Functional HIIT Workout
Stuck for ideas on how to train in the functional area or unsure on what to do? Personal trainer @reemfitness_ and @zumika_fit have put together a HIIT workout to help you make the most out of this space.
HIIT sessions are a great way to burn more calories in a shorter period of time, whilst strengthening your major muscle groups. Not to mention they are a great time saver!
Complete each of the following exercises for 20 seconds followed by 20 seconds rest. Then repeat this circuit for 20 minutes and make it a challenge to see how many rounds you can complete!
Battle Ropes - Double Waves
Ignored by most, the battle ropes are an excellent piece of equipment that will get your heart racing and body sweating. This is a great exercise to work your whole body. When performing double waves using battle ropes, remember the further away you are to the anchor point, the more challenging the exercise becomes.
Grab hold of the battle ropes. Lean slightly forward, knees bent to partial squat position, keeping the back straight, chest proud and core tight. Try to keep hold this position whilst moving your arms up and down, making waves with the ropes. The aim is to get the waves to reach the end point.
Tyre flip
A great way to mix up your workouts and move away from the conventional barbell. This intense exercise is a great conditioning tool for building strength and endurance.
With your feet shoulder width apart get into a deep squat and place your hands under the tyre. Driving through the legs and hips lift the tyre up stepping forward and use your whole body to get it over.
Kettlebell swings
Kettlebell swings are probably one of the most popular movements with a kettlebell as it can be used to build strength, endurance and power and at the same time recruit the whole body.
Using both arms pick the kettlebell up from the floor, adopting a nice wide stance. Bend at the knee slightly pulling the kettlebell back between your legs to generate momentum. Drive the hips forward bringing the kettlebell up to shoulder height whilst keeping your abs braced. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement, then hinge your hips back, returning the kettlebell back between your legs and repeat.
Ball Slam
This is one of the oldest and most basic medicine ball exercises out there, but is still considered a great way to develop speed, strength, coordination and power at once. As a bonus it can be a great stress reliever.
Holding the medicine ball in both hands raise it up above your head, fully extending the arms. As you hit full extension, flex your shoulder, spine and hips to throw the ball into the ground with power. Pick it back up and repeat.
corebag deadlift
A nice way to change up your deadlift. This exercise works exactly the same as the standard lift and should be considered as one of your key strength movements.
Hold the bag in front you using the handles. Stand with feet hip width distance apart, knees slightly bent. Engage your shoulders, keep your back straight and core tight. Hinge your hips towards the back of the room. Naturally, while doing this, the core bag should lower towards to the floor. Pause then hinge your hips forward back to straight position. Throughout this movement, make sure you ae keeping the bag as close to your body as possible.
prowler sprints
The prowler is a great piece of kit to use to build strength, power, endurance and speed. Plus, they're great fun to use too! To up your cardio game, we're going to be performing prowler sprints.
After loading the sled with an appropriate amount of weight, grab the bars, keeping your core tight and back straight. Drive your legs through the ground to move the sled and sprint to the end of the track. Try and move as fast you can, this move is all about generating power.
Complete each of these exercises for 20 seconds followed by 20 seconds rest, and repeat this circuit for 20 minutes.
For more support check out our free Exercises section and get a breakdown on how to perform different exercises for different muscles groups.
