Quick exercise circuit with weights, sandbag

This month's workout is a circuit of five exercises performed straight through with minimal rest. The first round consists of 10 reps per exercise, the second round consists of nine reps, the third round eight reps and so on until you get to one rep per exercise. Rest between each round as needed. Keep a stopwatch nearby so you can record how long it takes you to complete the entire workout.

In this workout, we use a sandbag for several of the exercises. If you don't have access to a sandbag, you can also use a barbell or dumbbells.

<b>Sandbag burpee to press:</b> Begin with a sandbag lying in front of you at your feet. Squat down and grab the handles of the sandbag while kicking your feet back to a push-up position. Reverse your movement and hop back up to a standing position. Pull the sandbag upward as you flip it to shoulder height and then press it overhead. Repeat in a fluid motion.

<b>Push-up with knee drive:</b> Assume a push-up position. Bend your elbows and let your body drop toward the floor. As you push back to the top, drive a knee forward while contracting your abs. Straighten that leg back to the starting position and drop back into the push-up. As you push up again, drive the other knee forward. Repeat with powerful and deliberate movements.

<b>Dumbbell row to lateral press:</b> While grasping a dumbbell in each hand, assume a push-up position with your shoulders positioned above your wrists. Row one of the dumbbells off the floor and toward your chest as you twist your body and press it toward the ceiling. Reverse your movements back to your starting point and then repeat on the other side.

<b>Weighted lateral lunge:</b> Begin by resting the sandbag on your upper back with both hands holding it in place. While standing upright with your feet together, step sideways to a wider than shoulder width foot position. If you're stepping to your right, as soon as your right foot touches the floor, bend your right knee and let your body drop down into a lateral lunge. This means you'll be shifting your weight laterally onto your right leg and dragging your left leg along. Repeat for the intended number of reps and then switch legs.

<b>Weighted reverse lunge to knee drive:</b> Cradle the sandbag in your arms at chest level. With feet hip-width apart, step back with your right foot and drop down into a lunge. As you step up and return to a standing position, drive the right knee up toward your chest as you contract your abs. Repeat for the intended number of reps and then switch legs.

So give our Final Countdown workout a try and see how long it takes you to complete. Check out our Facebook page to see how our trainers and clients performed.

For a video of this workout, and to see an added bonus ab workout, check out our blog at PushFitnessTraining.com.

<i> Joshua Steckler and Mark Trapp are co-owners of Push Fitness, a personal training studio in Schaumburg, specializing in weight loss, muscle toning and nutrition. Contact them at PushFitnessTraining.com.</i>