The Spartan Fit App Workout of the Week: Time to Train

Each week, Spartan Director of Training Sam Stauffer is providing select workouts from the Spartan Fit App. For the full Spartan training experience, delivering Spartan-designed workouts and race-like simulations, download the Spartan Fit app now. And for the full database of Spartan Fit app workout previews, click here.

For today’s workout, Time to Train, we’ve got a 30-minute full-body mash-up. We are hitting a solid warm-up, followed by two full-body circuits. All exercises will be performed for time. Do your best to keep moving for the entire rep time and then take advantage of your rest periods to recover your breathing. Always remember to maintain quality form.

More Fit App Workouts: 15-Minute Body Buster

The Workout

Like every workout in the Spartan Fit app, we always start off with some sort of a warm-up. This is important for many reasons. Just like you would warm up your car on a cold day before driving it, it takes your body some time to get the juices flowing. When done with intent, a solid warm-up will help prevent injuries during your workout, elevate your body’s core temperature, activate the stabilizers throughout your body, and mentally prepare you for what’s to come. For this workout, we’re going to cover a few of the warm-up exercises and one full strength circuit.

I’ll be introducing three warm-up exercises and three strength exercises from the full workout. The warm-up portion has six total moves at 35 seconds a piece, with no rest between exercises, while the two strength circuits have a 2-to-1 work-to-rest ratio (60 seconds on, 30 seconds off).

The Set-Up

This workout requires zero setup and zero equipment. No excuses! Now, let’s get after it!

The Warm-Up

Perform one round (35 seconds) for each exercise.

Dead Bug

The dead bug is a fantastic core exercise and key warm-up move. At face value, you wouldn’t peg this as an ab exercise, but I assure you, it very much is. You’ll start by laying flat on your back (like a dead bug) with your arms and knees pointing toward the ceiling. Your feet will be levitating, directly in line with your kneecaps. Maintaining this foundation, you will extend the opposite arm and leg at the same time, tap the ground with both, and then return to the reset position. You will alternate sides until the clock runs out.

Pro Tip: Keep your core engaged the entire time and do your best to suck the bottom of your rib cage down to the floor. This will put your spine in a good, neutral position.

Palm Plank

Following the dead bug, your core should feel alive and well. The palm plank is the technical progression of the elbow plank, although some would argue that the elbow plank feels harder. You’ll hold this exercise for another 35 seconds, feeling the burn throughout your midsection.

Pro Tip: Keep your core and glutes engaged the entire time, while producing tension into the floor by pulling your palms in toward your stomach.

Windmill T-Spine Rotation

This exercise is a bit technical, but will pay dividends when it comes to your shoulder health and mobility. Begin in a tall-standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart. With one hand, you will slowly reach down the inside of your leg until you touch your foot. With the other hand, you will reach for the sky while opening your chest. One knee is bent, while the opposite is fully extended.

The Core Circuit

Perform three rounds (60 seconds on and 30 seconds off).

Hinge Jump

Hinge jumps are great because they teach you how to generate power through your hips. Start in a tall-standing position with your feet hip-width apart. Drive your hips and hands back while lowering your chest slightly. (This will put you in what we call an "athletic" or "loaded" position.) Then, drive your hips forward so you jump vertically off the ground. Land with soft knees and then reset. Once you get good at this exercise, you can land and explode right into the next rep, until the clock runs out.

Elbow Plank Reach

This is where we take the simple elbow plank to the next level. Until the clock runs out, alternate your hands reaching forward. This will put more stress on your core, forcing you to stabilize with less of a base of support.

Pro Tip: Keep your core and glutes engaged throughout the entire range of motion.

Mountain Climber

Begin in a palm plank position. Drive one knee up toward your chest — make sure your knee makes it past your hip — followed by the other. Continue movement until the clock runs out.

Pro Tip: Keep your back as flat as possible. The only movement here should be your knee driving up toward your chest. A common fault here is the rounding of the back while the knee drives up.

Get the entire workout, and more just like it, on the Spartan Fit app. AROO!

Sam Stauffer, Spartan Director of Training

Sam Stauffer is the Spartan Director of Training. He previously served as a fitness expert for Men's Health magazine and a business consultant for MBSC Thrive. He has certified hundreds of SGX coaches in an effort to rip 100 million people off their couches.