Reena Vokoun, founder of PassionFit, leads a 25-minute core workout with four blocks targeting standing moves, obliques, planks, and Pilates rolls. The first of a three-part series on workout, nutrition, and sleep, it's designed to repeat 2-3 times a week.
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Hi, I'm Reena Vokoun, the founder and CEO of PassionFit, podcast host of Your Power Move by PassionFit, TEDx speaker, author, TV contributor, and certified health and wellness expert. I am so thrilled to tell you guys that I am going back to my roots with YouTube. I actually started my YouTube channel before I even launched my company almost 12 years ago. So I'm excited to work with my team to bring you 3-part curated wellness series every 3 months where we'll cover workout videos, nutrition tips, and wellness practices. We're gonna start this first video of our first 3-part series with a core conditioning workout. All you're gonna need is some water and an exercise mat, and we are going to begin. All right, everyone, we are gonna begin our core conditioning workout. We are gonna start with a warmup. So bring your feet about shoulder width apart. We're gonna pull that core in, and you're gonna bend your knees on an inhale. Bring those arms up and exhale down. Bend those knees again. Inhale and exhale. Give me one more big deep breath up and exhale down. And now we're just gonna start rolling those shoulders back. Opening up the chest, releasing any tension literally down your back. And let's do 4 more shoulder rolls back. 3, last 2, and 1. And then bring those arms out to the sides, arm circles out, just getting blood flowing through the body. And let's do 4 more. 3, good job everyone. 2 more, and last one. From here, we're gonna bend the knees, bring those arms forward, and then you're gonna push back using your own body's resistance. We're starting to warm up the lower body as well, keeping those knees behind your toes. Let's do 2 more like this. Take it forward and push it back. And one more. Good job. And let's bring those feet together. Since we are working the abdominal wall, we're gonna stretch the torso and the abdominals. Come up on the balls of your feet. Drop those heels and forward fold. And then let's do that again. All the way up, breathe. Drop those feet, forward fold. And give me one more. Stretch the body nice and tall and forward fold. Good work. From here, we're going to turn the knees and toes out. We're going to tuck the pelvis under, pull in the core, and you're just going to bring your shoulders towards the opposite knee. Stretch stretching the back and the spine, really opening up the hips and the inner thighs. Let's go for 4 more. 3, 2, and 1. Bring those feet together and give me a big deep breath again. Inhale and exhale. And give me one more, all the way up and bring it down. And that concludes our warm-up. Let's get into our first block. All right, we're going to begin our first block. We're going to start with what we like to call Good Morning. So your feet are going to be a little wider than shoulder width apart. You're going to pull your core in and place your hands behind your head. You're going to bend your knees and scoop your belly in as you come down, making a C curve in your back, and then you're going to come back up. So we're going to come down for 2 and then up for 2. Good. Let's do that again. Take it down and lift it up. And again, breathing every time, inhaling on the way up and exhaling on the way down. You want to make sure that your core is engaged through this entire move. Even when you come up, it's natural to want to let your belly out, but you want to keep pulling that navel in to your spine. Let's do a few more like this. Pull it down and up, not placing too much pressure on the head or the neck. And let's do 4 more. Take it down, good mornings, come back up. Beautiful. 3 more, keep it going, keep that core tucked in nice and tight. Last 2, continue to breathe, and give me one more. Take it down and lift it up. Good job. All right, what we're going to do next is we're going to keep our hands behind our head and we're just going to do simple knee lifts. Now the key here is to maintain your balance and your stability. So the only thing that's moving is that one knee at a time. You want to again pull the core in, keep your posture nice and intact, long spine, straight back and torso, and make that knee come up to the chest, keeping those elbows back. Good. Really focusing again on strengthening those abdominal muscles but also the higher core, which includes the back as well, all the way around the midsection. We're lifting and lowering. Beautiful job! Let's do 8 more reps right here. 7, keep that body stable. 