02: Cardio Conditioning Pyramid Stack - 30 Minute Workout

Hey, everybody. I'm Amy from Bodyfit by Amy. And this is your cardio conditioning pyramid stack workout. This is an all body weight heart pumping cardio workout where we're working in a pyramid format. So we're going to go up the pyramid and down 30 seconds at a time, stacking our exercises. Of course, I'm going to give you lots of different options, high impact and low. So listen to your body. Are you ready? Let's do it. Go ahead and just start moving. Just a little march or jog. Pump those arms. We're gonna get our blood flowing, our muscles warm, get our body's core temperature up just for a couple minutes. We're gonna keep this warm up pretty short because it's all body weight. So we do want to make sure that we get a little movement prep, but we're not adding any weights today. And most everything in your pyramids is going to be standing. And in fact, if you want to have it all standing, that is an option. There's really one move, the last move of the pyramid for each of the stacks. We have two stacks, two circuits, where you have the option to take it down to the mat, but I will give you the option to keep it standing as well. So if you want to keep this workout all standing, that is an option. If you want to add a little core, a little upper body, a little bit of dynamic movement down on the mat, there'll be one option to do that. If you've never done a pyramid stack before, it is a very fun format. People tend to like it. So let's get a little stretch. Open up the hips right through here. It's one that feels long in the moment, but it goes by really quickly. Let's take it flat back down. The way it works is we start with one exercise, exercise one for 30 seconds. Then we get a 30 second break. Then we add a second exercise for 30 seconds, followed immediately by your first exercise for 30 seconds. Hold it here. Then we keep going up. We go exercise three, two and one, all for 30 seconds, stacked on up on top of each other. And then, and then all the way up to four. So we have exercise four, followed by three, followed by two, followed by one, all for 30 seconds at a time with a 30 second break at the end. Then we start taking them away and we go back down the pyramid. Sounds a little confusing at first, but I promise you that I'm going to talk you through it. So we have a little rotation through that spine. The goal of today's workout is to Move our bodies. All right. The conditioning comes in because we are stacking. It's not like your traditional hit intervals. Let's tap those feet back where we're getting an all out hit and then a longer break. We're gonna keep it moving, right? So you're keeping that conditioning, but you're gonna have options to make some of those intervals. More hit and more. A little more conditioning. I'll talk you through that as we go. Let's take it right here. You can either just hold it or take this arm down. Big reach up. Little world's greatest stretch. You're going to rotate through. If you want to keep it up top, you can do that as two stacks where we stack up and down. Four exercises total. Let's switch that leg. You can take it back to that plank or stay up right here and then we'll get a quick breather. We'll grab some water. Of course, you can grab water whenever you need it. In between those intervals. Step it in, hang out here. Pedal those feet. Check your shoelaces. I'm gonna make mine a little tighter. And then slowly work your way back up right through here. All right, Little step. Touch right here. All right, team. So that is how it's gonna go down. 30 second intervals at a time. Getting conditioning, also getting that hit. Heart rate up and down. You can grab breathers whenever you need it. We will have them at the end of each stack. All right, so I'll give you options to take it higher impact or lower impact. You do what you need for where you are today. I'm gonna say that a lot, be where you are today. It's your workout. You do you. Our first move is a little tap out like we do here, but we're adding a punch. Join me here. So tap and punch. Here is your low impact, right? Little high impact. You can add a little hop with it. If you're not into punching, you can just reach. That's totally fine too. But again, it's up to you. What do you need? And you may need different things throughout the stack. Maybe right now you're feeling good. We just started. We're gonna get that step out and punch. And then later on you might need to take it lower impact. You do you. Three, two, and one. Catch your breath. So I'm going to keep my feet moving in between, but if you need more of a breather, take it here. Your next move, just your alternating side lunge. So we're going down, we're reaching up. You can decide how low you want to get, if you want to make it more of that shuffle, you can 30 seconds of that side lunge. Then we go right into that. Tap out and punch. Catch your breath. Side lunge, tap out and punch. We're stacking them in three, two, one. Here we go. So side lunge, reach again. You can just step it or you can shuffle it up to you. You can also decide maybe you want to get low and really get the mobility out of it, or really lean into the hip, work