Training

7 HIIT Workouts Perfect for the Holidays (Equipment-Free!)

 

One of the biggest excuses people have for not working out over the holidays is that they just don’t have the time.

That’s why I’ve put together this resource list of seven quick but really effective workouts you can do over the next month when you’re totally stressed out and strapped for time.

Each of these workouts can be done using just your own bodyweight, so you can do them at home (or wherever you are for the holidays) without having to take the extra time to trek to a gym.

The workouts themselves range from four minutes long to 16 minutes—so no matter how much time you have, you can still fit one in.

No excuses!

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V Ups For Strong Abs: Beginner to Advanced Progressions

 

V ups are one of my favorite abdominal exercises ever, which is why you see them included in so many of the 12 Minute Athlete workouts.

Yet despite being relatively simple to do (no equipment needed, no complicated moves to remember, etc.), I get quite a few emails from people telling me that their V ups look more like a dead fish than a proper gymnastics-style V up.

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How to Deal With Plateaus (And What to Do When You Hit One)

We’ve all been there.

You’re kicking ass at your goals, feeling so much stronger, hitting new PRs every week, noticing how much looser your jeans are starting to feel…

And then one day, it all just stops. The number of push ups you can do stays the same, for a long time. All of a sudden, after months of continuous progress, your 100 burpees time refuses to budge. Or maybe you just can’t seem to lose those last five pounds, even though the first 10 seemed to go pretty quickly.

And bam, seemingly out of nowhere, you’ve hit a plateau.

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The Best Foods to Eat Before and After Your Workout (+ This Month’s 100 Burpee Challenge!)

 

Knowing what to eat before and after a workout can dramatically improve your workout and may be the difference of whether or not you meet your goals, whether they’re athletic or strength-based, weight loss, or both.

If you’re not eating the right foods before your workout, not only will you not be able to perform at your best, you also may be so low on energy you have trouble even getting through your workout at all (I’ve had this happen, it’s not fun).

And if you’re not eating properly after your workout, you’re not ensuring proper muscle recovery and may be actually setting yourself up for failure, despite your best intentions.

So today, I’m excited to share some awesome workout nutrition advice by one of the top mixed martial arts coaches in the world, Funk Roberts (he’s trained today’s top MMA and UFC fighters!).

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72 Awesome Resources to Get You in Fighting Shape

 

I’ve told you guys how much I love boxing, right?

You’ve probably at least noticed there are more and more boxing and kickboxing-focused workouts here on the site, because not only is punching and kicking something really freaking hard a great way to burn off some stress, it also:

  • Burns a ton of calories and blasts fat
  • Will help you create a strong, athletic build
  • Is super fun!
  • Makes you look like a total badass

And that’s why I’m super excited to tell you about a project I’ve been working on for a while now: The Combat Bundle, a bunch of super awesome resources all meant to get you in fighting shape in the most fun, efficient way possible.

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8 Plank Variations For a Super Strong Core

plank variations 12 minute athlete

I’m sure you already know that planks are one of the best exercises you can do to work your core. Not only are planks really versatile and travel-friendly, they also work more than 20 muscles, including your abdominal muscles, obliques, shoulders, quads, glutes, and more.

I don’t know about you though, but I can’t imagine anything more boring than just hanging out in a basic plank for minutes upon end. Sure, static holds are great to include in your training (which is why I often include them as a bonus for after your workout), but dang can they get boring pretty quickly.

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How Many Calories Do 12 Minute Athlete Workouts Burn?

 

I can’t tell you how many times a week I get asked how many calories the 12 Minute Athlete HIIT workouts burn.

I always have a hard time responding, because the short answer is: I don’t know.

Not because the calorie burn can’t be measured at all, but because there are so many different factors to consider when trying to figure out how many calories you’re burning.

Things like:

  • How much you weigh (the more you weigh, the more calories you’ll burn)
  • Whether you’re male or female (men will burn more, but a lot of that is due to the fact that they’re just heavier)
  • How hard you work (you’ll burn more the harder you work)
  • What your fitness level is and how efficient your body is at burning fat

And so on.

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Why I’ll Never Compete In A Bodybuilding or Physique Competition

This past weekend was the 50th annual Mr. Olympia Weekend, arguably the biggest weekend of the year for bodybuilders and bikini competitors where they compete for titles like Mr. and Ms. Olympia, Fitness Olympia and Figure Olympia.

It’s a pretty big deal in the world of bodybuilding, to say the least—and I chose not to go, just as I haven’t gone any other year since becoming a personal trainer.

In fact, I’d never even been near a bodybuilding competition of any type until the other weekend when I was staying in Venice Beach, one of my favorite places ever because of the incredible variety of activities there. I mean there’s a giant outdoor workout area (full of pull up bars, dip bars, rings, speed bag stations, and more!), a huge skate park, surfing, swimming, SUPing, biking… the list is endless (I know, I know, I’m a total nerd).

One of the days I was there I got up to work out as usual and right next to the outdoor workout area a bunch of male and female bodybuilders were getting ready to compete in various bodybuilding/bikini/physique competitions.

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Happy (Late) World Pull Up Day (And the New Pull Up Mastery Program!)

 

This past Sunday was World Pull Up Day, the official celebration day of one of the best bodyweight exercises ever.

If you’re on Instagram, you probably saw a lot of pull ups, different styles, progressions and whatnot from fitness and pull up lovers around the world.

And if you don’t already follow me there, here’s the pull up video I posted for the day:

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burpee variations

9 Awesome Burpee Variations to Mix Up Your Training

9 burpee variations to try

There’s no question that I love burpees.

After all, I include them in almost all of the workouts, have a monthly 100 burpee challenge, and talk about them pretty often. Oh, and they show up a lot in the app as well.

Why are burpees so awesome? For SO many reasons:

  • They work your entire body in one efficient, awesome move
  • They burn a lot of calories in a short time
  • They’re functional and will make you a better athlete

I could go on, but you get the idea. If you’re curious, here’s more about why burpees are so awesome.

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