If you are pregnant or you have any other medical condition or disability or if you
haven't been exercising regularly, you should consult your physician before beginning this
workout.
Now there's no doubt that exercising will help you look better, but for me regular
exercise is about more than that, it's about feeling good.
Exercise gets the blood flowing to the brain, pulls the mind and body together and energizes
you and that's the feeling I want to have every day.
Karen Voight developed this circuit training workout for me after I finished making the
film Sirens.
You see I'd put on 20 pounds for the role and I want to lose the weight but still stay
strong without being stuck at the gym the whole time.
Karen is a world renowned fitness authority and a wonderful motivator so she made this
program easy to stick with.
It's a back to basics workout that burns calories and builds strength at the same time.
You know there have been many times when I've felt out of shape.
I mean I may not have looked it to anybody else but I felt it.
I'm lucky I was born with good genes.
But when I start to exercise again I realize I had so much more energy and vitality.
So working out is not just about the exercise itself, it's about helping your mind and
your body perform better all the time.
Whatever body type you have you can make the best of it.
I mean I'm never going to have a body like Karen, she's never going to have a body like
mine.
All I know is that when I do this I feel great and feeling great on the inside is where the
real beauty starts.
After one week with this workout you'll feel different.
After the second week you'll look different to yourself and after three weeks everyone
else will notice the changes.
But more importantly you'll be working towards your personal best.
In this workout the aerobic sections are mixed with the strength training exercises so you'll
be switching from aerobics to sculpting six times.
We'll start off with a warm up and then we'll go right into our first aerobic interval.
From there we'll work our legs and butt and then we'll move on to the second aerobic interval
which is a little more challenging.
Next we concentrate on the upper body as well as more leg and butt work.
Finally we do our last and most challenging aerobic interval but I find it's also the
most fun.
We finish off with abdominals and back exercises along with a little more butt work as if you
haven't had enough and then we move on to our relaxing cool down.
To do the workout you need the following, a bench or a chair, a mat or a towel or a
carpeted surface.
You'll also need a pair of hand weights anywhere between one and five pounds.
I also recommend you have plenty of water nearby to keep you hydrated during the workout.
And finally during the aerobic sections if you feel tired or if you don't feel like jumping
just keep your feet low to the ground and you'll still get a really good workout.
Now before you do any exercise it's important to warm up your muscles first.
So Karen why don't you get us started.
Okay march in place, right here press down, roll through the feet, swing the arms.
Okay take a deep breath, inhale bring both arms up, exhale down.
Once again both arms come up over your head, exhale open the feet apart and drop the arms
down.
Now circle the shoulders all the way around, up and up, it's good pull up, down, all the
way back, up.
Okay now circle and bring one arm in front and then circle the other arm in front and
up, front back and up.
Four more times and up, down, front back, two and front back, three, front back and
up.
Okay now both arms they go up and around then front back and up, out, front and up, front
and up, last four, out go up and front back, two and front back, three and out.
Now we'll see with the arms this time just the arms, cross, pull, cross and pull, out
and out, really strong with your upper body here, up, down and reach, last eight it's
one, then two and three and four, pull five and six and seven, now punch it out.
Now remember this is a warm up so we're gonna take it easy and don't push yourself too
hard.
Other side same thing.
Three and two now cross your body here we go, punch and pull, punch, pull, up and up
again, punch, pull, out, pull, now follow through with the leg, goes out, pull, out,
pull, out and out, last four, three and two, now we'll do the other side, punch just the
arm and out, pull, out and out, with the leg push, it's a little pivot on that leg and
out, strong, reach, yeah and out, okay now to the foreverly box, out, pull, out and out
and out, out and out, feeling the books up, here we go and punch out, punch, punch, you
have to remember to breathe too, last four, three and two, now hands on the legs and slide
the rib cage side to side right here, really move the torso out and out and out, now add
the shoulder lift, pull up to the ear, just loosen up right here, again push out and out,
now swing the arms and go into the hips, press out, side to side, oh that feels good, last
eight, here it goes, pull one and two, then three and four, pull five, six and seven,
okay march it out, here we go, push down and down, now for the legs we'll put the hands
on the thighs, we're gonna take it out to the left, feet apart, you ready, here we go
and down and in and open, bring your hand in and open, bring it in, keep your chest
lifted in between, last four it's down, down, up, take it in the legs, in the buttocks,
pull down and up and out, back to the other side, then down, out, pull in and out, then
in, open out and in, but keep your chest lifted even though you're taking the legs apart,
last four and up, then three and up, we're gonna make it a little bit harder and do fours
with your arms coming up and back, so it's out, then in and out, then in, open out and
in, change the other side, here we go, press out, then in and out, arms down, front, open
out to the side and front, arms over your head, single, let's go, up, out, in, other
side, out, then in, really lift them up and down and open and down, arms to the legs,
nice and warm and then two, out, three, bring it in last time, back to the march, arms and
legs.
Now we're done with the warm up, I think we're ready to move on to the first aerobic interval
in our circuit training program, let's go.
