With daylight savings upon us and spring a little over a week away, what a BETTER time to celebrate than RIGHT NOW with a brand new circuit! To get me thinking SPRING, I set a goal to run in a Half marathon this May, of which training began 2 weeks ago. I love the training schedule, do all my runs outdoors (despite the bitter cold here in the northeast), and hope to beat my PR last year of 1.47 (or at least MATCH it!). Hiit workouts like the one I created below, absolutely has made me a faster more conditioned runner, and given me the cardiovascular strength and endurance to rock on in my running! My training runs are 3x a week and a long run on the weekend. The days in between I do my HIIT and strength workouts and take 1-2 days rest. Building up my core strength (after giving birth to my 3rd in January), is a HIGH priority. Whether I am running or doing my hiit workouts, I am VERY aware of contracting my abdominals throughout the workout (and day for that matter), and concentrating on overall core movements rather than straight up abdominal work to build and strengthen my core to where it was prior to pregnancy. What I like about the below workout, is that you can complete it by itself and loop it 2-4x for a longer workout, OR complete one round after a quick cardio workout, like when I go for my short 3 mile 'easy' training runs. On days where I complete my pace runs, I stick to the running alone to help my muscles recover better. If you add this workout to the end of a cardio session and want to swap out the 'cardio' portion (i.e. 45 seconds of skipping rope between the strength portions), then shoot for isometric contractions such as 20-45 seconds of a wall sit, 20-45 seconds of plank hold, or 20-45 seconds of 'V' sit. An isometric contraction occurs when the muscle contracts without changing its length or causing any movement of the bones to which it is attached. Even though you are NOT moving, you are building strength since you are increasing the time and force your body needs to sustain the hold. This will increase muscular strength and conditioning. If you are unsure of any of these movements, I have included a 'realtime' workout where I do the entire routine with you. You do not need equipment, however, I will use a weighted bar, sandbag, equalizer, and val slides. You are also welcome to use dumbbells, bench/chair in replace of equalizer and 2 hand towels in place of the Val slides. Get up and get moving!

SPRING into Spring HIIT Circuit

12 rounds, 45 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, 2-4x thru

 skip rope (45 seconds) 4 presses, 4 bent over rows (45 seconds) skip rope (45 seconds) one leg squat with toe tap-right (45 seconds) skip rope (45 seconds) one leg squat with toe tap-left(45 seconds) skip rope (45 seconds) 2 pushups + 2 curls bar (45 seconds) skip rope (45 seconds) Alt rev lunge + 1 good morning (45 seconds) skip rope (45 seconds) tricep dips (45 seconds)

(Want to hit the beginning of the circuit, and skip over intro? Start at 2.14min)   Like this workout and want to see more? "LIKE" my Facebook page and let me know what you want! You can also visit me at www.moorefitness.com!