As a busy 30 something who doesn’t want to spend my whole life in the gym, I vote we stop holding ourselves to an unmanageable standard and start pursuing fitness the sustainable way.

Years ago, I insisted on a rigid 6 day per week training schedule with many of my workout sessions hitting at least an hour and a half. I was coming out of my bodybuilding competition era in which fitness was life and little else mattered.

You know, the one where I weighed every gram of food, worked out on Christmas, and was highly critical of my body despite spending a lot of time focusing on it.

Bodybuilding me could NEVER imagine doing a 30 minute workout and calling it good. But things change, right? People grow.

My world expanded beyond the gym. I found Jesus, got more involved at my church, made friends, and started focusing more on the inside - aka the spiritual, mental, and emotional healing journey I needed to be healthy. The gym didn’t become unimportant. It just became one piece of a much bigger plan to lead a full, impactful, and satisfying life.

That being said, I’ve been sticking to a 3-4 day per week training split for several years now and stand by it 100%. I’ve added about 7 pounds of muscle over the last (almost) 3 years without working out being the focal point of my life. You CAN make progress without dedicating an hour+ to the gym each day.

You can even pack more training volume into your shorter sessions if you choose. Enter HIIT training!

Why HIIT is fab

You know those workouts where you do a set and then stare off into la-la land for the next 10 minutes, thinking about what you’re going to make for dinner tonight or the plans you’re making for the weekend?

You know when you get a text, go to reply, and then all of a sudden you’ve been sucked into the social media blackhole for the next 15 minutes?

Yep… you’re not alone, sis. That doesn’t happen during a HIIT workout though. HIIT uses short timed intervals to pack a lot of work into a short time frame. You’re lifting until the timer buzzes. Then you’re resting just until the timer buzzes again. You barely have time to think about how much it hurts because, before you know it, you’re on to the next set.

Genius, right? Time management at its finest.

I encourage you to give this HIIT workout a try. It’s just about 30 minutes and yet, you’re still getting plenty of exercises done with great intensity.

Equipment

• Dumbbells
• Exercise Mat (or other soft but sturdy surface to lay on for ab work)
• Bench (or sturdy couch / chair)
• A timer (You can use the one on your phone!)

30 Minute Full Body HIIT Workout

4 Rounds of Each Exercise, 40 Seconds of Work, 20 Seconds Rest in Between

1. Single Leg Down Dog to Climber
2. Dumbbell Squat with 3 Second Negative
3. Dumbbell Row
4. Kneeling Single Arm Arnold Press
5. Leg Supported Single Leg Deadlift
6. Skull Crusher with Glute Bridge Hold
7. Alternating Reverse Lunge with Hammer Curl

Exercise Instructions

SINGLE LEG DOWN DOG TO CLIMBER

1. Begin in plank position with your hands directly underneath your shoulders on a mat.
2. Lift your hips up and back to form an inverted 'v' shape. 
3. While keeping your hips square to the floor, lift one leg up towards the ceiling.
4. Then lower your hips while simultaneously driving the knee of your raised leg down and towards your chest.
5. Repeat. 
6. Once you've completed all reps on one side, perform the reps on the other side.

DUMBBELL SQUAT WITH 3 SECOND NEGATIVE

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging down on both sides.
2. With your back straight, descend down in a slow and controlled manner until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Ensure that the knees stay in line with the toes. The descent should take 3 seconds total (hence, the 3 second negative.)
3. Slowly return to starting position.

DUMBBELL ROW

1. When performing this exercise, maintain a safe back by keeping a neutral spine throughout the exercise. The starting position will look similar to that of the deadlift.
2. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing each other.) Your arms should be fully extended underneath your shoulders.
3. Pull the dumbbells to the sides of your waist, retracting your shoulder blades and flexing the elbows. 
4. Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position. 

KNEELING SINGLE ARM ARNOLD PRESS

1. Begin in a half kneeling stance with a dumbbell in the hand opposite of your forward foot. Place your free hand on your hip or out to your side for balance. Activate the core throughout the movement to protect the back and maintain stability.
2. Hold the dumbbell at upper chest level in front of you with your palm facing you and your elbow bent. 
3. Raise the dumbbell as you rotate the palm of your hand to face forward. Your elbow should come out to your side in a wide arc before traveling upward.
4. When your arm has reached full extension (without locking out the elbow), slowly reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

LEG SUPPORTED SINGLE LEG DEADLIFT

1. When performing the deadlift, ensure you have a safe back. Keep your back slightly arched or in neutral position.
2. Keep the core activated throughout the movement to protect the spine. Pretend someone is about to punch you in the stomach. You would harden the abdominals. This is called abdominal bracing. Maintain this throughout the movement.
3. Stand on one leg, holding a dumbbell in each hand. The other foot can rest against a bench, sturdy couch or chair, or a wall.
4. Keeping the front knee slightly bent, perform a stiff-legged deadlift by bending at the hip, your glutes moving back behind you. Imagine that you are pushing a car door closed behind you with your backside.
5. Continue lowering the dumbbells until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh (the hamstring.)
6. Then return starting position.

SKULL CRUSHER WITH GLUTE BRIDGE HOLD

1. Begin by lying on your back on a flat bench or exercise mat with your feet flat on the floor, knees bent, and a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip (palms facing inward) and extend your arms just slightly past straight up towards the ceiling. This will allow for constant tension on the triceps.
2. Lift your hips off the bench or mat by pressing through your heels until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the bridge position and hold this position throughout the exercise.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells towards the sides of your forehead by bending your elbows. Keep your upper arms stationary throughout the movement.
4. When your elbows hit about 90 degrees, use your triceps to press the weights back up towards the starting position.

ALTERNATING REVERSE LUNGE WITH HAMMER CURL

1. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand using a neutral grip (palms facing each other.)
2. Extend one leg back and lower your body on the other leg until your knee of the rear leg is almost in contact with floor.
3. Drive through the heel of the front leg to push yourself back up while simultaneously bringing the back leg forward to the starting position.
4. Perform a hammer curl. Bend your elbows to curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders.
5. Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to your sides.
6. Repeat the reverse lunge on the other side followed by the hammer curl.

Are you ready to transform your body, health, and life?

Girl, it sounds like it’s time to apply for Emily Cramer Fitness 1:1 Coaching!

My 1:1 coaching program is for you if:

✔ You want to lose fat and build muscle without your workout or nutrition program taking over your whole life. You want something sustainable and realistic so you don't just keep starting and stopping.

✔ You want help learning how to eat and workout for your goals and how to consistently execute on these healthy habits

✔ You've been struggling with all or nothing thinking. You're tired of feeling like you need to do everything perfectly in order to see progress.

✔ You want to radiate confidence and strength - not just look fit, but feel it too!

✔ You want to make changes with the support, encouragement, and push from a trained and understanding expert.

There will never be a "perfect time" or "perfect circumstance" to get started on your fitness goals. Today is the day to make moves!

Every little action step you take brings you one step closer to the life you want, and confidence comes AFTER you take action. Breakthrough is on the other side of your 'YES!'

Not convinced it could work for you? Take a look at my Client Success Stories. If it worked for them, WHY NOT YOU?

I look forward to coaching you! 

To Your Good Health & Success,

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