Lil'Fytness Fanatik's FitFix

Lil'Fytness Fanatik's FitFix of the Month

Got 10 minutes? Here’s one workout you won’t “skip”!

In the time it takes me to type this out, you can blast away that box of Valentine's chocolates you guiltily wolfed down last night before heading off to bed {well that's what I did anyway :p}. It's my interval skipping routine!

All you need is your running shoes, a skipping rope {I bought my Bally plastic/nylon rope from Winner's for $4}, a little bit of room with a hard floor surface to skip on {my kitchen works if I move my table up against the wall} and some hard-driving music {I recommend the Inner City Surfers CD with 'Travel On', etc. I can't recall the CD name now - sorry guys! Check out my sister's list of songs for highbeats-per-minute tunes}. Oh yeah - have a clock nearby {digital works best} and some hand weights if you got 'em.}

Also, be sure to have a glass of water handy - you're going to need it!

Alright, get started. After you warm up, blast that music.

Step 1: Start timing yourself and start skipping for 1 minute. Try to skip to the music and make sure you are taking small jumps, just enough to let the rope pass under your feet. Keep your abs tucked in, shoulders back, head neutral, watching the clock. Focus on good form and the 60 seconds will fly by.

Step 2: After 1 minute, put the rope down and grab the dumbbells (I'm currently using 7lb weights for this. Do 1 minute of any exercises that works well with the amount of weight you have - front shoulder raises, lateral raises, bent-over triceps extensions, standing overhead triceps extensions, bent-over rear-deltoid raises, etc. When I do this, I do one 10-rep set of three exercises.

Step 3: We’re on minute 3 here – pick up your rope!!! Let the next minute turn over and start turning your rope. When you are skipping, try alternating fee, switching between feet together, and feet apart in counts of 8 or 10. This helps the minute fly by.

Step 4: Put the rope down after one minute and repeat Steps 2 and 3 until your ten minutes is up.

Are you confused yet? Hahaha – don’t worry it will come together once you actually try the workout.

Once you have mastered the workout, start to increase your skipping interval to 2 minutes, then 3, etc. I am up to 4 minute intervals and I now do a workout that lasts 20 minutes. Be sure to breathe properly and drink enough water – trust me, you’ll need it!