Okay, we're gonna start with the march and the tap, here we go, march two, three and
tap, march out, and tap, march out, and tap, let's travel to the left, one, two, three,
tap it out, pick up your feet, bring up those arms and in.
Okay, let's do a little kick to the side this time, you lean over and then kick and out,
get the arms up and punch it out, in, two, three and kick and out, four more, then three
and two and one.
Okay, now this time, jump up the arms, point side, in, two, three and side, point it out
and travel to the front, here we go, one, two, three to the side, back and again, front
and back, one more time and out, last time and out.
Okay, now heel big, step and push your heel out in front of you, cross the other leg over,
now bring your hands up, we'll do some bicep curls, right now, up, press down.
Now you have to remember to keep your back heel to the floor, eight more, it's one and
two and three and four, pull five, six, now this time, take your hands up in front of
you and we'll go for the upper back and the upper arms, way high, lift those elbows, pull
down, up, down, good, eight more times, one, then two and three, way back, chest up and
in, up, good, now take the arms over your head this time and pull down, reach and pull,
reach pull down, really emphasize those upper arms, up, pull down and up, bend the knee,
so it's one, then two and three and four, pull five and six and seven, now drop the
arms down to your sides and take a big step to the side, tap in, okay, four more and three,
now bring your arms in front of your chest for a chest press, it's out, squeeze, out,
squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, right in front, down, up, eight more times, one,
two, three, four, pull five, then six and seven, okay, one arm this time, so it's down
across, down and across, up and down, down, up, out, pull, out, pull and pull, in, up,
four more, pull one, then two and three, now lift the knee this time, out, up and down,
pull, down, bend the bottom leg, reach, pull, reach, pull, both arms this time, you reach,
pull down, again, reach, up, oh you should feel your heart rate starting to creep up
there by now, one, two, really retire, pull down, up and up, okay, next step, you put
the toe behind you and you bring your hands behind you and squeeze in, just like you're
clapping your hands, out, in and out, in, good, out and out and out, bend out, take
a big step out to the side and out, bend out, stretch those fingertips and out, in, good,
out and out, four more and three and two, now faster on the arms right here, squeeze
them in and in, good and in, and you lean forward just a little bit, eight more times,
it's one, then two and three, four, five, six, okay, now travel to the left with doubles
and up, down and down, now in the center we can bring your arms up above your head, here
we go, down, up and down and down, up and down, down, up and down, up, center high,
center out, center up, toe back and one more, okay, now jump at this time in, up, down,
in, up, down and down, up, down, I love this bit and down, up and down, up, two more, this
is the last one, good, okay, march it out again, so that wasn't so bad, we finished
the first aerobic section and the next part of the circuit we're gonna work on legs and
butt, okay, for the first sculpting interval of the circuit we'll need a chair or a bench,
so sit down and you place your feet about shoulder width apart, put your heels directly
underneath your knees, put the hands on the thighs with your fingers turned in slightly,
but we're gonna do a small pause right before we stand up, so it looks like this, stand
up, then sit, then down, you need to pause one inch off the bench, pause right here and
up and up, pause right before you sit back down, so you pause here and up, pause, it's
when you pause, that's when all the work is done, right?
Right here, squeeze, then push in the heels, press, then down, two more, out and up and
out, back down, squeeze, now we're gonna try it without your arms helping you, so put them
here, lean forward, lift up, sit, then down, back and up, really push into your heels when
you stand up, press, squeeze up, back and down and again, pause, up, now when you stand
up you really wanna concentrate on the buttocks squeezing you up, then back down, don't leave
out that pause, and up, pause, sit down, again, press, squeeze, bend it, and last one like
this, out and up and pause, okay, now this time you stand all the way up, you put your
hands down and we're gonna do a squat without touching the bench, okay, so chest lifted,
abs tight, here we go, down, up, out and up, out, one inch away from the bench, come down
low and up and up and up and out, see, really squeeze it tight, then out and up, up, four
and up, reach out, five, when I need to do most, and up and out, okay, last two, one,
one more time, and up, okay, now sit right back down, we're gonna bring your feet together
and work on the front of the thighs, so you sit up nice and tall and place your hands
behind you, now lift the chest and we're gonna extend the heels out in front, here we go,
up and down, up and down, now you wanna feel the tension right on the front of the thigh
as you press your heel in front of you, pull the toes up, pull the toes up, and up and
down, one more time, up, now faster with the pointed toe, up and up, now I can feel the
burn, and six and five, four more, three and two, change the other side, lower the leg,
lift the chest again, abdominals tight, and here we go, extend out the heel and down,
stand up, stand down, in the beginning I didn't think this did anything, until you keep doing
it and then you feel a burn, and that's good, and one more, now faster with your pointed
toe, just tap the floor, up, up, and up, and up, you feel it, lift, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, and out, okay, lower your feet, now separate your feet, but this time you
bring your heels a little bit further back so your ankles are just behind the knees a
bit, place your hands on the knees, fingers in, lean into it, and we're gonna squeeze
the calves to raise the heels and work the calves, ready, here we go, lift up and down,
up and down, up and down, I find when I put my hands on my knee that really creates resistance,
and that makes you work harder, and down, okay, now you raise your heels and do a toe
tap, so it goes heels and toes, up and down, think of bending your shoe, especially if
they're new, like mine, and really lean into it, feel it in the calves, up and tap, tap,
lift it, and tap, tap, up, and tap, tap, up, three, you should be feeling the front of
the shin as well, and out, two more, up and in, last time, up and out, okay, next we're
gonna do triceps for the back of the arms, so what you need to do is reach your feet
forward, push your heels out, put your hands next to your hips, fingers front, now scoot
yourselves up, and ready, bend your elbows, here we go, down, down, up, and up, keep the
chest lifted, and down, and up, again, down, squeeze, and down, and down, can we do eight
more, it's one, press up, and two, press it up, three, push up, four, press it up, five,
push, six, push, seven, and the last one, down, dig it in, good, okay, next we're gonna
do some push-ups, so you don't need to use a chair anymore, so you can move it out of
the way if you need to, and let's get going.
