Time-Efficient Kickass Home Workout

Often, getting to the gym is the hardest part so here’s a time-efficient home workout with a martial arts twist. Don’t worry about form too much – nobody is looking, except the cat.

My specialty is fast-paced workouts with a martial arts twist. Not only will this make you feel badass, but it will also engage your core like no other movement out there. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and High Intensity Resistance Training (HIRT) mean smart and effective training in less time. I don’t want to be at the gym for two hours a day – I want to spend most of my time with my son. With a 20-minute HIIT or HIRT workout, I’m going to increase my heart rate which will boost my metabolism, build lean muscle mass and release endorphins. That’s why I developed the HIIT and HIRT training for Centr. In the app I’ve combined my workouts with MMA which is incredible for calorie-burning and uses big muscle groups like your legs, back, arms and you’re also twisting a lot through the torso. So it’s really great at developing tone around your stomach. It also means you’re not doing something boring like crunches and are throwing punches instead which is much more fun. Either way, you’ll walk away with more movement, improved flexibility and a toned core that doesn’t involve a single sit-up.

What to do: Use this workout to help you get core and booty gains just in time for summer. It will burn energy while building lean definition, so keep that sweat towel handy. This workout is time-based. Simply do 40 seconds in the zone followed by a 20-second break for each movement. Repeat x 3 and you’ve got yourself a 15- minute workout.

1. Roundhouse kicks

Start in a horse stance – legs apart, slightly bent as if you’re on a horse. Step your right leg in next to your left leg, lift your left leg up and flick from your knee to kick with the front part of your foot. Then place your left leg back on the ground and step your right leg to the side so you return to the horse stance. Repeat the move and then do the same on the other side.

2. Knee strikes

This movement really crunches your transverse abdominals and you don’t have to lie on the floor to do it. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms above your head and tense your core. Lift your left knee to your chest and pull your arms down, then repeat on the other side. Complete this at high speed to really raise your heart rate.

3. Oblique twists

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands in the guard position just under your chin. Now engage your core and keep your hips straight as you twist your upper body to the right then the left and repeat continuously. At the same time, take one knee down, then the other so you’re kneeling. Return to standing by stepping your left foot in front, then the right foot, pushing through your glutes.

4. Punch and pulse

Adopt the horse stance, engage your core and come down into a low squat and hold. Start your punching sequence with a jab. Pull your arm back and do the same for a cross. Pulse upwards slightly with your legs up and down while maintaining your horse stance. Continue with the punching sequence as you pulse through and hold the squat for the duration. Your core, arms and lower body will thank you.

5. Scorpion push up

Start in your regular push up position with your arms shoulder width apart. Move your body in a controlled fashion down to the ground, but as you do lift your left leg and twist it as far behind the right side of your body as you can. As you do this take more pressure in your right arm and look to the left. Return to the starting position and then repeat the action with the other side of your body.