Could you skip this one?

Do you remember effortlessly skipping as a child? How about giving it a go again? What a great way to raise that heart rate up, help with fat loss and help tone that mid section while you are there! Skipping is great as part of a warm up or used as a whole body workout in itself. An inexpensive tool to purchase that is easily portable too!

Try this quick skipping workout below that you could even squeeze in before breakfast!

1. Set the timer on your phone for 5 minutes. Keeping your elbows by your sides and using your wrists to propel the rope (try not to use your shoulders) do 30 simple skips.

2. Take a 30 second (active) break by gently marching on the spot.

3. Repeat the skipping and rest periods until the 5 minutes are up and there you have a great mini workout!

Sign up below to receive the FREE Red Hot Personal Training blog straight to your inbox.

No excuses bedroom workout!

Follow my effective bedroom/hotel workout below and sculpt that body with just 8 easy to do exercises. All you need is a resistance band and a bed! Are you visiting family or going on holiday over Christmas and not going to be able to do your usual workout? No gym membership and want to get fit in the comfort and privacy of your own home? Give this fun workout a try. Don't forget to follow Red Hot Personal Training on Instagram and Facebook for more tips, ideas and exercises. 

Want a strong core?

What is your core?

When you hear the words core training what comes to mind?  Endless crunches that seem to produce no results?

A great number of people believe that your core muscles consist of only your abdominal muscles which is just not true.  Muscles of the core region include the abdominals and the hip and spinal musculature.  In fact when you strength train your core you aim to target all the muscle groups that stabalise the spine and pelvis.

Side plank

A strong core can help you with your functional fitness (those crucial ab and back muscles you call upon every time you turn, bend and lift) and also from an aesthetic perspective (sculpting and tightening that mid section!). 

Suffer from lower back pain?  

In some instances, weak or poorly controlled core muscles can be associated with lower back pain.  Correctly strength training the core muscles will result in them being stronger and more correctly balanced with less uneven strain being placed on the spine. 

Core Workouts

A great core workout may incorporate planks and side plank exercises to encourage a neutral spine position with a natural curve in the back.  Other excellent core exercises include the glute bridge that can help stabilise the pelvis. 

Using a swiss ball to perform core exercises on can be a great tool to really target those inner hard to reach core muscles whilst also adding an element of fun to the routine. Progression can then be made onto a push up lateral row that engages all the core musculature at once resulting in a thorough core workout.

Kitchen Workout Part 2

Lets work out those arms! No excuses, as all you need are two equal sized tins from the cupboard.  Watch the video clip below for a quick demonstration and give it a try. (Remember to warm up first by jogging on the spot or performing star jumps for a minute just to get the body ready). 

Missed last weeks blog ? Check out our 'Kitchen workout part 1 ' using just bodyweight exercises and don't forget to keep an eye out for part 3 next week.  You can also subscribe to our FREE weekly health and fitness blog so you never miss a future blog. x  

Kitchen workout Part 1

Ok so its raining outside, you don't have much time today to exercise or you just hate going to the gym.  Why not give my quick Kitchen Workout a go?  Over the next few weeks I will be sharing a series of exercises that you can perform in your own kitchen.  Take a look at the first 3 exercises below and try them today. Let us know how you get on under the comments section below.