I love doing a quick workout in the morning before all the celebrating begins.

It can be fun to be active with friends and family before you all sit down for a big meal.

It also just always makes me feel better to get moving on a day when I’m doing a lot of sitting and feasting.

So because I love a quick, fun and social workout on Turkey Day, here is a great cardio blast you can do anywhere.

Happy Turkey Day!

Turkey Day Workout

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Back
Chest

WORKOUT

You will end up completing 10 rounds. Start with just the first exercise. Then repeat the first exercise and add in the second exercise. Then return to the beginning, doing the first, second and third exercise. After adding in a third exercise, return to the top and go down the list again adding in the fourth.

Each round, add another exercise until on the final round you do all 10 exercises.

CIRCUIT:
5 reps Super Crunch
10 reps Frog Hops
5 reps each side Sit Thrus
10 reps Burpees
5 reps Plank Jacks
10 reps each side Ski Hops
5 reps Dive-bomber Push Ups
10 reps each side Oblique V ups
5 reps each side T Push Ups
10 reps Tuck Jumps

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Back
Chest

NOTES:

Take only as much rest is needed. Complete the 10 rounds as quickly as possible.

This is a great workout to make into a friendly competition. The first one to complete all the exercises wins. Of course that doesn’t mean sacrificing form to win!

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Super Crunch – Lie on your back with your legs out straight. Crunch your upper body up as you draw your knees in. Come up so that you are sitting on your butt. Reach your hands to outside one knee. Then lie back down. Then crunch up and reach through your knees. Lie back down. Then crunch up and reach outside the other knee. Those 3 crunches equal one rep.

Frog Hops – Basically a squat jump except you are propelling yourself forward instead of up. So squat down and launch yourself forward, landing softly in a squat so you can repeat. Try not to rest when you land. Try to go right from one jump into another. If you don’t have room for these though, you can perform squat jumps instead.
Sit Thrus – Click the link for a description and pictures.
Burpees – You can do either modified burpees (aka no push up) or full burpees. If you do the push up, make sure it is a full good push up. Also only do the push up if you can continue to move quickly.
Plank Jacks – Start in a high plank on your hands and toes. Hands are under your shoulders and your feet should be together. Then jump your feet apart and then quickly back together. Repeat quickly until all reps are complete.
Ski Hops – Keep your feet together and squat down. Then with your feet together, jump side to side. Try to jump as far to each side as quickly as possible. Beginners may want to pause in a squat after each jump to balance.
Dive-bomber Push Ups – This move can be done from the knees by beginners or from the toes by more advanced exercisers.To do this from the knees, set up at the top of a push up with your hands outside your chest and your body in a straight line down to your knees. Sit back onto your heels as if doing a child’s pose stretch. Keep your hands in their original position. Then start to move forward back into the push up position, but keep your head and chest close to the ground as you go forward. Keep your upper body as close to the ground until your chest is in between your hands. Arch, opening your chest up toward the ceiling as if you are doing upward facing dog. Get a nice stretch at the top, making sure to press down through your palms and elongate your neck. Do not let your shoulders shrug up by your ears. Hold for a second and then sit back into the child’s pose stretch and repeat.

Modified Push Up

Oblique V ups – Lie on your side with your legs straight and together. Bring them to a slight angle in front of you. Lie with your bottom arm out in front of you at an angle. It will be under your body like you are going to prop yourself up on your side using it. Crunch up reaching your top hand toward your toes as your raise your legs up toward the ceiling. You will sort of prop yourself up on your arm on the ground to “v up.” Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other side.
T Push Ups – See link for description and pictures.

Tuck Jumps – Stand with your feet together. As you jump up, tuck your knees in toward your chest. Then shoot your legs back out to land softly on the ground. You are not squatting with this jump, simply tucking your knees.