Workout At Home: Kayla Itsines’ Abs & Arms Circuit
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Workout At Home: Kayla Itsines’ Abs & Arms Circuit

It's hard to believe Kayla Itsines only earned her personal training diploma less than a decade ago. Following the mammoth success of her cult app, Sweat, and with 12m Instagram followers, this darling of the fitness world is on a mission to empower women, one burpee at a time. To get your sweat on in lockdown, just follow these four simple but effective moves for stronger arms and a tighter core...

Alternating Shoulder Press 

  1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, sit on a chair and plant both feet on a mat, hip-distance apart. If you don’t have dumbbells, try using water bottles of canned food as substitutes. Extend both arms overhead, holding the dumbbells in an overhand grip (palms facing away from your body). This is your starting position.

  2. Inhale and brace your core. Exhale as you use the muscles in both your shoulders and arms to extend your elbows and press the dumbbells above your head. Avoid ‘shrugging’ by drawing your shoulder blades down and back.

  3. Inhale and bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells towards your chest and return to the starting position. 

  4. Repeat for 16 reps (8 per side).

Bent-Over Row

  1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip (palms facing toward your body), plant both feet on the floor, shoulder-width apart. While maintaining a slight bend in your knees, hinge forward from your hips so your torso is parallel to the floor. Extend your arms directly below your chest. This is your starting position.

  2. Inhale and exhale. Bend your elbows to bring the dumbbells in towards your body, ensuring your elbows remain in close contact with the sides of your body. You should feel a small squeeze between your shoulder blades.

  3. Inhale and extend your elbows to lower the dumbbells and return to the starting position. Repeat for 10 reps.

Incline Mountain Climber

  1. Place a chair in front of you. Place both hands on the chair shoulder-width apart and keep both feet together behind you, resting on the balls of your feet. This is your starting position.

  2. Keeping your left foot on the floor, bend your right knee and bring it in towards your chest. Extend your right leg to return to the starting position.

  3. Keeping your right foot on the floor, bend your left knee and bring it in towards your chest. Extend your left leg to return to the starting position. 

  4. Continue alternating between right and left for 20 reps (10 per side), maintaining control of your breathing throughout.

Modified Ab Bikes

  1. Place a chair horizontally in front of you. Start by lying flat on your back on a mat, with your legs elevated on the chair so your knees are in line with your hips and your shins are parallel to the floor. Bend your elbows and place your hands behind your earlobes. Inhale and engage your core. This is your starting position.

  2. While keeping your left foot on the chair, draw your right knee in towards your chest. At the same time, rotate your torso to the right to bring your left elbow to your knee.

  3. Untwist your torso and extend your right leg to return to the starting position. Immediately draw your left knee towards your chest and rotate your torso to the left, to bring your right elbow to your knee. 

  4. Continue alternating between left and right for 16 reps, maintaining control of your breathing throughout.

Complete as many laps as possible in seven minutes. Depending how much time you have, repeat one, two or three times.

Follow @Kayla_Itsines
 

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