Workout any-time anywhere! Workout series by Gina Maria. Part 1

This week’s weekly workout series is by Gina Maria! Gina – with an impressive list of training and nutrition certifications – has a goal to help those of you with very little time to achieve your health and fitness goals!

With this series, Gina focuses on providing you three different workouts that require little to no equipment and which can be completed at any-time of the day wherever you may be!

First of all a little more about Gina.

Why did you first get involved in fitness?

Ever since I was little, I loved being active. I was involved in sports at a young age & wanted nothing more than to play outside all the time. In college I was fortunate to intern with our college athletic department. Working in the athletic department only furthered my love for sports & activity. Now in my adult years I have found that I need fitness even more than before. I often find myself working on various projects & sitting more than I should throughout the day, at my desk.

Why you love living a healthy/active lifestyle and the benefits of doing so?

Maintaining a clean diet & active lifestyle allows me to focus & perform better at work. It also allows me to have the energy needed to complete certain tasks & puts me in a good mood.

What is the one piece of advice that you would give to encourage anyone to start/continue a healthy and active lifestyle?

If I could offer any advice when it comes to living an active lifestyle is to make the time. It sounds simple but it really can be a challenge at times. Workouts don’t have to be long and your healthy meals can actually be quite simple. Every Sunday or Monday evening, I take time to food prep for a couple hours and write out my workouts for the week, and see what times they will fit into my schedule for the following week. Preparation is really 80% of it!

Regarding your workout, what is it fundamentally based around and what does it help to achieve/why should a workout of this sort be done and who will benefit from it?

3-4 months out of the year I typically train for an endurance event, so that is more performance based. The other 8-9 months I focus on a combination of high intensity interval training, varied cardio & some yoga. I never train for more than 45-60 minutes at a time. I typically shoot for a solid 5 days a week training routine. I find with my busy schedule, incorporating HIIT style-training programs allows me to train in an effective amount of time combining both cardio & strength at each one of my sessions. I like to train first thing in the morning. I use a limited amount of equipment and sometimes just workout at home due to time constraints.

In this week’s series I will be showing you a series of moves that requires little to no equipment & are exercises that can be done anywhere.

Workout #1 - Monday: Upper Body Strength Moves

I am often pressed for time when I workout & sometimes have to get my workout at home or the park near by. Here are some of my favourite upper body moves that require little equipment & can be done anywhere:

Chest Press + Bridge

Description

Lie on your back with your knees bent feet flat on the floor.
Hold the dumbbells slightly above your chest.
Simultaneously, press the dumbbells up over your chest and raise your hips off the floor until forming a straight line with your torso. Then simultaneously lower and repeat

Back Row With/Triceps Extension

Description

Holding a pair of dumbbells in each hand and with feet hip-width distance apart, hinge at your waist while keeping your core tight. Your back should be parallel to the floor with a neutral spine.
Be sure not to round it!
Make sure there is a slight bend in your knees.
Holding the dumbbells, extend your arms out in front of you.
Keeping your core tight, squeeze your shoulder blades together as you bring weights to your body. Make sure your elbows are pointed upward the whole time.
From here perform triceps kick back, only hinging at the elbow and engaging your triceps
Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position and repeat.

Inchworm with Push-Up

Description

Standing in athletic stance, squat down to the floor.
Walk yourself out into a push-up position.
Perform push-up and walk your hands back up to your feet.
Stand straight up and then repeat.

Triceps Dip with Foot Touch

Description

Sitting on the ground, push up with your hands and feet. Only hinging at the elbow, lower yourself to the ground without touching it.
As you come to the top, extend one leg out and reach opposite hand toward it.
Return to start position & repeat on the other side.