Interval Diva Workout! The Wag Doll Protocol Fitness Regime

Hey lovelies,

Thought I'd share one of my Wag Doll Protocol workouts with you today - The Interval Diva!

As I've mentioned before, I prefer short intense workouts 4 or 5 times a week, and 'The Interval Diva' routine targets your cardio fitness, strength and endurance, packed into less than 25 minutes.

Read on for tips to help you get the most out of this workout.

Cardio Warm-up 5 minutes

Ease yourself into your workout with 5 minutes of cardio of your choice, according to what equipment you have available. 

I did 5 minutes on the treadmill, starting at a brisk walk (waving my arms around to get the whole body moving... yes I have no shame!) and then moved into a jog, then running at an incline. But you can go for a run outdoors, use the bike or elliptical trainer at the gym, or even run on the spot or walk up and down the stairs if you're working out at home. 

The aim is to get your body moving, joints & muscles loosened up and your heart and lungs working.

High Intensity Interval Training

The fat burning and muscle toning portion of the routine. Work as hard as you can here, but always ensure your form during the exercises is correct. Better to perform your reps slowly and correctly, than rush and risk injuring yourself.

• Burpees x 10 reps - The basic burpee is a fantastic conditioning exercise; from a standing position jump up, reaching into the air with your hands, land lightly on your feet and drop down to a squat thrust. 
• Bicycle abs x 10 reps - These ab crunches target your whole core. Be mindful of your lower back during this exercise, you should not be arching your spine.
• Push-ups x 10 reps - Try to do full push-ups if you can, check out my post How to do your first push-up if you need help in this area. Do modified push-ups on your knees if you need to, to complete the rounds.
• Squats x 20 - Squats are the King of leg exercises (or should I say Queen as this is a Diva workout!). They shape your thighs and butt and burn bodyfat, learn to love squats! Feet shoulder width apart and turned slightly out, squat down keeping your weight over your heels. Feel as though you are pressing down through your heels to the floor. Bend at the knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor (you can go lower if you want, "ass to grass" but only if you have the leg strength and don't have knee problems).

Rest for 30 seconds.

This combination counts as one round.

Beginners aim to complete 3 rounds, advanced aim to do 4 rounds. 

I did 4 rounds and they took me 10minutes 20 seconds to complete. I had to pause a couple of times during the last few sets of push-ups, but as I said before, take your time and do the exercises correctly.

I've gave you my timing as a guide, not as a competition. You do the best 'you' can, and each time aim to beat your own time, that way you know you're improving.

Give yourself a great smile, you've just shredded some bodyfat and sculpted those muscles! 

Cardio cool-down 5 minutes

The aim in this section of the workout is to bring your heart-rate back down to earth. So run, then jog & brisk walk for 5 minutes. Again you can do any kind of cardio that suits you, just start intense and gradually slow the pace.

Stretches

Never underestimate the importance of stretching after exercise, I do a few minutes of stretches after every session. It helps to keep you flexible, protects from pulls and strains and helps prevent muscle soreness.

Great work Divas!

Hope you enjoy this workout and give it a go. I realise I haven't posted about fitness for a few weeks now, but I've only recently got back into regular training after a 3 week break over Christmas and New Year

I intended to have a week off for festivities, but then I caught the horrendous flu bug that's going round and that put me out of action for another fortnight. I was as weak as a kitten when I started working out again, it's amazing how a virus can sap your strength. When this happens it's important to ease yourself back in, and give your body time to recover and re-build your strength and endurance.

I'm feeling great now I'm back in training and hope you are too!