New LIIT ABC 30 :10
Workout format
- 30 seconds work
- 10 seconds recovery
- Approximately 120 BPM
- Short transitions between exercises
- ABC structure: Arms, Back, Core
- Can also be adapted for strength, abs or stretching
Round 1 – Arms
- Lateral raise
- Upright row
- Alternate/combine the two movements for 30 seconds
Round 1 – Back
- Mini ball positioned under the sternum
- Prone back extension
- Cactus arm position
- Lift chest while drawing shoulder blades together
- Lower with control
- Keep elbows aligned with shoulders
Round 1 – Core
- Kneeling dumbbell halo
- Circle weight around the head
- Move from one side to the other
- Maintain a stable trunk
Round 2 – Arms
- Seated concentration bicep curl
- Use the thigh to support the working arm
- Complete one side, then change as required
- Increase weight if greater overload is needed
Round 2 – Back
- Mini ball under the torso
- Fingertips at temples
- Back extension over the ball
- Draw shoulder blades together
- Lower forwards over the ball
- Keep head aligned to avoid straining the neck
Round 2 – Core
- Reverse curl using a step
- Hold the top end of the step
- Heels positioned towards the lower end
- Small reverse abdominal curl
- Lift the pelvis/lower body
- Lower slowly with control
Main training focus
- Upper-body strength
- Back and postural strength
- Core strength
- Shoulder conditioning
- Biceps
- Spinal extension
- Lower abdominal activation
- Muscular endurance
Equipment used
- Dumbbells
- Mini Pilates ball
- Step platform
- Exercise mat
Interval options discussed
- 30 seconds work / 10 seconds recovery
- 60 seconds work / 30 seconds recovery
- 20 seconds work / 10 seconds recovery (Tabata-style)
- The 30:10 format is highlighted as particularly versatile for class programming.
Lift Lean 30
Workout format
- 30-second intervals
- Four exercises per circuit
- Structure: lower body → upper body → cardio → core
- Designed as a simple “back to basics” workout
- Suitable for short 15–30 minute sessions
- Can be delivered live or pre-recorded online
- Use heavier weights where appropriate for strength development
Circuit 1 – Lower body
- Heel-elevated squat using a yoga block
- Keep heels raised throughout
- Optional rotation as you stand
- Rotation increases glute involvement
- Perform for 30 seconds
Circuit 1 – Upper body
- Seated dumbbell shoulder press
- Use challenging weights
- Press dumbbells overhead
- Lower with control
- Perform for 30 seconds
Circuit 1 – Cardio
- Four jogging steps
- Two jumping jacks
- Repeat continuously
- Option to travel forwards during the sequence
- Perform for 30 seconds
Circuit 1 – Core/shoulders
- Heavy dumbbell or kettlebell halo
- Circle the weight around the head
- Alternate direction
- Maintain a stable torso
- Perform for 30 seconds
Circuit 2 – Lower body
- Wide plié squat
- Toes turned out
- Push through the heels
- Optional rotation as you rise
- Focus on glute and inner-thigh activation
Circuit 2 – Upper body
- Dumbbell chest fly
- Lie supine
- Open arms wide with control
- Bring dumbbells back together
- Add dumbbell pullovers as a progression
Circuit 2 – Cardio
- Repeat simple jogging/jumping-jack combinations
- Optional forward hops/travelling movements
- Keep the cardio straightforward and accessible
Circuit 2 – Core
- Add an abdominal exercise to complete the four-part circuit
- Repeat the circuit as required
Lift Lean programming
- Kettlebells are not required, despite the Lift Lean kettlebell logo.
- Equipment can include:
- Dumbbells
- Kettlebells
- Resistance bands
- Yoga blocks
- Bodyweight
- The overall concept combines strength, conditioning and healthy lifestyle habits.
Meal plan
- Free 5-day meal plan discussed in the video
- Designed for men and post-menopausal women
- Emphasises higher-protein meals
- Includes a shopping list
- Intended to complement strength training and healthy lifestyle habits
Key takeaway
- Keep programming simple: 30-second intervals and four-exercise circuits make workouts easy to teach and follow.
- Alternate lower body, upper body, cardio and core for a balanced full-body session.
- Prioritise appropriate resistance and progressive overload rather than complicated choreography.
Lift Lean Kettlebells and Cardio
Workout format
- 30-second intervals
- Alternate kettlebell strength → cardio
- Two sets of each exercise suggested
- Can be developed into approximately a 30-minute workout
- Uses simple push/pull and lower-body strength exercises
- Cardio can be high or low impact
Kettlebell exercise 1
- Heavy kettlebell squat
- Lean/hinge appropriately through the hips
- Drive through the glutes to stand
- Choose a challenging weight while maintaining technique
Cardio exercise 1
- Forward and backward running
- Keep movement simple and energetic
- Low-impact option: walk forwards and backwards
Kettlebell exercise 2
- Heavy kettlebell deadlift
- Hinge from the hips
- Keep hips relatively high
- Feel the stretch through the hamstrings
- Drive through the posterior chain to stand
Cardio exercise 2
- Two lateral steps right
- Two lateral steps left
- Progress to lateral shuffles for higher intensity
- Step rather than shuffle for lower impact
Kettlebell exercise 3
- Plié/sumo squat
- Toes turned out
- Combine with two upright rows
- Alternate:
- Two upright rows
- Two plié squats
Cardio exercise 3
- Pendulum legs
- Double pendulum
- Single pendulum
- Kick-away variations
- Old-school aerobic-style movements
Triplanar cardio concept
Cardio can deliberately cover all three movement directions:
- Forward/backward movement
- Side-to-side movement
- Rotational movement
Exercise modifications
- Kettlebells aren’t essential.
