Cardio & Abs

For today's core cardio class, we are going to elevate the heart rate and work the deepest most layers of our abdominal muscles. We'll alternate blocks of work standing Dane a playful fusion of yoga pilates on the mat. So let's begin standing on our feet, find your space, reach your arms out, and give yourself a hug as you round it back. So it's inhale, stand up really tall, and exhale all the air out as you round the spine. Do that a few times, and we're we're gonna add some flow, add some rhythm to this.

So I chose this exercise to start things off because abs in rounding the spine. We are finding our core exercises, even as we stand, as we breathe, as we stretch. Let's add some tempo here. So we round the spine and extend. I'm gonna stand profile I want you to evenly distribute this flexed spine so you're pulling your navel to your spine as you round.

Let's do a few more like this. Who doesn't love a good hug? Well, not everybody loves a hug, but I do. Get over here. This is my house. Just kidding. Let's do a few more like this.

Hug and open. And we are not only lovers here. We are fighters. We're gonna push away here. We're gonna push from side to side.

So we're gonna build on our practice by adding a little more aerobics here. Now I'm pushing something, but energetically, I'm throwing you some energy across the screen here. Dane you send me some back? How does that feel? It's okay? Let's try a few more like that. Use your exhale as you push from side to side twisting the body through that transverse abdominis, do a few more like that.

And let's go to one side. So left arm up, right arm out, and we're gonna push to one side Can you do this with me eight times? 8, 7. Come on. Push. Push. Work the side. 3, 2, 1, and switch. We go for 8 push. Come on. Give me something in the legs. We go for 3, to switch for 4. We go for 4, 3, 2.

Switch 4, 3, 2. Switch for 2. We go for 2. We go for 2. Now the singles go from side to side. How are you feeling? The heart rate up? Come on. Work those side abs. Maybe this is core.

This is cardio. This is the best of all worlds. Let's be honest. Let's take one more to each side. Awesome. Let's go for our skull crushers.

Gonna reach your arms in one direction. Pull the knee into your chest Dane then reach away. So you're pulling across your body and reaching, and let's move. It goes in out. Crush it. Crush your goals. Whatever brought you to the mat Dane.

Let's focus in on that. I'm here for you. I'm here for me. I want this workout just as much. Let's just do a few more here. Crush.

Skull. Or you can think of a nicer message for your body. Let's take our arms up overhead behind our head. That same leg is now going to lift, and we do our oblique lift with a little abduction pull your abs in. Try to stay nice and tall here.

Up and over. Up and over. Let's do 4 more. Exhale as you lift. Up and over side flexion.

Dane more. Take that leg across behind you into a transverse lunge. Now one of my favorite movies, the matrix. Reach your arms to me. Circle the arms out around Dane back together.

Have you seen the movie, the Matrix? Come on. Give me the fantasy. Dodge the bullet. Oh, we can do better than that. Come on Dane more.

Give it to me. I feel like Kiana Reeves. Side too. Crush it. Reach Dane knee Dane knee. And you can move a little slower but me, that energy is flowing.

I don't know if you can tell, but I'm feeling good. Crush it. Crush it. Keep going here. Use your core muscles to lift that knee. Use your core muscles to crush it with your arms. It all comes from your center. A few more crush 321, hands behind the head.

Find that lateral side movement up and over. Try your best, not to fold at the hips or rather bring your leg in front, everything is in Dane long narrow hallway. That's why I cannot bring my leg too high because I'm really focusing. I'm pulling in and up. Lift up and over.

2 more. And now time for the sequel, the Matrix 2. Not as good as the first movie, but this exercise is gonna be just as good. Reach forward. Take it. All the way around, making sure that the knees are in line with the toes.

Use your core to find that 360 movement. I'm gonna ask that we go for it on this last one. Come on. Reach to me. Reach to the wall. Oh, all the way around Dane bring it center.

Great job with your standing warm up. And now we hit the mat. Let's go. Come to one side. Bring your hands up to the sky. Salute the judges Dane then round yourself forward.

Walk your hands into a plank. Let's begin on quadruped hands and knees with some shoulder taps. So we just did a lot of movement. Try to keep your body completely stable as you pull your navel to your spine. Keep your neck long. Dane then opposite hand and foot, right hand to the shoulder, left foot out, left hand to the shoulder, right foot out. I can't even say it.

How does it feel? Good. Try a few more. And then either stay with this exercise or join me downward dog, plank, tap, tap, pipe, plank, tap, tap, What kind of workout is this? It's cord cardio. Let's pick up the tempo Pike, plank tap.

If you feel good, you can try, Jack, Jack, pike, plank, jack, jack. If you feel better, you can add opposite arm and shoulder taps. Whatever works best for you as we elevate the heart rate and continue to get deeper into the core muscles. Let's go one more time into child's pose, but the break is over. Keep that heart rate up.

