Take the Cardio Challenge – Combo 3

Another Challenge for all of you – no excuses, there are plenty of options to choose from. Find the combination that challenges you and go for it! We’re working FULL body with this one. Lots of legs, major core, arms, chest, shoulder and back. This is great for those with little time. This combo is 3 moves- 10 High knees (get them up waist or belly button high), a hover plank (take that straight arm plank down to an inch or so from the ground and hold for 3 seconds), jump your feet in and up to a tuck jump (lift both knees at the SAME time to waist height with a jump). Modify from high impact to low where needed. Take very little to NO rest in between rounds. DO 10-15 reps or for 30-45 seconds in between lighter cardio or strength training. See bottom for my challenge.

Notes: BREATHE! As always, keep the abs engaged and the shoulders down your back especially during the plank. There are numerous options, break it down and choose the level for each move that is challenging for you. As you get better at each move, keep increasing the difficulty of it.

Easier: Take the high impact and plyometrics out of this combo. Do high knees as a “march” but get those arms involved to keep the heart rate up. Walk out to the plank and just do a deep squat rather than a tuck jump. Find a level of plank that works for you from fully straight arms to only slightly bent. If you need to, you can do the plank on your knees and forearms.

Harder: Of course you can do more rounds and for longer work intervals. The faster you move through these, the more difficult, just ensure you are fluid and have impeccable form. Do not sacrifice good form and technique for speed. Adjust your arm position at head level or higher for the high knees. You can even add light weights. The lower the hover plank without touching the ground the harder. Hold the hover for 5-10 seconds. Use light weights for the tuck jump.

Challenge:  Set a timer for 3, 4 or 5 minutes and do this combo – full out, until you hear the beep. Record your reps so you can see how much you improve the next time you do this.

P.S. – Did you notice I snuck a Burpee in this? :p