Get Fit with Marta Montenegro: The Body-Weight Workout

The benefits of the this workout is that you burn fat faster, not to mention a positive impact on the hormones that control appetite.

How much do you weigh? Just think: Those 150 pounds that you carry can be the best dumbbells and barbells that you have.

This week, let’s focus on power moves. Power is an expression of speed and strength, which means how fast you can move your body. This workout hits all the major muscles at high intensity, allowing you to cut your total workout time significantly.

Sounds good, right?

Structured as high-intensity interval training, this body-weight workout creates a greater impact in the metabolism than a steady low to moderate type of workout. Benefits: you burn fat faster because the metabolism stays active, even after the end of your workout, and there is a positive impact on the hormones that control the appetite.

The Anywhere, Anytime Body Blaster

The Exercises

1. Burpee with push-up

2. Squat jumps

3. Walk forward and backward with push-up

4. Skater jumps

5. Squat jumps in and out

6. Mountain climbers

7. Plank, alternating arms

8. Plank, push up, twist

Beginners

Perform one exercise after another with minimal rest in between or as you need it accordingly to your fitness level
Do 10 reps of each exercise
Repeat two times
Rest 90 seconds at the end of each circuit
Warm up around five minutes by walking or just marching in place
Stretch at the end
Perform this routine three times over the week

Intermediate/advanced

Perform one exercise after another with minimal rest in between
Do 15 reps of each exercise
More advanced: Challenge yourself by doing as much reps as you can in 30 seconds. Keep the records to track your improvements
Repeat three to four times
Rest 60 seconds at the end of each circuit
Warm up around 5 minutes by walking, marching in place or knee raises
Perform this routine followed by any type of cardiovascular activity for 20 minutes at moderate intensity or perform this routine at the end of any weight lifting day to maximize caloric burn
This is a no-equipment routine, but if you’re truly advanced and want to add intensity, add some dumbbells
Stretch at the end.

Marta Montenegro inspires people to live healthy lives by giving them the tools and strength to find one’s inner athlete through her personal website MartaMontenegro.com. She created SOBeFiT, a national fitness magazine for men and women, and the Montenegro Method DVD workout series – a program she designed for getting results in just 21 days by exercising 21 minutes a day . Marta is a strength and conditioning coach and serves as an adjunct professor of exercise physiology at Florida International University.