Workout Wednesday - The Leg Circuit

Do you always hear about leg day but not sure how to get involved?

Here is a great leg circuit to get those legs working and is adaptable to all levels of exercise from beginners to the experienced!

Equipment:

1x Bosu ball
1x Sandbag - 10kg or lighter if needed - if you dont have sand bags at the gym use dumbells
Alternative 2x dumbells - pick a heavy weight, one that is going to challenge you!
1x kettlebell - again a heavy weight that will challenge you, if your gym doesn't have kettlebells select one dumbell.

The exercises!

Station 1 - Front lunges - 12 reps (6 on each leg) with a dumbell in each hand or the sandbag on your shoulders behind your head positioned like a back squat.
Station 2 - Squats - 12 reps with kettlebell or 1 dumbell held in front of you close to your chest.
Station 3 - position this near a wall for balance - on the bosu ball hold the squat position for 30 seconds keeping very stready - engage your core for extra stability!
Station 4 - Thrusters - this is a squat combined with an over head press. 12 reps with 2 dumbells - squat down and when coming up press the dumbells over your head then repeat.
Station 5 - Back lunges - 12 reps (6 on each leg) with a dumbell in each hand, or the sandbag.
Station 6 - Kettlebell swing - these can be straight in front of you or overhead if you can do this. Make sure you engage the core and hips to get a good swing!

Repeat the circuit 4 rounds, when the exercises become easy make sure you increase the weights to really challenge yourself!
When the balance on the bosu ball becomes easy make sure you add weight to this as well!

Workout Wednesday - Rowing machine

I have a love/hate relationship with the rowing machine - when I switched gyms and they don't have good rowers then I realised how much I missed it! 

Thankfully my other gym (yes a member of 2 gyms) does have a rower, it is a good rower and oh man does it feel good to be back on and rowing! 

Rowing works your entire body, from your back and shoulders right down to your legs - take a look at this picture to show just how many muscles it works! 

It is the perfect exercise to improve your endurance and increases heart function. It is also a good calorie burner so if you are looking to lose weight this is the machine for you! 

It is also a low impact exercise so if you are looking for something that is going to be less of a strain on the joints again this is an ideal exercise. 

Overall it is a total body workout - I do around 20-30 minutes on the rower on level 9-10, the more resistance the stronger the pull and the more you will work! 

Workout Wednesday - skipping rope

Want an exercise that will challenge your fitness and coordination? Then skipping is for you!
If your like me and have a short attention span and need new exercises to keep you interested then skipping is for you!

I remember skipping all the time when I was in school and have recently rediscovered my love for skipping.

Adding it to my cardio routine and at the end of a my leg sessions I am using it to strengthen my legs and to shake up the cardio.
Skipping is a great exercise to work the heart and lungs, improve your fitness and muscle strength, as well as improving your balance and coordination.
As well as working your physical fitness it will also challenge your mental fitness as you will need to engage both sides of your brain to keep you coordination.

As this exercise can be done anywhere there are no excuses to not grab a rope and skip away! Don't be disheartened if it takes you a will to get the hang of it, soon enough you will be skipping faster and lighter than a boxer!!