Now place your hands at about chest level, a little bit wider than shoulder width apart,
press your hips forward, now pull your abdominals in very tight, now these might be hard to
do, but they're really, really good for your chest, so stick with it, okay, down and squeeze
up, down, squeeze up, down and squeeze up, down, squeeze up, down, squeeze up, down,
exhale, up, good, down, spread your fingers wide, push against the hands, and squeeze,
down, up, tight abdominals, down, squeeze, good, down, squeeze, and down, good, you have
four more, one, press up, two, press it up, and three, push it, one more time, down, squeeze
up, good.
Now we're ready to continue the circuit with our second aerobic interval.
Okay march it out, okay we're going to put the squats into this aerobic section, we'll
start with a grapevine, travel to the left, here we go, side back and side touch in, side
back, side back, and side touch in, now I thought if you lead with your heel it helps
the grapevine step, side back and side, now extend the arms in front of you, here we go,
pull out, then out, pull out and in, reach out and out, one more time on each side, and
out, finish it here, okay now let's add in that squat, so side back, side front, squat
down and pull it in, side back, side front, go low and again, side back, side front, then
down and again, side back and side front, down, side front, side back and down and out,
side back, side front, down, two more times, side back, side front, squat and down and
lift, side back, side front, and down.
for squats, come down, up and across, down, up and across, down, use your inner thigh
here and down. Other side four times, down.
I find if you really exaggerate that heel going across, it helps the inner thigh, right?
Yeah. Down, across, down, across, down, up and across. One more, down, change sides so
it's down, up and across. Get the chest lifted and again, pull down and up, then down. Now
let's do singles. So it's down, up and across, down, smooth across, down, up across, down
and up. Down, down, up, then down and lift. Down and up last time and down. Okay, now
this time, down. Pull the heel up behind you. We're going to work the hamstring next. Bring
the hands up. Okay, now press your hands down. Here we go. Down, press, down. Now every time
your hands come down, open the fingers and stretch them out like this. Down, out, down,
up. Squat in between and down, up, down, up. You can really feel the arms working right
here.
Yeah. Strong.
And down, four, five, six, seven. Now take your elbows back. Lean slightly forward. You
can feel this in the tricep. Really stretch those fingertips out and don't forget to do
that little squat in between. Three and four, five, up, six. Okay, now take your hands out
to the side. Pull in, out, long arms. This one is kind of tough if you have long arms
like me. Feel a bit uncoordinated. And do it again. Four more and three. Tense it in.
Now the last set of arms looks like this. The hands come right to the ears. Stretch
your fingertips away. Keep your elbows up nice and high. Pull up. Don't forget six,
five, four times, three times, two, and good. Okay, march it out.
Next we're going to do some lunge backs. Get ready with your left leg. You ready? Here
we go. Pull back and back and back and back. Bring your hands up to the hip bones. Ready?
Now scoop it up. Pull up. Yeah. Out, pull in. Lean forward. Pull the elbows back. Out
and out. Good. Out, pull, out, up, out and pull. Reach, reach, and out.
Now four jumping jacks. Here we go. Open and two, then three. Lunge back. Go one and two,
then three. Jumping jacks. Feel like I'm in the army. Go one and two, then three. Jumping
jacks. Toes need to be turned out. Knees over the toes. Lunge back. And out. Again. Open,
two, three. Go back. Out and out. Three. Now in doubles. So it's open for two. Two back,
back and back. Two side, two back, and back. Open and two. Reach back and back. Open and
out. Four more times. One and out. Reach and reach. Two and out. And reach. Here's your
last two. One and two. Reach. Last time. One and two. Deep breath. Inhale. Both arms up
over your head. And exhale out. And again, deep breath in and exhale out. Now we're going
to work your hamstrings and a little bit more butt. Then we're going to move up to upper
body. So go get your ham weights and let's go to it.
