40MIN Full Body Calisthenics & Core // Day 18: HR12WEEK 5.0

40 Min Full Body Calisthenics & Core is Day 18 in Heather Robertson‘s HR12Week 5.0 program.

This was a tough full body workout. Since you are not using dumbbells, Heather finds other ways to burn out your muscles using only your body weight (and a yoga block). You get isometric holds and plyo. Some of the circuits are metabolic, too, and get your heart rate elevated. I didn’t burn a ton of calories but the graph from my Apple Watch shows I spent a total of 24 minutes in Zones 3 & 4. Heather ends the workout with a circuit of core work that is mostly made up of bicycle variations. No fun!

This is a circuit based workout. There are 4 circuits. The first 3 circuits are calisthenic circuits. The exercises are done for 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds of recovery. The 4th and final circuit is a core circuit. Those exercises are done for 40 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. There is a timer in the lower right hand corner of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries Heather previews the next exercise. If an exercise has impact, Heather shows a low impact version during the preview.

40 Min Full Body Calisthenics & Core is 39:45 minutes; 35 second intro, 4:40 minute warm up and 3:45 minute stretch. Equipment: yoga block and fitness mat. I also used a heel wedge instead of a yoga block for elevated squat pulses (Circuit 3) and a chair instead of a yoga block for the tricep dips (Circuit 2).

Circuit 1:

1. Stand up & kick (start in kneeling lunge with hands behind head, raise out of lunge bringing back leg forward as you stand into a straight leg front kick touching foot w/ opposite hand)
2. Repeat #1 on other leg
3. Squat & hold (lower into squat and hold isometrically entire interval, arms are extended straight in front of you)
4. Squat jump
5. Repeat #1-4

30 second rest

Circuit 2:

1. Tricep dips (sit on mat with hands on yoga block behind you, feet on mat w/ knees bent, lift glutes off mat, bend and straighten elbows doing tricep dips)
2. Inchworm & push (stand at end of mat, hinge forward and walk hands out to plank, do one push up, walk hands back to feet, stand and jump)
3. Elbow plank hold
4. Walking bear plank & tap (start in straight arm plank, walk feet in under body so that knees are bent at 90 degrees and a few inches off mat (bear pose), tap shoulder w/ opposite hand once each side then walk feet back out to plank)
5. Repeat #1-4

30 second rest

Circuit 3:

1. Front lifted lunge (stationary/static lunge w/ front foot elevated on yoga block, lower to bottom of lunge and hold isometrically while pulsing)
2. Repeat #1 on other leg
3. Elevated squat pulses (heels are elevated on yoga block, lower into squat and hold isometrically while doing small pulses)
4. Lunge jump (jump one leg back into reverse lunge then jump feet back together, repeat on other leg)
5. Repeat #1-4

30 second rest

Core Circuit:

1. Double bicycle pulse (bicycle maneuver but do the same leg 2x before bringing opposite elbow to other knee 2x)
2. Oblique crunch (lay on back with one ankle crossed over opposite knee, crunch upper body bringing opposite elbow to crossed knee)
3. Repeat #2 on other side of body
4. One way bicycle (bicycle maneuver but only on one side of body–knee that you bring opposite elbow to remains stationary raised and bent at 90 degrees, other leg extends straight every time you bring elbow to knee)
5. Repeat #4 on other side of body
6. Bicycle crunch (traditional bicycle maneuver)

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