B Strong Greatest HIITs: At Home HIIT Cardio Drill

This drill is definitely one of the hardest finishers we've ever done in B Strong Body Fix - it's not for the faint of heart!!

Here's the drill:
A. 30sec x  Quick Feet [count to 3] + 1 Power Jack
B. 30sec x 4 Scissor Hops + 2 Switch Lunge Jumps
C. 30sec x Broad Jump + 180 Hop + Tuck Jump
Complete 2-4 rounds with no rest between movements or rounds

FORM:
[Quick Feet + Power Jack]
- Stay light & quick on your feet
- A power jack is a jumping jack where you always land with your knees bent, whether your feet are together or apart
- When your feet move together, try to land them at least 6in apart still & avoid letting your knees collapse together when you squat
[Scissor Hops + Switch Lunge Jumps]
- Stay light & quick on your feet
- When you jump, be sure to land in a proper lunge: both knees are bent, shin of back leg is parallel to floor, front foot is flat & back foot only the ball of your foot is on the floor
- Pull your belly tight and drive through your front heel as you spring up for your switch jump
- When you land, be sure to land softly so that your knees don't experience too much impact
[Broad Jump + 180 + Tuck Jump]
- The squat before the broad jump is essential - the bend in your knees will make your jump more powerful & reduce the impact of the landing on your knees
- From that squat position, thrust your hips & throw your arms forward as you take the biggest leap you can with both feet at the same time
- When you land your broad jumps - BEND YOUR KNEES!
- The 180 doesn't have to be fancy - just jump high enough to give yourself enough time to turn around & land facing the exact opposite direction
- For the tuck jump, land as softly as you can to protect your knees
- When you jump up, pulling your abdominals in as tight as you can helps slow your decent & soften the landing
- When you land, bend your knees so you don't shock your joints. I always say, "land your jumps like you'd catch an egg - soften the momentum of the movement"

How many rounds did you get through your 1st attempt?! It BURNS like a MF, right?! Tell me on IG/FB/TW how it went @cassiebstrong!

B Strong!

Cassie B.

B Strong Greatest HIITs: 20min HIIT Workout

When time is of the essence, it can be difficult to fit in a workout, or feel accomplished after completing a quick workout. An AMRAP, ["as many rounds as possible"], drill like this one is an efficient & effective total body strength & cardio workout. I use them religiously in short breaks between clients!

Here's the drill:
100 Jump Rope
50 Mountain Climber [per leg!]
25 KB Swing
12 Plank March + 2 Reach & Taps
Set a timer for 20min & see how many rounds you can get done before it ends!

DISCLAIMER: Kettlebells are tricky AF! I HIGHLY recommend working 1 on 1 with myself or another trainer to master this movement pattern before attempting this drill. A potential back injury is NOT worth doing this today - wait until you've mastered a simple swing before trying this.

FORM:
[Jump Rope]
- Engage your lats by pulling your shoulder blades back & down & keeping your neck long
- Keep your elbows close to your hips, elbows at 90* angles, & externally rotate your shoulders so that your hands are aligned with your hips rather than reach in front of them
- Your wrists are really the only things that should move in order to swing the rope - the more you move your shoulders/forearms, the more likely you are to trip up
[Mountain Climbers]
- Get into a solid plank: hands directly beneath shoulders, lats engaged, abs pulled tight, booty & quads squeezing, driving heels back toward floor
- Each time you lift a foot, crunch that knee forward toward the space between your elbows - avoid kicking your heels up behind you, your shins should be parallel to the floor
- Keeps your hips at shoulder level - avoid letting them bounce up & down & challenge yourself to keep them in the same exact spot
[Kettlebell Swings]
- Spine stays straight, always.
*** The key to a KB swing is understanding that the movement pattern of your hips dictates the movement pattern of the bell. If you want the bell to swing back to front, your hips must "swing" back to front. It's NOT a simple squatting motion. Letting your hips move up & down while trying to get the bell to move back to front WILL hurt your lower back.***
- When the bell swings back, your knees soften and your hips hinge, [butt sticks back but spine stays straight].
- To swing the bell forward, act like someone surprised you with a smack on the booty - snap your hips forward and squeeze those cheeks!
- Keep your neck long, lats engaged, & SQUEEZE THAT CORE!
[Plank March + 2 Reach & Taps]
- Get into a solid plank: hands directly beneath shoulders, lats engaged, abs pulled tight, booty & quads squeezing, driving heels back toward floor
- I also recommend placing your feet wider - the wider you place them, the more stability you'll have for the march
- As you walk down to your forearms & back up to your hands, your goal is to keep your hips square to the floor - if you find your hips keep twisting despite squeezing your abs & booty as tight as you can, place your feet a little wider like I noted above
- Again, as you reach & tap the KB, your hips should stay square to the floor - the farther you have to reach, the more it'll challenge your stability, so adjust it based on your core strength & ability to maintain proper form

How many rounds did you get in 20min?! Tell me on FB/IG/TW @cassiebstrong!

