Buns & Guns is another unique workout from Jessica Smith. I really liked this workout. It is high rep so you cannot lift super heavy but it has a lot of unique upper body exercises. I would never use workouts like this as my primary strength training but I love how many of Jessica’s workouts condition my muscles in new and unique ways. Buns & Guns is a low impact barre workout and it elevated my heart rate so that I got some cardio, too. Not super intense cardio but its always nice to get your heart rate elevated with your toning/conditioning.
Buns & Guns is 27 minutes long; 6:30 minute warm up (warm up has lots of plie squat variations and lunge variations with arm movements) and 1:30 minute stretch. (Workout time on YouTube shows it is 31 minutes but the last 4 minutes is a credit for the music.) Equipment: light dumbbells. Jessica is using 3 pound dumbbells; I used 6 and 3 pound dumbbells. The dumbbells listed below are what I used.
- In a split stance with back leg straight behind you toe resting lightly on floor, bend front leg and extend back leg back further tapping floor, hinging forward with hips and reaching DBs toward floor; add a high and wide upper back row; add raising back leg as you hinge forward (6# DBs)
- Stand with legs together and toes turned out, arms overhead, bend elbows bringing DBs down behind head; add a plie squat keeping heels together; add raising heels (6# DBs)
- Repeat #1 on other side of body
- Repeat #2
- Put all your weight on one leg, other leg extended straight to side, DBs at hips–raise and lower straight leg to side while scooping arms/DBs in front you palms facing ceiling (6# DBs)
- Weight is all still on one leg, do bicep curls while tapping tow straight out to side then bending knee and tapping to next to stationary foot; changes to a passe, bringing toe higher and tapping against inside of stationary knee (6# DBs)
- Repeat 5 & 6 on other side of body
- Wide plie squats; add a chest fly (3# DBs)
- Stay in deep plie squat and raise onto toes, hold arms at shoulder height, elbows bent and DBs held together–press DBs out and in to side remaining shoulder height (3# DBs)
- All your weight is on one leg, other leg is extended behind you and same side arm is raised overhead–raise knee to side of body while lowering arm and tapping elbow to thigh (6# DBs)
- All your weight is on one leg, other leg is extended behind you and both arms extended straight behind you and do a small elbow bend then extended arms/DBs straight up behind you; add raising and lowering back leg (3# DBs)
- Repeat #10 & 11 on other side of body
- Narrow pulsing squat w/ arms extended straight behind you w/ palms facing ceiling, bring DBs toward each other behind back as you pulse squat (3# DBs); changes to full squat swing straight arms in front of body when you are standing and down past hips when squatting; add raising onto toes at top of squat (when standing) (6# DBs)
For more info on JessicaSmithTV and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