Okay in this section, you'll need a chair or a bench and a pair of ham weights. We're
going to start off with the legs. So just kneel down and place your torso across the
chair or bench like this. And we'll place the hands down on the floor. Now these exercises
take a lot of concentration for them to be really beneficial. So I'm just going to listen
to Karen's instructions, make sure I do it correctly. Okay let's start with your leg
extended behind you. Make sure it's at about hip level. And here we go. Bend in and open.
Now we're concentrating on the back of the thigh, the hamstring muscle. So you really
need to tense the back of the muscle as you bend the knee. Squeeze it in, open out, and
in and out. Keep your knee up a little bit higher at about hip level. And last eight.
One and open. Two and out. Three and out. And four. Four more times. Squeeze it in,
open out, and squeeze and open. Two more. In and out. Last one and let's change the
other side. Same exercise. Knees come together, other leg out, hip level, and bend it in.
In, open out, and bend it, open out. Now remember, knee stays up and keep it stationary while
you bring your foot right to the buttock area. Think of pulling your abdominals in tight.
In and open. Squeeze it and out. Eight more. It's one, open out, and two, and out. Three
and four. Go five and out. Six and out. Two more. Seven and out. Last time. In and good.
Okay, bring your knees together. Now the next exercise is for the buttocks. So you take
your knee behind you and lift it out, then down. Now on this one you make sure you don't
kick your leg, but you extend it out and stretch out. Then pull it back in. Out and in and
out. Then you can pause at the top and really feel that buttock muscle working to lift the
leg, especially if you have long legs. And open. Three, out. Four, it's five, and go
six and out. Seven and the last one. Okay, change the other side. Here we go. And press
out. Press out. Then in. Open out. Then in. And out. And in. You can always do this without
a chair and just use your hands and knees to support you, but this supports your torso.
It's a little more comfortable for you to stay here a while. Last state. It's one, then
down. And two, then down. Go three and down. And four, last four. Finish them up. One,
two, and down. Three, and down. Last one. Up and good. Okay, push yourself up. And next
we're going to work the triceps. So just come up and you place your knee on the bench or
the chair. Place your hand for support for your shoulder. Now pick up one weight. Make
sure the base leg is bent. Start with your hand right to the hip bone and you extend
it back. And in. Reach out. Now when you take your hand back, watch again that you don't
lock your elbow, but you just tense the muscle behind and out. We're doing this with your
palm turned in. But in a minute we're going to change the arm angle. And up, then down.
And four more times in this position. Two, three. Now this time we're going to rotate
the palms up and really squeeze and concentrate right into the back of the arm. And up, then
down. Squeeze it out. Pause it up and down. Up and down. Now your body wants to be parallel
to the floor. Keep your abdominals in tight and use that bottom hand to support your spine.
Up and down. Last four. Three and down. Two and down. One more time. Up and down. Okay,
let's do the other side. I'm using three pound weights, but you can start with two and work
up to five if you like. Start with your elbow up and ready. Here we go. Press it out. Then
in. Reach out and in. It's important to keep the elbow directly behind the shoulder, squeezing
out. Bring it in. Squeeze it out. I like this one because it defines the back of your arm.
And in. Open and in. Let's do eight. Seven. Then six. And down. And five. Four more times.
One. Down. Two. And down. Hesitate at the end. And down. One more time. Okay, now turn
your palm up this one. Up and down. Really squeeze out the back of the arm. Squeeze it
out. Then down. Really concentrate on the extension and control it on the way down.
Squeeze. Control it down. Good. Squeeze it out. Pull it in. Squeeze out and down. Last
eight. One and down. Two and down. Again. Three and down. Four. Out down. Five up. Six
up. Seven. And this is the last one. And up. And good. Okay, now we're going to sit down.
Bring your knees together and your feet forward a little bit. Now pick up both weights in
one hand. And you use the other hand to support your body. Lean forward, hand right by your
ankle. And ready. Here we go. You lift up and squeeze your elbow back on the way up.
Squeeze. Then down. Really reach down to your ankle. And then pull it right back up and
down. Up and down. Up and down. Eight more times. Try not to let the shoulders twist,
but you're going to elongate. Then squeeze. Down and up. All the way to the floor. Last
four. One. Up. Two. And up. Three. And up. And the last one. And change the other side.
Put both weights in your hand. Lean forward, hand starts by your ankle. Ready. Here we
go. And squeeze it up. Pull up and down. And up and down. Lift it. Then down. And up. And
down. Again. Squeeze. And down. And up. Keep your abdominals tight. And last eight. It's
one. Then down. Two. And reach. Three. And down. And four. Work down the side of your
back and the back of the shoulders. Up. Two more times. Pull up. Down one more time. And
up. And good. Okay. Now take one weight in each hand and turn the knuckles forward. Your
weight's right next to the end of the knees. We're going to rotate and squeeze so it goes
around. Pull in. Keep the chest lifted. Then down. But don't arch your back. Out, down.
Up and around. Then down. Hold at the back end just for a little bit longer. Hold back
and down. Squeeze it out. Then down. Squeeze. Last eight. All the way around. Two. And three.
