ALL LEVELS / functional partner workout / 20 minutes
Equipment: Medicine ball & partner
Love and exercise go hand in hand — literally. They both release endorphins, the hormones responsible for that feel-good sensation after working out. Among other things, these two also turn our faces red, and they make our hearts beat faster. That’s why we thought a partner’s workout on this Valentine’s day would be a great idea. But don’t worry, you don’t need a significant other to perform it. Just bring a friend along and have some fun!
This functional partner workout results from a partnership between our two personal trainers from EVO Fitness in Vienna, Mariahilfer Strasse: Hannah Braun and Johannes Auer. It consists of 6 exercises, each to be performed for 30 seconds. Try to rest as little as possible between each exercise because you’ll have plenty of time to rest in between rounds: 60 seconds. This workout has 3 rounds, which should account for 20 minutes total.
- Plank with clap
- Plank shoulder taps and claps
- Sit-up with medicine ball and pass
- Russian twist medicine ball pass
- Squat and pass
- Squat jump and pass
Grab a partner and let’s go!
WORKOUT SETUP
- 6 exercises
- 30 seconds each, little to no rest in between
- 3 rounds
- 60 seconds rest between rounds.
- 20 minutes
- Equipment: Medicine ball
WORKING OUT FROM HOME? NO PROBLEM.
Medicine ball = bag with some weights, such as books, cans of food
WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST
3 rounds
1 – PLANK WITH CLAP
30 seconds
- Get into a high plank position, with both heads facing each other. Make sure you’re close enough to reach and calp your partner’s hand.
- Clap hands with your partner diagonally — that means you’ll both use the same hand to clap with each other.
- Engage your core and reach your right hands, clapping.
- Go back to the high plank position.
- Now do the same with the left hand and repeat the whole process for 30 seconds.
2 – PLANK SHOULDER TAPS AND CLAPS
30 seconds
- Once again, get into a high plank position, with both heads facing each other, making sure you’re close enough to reach and calp your partner’s hand.
- Engage your core and perform a shoulder tap on both shoulders individually. With your right hand and without balancing, touch your left shoulder. With your left hand, your right shoulder.
- Clap your right hand with your partner.
- Go back to the high plank position and repeat for 30 seconds, alternating the clapping hands.
3 – SIT-UP WITH MEDICINE BALL AND PASS
30 seconds
- Lay down on your back with your feet facing each other. One of you will start with the ball.
- Both should then perform a sit-up by curling up your upper body, but only one holds the ball at chest level.
- When you reach the top, pass the ball to your partner and do the same — now without the ball.
- Repeat for 30 seconds.
4 – RUSSIAN TWIST MEDICINE BALL PASS
30 seconds
- Sit down next to your partner, and balance your body weight using your hips.
- Make sure your torso is at a 45-degree angle to the floor and your back straight.
- One of you should hold the medicine ball at chest level, perform 3 twists touching with the ball on the floor before passing the ball over.
- Your partner will wait for your pass in an ab hold. After receiving the ball from you, they’ll repeat the 3 touches and hand it over again.
- Repeat for 30 seconds.
5 – SQUAT AND PASS
30 seconds
- Stand face to face with your partner, both with your feet shoulder-width apart and your feet slightly pointing out.
- One of you should be holding the ball before starting.
- Keep your chest proud and look forward.
- Squat at the same time — one of you holding the ball at chest level — pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
- Come back up and throw the ball to your partner.
- Repeat for 30 seconds.
6 – SQUAT JUMP AND PASS
30 seconds
- Once again, stand face to face with your partner, both with your feet shoulder-width apart and your feet slightly pointing out.
- One will start with the ball, and both should keep their chest proud and look forward.
- Squat at the same time — one of you holding the ball at chest level — pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
- At the end of the movement, jump as high as you can before doing another squat.
- Once you’re in the starting position, throw the ball to your partner.
- Repeat for 30 seconds.
This functional partner workout is the best day to start Valentine’s Day. Scroll down for more challenges below:
- 30-min lower body strength workout
- 10-min strength workout
- 20-min bodyweight full-body workout
- 20-min Tabata workout
- 15-min metabolic strength workout
- 20-min New Year’s Day workout
- 28-min Chr-HIIT-smas workout
- 20-min back strength workout
- 28-min cardio workout
- 20-min kettlebell AMRAP workout
- 15-min 50 reps workout
- 20-min lower body workout
