mbg moves with CJ Frogozo: 8-Minute Core Crush
Advertisement
Welcome to mbg moves! In 2020, we've been working out at home more than ever—and we know our readers are, too. To help keep your fitness routine feeling fresh, we're releasing a new at-home workout every Monday, to start your week off strong. Each month will feature routines from a different incredible trainer we adore. Now, let's get moving with our first trainer spotlight: CJ Frogozo.
Ready for a complete 360 core workout with a cardio pop at the end? You're in for a treat because I've created an efficient, eight-minute complete core routine you can do at home.
It starts off with donkey kicks, which not only activate your glutes and bring some extension to your hips (which, if you've been sitting from morning to night, have been in flexion *all day*), but they will also activate your deep core muscles. Next up, I throw in a variety of crunches to help strengthen your abdominals, which in turn support your back (again, essential if you've been sitting all day). If you're pregnant or have diastasis, swap the crunches for some bridge lifts.
Lastly, I finish it off with an energetic round of skaters to get your heart pumping.
Your 4-week challenge: This workout is Part 4 of my monthlong series (see my lower-body blast, cardio burst, and glutes burn). I challenge you to keep doing more movement sessions each week, so by the end of the month, you're doing my eight-minute workouts three to four times weekly. Trust me; I think you'll feel a lot better in your body.
Summary
Equipment: None
Instructions: Complete 2 minutes of each exercise: donkey kick (side 1), crunch variations, donkey kick (side 2), and skater. Move from one exercise to the next without rest for a full 8-minute workout.
Donkey Kick (Side 1)
- Get on all fours and come down to your forearms. Lift your armpits away from the floor and shift your weight into your upper body.
- Lift one leg up and hold. Bring your leg to a 90-degree angle, flex the heel, and square off your hips.
- Pull your waist in, and lift the ribs off the floor.
- Then lower your leg to the ground, and lift it back up. That's one rep. Continue for 2 minutes.
Crunch Variations
- Lie on your back. Bring your hands behind your head. Lift your head, neck, and shoulders, and hold.
- Keep your chin off your chest, and drill the belly button toward the spine.
- Bring your legs into tabletop, or bring them to the floor. Lift your chest and shoulders as you exhale, and inhale on the way down. That's one rep.
- Continue for 2 minutes, adding a series of knee lifts to engage the lower abs.
Donkey Kick (Side 2)
- Repeat the donkey kick exercise on the opposite side. (See directions above.)
- Continue for 2 minutes.
Skater
- Start in a standing position.
- Jump to the right, landing on your right foot, while lifting the left foot behind you.
- Immediately reverse the movement and repeat on the other side.
- Continue to jump from one side to the other for 2 minutes.
Modification: Stand in place and move your hips from side to side if you don't feel comfortable jumping.
Advertisement
CJ Frogozo is the VP of PR and Community for Thinx, Inc. and a teacher at both The Class by Taryn Toomey and The SaltDrop.
In almost two decades of working in fitness and wellness, CJ has taught everything from step aerobics to vinyasa yoga. She earned her 200-hr teacher training at YogaWorks in Los Angeles under the instruction of Annie Carpenter and Sonya Cottle. She completed her barre3 certification in 2014 and created a beautiful community at their cozy West Village studio. Additionally, she has taught at The Class by Taryn Toomey since 2017 and joined the SaltDrop teaching team March 2020.
On and off the mat, she is committed to social and economic justice and sustainability. Prior to Thinx, she headed up cause-based and advocacy public relations for V-Day, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, ColorOfChange.org, and more. Additionally, she worked for the Obama Campaign in 2008 and the Kerry Campaign in 2004.