Four more times. Up. And last two. And up. Okay. Now the next one, pivot around the chair.
Hold the ends of the weights together. We're going to do upright rows. Here we go. Lift.
Then down. And up. Out, down. Now keep your back nice and straight. Point your elbows
to the side and up. Lift. And down. This is really one of my favorite exercises because
it makes really strong shoulders and that's good for a well proportioned body.
Four more times. It's one. And down. Two. And down. Three. And down. And up. Now more
for the upper back. You pull your elbows behind you. Up and go back. And down. Make sure you
don't collapse your chest or arch your back. Just straight on up. And then go back. Up
and pull. Then down. Squeeze it. Then down. Eight times. Seven. Six. Down. Up and five.
Four more times. Pull it back. Last two. And then the last one. And up. Okay, next are
bicep curls. We're going to start with your palms turned in. Sit up nice and straight
and then bend at the elbows and squeeze it up and down. Again, concentrate on the front
of the arms doing most of the work but don't lock out the elbow on the way down. And down.
Squeeze it in. Then down. Squeeze. And down. Tight. And down. Squeeze it in. Then down.
Squeeze. And down. Tight. And down. And tight. Now we're going to add a lift. So you're going
to squeeze it and now lift up to shoulder level. Then down. Squeeze in. And lift up
to shoulder level. And down. Really hold at the top of that lift right here. Hold it up.
Then down. Squeeze in. And down. Lift and hold. Then down. Squeeze in. And down. Lift
and hold. Then down. Squeeze in. Now if you have long arms like me, you might want to
keep them bent a little to make it a little bit more comfortable. Lift up and down. Four
times. Lift up and down. Four times. Lift up and down. Three and down and up. Two more
times. Pull it in and down and up. And this is the last one. Bend it and down and up.
Okay, now bring your feet together. The last exercise for the shoulders. Your elbows are
bent. And then you bring your arms out to the side. Here we go. Out, pull up. Then down.
And up. Then down. Up. And down. Last eight. One and two. Three up. And four. And go five
and down. And six. Then down. Seven. And the last one. Up and good. Okay, roll the shoulders
back.
Well, we're done with this section. Let's move on to the last aerobics of the circuit.
This aerobic section is really my favorite. It combines boxing, basketball, football,
karate, skating, and of course swimming. It's fast, paced, and loads of fun. So let's go
do it. Okay, swing your arms like you have a jump rope in hand. Bring your feet together
and count to eight. Ready? Here we go. One, two, three, four, five, six. Feet apart. Go
one, two, three, four, five, six. Shift to the side. One, two, three, four, five, six.
Now step to the side four times. Three times. Two. Do it again. Back in the center. Circle.
Two, three, four, five, six. Seven. Feet apart. One, two, three, four, five. Shift to the
right right here. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Step, touch. Four times. Three
times. Two. Now back to the center for four. It's one, two, three, and four. Open out.
Two, three, four. Shift. Two, three, and four. Step and touch. Step and touch. One, two,
four to the side. Shift it. And then step, touch. And step, touch. Let's do that again.
One, two, three, and four. Open, two, three, and four. Shift it. And then step, touch.
One more time. In the middle. Open to the side. Shift it to the right. Step, touch.
Out. Okay. Now stay in the step touches. Big arms. Close your feet. Now we're gonna do
a little boxing. Last eight. It's one, two, three, and four. Pull five, six, and seven.
Okay. Punch to the side. Cross, cross, and pull. Cross, pull. Strong with your upper
body arm. Pull. Out. Pull. Get ready to step, touch, side. Go seven, six, five, four. Three
more. Two. Out. In. Step side. Do it again. Punch and punch. Cross, cross, cross, pull.
Cross, pull. Step and touch. Right here. Go. One, two, three, four. Three more. Two more.
Out. Step and touch. Both arms now. Cross, punch, cross, punch, cross, punch. Now this
is a little tricky, but you'll get it. Okay. Step and touch. Do it again. Cross, punch,
cross, punch, cross, punch, cross. And three more. Two, one. In. Step and touch. Cross,
punch, cross, punch, cross, punch, cross. Three more. Two. Step, touch. Here it is.
Last one out. Two, three, four, five, six, seven. In. Now stay in the step touches one
more time. How about a little basketball? Okay. Ready with your left leg. Here it goes.
Front, front, then back, and front. Your left leg goes front, then it travels back. Same
leg front, same leg back. Front, then back. Two, and back. Three, and back. Now let's
add a little jump to it like this in the middle. Jump up, then down. Get up off the floor each
time. And down, up. Arms ready. Shoot a basketball. In, up, and down. And in, up, and down. Watch
out, Michael Jordan. And up. Four more times. Jump up and down. And in, up, then down. And
in, up, out, down. And in, up. Now jump rope jumping jacks. Out and in. And out and in.
Open out. We're going to do the other side this time. Just four more of these. Go four
and in. Three and in. Two times and in. One more. Okay, let's start with the other leg.
Front, front, and back. Front, then back. Front, and back, and front. Four more times.