- Alternatives include:
- Dumbbells
- Resistance bands
- Bodyweight
- Community-class participants can bring their own weights.
- Cardio can be adapted to low impact for clients who don’t want to run or jump.
Online kettlebell coaching
- Keep kettlebell exercises relatively basic when teaching online.
- More technical exercises such as snatches are better suited to face-to-face coaching where technique can be monitored closely.
Main training focus
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Quadriceps
- Upper back
- Shoulders
- Cardiovascular fitness
- Full-body strength
- Muscular endurance
- Multidirectional movement
Key takeaway
- A very simple strength/cardio alternating format can create an effective 30-minute workout.
- Use challenging resistance for strength intervals and straightforward cardio between them.
- The format is highly adaptable for different equipment, abilities and impact levels.
Old Skool High Impact Aerobics
Workout format
- Approximately 5 minutes
- Old-school high-impact aerobics
- Three short combinations
- Simple choreography designed to raise the heart rate quickly
- Movements can be modified to low impact
Combination 1
- Jog/run forwards
- Single-arm reach
- Double-arm reach
- Hop backwards
- Single hamstring curls
- Double hamstring curls
- Grapevine
- Repeat leading with the opposite side
Combination 1 – low-impact option
- Replace hops with steps
- Keep the same single/double arm pattern
- Perform hamstring curls without jumping
- Finish with grapevine
Combination 2
- Kick-away/forward kicks
- Side kicks
- Four pony steps
- Grapevine
- Repeat on the opposite side
Combined sequence
- Jog forwards
- Travel/hop backwards
- Reverse hamstring curls
- Grapevine
- Kick-away
- Side kicks
- Pony steps
- Repeat on opposite lead
Combination 3
- Scissor runs
- Jumping jack
- Pendulum legs
- Single pendulums
- Single knee lift
- Three repeated knee lifts
- Repeat the sequence
Main training focus
- Cardiovascular fitness
- Coordination
- Agility
- Lower-body endurance
- Rhythm and choreography
- High-impact aerobic conditioning
Teaching approach
- Keep choreography straightforward and repetitive.
- Start with lower-impact versions where appropriate.
- Add hops and jumps to increase intensity.
- Use short combinations that are easy for participants to learn.
- The three combinations can be expanded into a longer aerobics class.
Music
- Cardio Energy 12
- Driving beat suited to traditional high-impact aerobics
Key takeaway
- Simple traditional aerobics movements can create an energetic cardio workout without complicated choreography.
- The combinations can be taught low impact first and progressed to jogging, hopping and jumping for higher intensity.
Quick long bands
Workout format
- Approximately 5-minute demonstration
- 20 seconds work
- 10 seconds recovery
- Tabata-style timing
- Alternate upper-body and lower-body exercises
- A lighter long resistance band allows a better range of motion
Shoulders
- Standing band shoulder press
- Two presses on the right
- Two presses on the left
- Progress to both arms together
- Focus on deltoid strength
Squats
- Stand on the band with handles near shoulders
- Standard squats
- Vary foot/toe position
- Add three squat pulses followed by standing
- Continue with single squats
Biceps
- Single-arm bicep curls
- Complete right side, then left
- Curl through the full range towards the shoulder
- Control the return movement
Lunge and hip extension
- Stand on band with one foot
- Lean forwards slightly from the hips
- Lunge while extending the opposite leg backwards
- Repeat on both sides
- Challenges glutes, legs and balance
Upper back
- Bent-over resistance-band fly
- Hinge forwards from hips
- Raise arms laterally
- Keep wrists neutral rather than allowing them to bend
- Focus on upper-back and rear-shoulder muscles
Triceps
- Stand on band
- Bring arms overhead
- Step forwards
- Perform overhead tricep extensions
- Maintain controlled resistance throughout
Deadlift
- Stand on resistance band
- Hinge forwards from hips
- Perform band-resisted deadlifts
- Focus on glutes and hamstrings
Programming ideas
- Continue alternating upper- and lower-body exercises for a complete workout.
- Add 10 minutes of resistance-band strength work after a cardio class.
- Example triple-challenge class:
- 10–15 minutes step
- 10–15 minutes aerobics
- 10 minutes resistance-band strength
Holiday workout idea
- Create short portable workouts clients can use while travelling.
- Example:
- 10 minutes fabric mini-band
- 10 minutes long resistance band
- Bands are easy to pack and don’t require a gym.
- Pre-recorded band workouts can be offered to clients as holiday workout packages.
Main training focus
- Shoulders
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Upper back
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Quadriceps
- Balance
- Full-body muscular endurance
Key takeaway
- A light-to-medium long resistance band provides a versatile full-body workout with very little equipment.
- Alternating upper and lower body every 20 seconds creates a simple format that can be used independently or added to cardio sessions.
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