As some of you may have seen, I was really fortunate to work with the UK edition of Women’s Health magazine in recent months as the ambassador for a new Tiger Balm campaign. Asked to design a short HIIT workout and stretch sequence, I got to flex my favourite muscle (my mind) and get creative with a flowing sequence of exercises you can do absolutely anywhere.

The videos below shows a few highlights from the shoot. Scroll down for a full description of  Women’s Health workout, including 4 bodyweight moves that are perfect for balancing out the season’s indulgences as we commence our countdown to Christmas. If you’d like more workout inspiration, I’ve also designed a festive-themed session for Sweaty Betty – head to the SB blog to get the scoop!

Women’s Health Workout 1 – Bodyweight HIIT

Complete 45 seconds of each exercise, then move straight onto the next one without stopping. At the end, rest for 60 seconds then repeat from the top for a total of 5 rounds. That’s 20 minutes of high-intensity, highly effective exercise. You’ll have definitely earned that lengthening, relaxing stretch sequence that follows… 

Inchworm walkouts: From standing, roll down to the floor and walk your hands out to a plank position. For an extra challenge, continue walking your hands past your shoulders and squeeze your butt to maintain a flat back. Reverse your steps and return to standing. Add an optional jump at the top before your second rep.

Tempo mountain climbers: On your final walkout, pause when your shoulders are stacked directly above your hands and lock your torso in place while driving knees to chest. Perform 4 slow climbers, hollowing the abdomen for intense core-activation, then 10 fast reps. Continue alternating between both tempos.

Alternating lunge twists: Take a reverse lunge, dropping the back knee nice and deep while keeping your chest and shoulders active. At the bottom of the lunge, twist in the direction across your front knee. Think actively about your oblique on the twisting side, fully exhaling and squeezing the muscles in your abdomen to get the most from every rep. Come to stand and alternate sides.

180 degree burpees: With your feet together, plant your hands on the floor and jump your feet softly into a high plank position. Now jump your feet back into your hands, pushing through your heels and taking a full 180 degree turn to land facing the opposite direction. Plant your hands and repeat. Remember it’s just 45 seconds til your recovery. Well done!

Women’s Health Workout 2 – Stretch & Flow

Perfect in isolation or as a cool down routine after the HIIT workout above, this sequence is time for you to smooth out any tightness in the body and slow the mind through meditation in movement. Run through each flowing stretch at your own pace, synchronising your breath to the movement and holding each phase of the exercise for as long as necessary to feel the muscles soften. This is your time – you deserve it. 

Downdog to updog: From a plank position on your hands, lift your hips high and roll your shoulders away from your ears so you resemble a long upside down V. Exhale deeply here, then on the inhale roll your chest through your hands and lift your breastbone and chin gently to the ceiling. Try to keep your thighs off the floor as you stretch your midsection. Squeeze your glutes to prevent unsupported dipping into your lower back.

Runners lunge to forward fold: Take a reverse lunge position with your right foot in front and your left foot behind. Lift your hands in the air and squeeze your left glute until you feel a gentle pull across the hip flexor on the same side. Slowly straighten your back leg and hinge from your hips to fold your chest over your right shin, taking the stretch into your hamstring. Slowly repeat on the same side, synchronising your exhale with the fold and your inhale with the lunge. Switch sides when your body and mind feel suitably open.

Tick tock legs: Lie on your back with your knees in tabletop position and your arms in a nice wide T. Keeping both shoulders glued to the floor, gently rotate your knees to the right. Go as far as you need to feel a gentle stretch through the middle and lower back, then bring the knees back through centre to the other side. You can go as fast or slow as you need to lengthen through the spine, or even fully relax into one side where you feel extra tightness.

I hope you enjoy my Women’s Health workout routine. Although my blog can get a little quiet when other elements of my business and life get busy, I will always prioritise quality over quantity because I want these posts to be useful and inspiring to you. If there’s any advice you’d like to read, workouts you would find useful or insights you’d love to learn, I always love to hear from you at brit@fitbritcollective.com! Thanks for reading and happy festive fitness! 

Brit xx 

As I promised in my recent New Year’s Resolutions post, I want to do more this year to give back to my sweat squad (that’s you!). Which is why I am super excited to launch a new challenge. Get ready for it… The 2016 Reps Workout! Yep, a whopping (but totally feasible) 2016 reps await!

I’ve designed this workout using extremely effective full-body cardio conditioning circuits, targeting every muscle group and jumpstarting your heart rate so you’re firing on all fat-burning cylinders as you begin your 2016 fitness journey. Because you’re constantly moving between exercises with minimal rest, you’ll be burning calories from start to finish. And with bodyweight conditioning at the heart of every section, you’ll also be strengthening and toning the muscles as you move. Plus, stronger and denser muscle tissue means a higher metabolic rate, so the super good news is you’ll continue burning more calories in the long-term as well as the short-term.