the legs. Maybe your legs are tired from your last workout. You want to keep it a little higher up to you conditioning. We got about five seconds here and then we go right into that. Step out and punch. Three, two, one. Here we go. So if you find yourself at the end of those 30 seconds feeling pretty winded, feel free then to take this a little slower, a little lower impact. So you get those up and down, right? Get those lower intensity intervals. Higher intensity. If you want to push it. Especially as we get to the last 10 seconds, when you know that you have that 30 second breather coming, you can. We got four, three, two, one, and breathe. Exercise, three. Like I said, it's gonna feel long going up, and then once we're done with the stack, you'll be like, that was so fast. All right, next we have squat jacks. So what this looks like, here's you're gonna squat down, you're gonna jack up. That's your low impact version. High impact, Squat jack, squeeze, squat jack. You pick which version is best for you. You can even alternate between the two squat jacks. Side lunge, step out and punch. Here we go. Take it here. So squat jack, low. So it's kind of a narrow squat. Can really use that. Time to sit low, take it up, up, up again. Low impact is here, low impact is here. Maybe you're like me and you're feeling those legs from yesterday's workout. That is okay. Breathe up. Get ready. We're going into that side lunge in 3, 2, 1. Side lunge. So now I'm feeling my legs burning, so I'm going to stay a little higher. But you do you just side to side shift your weight. So again, I've kind of designed these where some are a little higher intensity by nature, but you have options to take it up, take it down. What do you need in this moment? Get ready for that. Step out on punch in three, two, one. Here we go. Do you need it here or here? Up to you. Oh, I need it here. So that's where the conditioning comes in what is conditioning? That is our body being conditioned to withstand longer bouts of exercise or activity, right? So. So does not necessarily mean that you need to be at the highest end of your heart rate zone for each one of these. We want endurance, we want stamina, right? We got three, two, one. All right, team, we are at the top. This is your last move. This is the one that I told you. You can take it on the mat or you can take it standing. Your standing version is standing. Mountain climber. Your version down here, of course, is here or running it. It's up to you. So join me down on the back and then we're at the top. This is the longest interval you're gonna have. Take your time getting down and up, and then we'll go right down that stack. Then we start taking them away. Mountain climber. Lower, high. Here we go. Knees come in. See if you want a little more core, feel free to take it slow. That heart rate's gonna get up because then, you know, we're popping up into that jack. If you wanna run it a little bit more, feel more of that cardio, go for it. Make sure I always remind you to think less about speed and more about that core engagement. Right? Driving the knees to the chest, making sure we're not slipping back as we get tired. Pushing up strong out of Those arms for 3, 2, 1. Take your time coming up. I don't care if it takes time off the clock. Good form, good mobility. Here we go. And up, right? Yes, here. If you need a little lower impact or maybe you're not getting as low. Maybe you're just doing jacks here. Up to you. 10 seconds. Get down there if you can. Get ready for that side lunge in 3, 2, 1. I told you this is the longest round. Take your time. There's no prize for having the fastest side lunge, right? That's not what we're about. Yes, when we're dealing with cardio, we can think a little more about speed, right, as opposed to strength. When I really want you to slow it down, keep it up. Good form. If you feel like you're going too fast or your heart rate's too high and you're sacrificing your form. Slow it down, take it down. Here we go, last one. All right, team, here's what I'm gonna go for. I'm gonna keep it low impact here because I'm out of breath. And then the last 10 seconds, I'm gonna go for it because we got that 30 second breather. Then we Start taking those exercise away, starting with this one. 10 seconds. What do you got, team? Strong punch, intentional punch. 3, 2, and 1. If you need water, grab it. I'm gonna wait till the end of that stack. But it is up to you. You got 30 seconds to breathe. We go back to the top. We go to that mountain climber. We have a mountain climber. We have a squat jack, then we have a side lunge. Then we take the side lunge away. Mountain climber, squat jack, then we finish with that mountain climber. That is all we've got. It's gonna go by fast. Join me on the mat. I put this one at the end so we can start on the mat. Wrap that core. Core engage. Or standing. Here we go. Mountain climber, take them in. If you want to cross for a little variety, take it with a cross. I know, I feel it, too. Again, we're gonna get the cardio, we're gonna get the conditioning, whether or not we're here or here. So make sure you have good form. Again, it's not about how fast we go. It's the quality of our movement. We got five seconds, then take your time. Coming up. Four, three, two, one. Take your time. Squat jack, ready? Here we go. And up. Low to high out. Low impact works, too. Maybe you're really feeling that mountain climber. You want to take it low impact. Maybe you're feeling those legs burning. That's me. Yes. Side lunge coming up for the very last time. 3, 2, 1. Side lunge. Here we go. Bring it up. You guys know I do a lot of cardio workouts where we do intervals, right? 