6, last 5, 4 more. Pull that navel back into the spine. Last 2 and last 1, and recover. All right, so now that we know what to do, we are going to gain mastery on each of these moves. We're going to do them through one more time in this block. So bring those feet apart once again, bring those hands behind your head, and you're going to come down with a slight bend in the knee and then come back up. Back to those good mornings, scooping the belly in, rounding the back, and keeping the core engaged even as we come up. Take it down and lift. Good job. Again, down and lift. Again, don't forget to incorporate your breath into your movement. Let's inhale and exhale. Continue to breathe. Take it up and lower it down. Let's do 4 more reps of these good mornings. Take it up, lower down. 3 more. You're doing great. Keep up the great work, everyone. Last 2. And let's come down and up one more time. And come back. Great work. And then let's go back into those knee lifts. We're gonna start with your left leg this time. So hands behind your head, elbows back, standing tall, knee up into the chest. Again, find your balance and take your time. There's no need to rush. You just really want to focus on getting good form, a good range of motion, and high quality of movement. Keep it going. Bring those knees up into the chest and let's do 8 more reps. 7, you're doing great. 6, stay focused. 5, last 4, 3, good job. 2 more standing core right here. And 1, and release. All right everyone, let's move into block number 2. So we are going to be working the obliques, the sides of the abdominal walls, as well as the outer thighs and glutes. So we're going to do standing obliques and outer thigh leg lifts. When you do the obliques, you're going to bring your elbow to your knee and really crunch in using again the sides of the abdominal wall. When you do the leg lifts, you're going to turn your hips and legs and feet down towards the floor. So toes down so you can really isolate to the outer thigh muscles. So we're going to begin on your right side, and you're going to pull that knee and elbow in, and you're going to extend it out. So you want to get a nice range of motion here, really getting that extension from the hip through the legs and the feet. Good. Pulling that elbow to your knee, finding your balance as well. So make sure that when your leg is coming down, you're controlling it again using your muscular energy and your own body's resistance versus letting that leg come crashing down. Let's do 8 more. Good job. 7, pull it in and extend it out. 6, keep breathing. Last 5, lengthen that arm and leg. 4 more. Keep that core pulled in. 3. Excellent work, everyone. Last 2. And last one. Pull it in and extend and recover. Let's go to the other side of the body. So let's— again, you can place that other hand on your hip. Left arm is going to come up, knee to elbow, and again extend it out. So feel the outer thighs and the glutes working. Once again, crunch it in using those obliques, which are at the, uh, at the sides of your abdominal wall. Good work. Let's do 8 more on this side. Bring it in. 7. Good job. 6. Last 5. Keep it going. 4 more. You can do this. 3 more. I'm right here with you. Last 2, pull it in, elbow to knee, and last one, and recover. All right, so what we're going to do next to continue that core conditioning is we're going to pull that knee to your chest and you're going to bring your body across. So when you're doing this exercise, you're not using momentum, you are using once again your own muscular energy and your own body's resistance. That knee is coming across the body, the arms are pulling across as well. This is all standing core work here, so we're still going to get our heart rates up, we're still working the upper and lower body, but the core is our central focus. 8 more, 7, keep breathing, 6, pull it in for 5, 4, 3, last 2, last 1, and recover. Let's go to the other side. Here we go, pull it in and extend it out. Again, getting that nice range of motion, keeping the body stable as you pull that knee into the chest. Again, continue to engage the core for 8 more. 7, keep it up. 6, 5, pull it over, 4, 3, last 2, last one, and release. All right, now that you know what to do, let's do those 2 exercises again, starting with the standing obliques and the outer thigh leg lifts. We're going to start on the opposite side, so hands on your hips and bring that elbow into your knee and extend. Again, toes down towards the floor so that you can get the outer thigh versus the inner thigh. Good. Pull it down and extend it out. As always, allow that breath to keep flowing. It'll give you energy and it will allow you to keep going strong. Here's 8 more. Beautiful. 7. Keep it up, everyone. Last 6 on this side. 5 more, you got it. 4, 3 more, you can do it. Pull it down. 2 more, and last one. Make this count and recover. And let's go over to the other side. Here we go, pull it in and extend it out. Good. We've got to get that symmetry in the body. We want to work the entire abdominal wall and work the body all the way around. Excellent. Keep it up. Let's finish strong with 8 more and extend. 7. Great work. Last 6 and extend. Just 5 more. You all can do this. We can do anything for 4 more reps. 3, pull it in tight. 