Step/Heavy Weights/Core Circuits

Step/Heavy Weights/Core Circuits is another awesome cardio + strength circuit workout from Yvette Bachman. In fact, it is very similar to her circuit workout that I did yesterday: Moderate Impact & Heavy Weights. In fact, today’s workout worked my chest and triceps and yesterday’s workout worked my biceps, upper back and shoulders. So they work together very nicely! In two days my entire upper body was well worked. Plus, both workouts worked my core and gave me some great cardio. I love Yvette’s workouts. I burn a ton of calories and the muscle groups targeted are always well worked. Today was even an “off” day for me. I get up around 4:20am M-F to workout and usually I am ready to go when I get up. I was dragging this morning. I don’t know why but I was. Dragging and unmotivated to workout. But Yvette’s workouts lift my spirits and give me energy. She always has great music and great and thorough warm ups so by the time the workout started I was in the zone and ready to work hard.

Step/Heavy Weights/Core Circuits is 60 minutes long; 9 minute warm up, 40 minutes cardio + strength, 7 minutes of 20/10 cardio  (20 minutes of work and 10 seconds recovery) and 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment: step w/ 2 risers set up vertically, medicine ball, sliding disks and dumbbells. Yvette is also wearing weighted gloves. I wore weighted gloves, too. The structure of the circuits is 45 seconds of cardio followed by a strength exercise done for 8-12 reps followed by a core move done for 30 seconds. You just keep repeating this circuit for the entire workout. The weights listed below are what I used. I do not know the weight of the medicine balls Yvette and class used but I used my 6, 8 and 10 pound medicine balls.

1. Holding ball, lateral jump 4x then do 4 ball jacks (pushing ball overhead) (8# ball)
2. Chest press (30# DBs)
3. Full sit up doing a pull over with ball then tossing ball overhead at top of sit up (8# ball)
4. Burpee beside step w/ one hand on step then step up and over step
5. Repeat #2
6. Holding ball, do a burpee w/ hands on ball and when standing raise ball overhead; ends w/ standing knee pulls, bringing ball down from overhead to outside of thigh when knee is raised (8# ball)
7. Step up and over step w/ knee pull
8. Repeat #2
9. Start in straight arm plank, lower to forearm plank, back to straight arm plank, do 2 plank jacks; hold forearm plank
10. Burpee w/ hands on step, jump forward (straddling step), jump back
11. Chest press to failure (25# DBs)
12. Lay on back, legs and arms straight, holding ball, crunch up, bringing in one knee and bringing ball to shin, alternate legs (6# ball)
13. 3 jump ropes + one squat jump straddling step
14. Valley press (push DBs straight in front of you at chest level) (10# DBs)
15. Sit on ground and bounce ball on floor beside hip, twisting torso side to side to bounce ball (6# ball)
16. L steps off step w/ knee pulls
17. Open front raise (start w/ DBs at hips and raise DBs in front of you bringing ends of DBs together) (10# DBs)
18. In straight arm plank, alternate tapping opposite shoulder 6x then jump feet in and jump when standing
19. One basic step on step + 2 ball jacks, alternate lead foot; ends w/ ball jacks (6# ball)
20. Sit on floor w/ legs raised and ankles crossed, twist ball to side tapping floor beside hip then press ball overhead, alternate sides; all presses; all twists (6# ball)
21. Burpee w/ one plank jack + 2 standing jacks
22. Chest fly w/ lower crunch (20# DBs)
23. Sit on floor in V sit, legs raised–push legs in and out while raising and lowering torso
24. Box jumps on step (with one foot always on step, jump forward, jump over, jump back, jump over, raising ball overhead when jumping over step) (6# ball)
25. Skull crushers (15# DBs)
26. In straight arm plank w/ sliders beneath feet, slide one knee in under and across body, lowering hip toward floor, alternate sides
27. Step up and over step pushing ball overhead then squat beside step, tapping ball to floor (10# ball)
28. Repeat #25
29. Start standing, walk out to plank, 2 plank jacks, walk hands back to standing and do 2 standing jacks
30. Uneven squats, staying low in squat and jumping side to side over step
31. Repeat #25
32. Butterfly sit ups w/ straight arms and hands clasped
33. Jogging w/ a side step on and off step (sort of a mambo variation); ends w/ jogging in place pushing arms overhead
34. Skull crushers to failure (12# DBs)
35. Bicycle crunches
36. Repeat #33 on other side of step
37. Lay on step, hold DBs overhead and lower DB to opposite shoulder, alternate arms; ends w/ close grip presses (12# DBs)
38. In straight arm plank w/ sliders under feet, slide feet in underneath body, bringing knees to chest

@49:35 you get a 30 second water break then move on to 7 minutes of 20/10 circuits (20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of recovery).

1. Fast straddle on and off step
2. Burpee w/ jump
3. Repeat 1 starting w/ other foot
4. Step one foot on step and other foot on floor beside step, alternate sides
5. Burpee w/ hands on step + 2 air jacks
6. Up and over step fast
7. Burpee w/ hands on step, jump on step into wide squat and pulse squat 3x
8. Jump laterally over step (one foot is always on step)
9. Slider mountain climbers
10. Step on step, front kick, step off into a lunge and tap fingers to step
11. Repeat #10 on other leg
12. Push ups
13. Jump squat side to side on/over step (one foot always on step)
14. In straight arm plank w/ hands on step, step hands off and on step (hands straddle step when stepping off); hold plank

For more info on Yvette Bachman and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.