Of course, these benefits don’t come without some effort, so prepare to sweat and to give 100% to every exercise. I know that everyone is at different stages in their fitness journey, so I’ve given this workout a flexible format suitable to all levels. You have the option to complete it in one go as a 55-minute full-body session, or to break it into 3 weekly 25-minute workouts targeting your legs, torso and core respectively. That means you’ll either be completing the whole 2016 reps in one workout, or in one week. Either way, you’ll be getting healthier and fitter with every workout! 

How does it work?

There is a 5-minute warm up and 5-minute stretch section you’ll need to complete every workout. Between the warm-up and stretch, there are 3 15-minute conditioning sections – which you can complete all at once or split up over the course of the week. Within every section, progress from one exercise to the next with minimal rest. If a section calls for you to repeat the circuit, you can take up to 60sec rest before starting again!

What do you need?

You can do this workout at home, in the gym or outdoors. All you need is the following:

• The 2016 Reps Workout Cards (print or save on your phone)
• A mat (optional)
• A pair of light dumbbells (or couple of full water bottles)
• A skipping rope (optional)
• A water bottle you can actually drink from!

Get started

Sign up to my newsletter to receive the full-page workout cards previewed below. On the front you’ll see the exercises and reps you need to complete. Turn them over for a detailed exercise description to help you perform each move with perfect technique. Or, if you’re familiar with all the exercises and want a more portable workout guide, you’ll also receive a print-friendly Pocket Edition.

Stay motivated

I’ll be posting regular Instagram videos to help you master your technique and achieve the next level of fitness. Plus, you can join others taking on the 2016 Reps Workout challenge by posting about your experience using #fitbritcollective #2016reps. Become part of the inspiration and let’s create an awesome, supportive community. Stories shared = results magnified! Don’t forget to tag me, @fitbritcollective, so I can follow along with your journey!

I’m not a natural born runner. I’m not bad in the speed department, but the thought of committing to weeks on end of long distance training runs has never appealed to me, so that pretty much rules out a marathon (although I am infinitely inspired by the drive and resilience of the long distance runners among you). I prefer my cardio short and sharp, so my heart screams and my pulse soars and it’s all over before I can blink. The post-workout endorphins after a challenging tabata session are like nothing else. I feel powerful. I feel light on my feet (even if my legs don’t always oblige). I feel like I can tackle anything that comes my way.

Aside from the incredible feel-good factor of the toughest high-intensity exercises, the physical benefits are also second to none. As someone who always feels short on time, the result to time ratio of every workout is hugely important to me. And incorporating high-intensity cardio supersets into conditioning workouts is the easiest way to reduce the time of your workouts while maintaining (or even increasing) the benefits of each session.

Here are just a few of the reasons to love cardio conditioning supersets:

• You sweat more – The body heat rises more quickly with the sharp increase in energy expenditure. Cue the opening of the pores and that gloriously natural detoxifying effect of a good sweat session.

• Afterburn is amplified – The more times your heart rate spikes and then drops off again (compared to steady state cardio like endurance running, which keeps the heart rate level), the greater the metabolic activity after your training. That means by working harder for less time, you can burn more fat and calories for longer.

• Faster muscle fatigue – While this may sound like a negative, tiring your muscles out faster during conditioning segments means they get rapidly stronger to meet your regular training demands. Your body also becomes more efficient, your lactic acid threshold rising to be able to sustain greater effort for longer. Yes, this means you’ll be able to get in an extra burpee or two, but you’ll also feel the difference as you race effortlessly up escalators or catch that bus just in the nick of time.

Convinced? Time to put your new knowledge to practice. Do 3 sets of 15 reps for each of the below supersets, with 30 seconds rest between each round. I selected these combinations for super-quick transitions, so minimise any pause between the two exercises in each superset.

Deadlifts to squat jack 

Holding a kettlebell or pair of dumbbells weighing at least 10kg, assume a hip-width stance and ‘switch on’ your abdominals as you bend with a straight spine towards your toes. When the weight gently taps the floor, slowly return to the top while keeping your legs straight – and say hello to your hamstrings. Quick, straight on to your squat jacks! Drop the hips back and down and touch the sides of your heels, then explode up as you push through your heels to jump up and jack your legs out to the sides. Land in a perfect mid-width squat position and transition smoothly between every rep.

Military crawl to side to side plank jumps

I have to credit one of my colleagues at Heartcore who inspired this military crawl plank. Warning: he does it on the Reformer Pilates Bed, with the carriage opening beneath you like the jaws of an angry shark. This floor-based version is far kinder, but similarly adds variety to your plank and challenges stability through your spine. In a flat back forearm plank, stack your forearms one in front of the other. Then take a few slow controlled crawls forward by alternating which forearm is in front, following with your feet behind. Continue crawling for up to 60 seconds before moving straight into your high plank on your hands, then get that heart rate high with side to side plank jumps. Keep your back as straight as possible and your feet together as you pounce from one side of the mat to the other. Light on your toes and steady through your hips!

