BWW Exclusive: Get a Cardio Kick with a Workout from Mark Fisher Fitness Trainer Harold Gibbons!

Your fitness doesn't have to hit PAUSE while sheltering in place, so we're teaming up with Mark Fisher Fitness and Harold Gibbons to offer you a bodyweight workout to get your fitness fix. Today we have a four exercise circuit so you can use your strength and stability work for a cardio kick!

Take 3-4 minutes for a quick warm-up to get prepared: Belly Lift Breathing for 60 seconds helps us set our intentions for the workout and reset our nervous system - it's like the calm before the storm. Then, flip over to do the Glute Bridge March we did last week. Move on to the Spiderman Lunge with Downward Dog to help stretch your legs, hips, and shoulders, and finish with the Wiggle Butt to Balance to make sure you're fully tuned in before the show starts. Then, it's on to our fierce foursome:

Skater Jump to Single Leg Deadlift

Building on last week's Single Leg Deadlift, we're now taking using a short lateral hop to challenge our stability and elevate our heart rates a little bit more. I included the SLDL in between each Skater Jump so that we keep the tempo and balance as steady as possible, and to juxtapose the speed of the two moves!

Push-Up to Elevated Child's Pose

Let's build on the Downward Dog in the warm-up by including a variation in our push-ups! Instead of simply pushing yourself up and away from the floor, we now have to push back as well, which helps to engage the abs and shoulders more than a traditional push-up. Shift your hips back until you feel a stretch between your ribs and glutes, then inhale as you pull your chest back down to your thumbs!

Backpack Bent Over Row

Quick, grab a backpack or tote back and fill it with textbooks, canned goods, or any Tony Awards you have at home. Or, if you have traditional weights at home, those are fine to use, too. Assume a wide stance hinge - with a flat back - over your backpack or bag, and bring the backpack up to meet your shirt. You'll find your wrists are pretty close to your bottom ribs here. Exhale as you lift the weight, inhale as you lower the weight.

Bear Crawl Tempo Taps

I've found that the Bear Crawl Tempo Tap is both more stable and easier to control for lots of Ninjas, and it's also a great way to get a cross-body pattern in without much space. Exhale each time you connect one hand to your opposite knee, and resist rotating or rocking as much as possible for 8-10 contacts per side.

Our goal is to move with high quality, but also at a pace that is brisk enough to elevate your heart rate. There's a fine line between movement quality and metabolic chaos! These four exercises are a fantastic way to include a variety of balance, strength, and stability exercises in a way that simultaneously elevates your heart rate, helping you combine your strength training and cardio to get fitter, faster!

For more online fitness shenanigans from the crew at @mffclubhouse, visit markfisherfitness.com/online.