Total Body Olympic Workouts

The 2012 Summer Olympics start on Friday! Who is excited?

It is easy to stare in awe at the TV as the fittest bodies in the world battle for the ultimate gold medal, but you can get workout like an Olympian without the trip to London. Although if you are going…I wouldn’t be opposed to being packed in your suitcase!

Here are 5 workouts inspired by some of the major women’s events that will help you get in Olympian shape:

1. Boxing

Boxing is works out your entire body as well as clears your head and gets rid of tons of steam. This boxing routine can be done anywhere and will have your entire body toned!

• Punch: stand with your right food and knees slightly bent. Bring fists up and punch in front of the other (right punch, then left).
• Lunge: After your punch (right, then left) lunge with your left foot forward and bend your knees right in front of left (until left thigh is almost on the ground). Hold 30 seconds then switch.
• Squat: Go to a squat stance and hold for 30 seconds.
• Alternate punches, lunges and squats for 12 reps.

All together your boxing routine goes: punch right, punch left, lunge right, lunge left and squat!

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2. Swimming

Like boxing, swimming works your entire body. The major muscles used while lap swimming are your abs, biceps, triceps, hamstrings and quads. So for those of you that have access to a pool, lake or ocean…get swimming! Swimming for an hour burns over 500 calories and can quickly get you feeling like Michael Phelps. The best are freestyle (leg muscles), breaststroke (thighs, biceps and butt) butterfly (abs, legs) and backstroke (triceps and legs). We like a mix of all three styles. Click the image below for a breakdown of swimming styles:

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3. Weightlifting

The ladies are true all-stars in the Olympian weightlifting competition. They start at 48 kg which is over 105 pounds! Leave the extra heavy lifting to the muscle woman on TV. With weightlifting you don’t need big bulky dumbells. Five to ten pounds (or a jug of milk!) can work wonders on toning you up. Building strength can give you the extra boost you need to achieve a new personal best. Here are some of our favorites weightlifting moves:

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4. Track & Field

This one was definitely my favorite events during my elementary school gym class days. Running is the best way to improve your stamnia and blast fat. Try this 20-minute interval run that you can do on a treadmill or any field that can easily be paired with your other Olympic training exercises:

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5. Tennis

If you are feeling burnt out from your gym classes, hit up the tennis court. Tennis is the best game to play with a pal for a little friendly competition! You won’t even realize you’re burning calories and working up a sweat because you will be having so much fun. You’d think tennis was only an arm workout, but swinging the racket is a full body effort. Here are 3 tennis exercises to practice before you envision yourself as the next Serena Williams:

• The power of your serve comes from your lower body and torso. Practice moving your arms in a Y, T, W and L arm moves to develop your strength and stability.
• Want to conquer your serve? Do some overhead slams by taking an 8-pound medicine ball over your head and driving the ball down. This is a great exercise to build explosive power
• Tennis takes a lot of twisting and squatting movement to build power. Drop the rackets and play medicine ball tennis! Watch the video below:

No matter which of these workouts you choose (hopefully a combination of all 5!) you’ll be sure to have a fun, fit and athletic summer. Who knows, maybe in 4 years you’ll be in the next Olympic Games. Fingers crossed for you!

Wondering what Olympians eat? Check out Healthy Way to Cook!

What is your favorite Olympic event? What Olympic workouts do you want to try? Let’s talk about it in the comments section below.