V-sits to resistance band crab jumps

With a resistance band tied snug just above your knees, find your long spine position on your back and slowly peel your shoulders and legs off the floor in one simultaneous movement. Meet in the middle and hover for a moment in a V-sit. The addition of the resistance band will help to reinforce your straight leg position and keep your toes together, which increases the challenge for those lower abs. Feeling crabby? A set of crab jumps will set you right with a rush of cardiovascular endorphins and a satisfying extra burn in the sides of your glutes. Plant your hands behind you and lift your hips towards the ceiling so the front of your body forms a box. Maintain this position, squeezing your glutes and engaging your core, while jumping your feet in and out against the resistance of the band.

Slider side planks to mountain climbers

Sliders* are a go-to for me when I need a home workout or want to slow down and think about form. However, they’re also great for speeding up. This combination of side pike and mountain climbers does both. Place your hands directly beneath your shoulders and the sides of your feet on the sliders, top leg in front. From here, keep your legs together and your shoulders directed towards the floor as you squeeze the sliders as far in to your torso as possible. Think about reaching your hips high towards the ceiling and exhaling into the working oblique. After up to 15 slow controlled pikes, square your hips and position your toes on the sliders, then drive one knee at a time in towards your chest. The extra resistance of maintaining contact with the floor adds a subtle core conditioning element to the classic cardio superhero that is the mountain climber.

*You can also perform this exercise using paper plates or face cloths.

Press-ups to vinyasa jump throughs

Inspired by the most challenging vinyasa yoga classes, this press-up / jump through combination will give you a gleeful burst of energy when it suddenly clicks and you can begin to speed up your transitions into your V-sit or ‘boat pose’ at the top. Start in press-up position, your hands beneath your shoulders and your glutes and hamstrings active. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and slowly lower your chest to the floor. After you’ve completed all your reps here, fire through the core to shift the weight into your hands and kick your feet up and through to the front of the mat. Try not to let your feet touch the floor, but straight away lean back with your shoulders and lift up through your toes towards the ceiling. Hover in V-sit, then reverse. Voila!

As I leave you with my favourite fat-blitzing supersets to help you feel the burn, I’m off on the next flight to Australia. I’ll be giving my body a little rest, so I can come back to my own supersets feelings fresher and stronger. I look forward to catching up on the other side, when I’ll have lots of holiday news as well exciting Fit Brit Collective updates to report ;).

Brit x

I’m not one for making excuses. But if I were, my radio silence over the last couple weeks might just warrant your forgiveness. Two major life events happened. Firstly, my husband and I successfully bought our first house. Which means in three short weeks it’s goodbye to East London and hello to a shiny new SW postcode. It also means there’s a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.

If that wasn’t enough, I’ve also been squeezing in training and assessments at London’s Heartcore fitness studios – best known for ruling the roost in Reformer Pilates, and becoming increasingly famed for its high-intensity TRX classes and limb-lengthening Barre programme. For those of you who know me well or have spent some time perusing my posts, you can probably guess where you’ll find me! As of this Saturday, I’ll be teaching at least five TRX classes a week in the Chelsea and Fulham studios. Which means my official foray into professional fitness instructing marks life event number two, and gives me the opportunity to bring some of the passions I’ve shared with you here to the realm of real-life! Check out the schedule here, and don’t forget to say hi if you come along to a class.

To celebrate the end of an era, I did something a little naughty… I really wanted to film one last workout for you in my East London surrounds, just somewhere a little different. So I snuck into a private garden I’ve recently stumbled across in my weekend adventures. One with fountains, ponds, lily pads and marble benches. It was seriously serene, and proved a lovely backdrop for the following bum-toning workout… That is, until I had to take cover when the site security guard made an appearance.

But don’t be fooled – even a pretty setting won’t distract you from the day-after burn these bodyweight moves will deliver. They will remind you that your bum is not just for sitting. It is also for standing to attention and looking incredibly pert – a major win during the final weeks of bikini season prep. Even if you’re not in possession of a sunseekers’ holiday itinerary, autumn is just around the corner and your favourite jeans are waiting for you to fill them out with your best-ever bottom!

4-Step Kickback Series

Step 1: Time to give yourself a real kick in the bottom. From a table top position, with your shoulders stacked over your hands and your belly button scooped in, bring your right knee into your chest then point the toe and extend it as long as possible behind you. Do this 15 times.

Step 2: Now hold the foot out behind you and slowly lower and lift it to the ground. Think about firing from the glutes throughout – you’ll know you’re doing it correctly when that right cheek starts to burn. 15 reps here, too.

Step 3: OK, now hold the foot out long and flex it as you curl the heel towards your bum. You should feel the heat spread through your hamstrings. You guessed it – 15 times.

Step 4: Finally, hold at the top and keep that foot flexed as you pulse the heel towards the sky. Keep this movement small and controlled – your hips should stay squared to the ground throughout. Go on, give me 15. All done! Best do the left cheek, too…

Plank Leg Lifts

Get into your perfect plank position on your forearms. Remember your checklist: glutes clenched, abs engaged, back flat. Ready? Now slowly peel your right foot off the ground and lift it a V-motion over your left foot, tap the ground, and return to the start. Keep those hips stable throughout. Yep, you’ll feel this one through the core, too – but who ever said no to a flat, toned tum? Work to fatigue, then take a rest before repeating with the left foot. I recommend 10 reps on each side.

