Thursday's Total Body/Cardio - Deck of Cards

Here's the last deck of cards workout that I'm posting for the week.

This one is for the total body--I'm going to add a little twist this time to add some extra cardio work.

Here's a quick review-- 4 suits, 4 exercises -- the number of reps you do corresponds with the number on the card; face cards = 10 and aces = 11.

The twist here is that I'm going to give you a cardio burst to do every 10 cards--so keep track...and don't forget to put in the Jokers!

These exercises are going to be combinations of upper and lower body to hit all your muscles.

Hearts:  Squat with an Overhead Press

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward. Grab dumbbells with an overhand grip and bring them up to shoulder height with your palms facing out. Inhale, bend your knees, and lower your hips into a squat (A). Keep your head up, heels on the ground, and back arched. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then quickly return to standing and exhale. Drive both dumbbells overhead until your elbows are fully extended (B). Slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position.

Diamonds:  Lunge with a Rotation

Grab a 5- to 15-pound dumbbell with both hands. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms straight out (A). Take a big step forward with your left foot and, bracing your abs, twist your torso to the left as you bend your knees and lower your body until both of your legs form 90-degree angles (B). Twist back to center, push off your left foot, and stand back up. Repeat on the other leg. That's 1 rep. Keep your elbows straight but not locked. 

Clubs:  Push Up with a Row

Get into push up position with arms straight, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width, and hands resting on a set of dumbbells directly below your shoulders (A). Do a complete pushup (B). Then, from the up position, lift your right elbow toward the ceiling until your elbow passes your torso (C). Lower, then lift the left dumbbell. That's 1 rep.  To modify the move, go to your knees.

Spades:  Alternating Bicep Curls and Lateral Raises one of each = 1 rep

No explanation here except this--do 1 bicep curl and 1 side lateral raise--continue until all reps are done.  To modify, you can bend the arms to 90 degrees as you do the side raise (see pic #3 below)

Bicep Curl

Straight Arm Lateral Raise

Lateral Raise with Bent Arms

After first 10 cards:  Do 1 minute of jump rope (with or without an actual rope)

After the next 10 cards:  Do 1 minute of jumping jacks

After the next 10 cards:  Do 1 minute of high knee jogs

After the next 10 cards:  Do 1 minute of butt kick jogs

After final 10 cards:  Do 1 minute of cross country skiers--take one foot in front, one foot in back, jump and switch feet as fast as you can. (see video)

JOKER'S WILD!!!!

First Joker:  Do 1 minute of burpees (see yesterday's post for description)

Second Joker:  Do 1 minute of mountain climbers (see video)

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER!!!!