We all do it. As soon as we book that vacation week (or two), we start the countdown of days we have to get in optimal "beach body" shape. You know, the one that makes you not embarrassed to get into the bare minimum amount of clothing to be considered decent and stand next to strangers for hours in the hot sun. Ideally, you are a person who has an active fitness lifestyle. If you haven't seen the inside of a gym in ages, this routine will at least help you reach for that beach body.
4 Weeks Out
Let's lay down some basic principles of this workout...it's all about intensity. The way we will be having you workout requires you to do intense movement for periods with little rest in between exercises. It's designed more for definition and muscle tone than bulk. Let's begin.
At this point, you should be performing at least 45 minutes of exercise a minimum of 3 days per week. You should be doing a mix of body strength and cardiovascular training, as well as watching your diet considerably. Cut out excess sweets and carbohyrdrates from white flours. Your sample workout should be as follows:
Sets of 15-20 repetitions, performed one after the other, with a rest of 1 minute after the last exercise. Repeat each "lap" 2-3 more times. In addition, you should perform some type of running, cycling, walking, or other challenging cardiovascular exercise for an extra 20 minutes after this workout.
1. Standard Grip Push Ups
2. Tricep Dips (See how to do a Tricep Dip here.)
3. Air Squats
4. Bicycle Crunches
5. Plank
6. Burpees
7. Swiss Ball Crunches
8. Pull Ups
3 Weeks Out
You can smell the sea air. Time to step up your workouts. You should be exercising at least 45 minutes (working towards an hour this week) four times per week. The same principles apply to this workout as in week 4, however, we are now up to 3-4 laps of the circuit.
1. Wide Grip Push Ups
2. Tricep Dips
3. Air Squats
4. Bicycle Crunches
5. Plank
6. Burpees
7. Swiss Ball Crunches
8. Pull Ups
9. Mountain Climbers
10. Side Planks
11. 10 pound dumbbell curls
2 Weeks Left
At this point in the game we are really starting to focus on muscle tone. This week we are going to perform each exercise for as many repetitions as you can perform with excellent technique in 45-60 second intervals. Repeat each lap 2 times. You should be doing this routine a minimum of 4 days this week, plus additional cardiovascular training to help with the appearance of definition.
1. Close or Diamond Grip Push Ups
2. Tricep Dips
3. Air Squats
4. Bicycle Crunches
5. Plank
6. Burpees
7. Swiss Ball Crunches
8. Pull Ups
9. Mountain Climbers
10. Side Planks
11. 10 pound dumbbell curls
12. Core Bridge
13. Lunges
1 Week Remaining
This week is our pump week. We're simply going to top off what we've built over the last three weeks. Perform this three times this week, since you'll need to pack the wagon queen up for this beach trip.
1. 35 Push ups (any grip you like)
2. 35 Crunches
3. 35 Tricep Dips
4. 35-second Plank
5. 35 Squats
6. 35 Lunges
7. 35 minute cardio workout
Stick to this plan and make the most out of your beach body. Even if your trip is marred by a funny-named hurricane, you'll have an awesome beach body in your Facebook pictures that your friends will be so jealous of.
Ryan Barnhart, MS, PES, is a certified Performance Enhancement and Injury
Prevention Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine
(NASM). He also holds a master's degree in exercise science, as well as a
bachelor of sport management, both from California University of
Pennsylvania. Ryan has worked with numerous collegiate and amateur
athletes across many different fields. Ryan also has had the opportunity
to work with several professional athletes. Recently he has worked with
amateur and professional athletes within the emerging sport of Mixed
Martial Arts.
Ryan is currently the director of fitness at a 700+
member gym near Pittsburgh, PA. He enjoys working with weekend
warriors, athletes, and everyone in between. You can contact Ryan at [email protected].