Hip Bridge Pulses

Roll over to your back and plant your feet on the ground a few inches from your bottom. Reach for the stars – literally! Point your right toe to the heavens and peel your bum and lower back off the floor by clenching your left glute. After 15 full reps, hold at the top of the movement and try to pulse the hips one inch higher for a further 10 reps. Switch sides! No cursing – the gods of great glutes are watching!

Side Squat

By taking your squat into one leg and out to the side, you’ll activate deeper into your gluteus medius – the muscles down the sides of your hips. The more toned these are, the better you’re going to feel in sexy high-cut swimwear. Body confidence spells uninhibited beach fun, and you deserve nothing less! Stand with your feet together, then take a wide step to the side with your right foot. Keep your feet on an even plane as you sink back through the right hips. Try to get your thigh parallel with the ground before pressing off the heel and returning to the start. Complete all your reps on one side (12-15 should do the trick) before switching.

Sweeping Squat Hold

As you’ve just nailed your dynamic squat form, take the next step and challenge yourself with a static hold. Sink into a narrow stance squat and take the weight into your right foot. Now sweep the left foot from front to back, keeping the movement slow and controlled. Pull the shoulders back, switch on the core and try to sink a little deeper towards the final rep (that should be roughly the point your thigh starts to shake).

Single Leg Deadlift and Split Kicks

No one knows the way to a pert bottom and long lean legs like a ballerina, so the final move is inspired by traditional ballet training. From standing, slowly bend from the hips and lift your left leg straight behind you. When your body forms a perfect T, plant your hands on the ground and take the leg up even higher. Ballerinas and barre regulars call this the ‘standing splits’, but my tight hamstrings don’t take me into anything quite resembling the splits. However high you can take your leg, turn out and pulse the foot just a centimetre or two higher. Go for 3 pulses, then return to standing. Slow and steady – your core and hamstrings will keep you in control. This is one rep – aim for 10, then switch sides.

Enjoy your workout! Wishing you booty confidence for the beach and beyond – don’t forget to send me the evidence on Instagram ;).  

Brit x 

Before I present the many merits of the workout du jour, I’m going to put my own bias on the table. Yes, I work in marketing for Sweaty Betty. And yes, I am among the team of trainers who will be teaching the fitness fashion brand’s free in-store classes. But all that aside I would still be singing the praises of Body By Simone – LA-born dance-based cardio workout founded by global fitness superstar and ex professional dancer Simone de la Rue.

I had the incredible opportunity to train with Simone a couple weeks ago, and in a few short hours I tried to bottle up as much of her endless enthusiasm and energy so I can unleash it this September. Why then, you ask? Because that’s the month of Sweaty Betty’s next Get Fit 4 Free campaign. And what exactly is that, you ask? Twice a year, Sweaty Betty launches a new workout programme with four weeks of free in-store classes, online workout videos and nutrition support to give a new and inspiring twist to your training. This September, that new twist is Body By Simone!

Here are five reasons to get excited now…

1. The LA crowd knows best

As the reigning world capital of wellbeing, countless fitness trends and top studios have come from LA. If you’ve sprinted on the Woodway treadmills of Barry’s Bootcamp, pulled off The Wheel in SUP Yoga or ordered a kale smoothie from your local juice bar, you’ve followed in the footsteps of the West Coast thought-leaders. And in such an exciting centre of knowledge and activity, Body By Simone has cemented its place as the ‘it’ studio. Those Los Angelites won’t lead you astray.

2. The endorphins feel fan-flipping-tastic

There’s no actual flipping in the Body By Simone workout, but you will feel your mood do a complete 360 in the 50 minute session. For everyone who took part in the preview workouts in Sweaty Betty’s headquarters, or the lucky Women’s Health readers who successfully won a place in the exclusive Sweaty Betty X Body By Simone Ace Hotel event, the most consistent highlight was the happiness factor. There’s something about Simone’s exercise and music selection that inspires you to leave your inhibitions at the door and throw your body into the workout. You’ll shimmy. You’ll sweat. You’ll smile from ear to ear. What’s not to love?

3. It’s a full-body workout designed to challenge everybody

Simone de la Rue is 40 years old. I know, that little factoid brought my jaw to the floor, too. Her glowing skin and sculpture-like abs have a Benjamin Button effect that attracts Simone’s loyal celebrity following including her LA studio regulars Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. But what’s most wonderful about her workout is that it’s both accessible and challenging to absolutely everyone. With low and high intensity variations of every exercise, there’s a progression guaranteed to get your heart rate soaring. Plus, the high-rep conditioning tracks use light dumbbells and your own bodyweight to strengthen and chisel every muscle below the neck.

4. You can say ‘I tried it first’ before its impending arrival in London

During my conversations with Simone, she revealed that London is next on her radar for a new studio. With packed locations in LA and NYC, fitness and dance enthusiasts in London are in for a treat. All that remains is to pin down an address – as a former Broadway dancer, I’m betting Simone has her eye on the West End. Make room, Soho.

