Happy July! Here’s the deal, people: It’s independence month and we’re celebrating with stars and stripes…which means, we’re working our abs…A LOT. Summer’s in full force and we’re keeping that beach body toned (you’re welcome!) To begin, lie flat on your back and lift your legs to a 45 degree angle, keeping them as straight as possible. To perform a “star,” draw an imaginary star in the air with your toes with your back on the floor and legs together. For a stripe, move toes horizontally from one side to the other, and back (counts as two.) You’ll be doing stars some days, stripes other days, and both for double trouble. Just save, print, or pin the image below and let the celebrations begin!
One Healthy Breakdown: work that core with stars and stripes galore!
WRONG! Now picture this: barbells, sweat, burpees, squats, and panting…a whole lot of panting. Connor Miller’s Beach Body class at Southampton Gym is all work, not so much glam, but if you’re looking for that one class to get you into beach body shape from head to toe, Beach Body is your answer. And, with a couple months until Memorial Day, now is the time!
After the warm-up, the class is comprised of high-intensity tabata intervals (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off) separated by abdominal circuits and strength-training with weights. Plyometric drills are all timed, so the goal is to bang out as many as reps as possible. Each interval is four minutes long. Four long minutes, really. The first round is doable. And then, just when your heart rate hits the roof, you have three more rounds to go. This is where the panting comes in. That 10 second break are just enough to avoid a heart attack, but definitely not enough for recover. Recovery must wait until about five minutes after class is over and sanity is regained.