Right leg front, right leg back. Front. Two more. Front, then back. One more. Here's that
jump in the middle. In, up, then down. In, up, and down. And in, up, then down. Ready?
Pick up a basketball. Shoot it up, then down. And in, up, then down. And up. Let's see
how high you can go. In, up, and down. And in, up, out, down. And in, up, down. And in,
up, down. And in, up, and down. Four more. Then down. Three up, then down. Two up, then
up, down. One more. In, up, down. Jumping jack. Jump rope. And out, and in. Open out,
and in. Open. Next we're going to do a little football move here. We're going to stay close
to the ground. We're going to travel to the left. Ready? Here it is right now. Go low.
Down, down, down, down, down, down. And this is where football meets karate. We're going
to add a little kick to the side now. Out, two, three, and kick. Lean to the side. Bend
your bottom leg. Kick out the foot. Remember this from the warm up. And out, and in. Arms
up. Get tough. Right. And go in. And last day. One, really travel. And two, three, four,
five, and six, seven. Okay, we're going to skate next. Here we go. Skate up, down, up,
down, up, and down. Skate side to side. And again, down, up. One hand under the chin,
the other arm out to the side. Bring your foot in, and down. Okay. Eight more. Seven,
six, then five. Four times, three times. Skate it back in fours. So it's one, and two. We
could swim. And out. Skate back. Go. Swim, swim, swim, swim. Skate it out. Okay. This
time skate back for four. What we'll do is jump the swim. Down, up, down, up, down, up,
and go. Skate it back. One hand under the chin, remember. Then breaststroke through
that water. And again, slide back. Two, then three, and four. Pull up. Down, up, down,
up. Here's. I can do it right in the air. Swim, jump, swim, jump, swim, jump, swim.
Jump and swim, jump and swim. Down, out. And the last one. Two, then three, and four. And
jump, jump, swim, and in. Now stay in the swim. Pull up, and up, and out, and out. Let
the heart rate start to come down, and in. In, and in. Bring your feet together and double
tap. Tap out the feet. Over, and out, and out. Turn your head and move right through
the water. Eight more times. It's one, two, three. Up and over. Press out, and out. Okay.
Both arms. We'll do a butterfly here. Up and around. Up. Really emphasize the upper body.
Let the heart rate come down, and over, and out, and out. Last four. One, and two, and
three, and four. Back it up. Up, out, up, out, up. And in, and up. Open the chest. Really
feel like you're swimming backwards. Last eight. Seven, six, five, four, three, and
two. Now feet apart. Same arms. Back, and back. Press your chest forward a little bit.
All the way back. And last eight. One, two, three. We're going to continue moving the arms with this.
They go up and over, and in. Up, down, up, down. Let the momentum of the arm carry it
through. Down, up, down. The other hand by your thigh. Eight, seven, six, and five. Four
more. Three more, and two, and good. Okay. Take both feet together. Both arms up over
your head. Exhale. Curve it out. Hollow out the spine. Get a good stretch there. Now
reverse it. Bring both arms up. Stretch back. This time separate your feet. Put the
hands on the thighs, and then flatten out your spine. Exhale and round through the
spine, and breathe out. And again, roll up. Keep breathing. Keep your knees bent. And
then flatten it out. Last time. Exhale, round the back, and then flatten it out. And
this time continue to roll all the way up. Bring your feet together. Both arms up
over your head. And out. Okay, we're done. Okay, you ready for abs now?
Okay, lie down on your back. Put your legs up on a chair or a bench. Place your
hands behind the head, and we'll do curls. Ready? Here we go. Up and in. Back down.
Squeeze in. Back and down. Step. Back down. Really squeeze at the top in. And pull
it in. Back down. And squeeze up. Then down. Eight more. One. Back down. And up.
And down. And again, squeeze up. Out down. Really try to bend right at the waistline
right here. Pull up. Then down. And up. Four more times. It's one up, then down.
Two up, and down. Three up, and down. Last time. Up and relax. Okay, put one leg on
top. One hand under the thigh. Opposite hand behind the head and cross. Up, back
and down. Up over, back down. Now keep your top elbow out to the side. Bring your
shoulder across toward that knee. Up, back down. Up over, and down. And then
four. Out down. Exhale. Pull five. Then down. Six. Pull seven. And here's the
last one. Up and down. Okay, change the other side. The hand behind the head.
Ready? Cross and squeeze. Up, back and down. Up over, back down. Up and across,
back and down. Cross it, and down. Down. Up over, and down. And up. Last four.
Squeeze, then down. Squeeze, and down. Two more times. Up and down. Last time. Up
and good. Okay, now put both feet down. Put both hands behind the head. Now
crossover. So it's up, back and down. Up, back down. Up and across, back and down.
Squeeze up, back down. Keep the hips level. Across, back and down. Squeeze it,
then down. Squeeze up, and down. Last eight. Seven up. Six, and down. And five.
Four more times. One up, and down. Two up, and down. Three, and down. Last time.