5. I’m representing BBS and Sweaty Betty in Kingston

OK, one of my two biases is also my fifth reason to join the campaign. Although not a dancer in the classical sense, I have so much fun conjuring what rhythm remains from my teenage years practising belly dance. I took to the workout like a bee to honey, and I loved the super-sweet high that lasted for days after. The moves are athletic, performed to simple choreographic counts, and matched to upbeat music you’ll carry on singing all the way home. If I can do it, you certainly can too. And I’m so excited for the opportunity to roll out this high-energy workout for Sweaty Betty and Body By Simone. I’ll be taking the class in Sweaty Betty’s Kingston boutique on select dates in September – stay tuned for specifics!

Still not convinced? You can’t not love the look of this sneak peek into Body By Simone in action… 

For Body By Simone updates and to book in for classes, look out for more official campaign info coming soon on sweatybetty.com/getfit4free. For news about where to take my classes and more ways to get involved in Sweaty Betty’s biggest ever Get Fit 4 Free campaign, keep an eye on my Twitter and Instagram feeds.

Emily and I talk for 60 minutes straight, bar the odd lactate inflicted silence when my brain can focus on nothing but the final few reps of barrecore’s trademark high-rep conditioning sequences. Work, travel, fitness, boyfriends/husbands – we cover off most topics of conversation, and still she keeps a perfect rep count. That client repertoire is what elevates the experience from a busier in-gym personal training session. It’s therapy and exercise in one. And it’s just one of the tricks that barrecore PTs employ to distract you from the Garuda’s unique form of torture.

An offshoot of the Reformer Pilates Bed, with a wider frame and greater variety of attachments, the Garuda is a comprehensive strength training machine that would surely have a place in the Red Room of Christian Grey. But its primary and most beneficial purpose is functional multidirectional conditioning, which is at the heart of barrecore’s PT offering.

I tell Emily that I’m building up my core strength to master my yoga inversions, so she starts me off with a lengthy series of teaser variations generic viagra for sale in usa. I complain how I rarely feel any form of DOMS in my abs. Accepting the challenge, she increases the effort until there’s so much heat through my rectus abdominis and deep-set transverse abdominis that I have to watch TV in a permanent upward dog position. I’ve been a long admirer of the ‘barre burn’, but this is a more personalised kind of pain altogether.

Recognising one of the most common curses of a deskbound professional, Emily also identifies a subtle muscular imbalance and targets my ‘lazy glutes’. She orders a set of double and single leg bridges, with the added task of chest pressing a pair of dumbbells and keeping the Garuda platform perfectly stable. My hamstrings briefly cramp up, which leaves me with the satisfying certainty that my muscles are working to exhaustion.

Every barrecore PT session is carefully choreographed to create balance through the body, so to complement my bridges I complete a set of step-ups with a killer stiletto toe calf burn to finish. And to round out my teasers, Emily hones in on my upper back muscles with a full-body row that requires me to pull the carriage towards the frame to activate my lats, scapulae and rhomboids. The motion is delightfully fun – think pull-ups but lying down – and I stand up from the Garuda feeling my posture noticeably improved.

Finally, it wouldn’t be barrecore without without an abs blast to finish. These carriage knee crunches are a breeze to begin with, but the single leg variations take me by surprise with their full-body activation. Soon barrecore’s signature muscle shakes course through my abs and legs simultaneously. The final rep comes as welcome relief.

Whether you’re a regular at the barre, a Pilates enthusiast or a master yogi, personalised sessions with barrecore are a natural way to progress your training and learn dynamic and isometric sequences tailored to your goals. Every programme and every session is unique to you – so HIIT fanatics like me would get a kick out of extra cardio bursts at the barre or using the in-studio trampoline or sliders. While those who like a slower more controlled pace can meet all their workout needs with a combination of barre, weights and Garuda exercises.

“Sometimes clients come in and just want a solid hour of stretching,” says Emily. “That can be really beneficial too, especially when you just need dedicated time to release tension from the body after a particularly stressful day.” Whatever the goal, I get the impression every session with Emily would be a pleasure. With a gentle cool down and big hug to celebrate a tough workout in the bag, she feels more like a skilled and knowledgeable friend than a professional there to provide a service. Which, I think, is a service worth every penny.

barrecore PT sessions start from £70, with the option to add nutritional counselling to identify your intolerances and complement your workouts with bespoke nourishment.

It’s hard to think of a part of the body that isn’t worked during squats. Arms, you might say? But there are so many combination exercises you can create around the humble squat, grabbing a pair of dumbbells or a resistance band to incorporate bicep curls or tricep extensions. For the purposes of this post, I’m sticking to squat variations that primarily engage the muscles of your legs – glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves. Low- or high-impact, squats work the biggest muscles in your body and therefore help you hit the calorie-burning jackpot. They also create balance in the lower body – working the fronts and backs of your legs equally so you avoid common weaknesses like “lazy glutes”, and the chunky thighs and flat bum that can result from imbalances.

