You guys. This workout was SO fun. Seriously. I don’t know what it was, but I had a blast teaching this and doing this (well, jumping in and out of sets in between assisting members) and a bunch of members came up to me after to say how much they enjoyed it, which is why I’ve called this the “I ❤ This Workout” workout- perfect for Valentine’s Day, right?!

I’ve come to the realization that my classes like to kind of be on their own, so to speak. Meaning, they like to work at their own pace, but not with 60 second timed intervals; they like to have a set number of reps to workout through of various moves… and they like to be timed while doing it (AMRAPS are always a hit!). I aim to please, and this workout certainly covers the bases 😉

Count down workouts are all over the blog and fitness world (Athena and Jen are two who often post count down workouts), and while I know they are effective, it gets boring (for me) to teach that format: “Ok, 10 lunges. Quick break, 9 lunges. Shake it out. 8 lunges. You got it. 7 lunges….” … you get the point. Well, when I went to Barry’s Bootcamp, the instructor, Emily, had us do count downs, but she gave us a set number of minutes to get from 10 to wherever we could in that set amount of time, so we had the ability to work at our own pace. On top of that, we did super sets, which kept me even more entertained. I knew I had to copy the format in class because my members would love it. So, I did!

I changed up some of the super set exercises and added in 60 seconds of core and a tabata cardio set (2 exercises). We didn’t quite finish all 4 rounds (I skipped 1 tabata round and shortened the last 2 sets to 3 minutes instead of 4), but it was still a great workout.

Here are some notes/descriptions/links as necessary:

1. Alternating lunges on step: Rather than alternating forward lunges on the ground, step up to the step when you lunge. This creates a deeper lunge. Feel free to use weights here, but if you want to just focus on your lunges without weight, that is fine, too.

For the push-ups, try decline ones if you can (feet on the bench). If that’s too hard, you can do incline push-ups instead!

With the side lunge & center jump, just lunge to the right, push off of that foot and jump in the center with both feet. Do the other side on the next 20 second tabata burst.

2. I think everything is pretty self explanatory!

3. Step up, knee up, bicep curl- step up onto the bench with one foot, bring the other knee up while you perform a bicep curl. Step down and repeat on the other side.

Sit up w/ shoulder press- this was a move I got from Barry’s! Lay on the bench, knees bent with feet on the ground and hold the weights in your hands against your chest. Perform a sit up and when you get to the top, do a shoulder press. Lay back and repeat. I LOVE this move!

4. Side squat & step over bench: stand on the bench, step one leg down and do a squat, step back up onto the bench and step the other leg down into a squat. That’s 1 rep.

Leg lifts & chest fly- I think you’ve seen these on my blog before (got them from Athena!)- lay on your back on the bench and extend feet and arms/weights so that your legs are over your hips and your arms/weights are over your shoulders/chest. As you lower your legs, open your arms and perform a chest fly… then bring everything back up to the top!

Phew! I think that’s it, but if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me! I hope you like this 🙂

Questions for you: Do you get bored with count down workouts or do you like them? What’s a workout that always keeps you interested?