Get onto the forearm for a low side plank facing me. Left your arm up. Hi, and switch. We're going to flow from one side to the next, shoulder blade down the back, assert yourself out of the mat, and continue to move. Notice if you feel your heart rate increase Dane even the most subtle and still movements. Take a moment to feel the blood flow through your body as we flow from side to side.

One more time on each side. Awesome job. Come on to your stomach in prone position. We are going to play between our swan lifts Dane NR push ups, starting with 8 swaddlers, legs, hip distance, press your pubic bone down, pull your abs in, and lift the arms, lift the leg, lift the chest, and lower. Good. Long neck, abs in tight. Make sure the low ribs don't push into the mat. Try to close and lift those low ribs up and make this an articulation.

We've got 4 more swanlifts So important to work both the front Dane in this case, the back abs. Let's do 2 more. So important for our posture. And now push ups, we know what these are good for. Everything. Press yourself up.

Option on the knees. 8 push ups. Let's go. Inhale Dane, exhale up. It's down. It's up. I want you to keep your collarbone nice and wide.

A nice long neck, 4 more chest touches the mat, and then lift, inhale down, exhale up. Last two. Touch your chest on the last one. Dane then back to swan lifts. We know the exercise. Let's go straight into it, lifting up for 4, and lowering down.

Here's 3, up, up, up, up, up, down, down, down, down, Always an option to keep your legs down if it goes into your back. Last one. Push up four times on the knees or in full push ups or handstand push ups. Don't let me stop you. Inhale, Dane, exhale up 2 more.

Now I'm starting to really feel the burn all the way down to swan lifts up and Dane, up. And Dane, push up two times, down and up, down, and the best part, the singles will go lift and push up. Lyft and push up. 2 more of these. 1 lift. Press yourself up and Dane, and this is the last one.

The Grand finale Dane it big and beautiful. The last thing the judges see. Push yourself back Dane then downward dog, walk your hands and feet together. Good. Roll up your spine, breathe in, breathe out, and we have our first cardio circuit on our feet. Take a deep breath.

You're gonna need it. Reach those arms up. Dane squat. Dane side lunge. Reach.

One squat down. Side lunge the other leg. Reach. And now, flow squat. And reach. Upright and side.

Good. Have some fun with this movement here. You can be a fierce warrior princess or a karate master. Whatever speaks to you today, I want you to do a few more rounds here. Can you pick up the tempo with me? Side lunch Dane down up.

Side lunch. Using our core to control the exercise to protect, embrace our spine. We are feeling this in the hips, the legs, the arms, hashtag, everything. One more on each side. Good. And we'll go for another fun tempo challenge, second position, Sumo squat, nice and low, hand behind the head.

Touch your right hand to right foot. Reach over. Let's do this eight times. We go for 87. Reach 6. 5. Can you go lower? 3.

2. And switch up and over. 8. 7, reach 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and switch. Lower 3, 2, 2 to the right, 2 touch the floor, 2 touch the floors, and now the singles from side to side, I'm gonna take my hands behind my head on this. Can you touch your elbow to your knee?

Easy or said than done. See if you can keep the spine nice and long as you flex from side to side, one more on each side. Whoop. Toes forward. Dead lift hinge forward, touch for 4, 3, flat back, 2, turn out the legs, pivoting on the heels, open the arms up for 4, 3, 2.

Again, for 4, 4, 3, 2 out for 4 out. 2. Let's go in for 2 counts. 2 in, 2 out. Splay those arms. Out.

We go Dane. We go out. Abs in. Long spine. Singles. Go Dane and out. Touch the floor.

Touch the walls. Down out. A few more here. Let's go for 8. Final countdown.

Come on for 6. A little more energy with me. Remember, you hit play on cardio. I wanna see a sweat with me. I wanna see you glow last one and bring it out.

And now the fun begins. The Charleston tapping into my musical theater background, how convenient. Side 1, I want you to kick with your right and lunge with your left. So it's kick, right, lunge left. Kick right, lunge left. And let's be honest here. You might be feeling a little jazzy like me.

Could put on some smooth jazz on your Spotify. Charleston Charleston. Maybe we add a little more dynamic where we skip the middle Dane and kick out. Oh, sorry. I had to throw in one of those. Something to come back for.

Something to keep you interested. One more. Awesome. Let's switch to the other side, little hair flip for me, and let's take our left foot forward Dane our right foot back. The first few feels like a completely different exercise. And then once you feel okay with the movement, you can start adding that little bit of jazz, that little self expression, that makes moving and working out enjoyable for me.

And then it's time to show off the goods. And Dane. Sound effects. Oh, is it welcomed? Maybe your neighbors might not like it, but I encourage it. Good. Maybe a few hitch kicks.