30, 40, 50 seconds, and then we get a breather every time. Several of you have asked me recently about more continuous cardio, more of that cardio conditioning. I know you're thinking, who was that? Three, two, one, and breathe. So remember, there's value in that, too. Again. Conditioning is just conditioning our body to withstand whatever it is. Same thing we do with our strength training, guys. I know. I feel that, too. It's up there. All right, two moves, then one. We gotta get through 90 seconds with a break in between. So mountain climber, squat jack, congestion, climber, standing or down below. Finish strong with me. Knees to your chest or knees crossed. Run it or keep it up top. In 3, 2, 1. 30 seconds, I'm gonna go knees straight into my chest. And then that last round, I'm gonna go for it with a knee cross. Again. Little tuck of the pelvis so we're not letting those hips drop down. Not Sliding back, We're having those elbows and shoulders right above your wrist. And think about driving the knees to the chest. I would much rather you have more range of motion than be super fast, but be back there. We got 5, 4, 3, 2. Up onto your feet. Here we go. Last time with that squat jack. Get low, get high. We like this because we get two options right. You get low, you get a burn. We get a lot of muscles working on that. So squat. That's why we love it as an exercise, compound exercise. A lot of things working. So when we engage a lot of muscles, we're gonna drive that heart rate up. But here we get the power. Strength, Power. Yes. Breathe. All right, team, one more. One more in this stack is done, right? One more with your climber. Standing or standing? Cross or down on the mat? Let's finish it out stronger than we have one more stack. It's gonna go just that fast. If you want to kneel, you get a little bit of that hip flexor stretch. Let's get it done. Last 30 seconds of this stack. 3, 2, 1. Go for it. It's only 30. Nothing stacked here, so give it all you got, because we get a breather, a little longer breather, we get some water, and we do it all again. But like I said, it's gonna feel long in the moment and be over before you know it. 15 seconds. Drive those knees across, or in whatever you're doing in this moment, do it with intention and finish strong. For 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Stretch it it back. You're gonna hang out in that child's pose for a minute if you want. Or up onto your knees. That is what it's about, team. All right? That's where that conditioning comes in. Listen, remember what I always say. If that felt hard, it's because you are working hard. Let's grab some water, team. Grab some water. Right here with me. Hard because you're working hard. Hard. It's not hard because you can't do it. It's hard because you are doing it. You can keep your feet moving. Chances are that heart rate is up, especially with that last round. But essentially, guys, we just got a full stack, roughly around 11:12 minutes of basically continuous cardio. Right? Can we do it all again? Of course we can. Are you with me? Of course you are. All right, team, so you got 30 more seconds to breathe. I want you to really take that rest. You can march, you can breathe, whatever you need. Watch me here. Same idea. Three moves, standing. Your fourth move, you have the option to go to the mat. But you don't have to. All right, our three moves here. We're gonna do a speed skater step and tap behind with an uppercut punch. If you're not into punching, you just take it. Skater, you can get as low as you want. If you want a little more legs, hips, you can take it more of that skater with a jump or just step, cross behind. Guard is up 30 seconds. Skater and punch. Here we go. And I usually give you ideas on this punch. Like that last round you had a cross punch or a jab or one, two, whatever you got. But you can do whatever punch you want. Maybe you feel better with a cross here Again, maybe you want to get low. Maybe you want to really focus on those legs and those glutes. Maybe you want to take it a little slower. Up to you. Three, two, one, breathe. All right, we're gonna work our way up, work our way back down, then that is it. All right, team, so here's what we got. It's a knee drive. Watch me here. Knee drive and then switch your legs. Knee drive, switch your legs if you would rather. You don't have to jump it. You can just knee, step, step, step, knee. Anybody ever do step class? Or if that feels like too much, you just take those knees here. Whatever works for you. Followed by that. Skater and punch. Here we go. Knee, knee, knee, knee, step, step, step, knee, step, high. I do love this one because it reminds me of when I started teaching classes. It was all about step, right? I'm