Diary of a Fit Mommy's Lean Body Hiit Pyramid

Summer is peaking its little head right around the corner and it is time for you to get bikini body ready. Here is a unique Hiit Pyramid to torch 200 calories in less than 5 minutes, right from the comfort of your own living floor!

Are you ready to see some all over changes to your body? Ready, set, go!!

Lean Body Hiit Pyramid

10 Bicycle Crunches

20 Push Ups

30 Lunges

40 Mountain Climbers

50 Burpees

60 Jumping Jacks

70 Squats

80 Russian Twists

90 Second Plank

100 Second Wall Sit

Demos:

Bicycle Crunches:

• Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground and contract your core muscles.
• With your hands gently holding your head, lift your knees to about a 45-degree angle.
• Slowly, at first, go through a bicycle pedal motion.
• Alternately touching your elbows to the opposite knees as you twist back and forth.

 Push-Ups:

• Get into a plank position with hands planted directly under the shoulders (slightly wider than shoulder width apart). Ground the toes into the floor to stabilize the bottom half of the body. Engage the abs and back so the body is neutral. In other words, flat as a… plank (ah, now we get it!)
• Begin to lower the body—back flat, eyes focused about three feet in front of you to keep a neutral neck—until the chest nearly touches the floor. (Note: Some experts say a push-up isn’t a push-up unless the chest actually grazes the ground). Don’t let the butt dip or stick out at any point during the move; the body should remain flat from head to toe all the way through the movement. Draw the shoulder blades back and down, while keeping the elbows tucked close to the body, so the upper arms form a 45-degree angle at the bottom of the push-up position.
• Keeping the core engaged, exhale as you push back to the start position as explosively as possible without leaving the ground.

Lunges:

• Stand up straight, with your legs hip-width apart. Place your hands on your hips. Flex your abdominal muscles inward and upward.
• Step forward with your right foot approximately 2 or 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9m). The taller you are, the further you will need to step forward. Keep your back straight as your body moves forward.
• Lift your left foot up slightly, so that the toe is in contact with the floor, but your heel is not.
• Bend both of your knees at the same time. The aim is to make both of your knees stop at a 90 degree angle. Make sure your right knee does not go over your toe line.
• Pause in this position for 1 to 5 seconds. Stopping your forward momentum will help you to put more effort into rising from the lunge.
• Push off of your right heel to rise. Return your right leg to its starting position. Repeat with the left leg.

Mountain Climbers:

• Start the exercise by lying face down on the floor.
• Straighten out your arms and then touch your knees down to the ground or floor.
• Now you are ready to lift yourself up into position. When doing this, be sure that your hands are directly under your chest at a width that is slightly more than your shoulder length distance.
• Once you have settled into position and checked the position of your hands you should be sure to keep your legs stretched out, ensuring that they are properly lined up with the rest of your body. Pay special attention to your knees as many people tend to create a gap here but that should be avoided. If the recommended position is uncomfortable for you, it is alright to modify it slightly as long as you maintain the correct posture.
• Now you should stretch out your left leg for stability. Bend your right knee and bring it up in the direction of your right hand. At this point, you should be in a similar position to the one you would be in if you were climbing a mountain or tree (hence the name) except horizontal instead of vertical.
• After bringing your right knee up, return it to the original position and do the previous step with your left leg. (Once again, bend the left knee and bring it up towards the left hand mimicking the actions of a mountain climber)

 Burpees:

• Begin in a standing position. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart. Now, lower your body into a squatting position, placing your hands on the floor in front of you.
• Kick your feet back so that you are in push-up position. Keep your hands firmly on the ground to support your body.
• Lower your chest to do a push-up. Bring your chest back up.
• Kick your feet back to their original position. Stand up, and then jump into the air while clapping your arms overhead.
• Repeat.

Jumping Jacks:

• Assume an erect position, with feet together and arms at your side.
• Slightly bend your knees, and propel yourself a few inches into the air.
• While in air, bring your legs out to the side about shoulder width or slightly wider.
• As you are moving your legs outward, you should raise your arms up over your head; arms should be slightly bent throughout the entire in-air movement.
• Your feet should land shoulder width or wider as your hands meet above your head with arms slightly bent.

Squats:

• Plant your feet flat on the ground, about shoulder-width apart.
• Point your feet slightly outward, not straight ahead.
• Never let your knees extend beyond your toes.
• Look straight ahead. Bend at your knees as if you were going to sit back in a chair, keeping your heels on the floor.
• Pull in your abs, and keep your lower back in a near neutral position (a slightly arched back might be unavoidable).
• Tighten your whole body when you perform the squat.
• Lower yourself. In a controlled manner slowly lower yourself down and back so that your upper legs are nearly parallel with the floor. Extend your arms for balance.
• Keep the upper body tight at all times.

Russian Twists:

• Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your heels about a foot from your butt.
• Lean slightly back without rounding your spine at all. It is really important, and difficult, to keep your back straight, but don’t let it curve.
• Place your arms straight out in front of you with your hands one on top of the other. Your hands should be level with the bottom of your ribcage.
• Pull your navel to your spine and twist slowly to the left. The movement is not large and comes from the ribs rotating, not from your arms swinging. Inhale through center and rotate to the right. This completes one rep.

Plank:

• Start off on a yoga mat in the pushup position. Starting with the pushup position is the easiest way to get into the plank.
• Lower both your forearms to the ground so that both your elbows and fists are flat to the ground. Your palms should be balled up, and directly underneath your shoulders.
• Curl your toes under and engage your abs by tilting your pelvis and pulling your belly button toward your spine.
• Straighten your body but keep your neck and spine neutral. Imagine that you’re a plank of wood, and that you’re straight as an arrow.
• Flex your abdominals and squeeze your glutes. These are the two major muscle groups you’ll be working out in this exercise.
• Hold this position, also known as the plank, until after the burning begins. Keep your eyes on the floor in front of you. Avoid raising your behind. Your body should make a straight line from your heels to the back of your head.

Wall Sit:

• Stand in front of a wall (about 2 feet in front of it) and lean against it.
• Slide down until your knees are at about 90-degree angles and hold, keeping the abs contracted, for x amount of seconds.
• Come back to start and repeat, holding the squat at different angles to work the lower body in different ways.