It’s time to get your glutes in gear. Work your way through the following 10 squat variations, and try pairing them with these plank exercises to complement your new toned tush with a slim, strong midsection.

Basic squat

Assume a shoulder-width stance and lower your hips back and down while your arms float in front of you for balance. Try to keep your shoulder blades pulling back – this will prevent any rounding of the spine and keep your chest facing up and forwards. Aim to get your thighs parallel with the floor, then pause at the bottom for a moment before slowly returning to a standing position. Think about contracting your glutes and hamstrings throughout to get the most bang for your buck!

Wall squat

To feel the heat in your thighs, take your squat to the wall and hold an isometric position for as long as possible. I love wall squats because they’re great for partner work – one person can perform tricep dips off the other’s thighs, then you can switch as part of a great bodyweight circuit routine. To start out, simply stand with your back against a wall and your feet about a foot from the skirting board. Sink down into your hips until your thighs are completely parallel with the floor. Engage your core and hold tight. 30 seconds is ideal for beginners, while more advanced exercisers should aim to surpass the minute mark!

Dumbbell overhead squat

Grab a pair of light dumbbells and hold them in an extended shoulder press position straight above your head. Sink into your basic squat without bending at the elbows. Remind yourself to pull your shoulders down your back throughout. The extra lever of your arms in the air will increase the challenge on your core – so you strengthen your tum while sculpting your bum.

Single leg stability squat

Another take on the isometric squat, this move activates more of the stabilising muscles around your knees and hips. It’s great for athletes who need to build up resilience to quick changes of direction and prevent injury from overtraining. Drop into a basic squat and pull your bellybutton into your spine as you hover your right leg off the floor. Extend the lifted foot to the back, then out to the side. Repeat all your reps on one side before switching over to even out your glutes!

Walking burpee squat

A great alternative to the high-impact burpee, the walking burpee squat will elevate your heartrate for a cardio burst that won’t put stress on your knees or shake the floorboards for those of us who live in creaky flats. Lower into a basic squat and plant your hands on the floor between your feet, then step one leg at a time into a plank position. Walk the legs back in and reverse the squat until you’re standing. That’s one rep.

Sumo squat

To work deeper into your adductors (those inner thigh muscles everyone stresses over during bikini season), heel-toe your starting stance until your feet are just wider than your shoulders. Make sure your toes are pointing out to 45 degrees, then drop into a squat and keep your knees tracking over your toes. The temptation will be to let your knees fall backwards, but by squeezing your adductors and resisting this temptation you’ll get a beautiful streamlining contraction through your thighs.

Deep side squat

Assume the same wide stance as above, but drop your butt back and to the side so your hip falls over your ankle on the same side. Plant your elbow inside the knee and let the other toe come off the floor. As well as building up tons of strength in the working glute, you’ll stretch and lengthen the inner thigh.

Calf-activating squat

Preparing for your basic squat, lift your heels, tuck your pelvis and squeeze your lower abdominals to stabilise your body from top to toe. Keeping your back flat, lower your hips back and down into a parallel squat. Complete 10-15 full reps on your tip toes, then get an extra ‘burn’ in your calves by pausing at the bottom of the position and lower and lift your heels. You may need to shake out your legs after this one.

Touch down squat jumps

Watch out for creaky floorboards on this one. Combine your cardio with conditioning and take your basic squat up a notch with a bit of explosive lift-off. Lower into a squat and touch your fingertips to the floor on either side of your ankles before pushing upwards with maximum force. Gently bend your knees as you land and lower straight into your next rep. Keep this one smooth and steady. Warning: your breath will want to race ahead – that’s a sign you’re working hard.

Frog squat shuffle

Time to take that dynamic squat jump one step further – or forward. From the back of your mat or workout space, lower into a deep squat and explode up and ahead by a few feet. Land in a soft squat and maintain that position as you ‘shuffle’ your feet to the start position. Don’t stop moving. Just know that your fitness is skyrocketing with every rep.

Want to see variations of more of your favourite exercises? I always take suggestions on board, so please let me know how I can help to inspire your workouts! 

Chiara Pellegrino is one to watch on the London fitness scene. With a professional dance background and a teaching presence in two of the city’s top studios, barrecore and Psycle London, she instils every class with high energy and precise effective movements. She also helps to spread her wisdom at the online home of her personal blog, 4fitnessake.co.uk. And lucky for Fit Brit Collective readers, she’s agreed to share five of her favourite barre-inspired exercises that you don’t need a barre for. Which means you can start incorporating them into your regime today – right now, wherever you are… 

When I say that I teach at barrecore I’m often asked, “Oh so you teach ballet?”…Well, not exactly.

Yes, the barre workout includes some typical positions derived from ballet, but they are revised and refined to provide a holistic fitness workout. No “port the bras” or “grand jeté’ (split jump), but lots of painful isometric contractions.

Painful yes, but definitely results-oriented.

And this is why I would wholeheartedly recommend giving these five barre-based moves a go – whether you are a barrecore addict or have yet to experience it.