dating myself, but some of you remember, right? We got three, two, one, step. So again, depending on what exercises before or you might need a little lower impact, a little slower. That is what it's about, conditioning for your body, not what I'm doing or anybody else. What do you need to keep that conditioning up to keep moving? Maybe it's here, maybe it is here. Because you know, you have that 30 second breather coming, but you do you. Three, two, one. All right, move number three. Here's what we got. We got a shuffle. Let's do a double step. One, two, knee. One, two, knee. Doesn't have to be a great buy, but if you wanna shuffle, shuffle, you can do a big shuffle step or just a double step. Cross the knee or don't, doesn't matter. Then we go into our knee drives. Here we go. Shuffle, knee, cross, shuffle, knee, cross, shuffle. Hands can be here or even behind your head to get a little more of that chest opener. It's a good mobility move. Also keep the core engaged. Side step, Cross or a big shuffle step. We got that knee drive coming in. 3, 2, 1. Right here. Get set. Here we go. Knee hop. Up to you if you want it. Right here. Step two, three. Knee step, two, three. Either one works. That feels like too many steps. Just alternate your knees. Right and left, right. Five seconds. Three, two, one. Skater punch. Now. I know as we get tired, especially this next round, which is our four. It's our longest one. Then we take it down. Team. I know it's tempting as we get tired to lose our form. That's what I don't want. I don't want just move movement for the sake of movement. That means you slow it down to make sure you have intentional movement. Strong arms, strong legs, strong core. That is what you've got. We're not worried about speed. Three, two, one, breathe. All right, so remember that. I know as we get tired, it's so tempting to just get lazy with it. That's okay. You're still moving. Be what you are today. Today. But think. Look at how much more you get out of strong core, strong arms, strong legs. Last move. Here's what we got. Team, meet me down on the mat. We're gonna take it. Oh, I'm gonna run out of time. That's all right. You're gonna get a little extra breather here. Join me on the mat. It's a plank press. Pop up if you want. We're going right, left, right, left. Pop it up right here. Walk it back or pop it back. Left, right, left, right. Walk it up. If that's not right for you, we're just gonna go out and in. Out and in. All right. Plank press. Pop up or walk up or side squat. Arms out and in so you get the chest and shoulders. Oh, you're welcome for that extra 30 seconds because I was talking too much. Here we go. In three, two, one. Here we go. Down, down, up, up. Take it up, take it back. You can also split the difference. Maybe you want to pop it up and walk it back. Maybe you want to do the opposite. Walk it up and pop it back. Either way, strong core. Hips are square. Low in those legs, right? Pop it back. Oh, now I can't remember which one. And take it all the way up. What do we got here? Oh, yeah. Shuffle knee, cross, shuffle. I forgot where we were in our stack. Side step and knee. Side step and knee. Maybe you need a little breather. Take it down. One, two, knee. One, two, knee. Cross that front knee drive. This is your cross. So rotation, rotational movement. Thinking about that core. Front Knee drive is coming in. Three, two, one. Here we go. Knee drive, knee drive. Maybe you want to slow it down. Think of it like your squat jack. Strong power and hit. Power and hit. Or here. 2, 3, 4. Yes, team. We got your skater punch coming up. And it's the last one. Then let's start taking them away, right? Three, two. Here we go. Skater punch. You can be just as slow. What do you need in this moment? Are you feeling it? I know I am. So I'm going to take it slow. Woo. Step, cross, behind punch. The last time with this skater and you're at that last 10 seconds. What can you give me? Because then we are on the down side of this pyramid and the down side of this workout. 5, 4, 3, 2. Breathe. Everybody to grab a quick sip. Why not, right? Should have given you that sip with that extra 30 seconds. Seconds I just gave you. All right, team, now we're taking no more skater and punch. We got our plank press, pop up or step out squat. Then we got our shuffle, then we got our knee drive. Let's finish it out. We got three, then two, then one. That is it. Strong core. Here we go. Down, down, up, up. Pop it up, pop it back. I want you to sit low in that squat. Squat. Really get those heels down, show your hands, then pop it back. What I don't want is for you just to be right. I want you to walk it in or pop it in. Chest open, walk it back. Can we get one more? All the way through? Walk it back slowly. Bring it all the way up. Here we go. Shuffle and knee. I'm gonna keep my arms down for the first few. And then when I get my breath back, I'm gonna take them up. So that's an option. You can slow it down. You can bring those arms down. Now I'm feeling better. Here we go. That's what I always encourage you guys in all your movement. Instead of just stopping. If you need to stop, stop, but slow it down or take something out. Take a weight out. Take a body