Down. Hit and down. Let's do 2 more. And then our, well, already a standing Ovation, a courtesy from side to side. And now our speed skaters, we're gonna take our arm across our leg behind.

Getting our transverse lunge, taking our space. Good. Reach out. Cross over. Reach out. Cross over. Can you push off of your foot So it really resembles like your figure skating, rollerblading, roller skating, what do you like to do?

Drop it in the comments, push out, and in. Me, I'm a figure skater. And I've got these thighs like Tanya Harding here. I'm about to take you out. Just kidding. Last two. Last one.

Awesome job. Let's hit the mat. We go back to the floor, and we go into our Pilates. Let's go on to our back. The heart rate is already up. Usually, I begin with the 100 Dane now my heart rate's up, and now I'm gonna have to breathe and work through this with you. So the arms are going to reach forward, curl up off the shoulders, legs, and tabletop, pump the arms up and down, and notice how the hundred feels right now.

Deep breathe in, off the shoulders, abs in tight. Get those arms pumping. This is cardio. The Pilates 100 is a meant to ignite the body and force the blood into the outer extremities. How are we gonna do that? We gotta get those pumps working. We have to take those deep breaths. So I'm gonna take a few deep breaths with you.

Let's try that again. Deep breathe in. Exhale out. Come on. You can pump more than that. I can see you on the other side of the camera.

I never accept a first offer. Keep pumping. Keep pumping. Can you pump with your right knee in Dane left leg out? Didn't see that curve ball coming.

I mean, switch. Deep breath in. Exale everything out. Pump's feeling okay. Triceps. Yes or yes.

Cradle the head. No breaks. Criss cross. Criss cross. Just a few more. I can feel the sweat dripping down and we are getting our Pilates in as well. This workout has it all up and twist.

Up and twist. Up and twist. Last one on each side. And hug your knees. That feels so good. What's gonna feel better is a nice scissor for the hamstrings.

Grab one leg, kick and pull. Switch. Grab the other leg, kick and pull. Don't let that heart rate go back down. Up off the shoulders, grab an ankle, kick and pull, grab the other ankle, kick and pull. Make sure you grab the ankle from the same place. We want the symmetry. We want to assert that beautiful posture.

So the shoulders against you down the back, You grab, use your arms to kick and pull just as much of an upper body exercise as it is about the abdominals. Dane more on each side. Grab right hand to left leg on the outside and lift and twist lift and twist. You can cradle your head. You can reach for the foot. Let's do 8 more, up and twist. Last 6, reach.

3, 2, right to the other side, left hand to the outside calf, cradle the head, keep the opposing leg either down or out, up twist, up twist, last 10. 9. I'm gonna reach pinky to pinky. 76, exhale as you twist 4, 3, 2, and 1. Drop the feet down. Drop your arms down. Cork screw.

Keep the energy flowing. Anchles together, toes apart. The knees can be slightly bent or they're straight. Make a clockwise circle, keeping the shoulders, and the ribs down, and then change directions. Good. And then expand your cork screw if that feels okay for your body today.

A rounding up, center switch, a rounding up, mixing in some of our classical repertoire checking things off, inhale around, exhale, zip up at the top. Let's do one more in each direction, and we'll come up for a few tricep dips. Great job. Hug the knees in. Gently lift your head. Rock and roll yourself up.

Take your hands behind you. A few tricep dips here. Fingers face forward. Lift your hips. Try not to twerk. Even if you're having fun, we're gonna save that for another workout.

We're gonna keep our shoulders down our back and bend from the elbows down and up. I live in sunny Los Angeles, and we have to wear our strapless Sorensen year round. So we gotta make sure those arms are toned that we are working. Our entire body here, down and up, down and up. Good. I'm so glad I'm filming my right side right now.

This is the one that makes it to Instagram, but you at home, we strive for equal arms pressing and pushing. Last four, last three, last two, Dane last one. Take a quick stretch Dane then turn around, downward dog. Walk your hands and feet together. Roll up the spine Dane by bone. Awesome. We are all set for our second core cardio block of work. Let's add a shuffle to our side lunge.

So you're gonna shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, side lunge, shuffle, shuffle, side lunge, Don't be scared of the shuffle. It's just a little side skip, but then if you feel good, you can start to make those a little quicker, a little smaller, down, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, Dane, shuffle, for each across. Have some fun with this one. Look at us. I feel like a football player. Oh, I don't watch a lot of football. I'm more of a halftime show type of guy, if you know what I'm saying.

But here, we can live our football fantasy important to move in all directions, and that's where the core strength and core connection comes in. Let's do a few more, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, take up your space, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, all the way down. Last one on each side. Good. And now we'll go to chair to second position, adding a little calesthetics here. So we're gonna go chair position here, sit into a chair, nice and low.

