mbg Moves With CJ Frogozo: 8-Minute Lower-Body Blast
Let's face it: Our new stay-at-home lifestyle has us moving a lot less. In pre-pandemic days, we had so many more micro-movements: walking to the subway or car, strolling to the office kitchen for a cup of coffee, the list goes on. While they may not seem like much, those micro-movements really add up over time, and help promote healthy mobility.
That's exactly why I created this quick eight-minute workout. Maybe you want to break up a day of work-from-home with some energizing movement—or perhaps you are going into work and need a speedy workout that fits into your schedule. Either way, this three-move routine will do the trick.
It primarily focuses on the lower body, but I've also incorporated some arm movements and cardio bursts for full-body benefits. Each move will not only quickly get your heart rate up but also take the muscles to exhaustion. So, you're getting a really efficient workout in just 8 minutes.
To get started, pick music you love and try to move to the beat, it will help you stay motivated and also tuned into your body. Also, don't be afraid to modify, modify, modify. If jumping doesn't work for you (I have arthritis, so it often doesn't work for me), keep your feet on the ground. You want the workout to work for you, not cause injury.
Your 4-week challenge: Start by adding this quick workout to your routine at least once this week. I encourage you to keep doing more movement sessions each week (keep an eye out for a new workout every Monday), 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 3 minutes of the first movement, 3 minutes of the second, and 2 minutes of the third. Move from one exercise to the next without rest for a full 8-minute workout.
Side to side lunges
- Bring your feet wider than hip-width apart, with your toes facing forward.
- Bend one knee and shoot your hip creases back; flip your butt cheek to the sky.
- Feel a big stretch in your inner thigh, then switch to the other side.
- Continue for 3 minutes, and incorporate some arm movements throughout.
Wide squat with arm series
- Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart, and turn your toes out to 10 and 2 on a clock.
- Bend your knees and lower down halfway and freeze. Knees should stack right over heels, and heels press into the ground. Tailbone is heavy. Keep shoulders and hips in the same line. Pull your waist in, drop your shoulders.
- From here, sink as low as you can. If your knees start to pop in, actively press them toward the wall behind you. Feel the outer glutes engage.
- Bring your arms out to the sides. Drop your shoulder blades down your back, pull the waist in, drop the collarbone, and sit a little lower.
- Continue lifting and lowering for 3 minutes while including movement variations with your arms.
Ski jumps
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart.
- Jump up slightly and turn 45 degrees to the right. Hinge at your hips and shoot the glutes back. Keep your knees over your heels.
- Then jump in the opposite direction and repeat.
- Move as fast or slow as you prefer, for 2 minutes.
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.