weight. Lightweight. You'll be surprised. Here we go. Knee drive. Last time, strong knee. Switch it. Strong knee power or knee 2, 3, 4. Last time for step class, right? I loved this move. When I very first started teaching when I was in college, Stephen was the thing. It was still hanging on because it was 2000s. It wasn't in the 80s or 90s. Breathe, catch your breath. Hung on for a long time. All right, team, two moves. Plank press, pop up, shuffle and cross, then plank press, pop up to finish strong this is it. Two rounds of 30, then one round of 30. Bring yourself down. Catch your breath. Plank press. Pop up strong up into your shuffle. Show me what you have in three, two, one. Here we go. Down, down, up, up and back. Down, down, up, up and back. Here we go. Strong core, stay lifted. Little tuck of your pelvis. Flat feet. Walk it back if you need to. Down, down, up, up. Strong upper body. I know it might be tired from whatever workout you did yesterday or the day before. Bring it all the way up. This is it, team. And breathe. Whatever it is you're feeling in this moment, I want you to dig deep. Because you showed up today for a reason. And I don't care if you're taking a super serious slow or you're just doing those side steps. You are here. It doesn't matter what it looks like. I want you to have good form, right? I want you to stay safe. But I am not worried about perfect form. We're getting through everything. I'm just glad that you're here. Three, two, one. Last one, team. This is it. 30 seconds. I promise you, I'm not going to surprise you with the bonus move. Just hang with me one more round of 30 seconds. Plank press or step out. Squat. Give me what you have left. Dig deep. Let's finish strong. Cardio conditioning. On the mat or standing. This is it, team. Then we are cooling it down. Wrap that core strong through those arms, strong through those legs. Here we go. Down, down, up, up. Your own pace. So I'm not even gonna call it out because you know what to do. You know what is right for you and your body in these final 15 seconds. What is it? Is it walking up? Is it popping up? Is it just showing up? Is it holding that plank? Is it side step squat? Let's finish it out. In five, four, three, two, one. Take your time. Coming up, team. Oh, man. Yes, I know. Give yourself a second. Let's let our body regulate. How about we grab some water? Keep moving if you want. That is what I'm talking about, team. That heart rate again, guys. There's a time and a place for those hit workouts. For that, go all out and then rest all out. And there's a time to get that conditioning. We need both. Just like we need muscular endurance and muscular strength. We need it all. And you're gonna get it all with my workouts. That's why I try to vary it. That's why we're mixing up. That's why variety is so important to me. One, because I want you to keep coming back. And I know for a lot of us we get bored or maybe we're like, oh, I really hate that format or I really don't love that move. Guess what? Come back the next day, in the next week, it's going to be something a little different, right? So that's why I'm always trying to give you that variety, give you ways to challenge your body. And maybe we're getting repetition in different ways, right? This workout was a lot of repetition, but other ones are no repeat. But maybe our no repeat is a different squat every time or a different hinge, a different upper push or pull giving you what you need. Sneaking in mobility, sneaking in core. You know, I love sneaky core and sneaky mobility because I know we don't always get enough in on our own. Let's hinge right here. Right through here. Relaxing your back. Woo. So let me know in the comments. How did you feel with this workout? I hope that you're like me and you're feeling tired and like you worked hard, but also energized, feeling like, yes, I did that right now I want to take this energy throughout the rest of the day. Maybe you were feeling discouraged at some points because things felt hard, but think how you feel now cuz you did it. And again, I don't care what what it looked like when you did it, as long as you were safe, as long as you were moving. Tilt that hip forward, fingertips to the back if you can get that quad stretch. But if that's not right for you, just tilt the hip forward, open up the chest. That is what it's about, team, getting variety. Getting our muscles working in different ways. Making sure we're getting strength and endurance and mobility and all of the things our body needs. But doing it in a way that feel feels good for us. Not like punishment, not like we have to, but because we get to, right? It's about showing up. That is what matters. And I'm so glad that you decided to show up with me today. Make sure you get some more stretching on your own, some more mobility and flexibility. I have lots of other workouts for that. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. And of course, check us out on the BodyFit by Amy app. Join us in the Body Fit Athletic club. We would love to have you there for all of the extras. Let's get one big deep breath in and out. You did it. That was your cardio conditioning pyramid stack workout. Great job everybody.