Hi everyone,

So Christmas is over for another year – that’s what my dear friend and father in-law says every year on the 25th December right after  lunch. It’s kind of sad, but hey – there are so many new things that we can look forward to in 2010. I enjoyed the holidays very much, but I am glad to be back again.

Since we are doing bodyweight exercises that don’t require equipment, we decided to take our workout outside and give you a glimpse of what this beautiful island looks like. Today we went to Xlendi Bay, which is were we first stayed when we moved to Malta back in October. I had my coffee in a Thermos, and Frederick had his book, and we relaxed for a bit when we got there. There was nobody around except one weirdo who is constantly pestering tourists. It’s not the first time that we’ve met him and it’s never easy to get rid of him. When you see this type of person, you try not to make eye contact and if you see that he has noticed you it’s better just to leave immediately. So we were sitting there and Frederick says: ”Don’t look now, but there is the weirdo again.” So I didn’t and prayed that he would leave. I swear that if he wouldn’t have left, I wouldn’t want to have my workout there. Luckily he left and we were able to do the workout and shoot the video without any distractions.

Sometimes the weather here is unpredictable and what starts out as a beautiful sunny day can be spoiled by sudden rain. That’s exactly what happen today. As I started the last round of the workout, we heard thunder over the sea and the sky turned gray. Frederick started to pack his equipment while I was still finishing my fourth round. I think that the fear of getting soaked by rain actually helped me to finish this workout faster. I completed the 4 rounds in 17 minutes and 20 seconds which means that I beat my personal record by 1 minute and 32 seconds. As usual, I am using my Gymboss Interval Timer to keep track of my time.

Due to the weather conditions, we couldn’t make new pictures, so I posted the photos from November 2nd – the first time I did this workout. You can check out my first attempt here.

There are 4 rounds of the following exercises that flow from one into another and you shouldn’t take any rests until you complete a full round.

1. Low Jumping Jacks

Stand with your feet hip width apart, put your hands on the back of your head and bend your knees. Stay low while doing the Jumping Jacks. Every time you land on the ground with your feet apart counts as one rep. There are 20 reps total.

2. Pike Press

Stand with your feet wide apart and place your hands on the ground in front of you. Your legs, back and arms should be straight. Bend your elbows and bring your head towards the ground. Push back up to the starting position. This counts as one rep. Do 6 reps and move on directly to the next exercise.

3. Mountain Climber

There are 30 reps total. Every time you switch the legs counts as one rep. Keep your arms straight and your abs tight throughout the exercise.

4. Tricep Leg Lifts

Start from the plank position and then bend your elbows keeping them close to your body. Bring your chest as close to the ground as possible. Lift one leg up squeezing your gluts and with a controlled movement bring it down again. Switch the legs. Each leg lift counts as one rep. Complete 10 reps total.

5. Superman

Lay on your belly and lift your legs and arms just an inch off of the floor. Keep you whole body tight. Start lifting one arm and the opposite legs simultaneously and switch the sides for each rep. Do 10 reps and then roll over on your back keeping your arms and legs in the air.

6. Toe Touches

Lift your legs up towards the sky with your feet flexed. Engaged your abs and lift your upper back off of the mat to touch your toes. Every time you touch your toes counts as one rep. Complete 20 reps and move on to the Leg Lifts.

7. Laying Leg Lifts – 10 reps

The most important thing for this exercise is to keep your lower back pressed into your mat at all times. Squeezing your abs and glutes will help you to keep proper form. If you find that it’s hard to keep your lower back pressed into the mat, then don’t lower your legs too far towards the ground. You can also choose an easier variation for this exercise – the laying knee tucks.

After the Leg Lifts, reverse the order of the sequence and move directly to Toe Touches and then move your way exercise by exercise to the Low Jacks. This counts and 1 round. You can take just a short break after each round. Complete 4 rounds and don’t forget to write down your time.

Enjoy your workout,

Zuzana.