I tend to get stuck in one fitness routine, repeating the same workouts over and over, so when I see a workout on YouTube or Instagram that piques my interest, I make a point of trying it out the next time I’m at the gym. This week’s contender was a core-focused full-body workout from Tanya Poppett, who’s a master trainer certified by the Australian Institute of Fitness. The workout itself was bodyweight and all performed on a mat, so it was great for a quick at-home workout that wouldn’t make my downstairs neighbors hate me.
Tanya made these moves look smooth and easy, but let me tell you, they were not. Every exercise challenged a different aspect of my fitness: upper body strength in the loaded push-ups, core stability in the commando singles, balance in the floating bird dogs, and pure core strength in the diver sit-ups. Those diver sit-ups, by the way? Way harder than they look. I actually collapsed on the last rep.
These exercises were challenging compound variations that I hadn’t tried before, and some modifying definitely helped. Try setting your knees down in the plank variations and bird dogs, and going into child’s pose during the loaded push-ups. Make sure to take full advantage of the rest periods, too. Here’s the full workout so you can try it for yourself.
Instagram Bodyweight Core Workout From Tanya Poppett
Equipment needed: a mat or some soft floor.
Directions: Repeat each set three times with one minute of rest between.
- Set one: Diver sit-ups, six reps
- Set one: Loaded push-ups, six reps
- Set two: Commando singles, eight reps
- Set two: T-scap push-up to side plank, eight reps
- Burnout: Floating bird dog, 30 seconds
Check out the video above to see Tanya demo each move! (Also, keep your eyes peeled for the adorable black cat that keeps wandering in and out of frame.)