Diary of a Fit Mommy's Crazy 8's Workout

Complete each exercise once with 8 repetitions each.

8 Jumping Jacks

8 Bicycle Crunches

8 Mountain Climbers

8 Squats

8 Push Ups

8 Lunges

8 Burpees

8 Tricep Dips

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.

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:

• Place hands on floor, slightly wider than shoulder width. On forefeet, position one leg forward bent under body and extend other leg back.
• While holding upper body in place, alternate leg positions by pushing hips up while immediately extending forward leg back and pulling rear leg forward under body, landing on both forefeet simultaneously.

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.

Tricep Dips:

• Position your hands shoulder-width apart on a secured bench or stable chair.
• Slide your butt off the front of the bench with your legs extended out in front of you.
• Straighten your arms, keeping a little bend in your elbows to keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints.
• Slowly bend your elbows to lower your body toward the floor until your elbows are at about a 90-degree angle. Be sure to keep your back close to the bench.
• Once you reach the bottom of the movement, press down into the bench to straighten your elbows, returning to the starting position. This completes one rep.

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.

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.

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.