B Strong,

Cassie B.

B Strong, Build Stability: Bum Burning Warm-up

People are learning more and more about glute activation & are beginning to realize that our sedentary lifestyle, [sitting still a lot], is creating a disconnect in our body. If a muscle group isn't firing, your body must resort to using a different muscle group to get the job done, which is often why people feel pain in unexpected places while working out - like their back when they wish to work their lower body, or their neck when they want to strengthen their core. This series here is a warm-up that I often use with clients before they get after a challenging glute workout. I'm using a medium resistance band in the video. Of course, adjust the resistance depending on your level of strength, but be warned that these work up a serious burn VERY quick!

Here's the circuit:
A. Mini Band Lateral Walks [10 each way]
B. Mini Band Zig Zag Walks [10 each way]
C. Mini Band Slow Squats [10x]

FORM:
[Mini Band Lateral Walks]
- Begin with band around ankles & a slight hip hinge: spine straight, belly pulled tight, lats firmly engaged, hips reaching back slightly, head & neck reaching forward slightly, knees slightly bent
- Continuously squeeze your glutes, lower belly & lats tight to support your spine
- Keeping your knees bent, take small steps side & together while always keeping tension in the band
[Mini Band Zig Zag Walks]
- Begin with band around ankles & a slight hip hinge: spine straight, belly pulled tight, lats firmly engaged, hips reaching back slightly, head & neck reaching forward slightly, knees slightly bent
- Continuously squeeze your glutes, lower belly & lats tight to support your spine
- Keeping your knees bent, take small, diagonal steps forward & together or backward & together while always keeping tension in the band
[Mini Band Slow Squats]
- Begin with band around thighs, [6-10in above knees], & with feet pointing straight forward, slightly wider than hip width
- Count down from 3 as you hip hinge & squat, hold for 3 counts at the bottom of the squat, count to 3 as you stand back up & squeeze your glutes as tight as you can
- As you squat, you'll feel the band creating tension that wants to pull your legs closer together; your focus is to stop that from happening & press your knees apart to keep them directly over your ankles

Did you make it through the entire 1st round without feeling the burn? Use a heavier resistance band! Give this warm-up a try, tell me how the rest of your workout went on FB/IG/TW @cassiebstrong! Did you feel stronger & more stable?!

B Strong,

Cassie B.

B Strong Greatest HIITs: Burpees & Broad Jumps!

Another fun drill from B Strong Body Fix to work that bod' from head to toe & get your heart pumping strong!

Here's the drill:
- 30sec Burpee + 2 Star Jumps
- 30sec 6 Butt Kicks, 1 Squat, 2 Broad Jumps, 4 Hops Backward
- Alternate between these 2 movements for 2-4 rounds [each round is exactly 1 min]
- No rest between movements or rounds

FORM:
Burpee + 2 Star Jumps
- Stay light on both your hands & your feet for the burpee by keeping your core super tight & lats engaged [pull shoulders away from your ears!]
- The Star Jump is essentially a jumping jack - just your feet don't land on the ground when they move apart - so if the star jump is too much just do jumping jacks!!
Butt Kicks & Broad Jumps Drill
- Butt Kicks are just that - heel to booty, people!!
- The squat before the broad jump is essential - the bend in your knees will make your jump more powerful & reduce the impact of the landing on your knees
- On that note, when you land your broad jumps - BEND YOUR KNEES!
- On the hops backward, your goal is to get back to where you started your 2 broad jumps

This one's definitely more complex, so don't get frustrated if it takes a minute to catch on. But... once you caught on... did you have fun?! Tell me on FB/IG/TW @cassiebstrong!

B Strong,

Cassie B.

B Strong Greatest HIITs: Burpee + Plank March Drill

This drill comes straight from B Strong Body Fix. It's not the most challenging drill ever, but it works your whole body & gets your heart pumping, so it's a great way to get some extra movement into your day &/or your workout!

Here's the drill:
- 40sec of Burpee Plank Marches
- 20sec of high knees as your active recovery
- Alternate between these 2 movements for 3-5 rounds [each round is exactly 1min]
- No rest between movements or rounds

FORM:
Burpee Plank Marches
- When you jump your feet back to the plank, land them about 2 feet wide - it'll give you more stability for the plank march than keeping your feet together
- When you do the plank march, your goal is to keep your hips square to the floor - try not to let them twist at all!
- Also, during the march, focus on what your shoulders are doing too - pull them down away from your ears & keep your neck nice & long
- Every time you do the plank march, alternate the arm that lowers to it's forearm 1st, as well as the hand that presses back up 1st
High Knees
- Stay light on your feet
- Pump your arms like you mean it!!
- Pull your knees up as high as your belly button

How'd you like this drill?! Did you get through it without any rest? Tell me on FB/IG/TW @cassiebstrong!

B Strong,

Cassie B.