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Got 10 Minutes? We've Got Your Perfect Workout

If you're short on time, these quickie exercise routines will help get you in shape
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At the Gym: Pilates and Bosu Ball Exercise
West Hollywood-based personal trainers Whitney Cole and Byron Paidoussi recommend this workout to "hit every major muscle group, as well as isometrically toning stabilizers, which contribute to a more balanced physique and protect joints from future injury."

Equipment Needed:
Bosu Ball
Bench
Pair of dumbbells, eight to 15 lbs
Stability Ball, 55 to 65 cm

Rest for 10 seconds in between each exercise.

50 seconds of triple-hop burpees with the Bosu Ball
Grasp the Bosu ball by the handles and bend your knees to place the blue domed side down. Glue your legs together and hop your feet back to the plank position without moving your shoulders from a position above your hands. Engage your abs to bring your feet in under the knees. Make sure you don't raise your hips or move your shoulders. Pause to balance, then go back to the plank position. Repeat this two more times, then hop your legs all the way forward, bend knees and lift the Bosu past your chest, pressing overhead. Repeat.

50 seconds of bench skips
Standing to the right of the bench, place your left foot flat on bench. Press firmly into your foot and lift yourself up onto the bench. As the right foot comes to rest on the bench next to your left, shift your weight to tap your left toe to the floor on the left side of the bench. Engage your core and your right leg to bring your left foot back to the bench. Next, tap your right toe to the floor. Continue moving laterally up and over the bench.

50 seconds of squats with overhead dumbell press standing on the Bosu Ball
Flip the Bosu so the black side faces up. Place your feet as wide as possible, toes pointing forward and weight distributed through your whole foot. Actively engage your core, and use your inner thighs to squeeze the ball between your feet to maintain balance. Perform squats with the shoulder press you practiced on the floor.

50 seconds of crossover bench step-ups
Standing to the right of the bench, cross your right foot over, and place it flat on the bench with toes pointing forward. Press firmly into your foot, and lift yourself up onto the bench, tapping the left toe for balance only. Square your hips forward and hold for one count to avoid bouncing though the exercise, using momentum and gravity. Slowly lower your left leg to start. Complete 10-15 reps on the right leg, then repeat on the left leg.

50 seconds of pec flys
Lie back on the bench, with your feet either on the floor or on the bench, dumbbells in hands over your chest with a slight bend in the elbows, palms in. Connect firmly through your back and feet for stability, and inhale to lower your arms out to your sides to chest level, maintaining a slight bend in the elbows. Then activate your chest muscles to bring your arms back to center over the chest.

50 seconds of Russian twists with a dumbbell
Sit slightly forward on the center of the Bosu, feet shoulder-width apart, flat, connecting to floor. Grasp the ends of the weight gently from the bottom. Hinge back slightly to engage your abs. Engage your right obliques to twist the torso to the right, bringing the weight with you. Then, use your left obliques to twist left without moving your legs. Continue rotating the torso and weight side to side, pausing on each side to eliminate bounce.

50 seconds of glute lifts with your feet on the bench
Lie on your back with hands at your side, knees bent at 90 degrees and feet on the bench. Squeeze your glutes, and press through you heels to lift your hips until they align with your shoulders and knees. Hold for two counts at the top, then slowly lower back to start. Continue for 50 seconds or advance with single leg lifts.

50 seconds of hamstring curls on a stability ball
Lie on your back with hands at your side and legs extended with feet comfortably on the top of the stability ball. As in glute lifts, squeeze your butt to lift the hips until your body is in a straight line. Maintaining the height of your hips, engage the back of your legs, pulling your heels and the ball inward. Imagine you're kicking the ball under your own butt. Hold for one to two counts to ensure balance, then release the ball back out and repeat for 50 seconds.

50 seconds of jackknife ball passes
Lie on your back with the stability ball in your hands, legs extended straight up. Engage your abs and lower both arms and legs down to a 45-degree angle. Pause. Then exhale, engaging your abs to bring both up to center. Pass the ball to your feet over the hips. Lower your arms and legs to a 45-degree angle. Pause. Exhale, engaging your abs and raising your arms and legs to the center to pass the ball back to your hands over the hips. Continue slowly, with pauses, for 50 seconds to work your core not your hip flexors and back.

