The clues are all around us. The hum of lawn mowers cutting furiously in the evening, the smell of grass, the long days, and the sprinkling of sunshine. We are being told that summer is coming!
You may react in two ways when you hear this. Some of you may throw your eyes to heaven and sigh, “sure that’s ages away!”. Others, will get that slightly panicky feeling, as they know something is coming that they’re not yet fully prepared for.
I love that feeling. It’s a slightly unnerving mix of fear, excitement, and potential. You still have time, but you need to act now to avoid any future disappointment.
That’s how I felt as I created the Women’s Summer Beach Body Workout video this month. Yes, we are only in April, but transforming and sculpting your body certainly doesn’t happen overnight. You need weeks and months to be on your side.
Therefore, to realistically have the body you want on the beach this summer, the starting time is right now.
Once we have allowed ourselves ample time, the next focus goes on what we are aiming to do. In my work with my female clients, the number one areas that they feel most conscious of, are their stomachs, arms, and legs/glutes.
This workout targets each of these areas to get these muscles working hard, burning fat, and leaving you with increased confidence in the body you have. The aim is to do the best you can. You may not be able to keep up with me in the workout video at the start, but getting this session done three times a week for six weeks, will have you seriously taking me on in no time!
I chose the following six exercises to zone in on the areas the majority of women are most conscious of. Aim to do each exercise for forty seconds, before taking a break for twenty seconds.
Once you’ve completed all six, all you have to do is repeat them, and you’re finished in a total of twelve minutes! This High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session can be done anywhere, and you need very little space.
So for the next six weeks, don’t let anything get in your way of getting your three summer sessions in each week. You’ll be with me on the Long Strand Beach near Clonakilty in West Cork, so enjoy the scenery, take a deep breath, and give it all you’ve got!
The Six Exercises in the Women’s Summer Beach Body Workout:
1. Lunge and Squat
We start with the legs! Do two step back lunges, but don’t go very deep at all. It’s almost like two fast step backs. A squat is added to this to make it a double move. Start slowly and build up your pace as you get more comfortable with the exercise. You continue the sequence of lunge, lunge, squat for your first forty second work period.
2. Lunges and Mountain Climbers
Again we concentrate on the leg muscles in this move, but also bring in some core work with the push-up position Mountain Climbers. You lunge forward twice, before getting into the push-up position and bringing your knees up to your chest, as if sprinting on the spot. This exercise works the quads, entire core, and cardiovascular system. You’ll be sure to be puffing after this high intensity move!
3. Plank Leg Raises
You’ll feel that bum burn after this deceptively tough exercise! Your glutes are very much engaged during the leg lift of this move, as you fight to keep your body straight. Avoid lifting your bum in the air, or letting your head drift backwards. Your head should stay in between your arms. This exercise is a great back, abs, glutes, and core movement. Grit your teeth and hang in there for the full forty!
4. Tricep Dips with Toe Touch
The focus is firmly on the arms and core in this challenging move. You do a tricep dip, and allow the momentum gained by the upward movement, to transfer all your weight on to one hand. Next, you reach out with your free hand, while squeezing your abdominal muscles ,to allow your hand to touch the opposite side’s toe. Get into a rhythm with this one and try to last until the end!
5. Side Plank Twist
Get into a side plank position and hold your body in as straight a line as possible. Try not to allow your hips to sink towards the ground. Once you’re feeling settled in this position, reach up with your hand all the way to the sky. This is your starting position. When ready, bring your hand from above and scoop it through under your arm, as if threading a needle.
Your body will naturally twist until you are looking behind you, and your oblique abdominal muscles will be highly activated. This is a demanding but excellent core move! Complete twenty seconds on one side, before rolling over and doing the final twenty seconds on your opposite side.
6. Squat Pulses with Crawl
Our final move (before we repeat all six exercises again in round 2) is an all over body move. We start by doing four squat pulses, sitting right back onto our heels. We then stay in this squatted position and gently lower our hands to the ground, before crawling forward on our hands and feet (knees do not touch the ground) for four steps. Next, we straighten up again, repeat our four squat pulses, before finally lowering ourselves once more, and crawling back to the starting position. We repeat this sequence as often as we can in the forty seconds allowed.
And there you have it! The workout that will truly jump-start your summer fitness. If you complete this workout routine at least three times a week, and be careful with your food choices and portions, then you will certainly be delighted with the results you will see, in as little as six weeks.
Remember, everything worthwhile takes time, so stay focused, upbeat, and honest during every workout. It’s tough work for sure, but when you see me struggling with you in the video, know that we’re both feeling under pressure, and making choices right now that positively affect our future.
If you can see the blue skies ahead, walking through a few sun showers is no big deal.
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