Up and relax. Now place your hands next to your hips. Take one leg up at a time,
and we'll do reverse curls. So you're going to raise the hips off the floor,
and squeeze it up. Pull in. Back and down. Back and down. Keep it a small motion,
and really push down against the small of your back. Only the hips need to come
up. Up, then down. And down. And up. Again, roll up. You can keep the motion pretty
small, but really intense. Tight. Back down, and up. Four more times. It's one,
back down. And two, then down. Then three, and down. And the last one, up, and
relax. Okay. Cross the ankles. Place your hands behind the head for double
crunches. Roll up, back and down. Squeeze up. Four up, then down. Three up,
and down. Two times, and down. And the last one up. And change the other side.
Ready? Here we go. Up and squeeze. Keep your elbows out to the side. Back down,
and up. Use a lot of control on the way down. Last four. It's one, then down,
and two, then down, and three. And the last one, and up, and down. Okay. Now put
your feet back down. One leg at a time. We'll do a one-legged reverse curl. So
you lift up, and down. Up, and down. Same leg comes up, and down. But get those
hips to come off the floor. Roll up, back and down. And up, back and down. And up,
then down, and up. Now change the other side, and squeeze. Back and down. Roll the
hips back down, and roll up, back down, and up. Four more times right here.
Squeeze it in. Release it. Squeeze. Come all the way down with your hips each time.
And down one more, and up. Okay, now curl up. Extend your arms in front of you.
Now squeeze. Pull to the top, and up. Here we go. Eight more. Seven, six, then
five, four, and three, and two, and good. Okay. Relax and stretch your arms above
your head, let the back arch way through the floor. Take a deep breath in, and
then exhale. Okay, hug the legs in one leg at a time, and pull your hands around
the legs. And we don't need a bench anymore, so you can just move the benches
and put your feet flat on the floor. Feet together. Open your knees out a little
bit. Hands flat down there on the ground, and we're going to squeeze them through
the buttock. Go. Squeeze up, down, up, and up, down, up, squeeze up, and up.
Really tighten the lowest portion of the buttock and the highest portion of the
back of the leg. So you really get some indentation there. Squeezing up, tight,
and tight. Keep your eight more times. It's one, two, three, and four. Press five,
and six, and seven. Now close your knees each time. So you close and lift. Up.
Each time your knees come together, you're squeezing the buttocks. Up, and up,
and up. Make sure the lower back stays pressing close to the ground, and you're
just bringing the buttocks up. Don't arch. Up, and up, and up. Eight more times.
Go one, and two, and three, and four. Press five, six, and seven. Now hold the
knees together this time, and just squeeze those buttocks. Really create a lot of
intensity in the back of the thigh, in the buttocks. Tighten, and tighten. Let's
do it. Eight, nine, ten, eleven, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, fourteen, thirteen.
Twelve more. Eleven, and ten, and nine, and last eight, seven, and six, and five,
four more, and three, and two, and good. Okay, now, with the hips down, separate
your feet, but keep your knees close together, and we can squeeze the buttocks
here. So you work with those inner thighs again. Squeeze, tighten the buttocks.
Squeeze the inner thigh. Really create a lot of intensity. Concentrate. Focus on
the buttocks right now. Go up, and up. Upper body is just relaxed. Shoulders
relaxed. Neck is relaxed. Just squeeze. Put all the energy into the buttocks.
Tighten, and tighten, and up. Keep your abdominals as flat as possible, and
really squeeze through the hips. And up, and up. You could put a little bit more
weight against the heels, and you might feel it more in the buttocks by doing
that. And up, out. Squeeze, and squeeze, and squeeze. Let's do eight more. So
it's one, and two, then three, and four, five, and six, and seven, and relax.
Okay, next we're going to work your backs. So what you do is just turn over and
lie on your stomach. Now we're going to keep your hands underneath your chin.
Put one hand on top of the other hand, and we'll use the muscles that work
right along the spine. Ready? Here we go. Up, then down, and up, and down. Lift
up, out down, and up, and down. Four more. Three up, out down, two up, and
down, and up. Now change the other side. Up, and down, and up, and down. Make
sure you're not pushing against that bottom hand. Squeeze it up. Four more
times. One, then down, and two. Keep the chin down a little bit. Three, and
down. Now both hands underneath your chin. Come up. Squeeze, and down. Really
work the muscles right along the spine. Up, and down. You don't need to come up
too high, just a little off the floor. And this is the last one. Up, and good.
Okay, now put your hands underneath your chest. Push yourself up on all fours,
and then round your back. Curve your spine. Touch the chin underneath and get
a good stretch on the muscles that we just worked. Okay, and release it from
here. Now sit down because we're going to stretch.
Now we've just finished our workout, so we can balance it out with some good
stretches. Why don't we start with the buttocks? Okay, start with your leg
crossed in front of you. Take both arms up to the ceiling. Deep breath, inhale up,
and exhale all the way down. Now place your hands on the floor. Drop to the
elbows. Lower your chin. Take a deep breath in, and exhale all the way out.
