Brunette Ambition (14 page)

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DYNAMIC ARM SWINGS—20 SWINGS TOTAL

Swing your arms back at shoulder level, stretching through your pecs and shoulders. Then swing your arms forward so they wrap around you and touch opposite parts of the back. This stretches the shoulders, biceps, pecs, and upper back.

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ALTERNATING SQUATS—60 SECONDS

Start with your feet together, step to the right, and do a squat. Then step your feet back together, step out to the left, and squat. Keep alternating the legs, doing as many as you can over the course of a minute. This gently warms up the body and gets the heart rate slightly elevated.

WORKOUT CIRCUIT (REPEAT THREE TIMES)

1
STATIONARY LUNGE/BICEPS CURL — 15 REPS EACH SIDE

Place your legs in a deep lunge position (one leg in front of the other) so that both knees can get to a ninety-degree angle when bent, and hold a five-to eight-pound dumbbell loosely in each hand at your sides. Bend your knees and drop down into a lunge, then straighten your legs and lift the dumbbells into a biceps curl. This targets the glutes, quads, hip adductors, and biceps.

2
FULL PLANK WITH TWIST — ALTERNATING, 20 REPS ON EACH SIDE

Hold a full plank (the top of a push-up position), with your feet as wide apart as your hands. Bend one knee and twist to touch it to the opposite elbow, keeping your abs engaged and hips lifted to shoulder level (so your lower back does not sag). This targets the obliques, shoulders, and abs.

3
JUMPING JACKS WITH SHOULDER PRESSES—60 SECONDS

Jump your feet out and in, in a traditional jumping-jack fashion, while lifting your arms (with a three-pound dumbbell in each hand) straight overhead from a shoulder-press position every time your legs go wide. This targets the legs and shoulders.