2 more. And the last one. And recover and catch your breath. All right, we're gonna do those knee pulls across the body one more time. So let's start again on the opposite side. Pull it in and out, in and out. Keep breathing, you got it. Pull it in and out, in and out. Let's do 8 more, and 7, last 6, 5, keep your body stable, 3 more, last 2, last one, and recover. Let's go to the other side. Pull that knee into the chest. Good work, you're all doing great. Keep it going, pull it in and out. Finish strong with just 8 more. Keep inhaling and exhaling. Let's do last 4 right here. 3, 2 more, and 1. Great job! That was block number 2. Get some water and we will do block number 3 next. Stick around. All right, we are into block number 3. We are now going to be on our mats for the rest of our core conditioning workout. So we're going to begin in a modified plank position. You're going to come down to your elbows and you're going to come up on the balls of your feet. You want to pull that navel into your spine, squeeze your glutes, and keep your body nice and straight. And you're just going to come forward and back on the balls those feet, keeping your body nice and stable and straight. You want to look just out in front of your mat, keeping your head and neck in alignment with your spine. Again, pull that navel back into the spine and continue to press forward and back. Squeeze your glutes as well. Use your thighs, your chest, and your upper body. Let's do 8 more. 7, keep it going, 6, last 5, good job, 4, 3, just 2 more, and a 1, and recover. Go ahead and come onto your knees, sit back in child's pose, stretch those arms back, spine and tailbone, and then we're gonna come up next into a high plank. So you're gonna be on the palms of your hands and the balls of your feet. Your feet are going to be together. Core is in. Straighten the body out, and you're going to bring one knee into the chest at a time, pulling that navel deep into your spine. Good job. And really, again, keeping the rest of your body stable. The only thing that moves is that one knee at a time. Good work. Let's do 8 more. 7. 6, keep breathing. 5, 4 more, you've got this. 3, almost there. 2 more, and 1, and recover. Go ahead and come down to your knees, shake out those arms. Feel free to shake out your wrists if you need to. And we're going to repeat those 2 exercises one more time. So let's go back into our modified plank position. So back to those elbows Back to the balls of your feet, straighten your body out. And again, we're going to press forward and back on the balls of those feet, breathing and keeping that core engaged, keeping the body nice and straight. Let's keep it up for just 8 more. 7, 6, stay with me, 5, last 4, 3, 2 more, and last one. Drop those knees, untuck those toes, and push yourself back one more time in child's pose. Catch your breath. Even though this is core conditioning, I hope you guys are feeling the cardio in this workout as well. I know that I am. Let's come back into that high plank position one more time, hands about shoulder width apart, on the balls of your feet. And then once again, one knee into the chest at a time, keeping the rest of your body stable. I know your abdominal muscles are probably feeling some fatigue at this point, but this is where we really want to dig deep. Keep pushing, keep breathing, and just do as many as you can. You can always take a water break if you need to. Or stop and rejoin us when you're ready. Let's do 8 more. 7, knee to chest. 6, last 5, keep it up. 4 more. 3, 2, and last one. And recover. All right everyone, that was our third block. Go ahead and grab a sip of water and we're going to finish up with block number 4 and our cool down next. Stay tuned. All right everyone, we are in our final block, block number 4. We are going to start with a Pilates roll-up. So go ahead and take a spot on your mat, and you're going to lay all the way back. And what we're going to do is place our hands and arms overhead. Your legs and feet are extended out in front of you. You're going to pull that navel into the spine, and we're Slowly going to come up, lifting a leg, point through that toe, and lower down. And let's come up on the other side, pull that belly in and lower down. When you're coming down, you want to also take your time. So we're taking our time on the way up, same thing applies on the way down. We want to really work the entire abdominal wall, including the upper abdominals and the lower ones. The arms are lengthening and strengthening, so use that resistance. Point through your toes. Let's do 8 more like this. Come all the way back. 7, and extend. Good job. 6, keep breathing. Last 5, point through those toes. Keep the leg as straight as you can. 4 more, you can do this. 3. Stay with me, 2 more. Lift and lower. Give me one more Pilates roll up and recover. Good job. From here, you're going to bend your knees, place your feet about shoulder width apart. Continuing to pull that navel into your spine, you're going to place your hands at your sides. You're going to tuck your pelvis under, pull that belly in, and lift your hips, pelvis, core, and glutes up, and then you're going to lower down. So really pull that navel back into your spine, squeeze and tighten up those glutes, and then lower down. So these are modified bridges. They're working the entire midsection and the backside. So let's work all of those major muscle groups in the hips, the core, and the glutes. You're going to feel a little bit of your hamstrings as well. Let's do 8 more bridges. 7, keep that breath flowing. 