Werk It Out with Erica Nix (Vol. 2)

Hey squirrel friends! Welcome back to Werk it Out with Erica Nix! We’re back back back back again with a workout to get that blood flowing and your body moving. Kind Clinic has partnered with our local fun and fabulous personal trainer, Erica Nix, to bring you fun and easy workouts that can be done in your own home! For over a decade, Erica has been a bright and raucous force in the community, with her well documented performance art, beloved photography, and work as a queer and trans-inclusive body positive activist and personal trainer.

Today, we’re gonna do a Chabata Workout! That’s right! You heard me correctly. You say Tabata. I say Chabata. If you’re familiar with the Tabata way of doing things, it’s usually 8 exercises for 20 seconds and 10 seconds of recovery. We’re gonna do this Chabata workout with 30 seconds on, and 10 seconds of recovery. Now let’s get started!

The Warm Up! 

First, let’s check our alignment. Ideally, you want your ankles, knees, hips, shoulder, and ears all lined up.

1. Start with an arm swing, lunging side to side with weight in the heel of your bent leg, letting your arms hit your lower back.
2. Balance and leg swing. You can just balance by hovering one foot above the ground or try swinging your leg back and front while you balance. The trick is to let your body adjust as you swing your leg.  If you fall, just place your foot down and start again.
3. Balance changes every day, so don’t give yourself a hard time if this is too challenging.
4. Wake up those quads. Kick back your legs in this dynamic quad stretch, one leg at a time.

Tip: If you know what you’re doing and want to skip the workout explanations, just start the video around 21 minutes after you warm up. Or go ahead and do the workout twice with me! If you are wiped out after the first round, just skip to the cool down and stretch.

The Werk Out!

1. Richard Rainbow Arms: Make rainbows with your arms and add a little jump and twist. You can modify by taking out the leg, the jump, or the arms. You do you.
2. Lunges: Start with your feet about hip width apart. Step back, bringing your back knee towards the ground without hitting the floor, and then step back up to standing. Keep your weight centered, making sure not to go forward on your front knee. If your knees don’t like this, feel free to do a one-legged deadlift. Keeping one leg straight and the other leg bent with you heel raised, bend down with a flat back until you feel a stretch in your straight leg and then squeeze your bootie to standing. Make sure you are leading with your butt and not bending first with your back. keep your abs engaged and neck aligned with the rest of your vertebrae. You can make this more difficult by adding a weight.
3. Mountain Climber: In a bent over position with abs engaged and flat back, put your hands down (on any elevation of your choice) and bring your knees up towards your chest. The higher you are the easier it is and safer on your back.
4. Squats: With your feet about hip width apart and toes and knees facing in the same direction, send your bootie towards the ground, keeping your weight in your heels. Alternatively, do a butt bridge on the floor. Lay on the floor with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Squeeze your glutes up and down like you are squeezing a penny (or whatever you wanna hide in your bootie) between your cheeks.
5. Jumping Jack: Jump in and out with your hands and feet at the same time. You can modify this by stepping out with one side at a time, just moving your arms, or just moving your legs.
6. Burpees No Push Up: From a wide squat position, lean forward placing your hands on the floor and jumping back into a plank position. Alternatively, crawl like a bear into a plank position and back up to standing. Make sure you bend those knees if you have tight hamstrings, so you don’t put unneeded stress on your lower back.
7. Jump Squats: Sit down into that squat position with your weight in your heels, and your toes gripping the floor for balance. Then use your toes to push yourself up into the air like a super person! To modify this squat, squeeze your glutes up to standing and then go up on your toes for toe raises with straight legs.
8. Plank Jacks: In a solid plank position (flat back and abs engaged), jump your feet in and out like a jack. You can also just move one foot out at a time or do a modified plank on your shoulders and knees.
9. The Can Can Dance with Me!: We are just trying to get our cardio up “Richard Simmons” style. Don’t kick past where your hamstrings naturally want to go. Keep that core tight, not dipping your bootie down to kick higher.

The Cool Down and Stretch

1. Circle Arms: Big arm circles back and then drop your arms and just bring those shoulders down and back, really getting out those crunchies.
2. The Shoulder Lean: Shake your head a little and then pull your head towards one shoulder reaching your opposite hand towards the floor.
3. Downward Dog: From your hands and knees, push your bootie up into the air, keeping your legs straight and imagining bringing those heels towards the floor.
4. Hip Flexor Stretch: From your hands and knees, bring one foot forward into a lunge. Send your hips forward while making a tiny back bend by bringing your shoulders up and back.
5. Quad Stretch: Laying on your tummy, grab one foot with the same side hand and pull your foot towards your butt.  Switch sides. You can also use a strap if you can’t grab your foot.
6. Dirty Bird: From a downward dog, bring your knee towards your chest and the cross your leg so that your ankle meets your opposite wrist. Carefully lay over that, letting your body weight assist your stretch. To modify, lay on your back for figure 4. Bring one ankle to the opposite knee and use your arms to pull your legs close to your body.
7. Hamstring Stretch: While lying on the floor, bring your slightly bent leg towards your body. You can use your arms to deepen the stretch.

GREAT JOB! YOU DID IT!! YOU’RE UNSTOPPABLE!!!