And once again, breathe in, inhale, and exhale all the way out. Go as far as you
can, as close to the floor as possible. Feel the stretch in the hips, maybe
across the low back. And then very slowly, roll your way up, and then just walk
your fingertips to the diagonal and lengthen out your spine. And feel a good
stretch coming up through the hip. Take a breath in, and exhale. Now the top arm
comes up to the ceiling, and then reach it off to the side. Turn your chin down,
and fingertips reach out. Keep both sides of the buttock on the floor, and you'll
feel a good stretch down the side of the torso. Take a deep breath, inhale,
elongate the whole torso, and then from there, take the top arm up to the ceiling.
Take that hand back, the other hand on the knee. Lift up, rotate around, and
you'll feel a good stretch across the low back. Take a breath in, a good exhale
out, and then roll it back to the center. Now for the front of the thigh, just
rest down on the elbow, and place your hand around the shoelaces. Now you bring
your knee back, you rotate the hips forward, keeping your knee at hip level,
you'll feel a good stretch in the front of the thigh. Take a breath in, and exhale
it out. Okay, now feel the stretch in the back of the thigh. You extend the leg
out, take a deep breath, inhale, both arms come up over your head once again,
and then lift up, lean forward, hands around the ankle. Now lengthen forward,
reach with your chest, and just slowly bring your chin down a little bit,
and relax down. Roll yourself up, bring it back to the center, and we'll repeat
it on the other side. I think stretching is important because it helps release
tension and elongate the body after your workout. Take a deep breath, inhale,
both arms up again, lift high, lean all the way forward, place your elbows on the
ground if you can, relax the knees toward the floor, and lower your chin down.
Breathe in, and a full exhale out. Once again, breathe in, and then exhale it
out. Roll up a little bit, come up on the fingertips, and reach to the diagonal
once again, feeling a good stretch from the hip. Okay, now take the forward arm
up and over your head, fingertips reaching out, feel a good stretch down the
side of the torso, take a breath in, and a full exhale out. Now take that top arm
up to the ceiling, place your hand back, other hand on the knee, lift up and
rotate around, and you'll feel a good stretch across the low back. Now return
it back to the center, and place your elbow on the ground, put your hand around
the shoelaces, bring your knee back, and rotate the hips forward. You can really
intensify the stretch by squeezing the buttocks, elongating the front of the
thigh. Now for the back of the thigh, extend the leg out, take both arms up to
the ceiling once again, and reach high, go forward, hands around the ankle, lift
up, and lean all the way forward. And then very slowly round your way up. Now this
time you bring the soles of the feet together, place your hands right on the
ankles, lift your spine, lean forward, and use your elbows to press the knees
down, and you'll feel a good stretch on the inner thigh. And then slowly round
your way up. Take a deep breath, inhale, bring both arms up over your head. Now
for your back, you take it high, scoop it out, hollow out the midsection, reach
back up to the ceiling, then pull your elbow back, open the arms out to the side,
and roll the shoulders back, and just relax. And we did it!
Give me a high five.
Pull the toes back, really flex your foot back, chest comes down, and relax it.
And then slowly round the way up. Soles of the feet together, lean forward, chest
down. Round all the way up, roll the shoulders back, and we're done.
And we're done!
Look at my thigh!
Move like a wave, wave, move, roll on me.
Move like a wave.
You gotta move now.
You gotta move now.
Roll your body down. Move like a wave.
You gotta move now.
Move like a wave. Move away from your body like a wave.
You gotta move now.
When it comes to getting in shape, you can trust the expertise of Karen Voigt,
world-renowned fitness expert and creator of the Karen Voigt Fitness Video Tapes.
Karen's exercises work. As the owner of Voigt Fitness and Dance Centers in Los Angeles
and Santa Monica, California, Karen instructs classes daily so every routine on
videotape is proven safe and effective. Having trained high-profile clients like
Tina Turner, Paula Abdul, and Al McPherson, to name a few, Karen Voigt is one
fitness trainer who does it all. I really had a terrific time working with Karen
Voigt. She's really tuned in to what works. My goal is to provide fitness
instruction that's convenient, that's motivating, and that's effective.
And thanks again for looking out for me. What I'd like them to do is finish with
a sense of accomplishment. I want them to feel that they've done their very best
with the valuable time that's available to them. Now the newest workout from Karen
Voigt, introducing the weighted bar. Strong and smooth moves combines lower
back aerobics with body sculpting. It helps you lose weight and it helps you
shape your muscles all in a one-hour workout. The only equipment you need are
one- to five-pound hand weights or a bar that weighs 12 pounds. I use the bar in
the traditional ways like bicep curls and front raises, but then I've made up a lot
of new exercises that reach the hard-to-get areas like the inner thighs,
the lower section of the abs, the obliques, and we also use it in the stretch.
It's heavy enough to give you the resistance that you need and light enough
to be used on all areas of the body. I've tried these exercises in my classes. I
know it's what people want and I know they work. For more information on how you
can purchase the weighted bar, please dial the 800 number listed on the screen.