6, come all the way up as high as you can. Just 5 more, squeeze. Last 4, keep breathing. 3, almost there. Last 2 and 1 more. Take it all the way up and release. All right, take a second to breathe, and we're going to do those 2 2 exercises one last time. So extend those legs out, arms overhead. Now that you know what to do, let's slowly come up back into those Pilates roll-ups, lowering down slowly. Good. Pulling that navel back into the spine, maintaining straight arms and straight legs. Your heart rate should be up there. This is core conditioning. So we are still getting that cardiovascular activity. We're lengthening and strengthening the entire abdominal wall, and we're also working on our flexibility a bit as well. Let's finish strong with 8 more Pilates roll-ups. Last 7, keep it up. 6 more, lower down. 5, lengthen that torso and those arms. 4 more. 3, beautiful. 2 more, and last one. Come on up and lower down. All right, last move, back to those modified bridges again. Feet flat on your mat, shoulder width apart. Pull that core in, hands are at your sides, and you're going to lift. Squeeze the glutes, lift those hips up and down. Take it up and down. Good. Continuing to breathe. Let's finish strong. This is a very targeted workout, so this is great to do 2 to 3 days a week. Layer it in with some of the other workouts that you do, whether it's cardio, strength training, or yoga or flexibility work. This is a nice complement, and it's great to do maybe when you only have 15 20 minutes or so to get in a quick workout. Let's do 8 more. 7, you've got this. 6, last 5. Keep those bridges going. Just 4 more, you can do it. 3, keep it tight. Last 2 and last one. Slowly lower it down and feel free to roll yourself up. Grab a sip of water if you need it, and we are going to finish up with our cool down and stretch. Stay tuned. All right everyone, you made it to the end. This is the best part of the workout, the cool down and recovery and stretch. So let's go back to laying all the way back on our mat. We're going to extend our legs out, bring those arms back overhead, and this is the time to literally stretch your entire body, especially the abdominal muscles that we worked so hard. So from your fingertips all the way through your toes, really stretch that body, lean it out, and lengthen through your spine. From here, we're going to bring one knee into the chest, stretching out your hips, and then let's just rotate that foot and ankle going in both directions. Good job, keep rotating. And then let's bring that leg up to the ceiling or the sky if you're outside and feel that nice stretch through the hamstrings. And then let's go to the other side. Bring that knee into your chest, rotate once again that foot and ankle in both directions, flex out your feet, and then let's go ahead and lift that leg up to the ceiling. Really feel again that hamstring on the other side. From here, we're going to bring the bottoms of our feet together. We're going to do a butterfly stretch laying down. So open up the hips and inner thighs, bring those arms up overhead, lifting your chest and your rib cage, keeping that core pulled in. And then from here, let's bring both knees into our chest, rock yourselves forward, and we're going to extend those legs out in front of us. Good posture. Reach up with those arms and then reach for your toes, continuing to pull that core in. Feel a nice stretch through your hamstrings, your back, and your spine. And then from here, we're going to go into a seated cross-legged position. Adjust on your sit bones, and we're going to bring those arms up overhead, and you're going to give me a nice twist over that left shoulder. Bringing out toxins from the body, holding and breathing. And then let's come on up and let's go to the other side. From here, you're going to keep that core pulled in and you're just going to walk your fingertips forward, keeping your sitz bones on the mat, relaxing your head and neck in between those arms. And then you're slowly going to walk back and we are going to finish with 3 deep cleansing breaths. Inhale positive energy in, negative energy out. Fill your body with oxygen on that inhale and exhale, let it go. And one more time, inhale all that empowers you and exhale anything that no longer serves you. Thank you guys so much. I really hope you enjoyed this first workout video of our new 3-part wellness series. As mentioned earlier, you can do this workout 2 to 3 times a week. You can pair it up with other workouts that you do for cardio, strength, and flexibility. Um, we're gonna have a nutrition video coming up next for next month, and the month after that we have a sleep video coming. So please feel free to like, subscribe, um, tell your family and friends, comment on what workouts you enjoy doing and how you like this workout, and, um, if you want to try any of my livestream classes and work out live with me, I do offer them 3 times a week. Livestream sculpt, yoga, and train every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:15 to 10:00 AM Pacific Standard Time. So feel free to check it out on the PassionFit website to learn more. Thank you so much for tuning in, and I will see you with our next video soon. Take care.