Lunge

The lunge is a very popular movement in any kind of workout as the exercise has many toning, strengthening and flexibility benefits.

You can hold a bench or a surface in your kitchen for more stability, otherwise simply prepare for your lunge with your hands on the hips. Step your left leg back and make sure the right knee is in line with the right ankle. The back knee should hover just above the floor.

To give the position a “barre twist” add little isometric pulses, dropping the back knee a little lower. At all time keep the spine strong and vertical. Rolling the shoulders down the back, you want to engage also your lats and abdominal muscles.

Lunge is a great position to work on the quads, glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors.

The isometric contractions will further help in burning the fat around your muscles, and breaking down muscle fibre only to rebuild it so it’s leaner and stronger.

After a few reps, flush out the lactic acid with the full-range movement, then come back to the starting position and pulse in the low stance. For an extra tough challenge, lift the front heel off the floor as you pulse – bringing the calf and ankle stabiliser muscles into play.

Wide Second

The classic ballet “grand pliè” is very common in a barre workout.

The benefits of the position include: working your adductor (inner thighs) muscles, as well as your glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves.

To set up the position, step your feet wider than your shoulders with a natural turn out of the hips. Then lower the tailbone in line with the knees, making sure the knees are tracking over the middle toes.

Get your hands in prayer or in a high V – this will increase your heart rate by pumping blood against gravity, therefore burning even more calories.

You can use isometric pulses in this position or wrap the knees out towards the pinky toes – adding to the tension on your abductors (outer thighs).

To challenge your core stability, peel your heels off the floor and continue with the same exercise.

After lots of isometric holds, it is best to release the lactic acid with a full range of motion. For a cardio burst that will leave you a little sweaty, accelerate the movement – make sure there’s a solid surface nearby for extra stability at speed.

Plank

Plank is one of my favorite positions in barre workouts as it’s a full body exercise, engaging core, back, legs and shoulders for the isometric hold.

To start, get into a kneeling position and place your elbows in line with your shoulders. Tuck your toes under and fully extend your legs, keeping lots of tension through your hamstrings so there’s a nice straight line down your back.

There are lots of choreographic options that you can perform while in a plank: twists, legs lifts, shifts of the weight forward and back, circles …

The side plank is a great option to work particularly on the obliques.

Keeping your body in a straight line, and shoulders and hips stacked on top of each other, try to lift the top leg a couple of inches or as high as you can. Squeeze it up and down for an extra glute contraction, or simply hold it and breathe through the shaking.

Bridge

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One of the very best booty builders, the bridge is a great way to focus on your glutes.

Lie on your back with the arms along the side of your body and the knees bent. Draw the heels as close as possible to the pubic bone and hover the tailbone off the floor. Make sure the spine is nice and neutral and engage the abdominals to avoid any arch or strain in the lumbar spine.

Press your hips towards the ceiling, tucking the tailbone and squeezing the glutes. Lift one leg up to tabletop or straight to the sky for a more advanced option. Lower the leg (straight or bent) to hover over the floor, then lift it back up for a full range of motion.

Abdominal Curl

This is the best position for building a rock hard abdominal wall.

Sit down with your knees bent and place your hands on the back of the thighs. Squeeze the belly button into the spine, tuck your tailbone towards your chest and hinge back, coming into a C shape with the spine.

Holding this position should feel challenging, even before you progress the movement. Once you’re comfortable in the C shape, start drawing the abdominals in to your knees without adjusting your spinal alignment. See if you can release your hands from your thighs to keep the work in your core.

Finally, to increase the work even more, lift your legs off the floor in table top or straight out to 45 degrees.

For more workout inspiration from Chiara, visit 4fitnessake.co.uk or join one of her popular classes at barrecore and Psycle London. 

Bad backs have become one of the most common plights of office workers, and the symptoms are hitting us earlier and earlier. My husband is just 32 and he regularly sees a physio to contend with painful pressure on his sacral spine caused by long hours at his desk. A colleague of mine at Sweaty Betty (repeatedly recognised as having the UK’s healthiest employees) has also raised concerns about back pain and poor posture, so she asked me to train with her once a week to help rebalance her upper body.

I’m personally thrilled that spine health has become the topic du jour because, aside from my appreciation of a well-sculpted back, I’ve always prioritised the posterior in my own workout programmes to prevent spinal misalignment and better support my body through all other exercises and activities. These three exercises are a great addition to your floor work and ideal for gradually building up your strength by choosing the best adaptation for you.

Extended plank with front raise and row

Take an extended plank position with your feet in a wide stance and a dumbbell to your side. Make sure you feel secure in that posture, with your hips parallel to the floor and your belly button glued into your spine. Now hold the dumbbell in one hand and slowly raise it to shoulder height in front of you, then row it up to your obliques with your elbow pointing directly to the ceiling. No wriggling hips! Repeat all your reps on one side (I suggest 8-12), then switch over.

Adaptation: If you start to dip through your lower back or feel overly tempted to raise your butt to the ceiling, drop to your knees, tuck your pelvis and engage your core to maintain a single straight line from your ankles to your head. You can also perform this movement without weight – the element of instability can be enough to improve the muscular balance around your spine.