Let's go 4 counts. 4, 3, 2 second position. Feet turned out. Arms out. 4, 3, 2. So now we're gonna try jumping for 4. 3, 2, and jump out for 4, 3, 2, but you can always step in 2, 3, 4, and out.

2, in for 2, out for 2, in for 2, out for 2. Remember, low impact does not mean low energy. So step in if you want or jump if you want. One more practice, and now the singles go in, out toe ball heal, landing with that control. Again, all coming from your core core muscles to help you take that impact toe ball heal, toe ball heal, I'm going to pretend I'm back in New York on my 5th floor walk up, and I don't want to upset my downstairs neighbors, but I still need to get my plometrics in out in Dane more time. On each side, Dane now our arabesque sweeps.

So turn just like we did for Charleston, but now we're gonna take out the middle Dane with that lunge. Turn out your feet ever so slightly. Sweep your light, right leg forward, sweep your right leg back. Again, the core is what will set you free. The core is what will keep you safe.

And once you feel okay, add some flow. It's up. It's down. It's up. It's down. Maybe it's a little lift.

Maybe it's a big lift Dane a big kick Whatever works for you. Let's do 2 more up and down, up, and transition. So heels together toes apart, sweep that left leg forward, sweep that left leg back. A few more of that movement rehearsal. And then when you feel ready, if you feel ready, add a little tempo, add a little flow, if you feel really good about this at a little hop, maybe you've done this work out a few times, and you notice that you can do things now that you couldn't the first time, and that's why Pilates Dane time, Yoga anytime, these websites, these apps are so beneficial that we can always come back to these workouts and improve our practice, challenge our self in new ways.

1 more, Oh, excuse me. Awesome. Let's do our final skaters. But this time, we're gonna add a little heat. Okay. So whether your team Nancy, whether your team Tanya I want you to use your powerful blades, those powerful thighs, and let's start speed skating. Come on. There's only one Olympic gold medal to be given away.

I know I said this isn't a competition, but let's be honest. Everything in life is a competition. So here the competition with yourself, how far can you push off off your blade? I'm sorry. There's only one gold medal. I'm going for it.

Arms out and in. Arms out Dane in adding a little jump between the skaters. If I can talk and do this, you can take some deep breaths with me. Come on for 4. Good for 3.

For 2. And the metal ceremony Let's get down to the mat. Laying on our side for a final side series, still playing with some patterns here to keep us interested, cradle the head, Get your body in one long line on the back of your mat. Fold at the hips. Turn out the legs.

Lift that top leg and tap it in front. 8765 4, 3, 2, switch back, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, the front, 4, 3, 2, to the back, 4, 3, 2 to the front, 2 front, 2 back, and now 8 singles, 8. Keep the upper body controlled. Remember, this is from the abs. We go for 4. 3, 2, and a quick scissor sprint.

Both legs lift. Dane leg forward. Dane leg back. Find that place on the hip where this feels best for you. We're all built a little differently. Let's just do a few more. Kick, kick, kick, kick, and bring yourself up. Little reset, and let's come to side 2. Transitions.

Always welcomed. Highly encouraged. Lie on your side. Fold at the hips. Make sure your tailbone your backside is flush along the mat with the arm.

Good posture, lifting the ribs, and folding at the hips. Lift the top leg forward. Tap Dane. 876543. Lift to the back.

876 5, 4, 3. Lift to the front for 4, 3, 2, up. 4, 3, 2, up. 2, back. 8 singles. 8. Up and over. Control the upper body.

Good. Let's go for 3, 2. Kick scissor lift both legs. Scissor kick forward and backwards. The abdominal series we did earlier. Has led us to this moment.

It's all the system of exercises. Remember, one series lending itself to the next. We're nice and warm. This really challenging exercise, although it's slow and somewhat graceful, is really burning inside. I don't know if you can tell by watching. I hope you can feel it.

Let's do one more scissor kick Dane then bend the knees. Bring yourself up and over. Amazing job. Let's finish on our feet. Downward dog. Walk your hands and feet together.

Roll up the spine Dane notice the amazing energy flowing through your body. Figure 4. Use a wall at chair if you need it. Press that knee down and away. Take a deep breath. Notice the heart rate.

Dane switch. Figure 4 funky chair, whatever you wanna call it. It's a wonderful stretch not only for the knee, the hip, but we're gonna fold forward, getting a nice stretch in our back as well. And breathe. Final stretch. Take those arms behind you.

Interlace the fingers. See if you can get the heels of the hands together as well. Open for that beautiful posture. And then fold forward. Arms come up overhead.

Shake the head. Yes. If you had fun today. Shake the head. No. If you don't wanna hit stop. I can't believe it's over.

Drop the arms down and roll up your spine, bone by bone by bone. Stand as tall as you can. Take the deepest breath you can. Hands at heart center. I hope you got a great cardio workout.

I hope you feel the core, total body. I can't wait to work out with you again. Great job.