The first thing you need to do when exercising is find your motivation. Do you want to up your fitness levels? Lose weight? Enhance your emotional wellbeing? Whatever your wellness goal, fitness trainer and qualified exercise scientist Damien Kelly has issued a challenge: use it. Kelly instructs, ‘Whatever it does for you, I want you to use this motivation to make over your fitness in the next six weeks. You’ll be doing [my] program three times a week and the intensity and challenge will increase as you get fitter from week to week. Simply choose the number of circuits required for each week and work as intensely as you can for each and every workout.’ Challenge accepted? Alright then, let’s take a look at Kelly’s six-week workout.
1. 20 straddles and 20 alternating stepping lunges: Kelly says, ‘For the straddles, stand to one side of a low bench and hold the front of the bench with both hands. Staying soft through your elbows and knees, and keeping your hands planted, jump up and over the bench to the other side, landing lightly. Every jump is one rep.’ For an easier variation, move your hands to the back of the bench. Then, for the stepping lunges, all you need to do is take a big step forward, lunge your back knee to the ground and then step back again. You should aim to do 10 reps on each leg.
2. 50 skips + 10 prone up and downs: ‘For the skips, you can use alternating feet or jump with both feet together,’ Kelly notes. ‘Land lightly and simply rotate your wrists to spin the rope. For the prone up and downs, assume a push-up position on your hands and toes and then drop down from your hands to your forearms, one after the other, and back up again. This works your core. Your aim is to reduce any hip rotation as you move up and down. Down and up is one rep.’
3. 60 punches + 10 jumps: Using a punching bag or something similar, punch 60 times with your wrist in a neutral position and keeping mobile through your hips. Kelly adds, ‘For the jumps, you can jump onto a low platform or step or you can simply jump in the air. You can jump with both feet simultaneously or lead with one leg. Aim to land softly, and, if using a platform, step off between reps – don’t jump off.’
4. 400m standing cycle + 15 reverse crunches: On your bike, choose a firm resistance and pedal the entire distance whilst standing. Kelly advises, ‘For reverse crunches, lie on your back on a mat, hands palms down beside you. Raise your legs so they are vertical. Keeping the rest of your body still, squeeze through your abs and push your feet up towards the ceiling, raising your tailbone off the ground. Slowly lower and repeat.’
5. 10 burpees + 10 sit-ups: Burpees may sound like your kid’s cute way to describe passing gas, but they’re a great exercise. Kelly coaches, ‘For the burpees, begin in a standing position. Then squat down and place your hands on the ground in front of you. Jump or step your feet out behind you so your body forms a straight line from head to toes. Jump or step your feet back in towards your hands and stand up. That’s one rep. For the sit-ups, begin sitting upright, then lower back until your mid-back brushes the ground, then raise again to upright. Engage your abs throughout to ensure they are the primary muscles working.’
