A Stacked Endurance Workout to Keep You Moving for 30 Minutes

The yoga class I teach Sunday mornings is a very chill 75-minute vinyasa class that leaves me feeling like I’m floating on clouds when I walk into the world after. It sets the tone for a quiet day. And especially on this past wintery Chicago Sunday morning, one of the first really cold days we’ve had, I didn’t want to do anything but sit on my couch the rest of the day.

Lucky for me, I have a best friend who loves a good sweat session as much as she loves Sunday brunches and binge watching Netflix. After catching up on every new episode of “New Girl” she looked at me and said, “Want to do some push-ups?” Obviously, this is why we’re best friends. We pulled from the aSweatLife bank of 30-minute workouts for November and decided on the one I’m breaking down for you below.

If you do this workout like I did yesterday let us know by taking our short survey. We want to make sure we’re giving you what you need and want out of these workouts! I will say that I can totally vouch for the caliber of this workout (as evidenced by my sweaty selfie below).

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Here’s your workout:

Each exercise stacks one on top of the other. You’ll always start with exercise one, but every round you’ll build one more exercise onto the end of the full set of exercises. When you finish a round, you’ll get 30 seconds to rest. At first, you’ll feel like the rest might even be too long, but each time you go through the sets of exercises you’ll have 30 more seconds of work and the rest will only be 30 seconds total.

  • Exercise 1: Jumping jacks & punch combo
  • Exercise 2: Push-ups
  • Exercise 3: Oblique V-Ups (a full 30 seconds on one side, then a full 30 seconds on the other side)
  • Exercise 4: High knees ladder arms
  • Exercise 5: Mountain climbers
  • Exercise 6: Agility feet
  • Exercise 7: Low skaters
  • Exercise 8: Squat jump turns
  • Exercise 9: Plank hold

You’ll do 30 seconds of your jumping jacks combo, then rest for 30 seconds. Then you’ll do :30 of jumping jacks, :30 of push-ups, then take :30 of rest total. Keep building on set after set until you get to the plank hold. After your :30 plank hold, take your 30 second rest, then you’ll go through every set in reverse order, all together (starting with the :30 plank hold, then going straight in squat jump turns, etc).

This is what the moves look like:

Jumping jacks & punch combo: From a neutral stance, jump your feet out and raise your arms above your head. Then jump your feet back together and bring your hands to a boxer position. Turn your hips to the right and punch your left arm across your body, then hop through neutral, turn hips left and punch your right arm across. Then go back to the start with your jumping jack in the middle. Check out our Instagram for a video of this move.
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Push-ups: Starting with your hands under your shoulders and your shoulders, hips and heels in a straight line, lower down by bending your elbows. Press back up to your starting position. Remember, you can drop down to your knees at any point, but be sure to keep your body in a straight line there.
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Oblique V-ups: Lie on your side, propping your body up on your left elbow. With your right arm behind your head, raise your body up, bringing your right elbow closer towards your knees, then lower back down to a hover. The most difficult level of this move is to keep your knees as straight as possible, but you can bend your knees any amount you need. This is the only set that will take a full minute – you’ll do 30 seconds of oblique V-Ups on the right, then :30 on the left.
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High knees ladder arms: Quickly drive one knee and then the other up towards your chest. When your right knee is up towards your chest lift your left arm high, swapping the arm reach alternate to your legs.
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Mountain climbers: From a plank position, bring one knee into your chest, then switch quickly to the other knee into your chest, focusing on your core and keeping your shoulders lined up right over your wrists the whole time.
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Agility feet: Move your feet as quickly as you can while keeping your feet in an athletic stance, light bend in your knees. Move your arms with your legs and keep your core engaged. To add a challenge you can move directions or tap the ground and pop back up to your fast feet quickly.
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Low skaters: As if you’re speed skating, start with your right foot planted and your left leg reaching back and behind your right. Then push off of your right foot and jump-switch your weight onto your left foot, bringing your right leg back behind your left. Keep your body as low as possible while still jumping as far as you can laterally side to side.
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Squat jump turns: Start in a low squat position, weight in your heels and chest lifted. Exhale as you jump into the air and turn over your right shoulder to land in your squat on the opposite side. On your next exhale jump up and turn over your left shoulder to land back in your squat again.
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Plank hold: Just as you would set up for your high plank, the same cues apply. This time, stack your shoulders right on top of your elbows, making your forearms create an “11” or two parallel lines.
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(Disclaimer: This workout is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor is it a replacement for seeking medical treatment or professional nutrition advice. Do not start any nutrition or physical activity program without first consulting your physician.)

 

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About Maggie Umberger

Maggie moved to Chicago from North Carolina in 2014 with a degree in Journalism and Spanish, a 200-hour yoga certification, a group fitness cert and a passion to teach and to sweat. It wasn't until she found aSweatLife that she really started to feel at home. Here, she's incorporated her passion for health and wellness into her career as she helps to build the network of Ambassadors, trainers and fitness enthusiasts that exist within the aSweatLife ecosystem. You can also find her coaching at CrossTown Fitness and teaching yoga classes at Bare Feet Power Yoga, Yoga Six and exhale.