Resistance band back raise

Lie flat on your stomach with your arms extended above your head, holding a resistance band with just enough tension to engage the muscles around your shoulder blades. Now breathe in as you slowly curl your head and shoulders off the mat, then breathe out to row the resistance band in towards your chest. Try to keep steady tension in the band throughout. Extend your arms as you inhale and lower down on the exhale. Do 10-12 reps.

Adaptation: If you feel too much pressure on your lower back, lose the resistance band and try it without using added resistance. Or take your hands beside your ears and simply lift and lower your shoulders off the floor, removing the row from the exercise.

Windshield wipers

Turn over to your back and take your legs to a table top or extended 45 degree position, keeping your lower back glued to the floor and your core switched on. Maintain this ‘corset’ feeling as you slowly lower your legs towards the floor on your right side, keeping your left shoulder in contact with the floor. Now slowly return to the centre and repeat to the left. Repeat this slow ‘tick tock’ motion 8-12 times.

Adaptation: Keep your knees bent in tabletop position to reduce the pressure on your lower back as you twist from side to side. Only go as far as feels comfortable for you – reduce the range of motion if you begin to feel as though you need momentum to get back to the central position.

Plus, the non-negotiable stretch… 

You may not think that stretching your hamstrings has any impact on your back, but tightness through the thighs is one of the most common reasons for lower back pain. When your hamstrings are tight, they pull down on your pelvis and the strain has a domino effect up the spine. Prolonged tightness can eventually compress the discs in the lumbar and sacral spine – pair that with hours at your desk and you risk developing unsightly hunchback tendencies. Take your pick: Clark Kent or Quasimodo? Queen Grimhilde (Snow White’s wicked witch) or Mulan?

The key to an effective hamstring stretch is holding it long enough. Set your time on your iPhone to 60 seconds – and don’t stop short! I like to wrap a towel around my foot to gradually increase the stretch, extending the leg straight with each in breath and relaxing it further towards the forehead with each out breath. Switch legs. Now get up, and stand tall.

Are there any other niggling weaknesses you’d like to address? Let me know in a comment below so I can plan a post to support your training!

As many of my closest friends are preparing for their winter holidays – some to sun & sand destinations and others to the mountains with ski thermals in tow – I felt inspired to compile a workout comprising of five winter-inspired HIIT exercises. As well as being fun and seasonal, the result is a timelessly convenient and effective circuit you can use to boost your fitness for the slopes or shed some excess winter weight before the beach.

How it works

The premise of this workout is to work to your maximum effort during the intervals, and to use your recovery to mentally and physically prepare for the next exercise in the circuit. Depending on your fitness level, I suggest completing each exercise for between 30 and 45 seconds, then resting for 30 to 15 seconds to make up a full minute. Whichever time you decide on, try to stick to it and avoid the temptation to reduce your intervals as you become tired.

Use this workout for a quick HIIT session on its own, or fit into your existing workout. Complete it between one and three times for five to 15 minutes of work.

Ski jumps

Start in a neutral standing position with your knees slightly bent and your hips tucked. Bend at the hips and take your butt back towards the back right corner of the room as you drop into a squat. Now explode up and twist your body to the right to land back into a squat with your butt towards the back left corner of the room. Feel free to bring those ski poles up for extra momentum as you jump.

Speed skaters

Time to hit the ice rink. Visualise yourself in full body lycra (add in a few more finely sculpted muscles, which will of course come from making this workout a regular feature in your routine) and use your right foot to push off towards the left. Land softly on your left foot and turn your left arm back and up to the ceiling in a nice clean line. You can touch the floor with your right hand for extra support. Repeat to the right, trying to clear more distance with every rep. Listen out for competitors on your heels, and remember efficiency is key.

180 snowboard jumps

Back to the slopes, but this time you’re headed right for the snow park. The jumps are going to come quick and fast, so assume a squat position with your arms out at your sides and keep your eyes fixed over your right hand. Push off the floor to explode up and turn your body to face the other direction, this time turning to look over your left hand. Never take your eyes off the prize.

Snow crab

Let’s work a little Animal Flow into the mix and make like a snow crab. Take a full bridge posture with your arms fully extended and your hands facing forward. Squeeze your glutes and contract your abs to hold this position, now shuffle to your right in three movements and pause for a tricep dip before shuffling back in the other direction. This will build a taut core as well as animal agility.

Ice climber

Pick axe at the ready? Good. Get into a plank position with your arms fully extended and everything from your head to your heels forming a single, solid line. Simultaneously reach your left hand out in front of you and plant your right foot as near to your right hand as possible. Just as the climber uses opposite sides of the body for balance, you’re building stability through your core and testing your coordination. Pause for a second in this reach position before returning to your neutral plank and repeating on the other side.

Good luck, and remember to personalise your workout by choosing the intensity and duration that challenges you. Read my blog about effective HIIT training to get the most from your workout. And don’t forget to share your results with me in the comments below, or on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.