10 reps of back extensions on a Bosu Ball
Kneel in front of the stability ball with your back a few feet from a flat wall. Lift a weight slightly up, placing your abs on the ball and positioning your feet flat on the wall. Keep your toes slightly turned out and keep a bend in the knee. (Your lower body maintains this position throughout the exercise for stability). Place your hands behind your ears and slowly lower your torso forward. With a flat back, raise back to start. Repeat for 10 reps. Then, add alternating side twists: Rotate at the top of your back extension, and curl your shoulder toward the tailbone. Return to center and repeat on the left side. Complete eight to 10 reps on each side.

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At Home: Core and Cardio Workout
Here's Cole and Paidoussi's favorite at-home sequence, that seriously works your core and your whole body.

Triple-Hop Burpees
Place your hands on the floor shoulder-width apart. Glue your legs together, and hop your feet back to the plank position, without moving your shoulders from position above your hands. Engage your abs to bring your feet in under the knees, without raising your hips or moving your shoulders. Pause to balance. Then, go back to the plank position. Repeat two more times, then hop your legs forward and throw your arms in the air while you jump up. Repeat at least 10 times, and keep those pauses to maintain core balance.

Side to Side Lunges
Stand with your hands on your hips. Lunge out to the right with your right leg. Flex your right knee and right hip to lower your body until your knee and hip reach a 90-degree angle. Press through your right heel, and engage your inner thighs and core to return to your starting position. Repeat on the left, and continue for 50 seconds. Keep your torso upright, and try to keep your lead knee from going past your toes.

Whittle Your Middle(ers)
Lower into a wide squat position, with bent knees above turned out toes. Place your hands behind your head (interlacing the last digit of your fingers only), or hold onto the ends of a hand towel. Imagine a pane of glass is positioned both in front of and behind your body. Using your side core muscles, curl your shoulder toward your hip, and place elbow to your thigh without pitching forward. Return to start and repeat on the other side.

Elbow to Palm Plank Push-ups
Start in an elbow plank position, with your shoulders over elbows, heels over toes and abs engaged. Then, press up into a full plank using your chest muscles, by pressing one hand at a time into the ground. Lower back to your elbows -- right then left. Repeat, leading with your left arm. Continue for 50 seconds while keeping your torso parallel to the ground.

Elbow Plank with Leg Lifts
From a plank position on your elbows, slowly engage your glutes to lift your right leg to hip height, keeping your foot flexed. Pause at the top, then slowly lower your foot. Repeat on the left. Continue for 50 seconds again while keeping hips stabilized and your core engaged.

Tummy Twists
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet glued to the floor. Engaging your abs, hinge your torso back as far as you can go while maintaining balance. Place your left palm on your sternum your and right palm on top of your left. Roll your shoulders back to avoid engaging your trapezoids. Engage your obliques to rotate your torso to the right until your elbow touches the floor, and return to center using the obliques on your left side. Repeat on the left, and continue side to side rotation for 50 seconds.

Glute Lifts
Lie on the floor, on your back, with hands by your side and your knees bent. Keep your feet flat. Squeeze your glutes, and press through your heels to lift your hips until they are aligned with your shoulders and knees. Hold for two counts at the top, then slowly lower back to the starting position. Repeat for 50 seconds, or advance the exercise by performing one lift with your leg raised, alternating sides.

Speed Skaters
With arms extended from the shoulder at 180 degrees, hop laterally, landing on your left foot. Cross your right leg behind you, and tap your toe to the ground for balance. Lower into a curtsy, keeping your back flat. Then, rotate your torso so your right hand reaches toward your left toe. Reach your left arm high behind you. Then switch sides, hopping right as you sweep your left arm toward your right foot, and place your right arm behind you to complete one rep. Continue for 50 seconds.

Cross Core Toe Touch
On your back, extend your legs, pointing your toes and reaching your arms towards the sky in a V-shape. Engage your abs and your rotate torso left, crossing your right arm up past your left toe. Next, rotate your torso right, crossing your left hand up past your right toe. Continue for 50 seconds.

X-hale / I-nhale
On your stomach, place palms face down beneath your shoulders with your elbows back by your side and legs straight. While you inhale, activate your inner thighs to squeeze your legs together. Squeeze your glutes to lift legs off the floor, and flatten your back to raise your palms from floor (your body will form a capital letter "I"). Hold for two counts. Then with an exhale, extend your arms and legs out to 45-degree angles to form the shape of a capital letter "X". Repeat 10-12 times without letting your arms or legs touch the floor. Finish by holding the X-shape and pulsing your arms and legs up for the remainder of the 50-second interval.

BY LILA GLICK | SEP 24, 2014 | SHARES
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