze your glutes as you step.
Wednesday
Hip-Raise Marches: Tones glutes
A. Lie on your back, arms by your sides, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your glutes and lift your rear into a bridge. B. Bring your right knee toward you a few inches, then return your leg to the floor and repeat with the left leg.
Classic Plank: Tones core, shoulders
Place your forearms on the ground with legs straight out behind you and toes on the ground. There should be an invisible line from your shoulders to your ankles. Also, keep your hands loose (no tight fists). Tip: Do this for 30 seconds (with practice, you can work your way up to 1 minute).
Thursday
Squat-Thrusts: Tones shoulders, core, legs
A. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend down and put your hands on the floor. B. Hop or walk your feet back so you’re in push-up position, then immediately hop or walk your feet in. Stand up and repeat.
Y’s, T’s, and I’s: Tones back
Start standing, then bend forward slightly (don’t round your back). Bring your arms out in front of you into a Y shape, leading with your thumbs, then quickly bring your arms down; repeat for 20 reps. Make a T shape by bringing your arms up by your sides, then lower them; repeat for 20 reps. Last, make an I shape by bringing your arms straight up, parallel to your ears, then down; repeat for 20 reps. This should take about 1 minute.
Diagonals: Tones glutes, shoulders, core
A. Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, arms out to the left with your left leg slightly bent. B. Lift your right knee up as you lower your arms so your hands meet your knee. Repeat the motion for 30 seconds, then continue on the opposite side for 20 seconds by bringing your arms up on the right side, then down, while lifting your left knee.
Sumo Squats: Tones glutes, legs, hip flexors
Start in a wide standing position and turn your toes out slightly. Lower into a squat as though you’re sitting in a chair, then stand back up; repeat. Keep your knees in line with your toes.
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