Your 30-Minute Workout: 10 Reps of Everything

After a manic weekend (seriously, who knew that moving across the hall would take up every hour that wasn’t spent working out with the Barry’s Bootcamp crew?) a 30-minute workout felt like a stretch. But when it’s on the calendar, I make it a point to follow-through my my regularly-scheduled sweat.

Sometimes when I’m tired, stretched thin or just plain over it, though, I need an extra push. That’s where creativity comes in. We love to change the way you think about working out and sometimes the greatest way to do that is with a creative way to time or count reps. Variety is, after all, the spice of life.

Today’s workout will keep you engaged as you’re doing reps. You’ll have to do a tiny bit of math, but working out is already impacting your brain, according to Men’s Health, so you might as well go with it.

Here’s your workout:

You’ll do three separate sets. Each set will include two exercises. You’re going to be doing ascending and descending reps of each exercise, but no matter which round you’re on, the reps will always add up to 10. So during the first time through your set, you’ll do 9 reps of the first exercise and 1 rep of the second. Then you’ll do 8 reps of the first and 2 reps of the second. Then 7 reps of the first and 3 reps of the second. You’ll to that until you get all the way down to 1 rep of the first and 9 reps of the second exercise.

After you complete the first set, rest for :45 and move on to the next set. Follow the same rep scheme for the second set then rest :45 and move on to your final set which you’ll use the same rep scheme for one last time. Allow yourself 30 minutes to do all three, but time yourself so you have a point of reference in case you want to come back to this workout to see how much you’ve improved.

  • Set 1:
    • Drop-squats
    • Plank walks
  • Set 2:
    • Push-ups
    • Russian twists
  • Set 3:
    • Narrow floor press
    • Leg lifts

Here are your moves:

Drop-squats: Starting with your feet together and your weights at your chest, jump your feet out to hip-width distance and drop into a squat, keeping your weight in your heels. Stand up and jump your feet back together at the top.

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Plank walks: Starting in a full plank, with your hands under your shoulders and your shoulders, hips and heels in a straight line, keep your hips as steady as possible as you drop down to your right forearm, then left forearm and then come back up to your left hand then right hand. Going down and then back up is one rep.

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Push-ups: With your hands under your shoulders and your body in a straight line, bend your elbows to lower down, leading with your chest. Press back up to your plank. At some point in this set, you may need to drop down to your knees. Just be sure to keep your knees, hips and shoulders in a straight line when you’re on your knees.

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Russian twists: Sitting on the floor with your heels planted, lean back to engage your core keeping your back flat and shoulders rolled back. Twist gently to the right and then back to the left. Moving from right to left is one rep.

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Narrow floor press: In supine position, hold your heavy dumbbells with your palms facing each other and your elbows on the floor near your ribs. Plant your feet. Press your weights up keeping your palms facing each other and lower back down to your starting position.

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Leg lifts: In a supine position place your hands next to your glutes. Drive your lower back down to the ground as you float your feet 3-6 inches off the ground to start the movement. Lift your legs up to the point at which your feet are above your hips and lower back down to your starting position.

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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.)

Move Workouts

About Jeana Anderson Cohen

Jeana Anderson Cohen is the founder and CEO of asweatlife.com a premiere wellness media destination that creates content and community to help womxn live better lives and achieve their goals. Before founding health-focused companies Jeana earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison - and fresh out of college she worked on the '08 Obama campaign in Michigan. From there, she created and executed social media strategies for brands. aSweatLife fuses her experience in building community and her passion for wellness. You can find Jeana leading the team at aSweatLife, trying to join a book club, and walking her dog Maverick.

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