WOMEN
IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER
Hand weights: 0–3 pounds
Rest between circuits: 30–45 seconds
Intensity: low-medium
Approximate time per circuit: 3:30–4:30
Approximate time per 3 circuits: 11:00–15:45
IF YOU ARE INTERMEDIATE
Hand weights: 3–5 pounds
Rest between circuits: 15–30 seconds
Intensity: medium
Approximate time per circuit: 3:00–3:30
Approximate time per 3 circuits: 9:45–11:00
IF YOU ARE ADVANCED
Hand weights: 5–7.5 pounds
Rest between circuits: 5–15 seconds
Intensity: medium-high
Approximate time per circuit: 2:30–3:00
Approximate time per 3 circuits: 7:45–9:45
IF YOU ARE AN ATHLETE / PROFESSIONAL PLAYER
Hand weights: 7.5+ pounds
Rest between circuits: none
Intensity: high
Approximate time per circuit: 2:00–2:30
Approximate time per 3 circuits: 6:00–7:30
MEN
IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER
Hand weights: 0–3 pounds
Rest between circuits: 30–45 seconds
Intensity: low-medium
Approximate time per circuit: 3:30–4:30
Approximate time per 3 circuits: 11:00–15:45
IF YOU ARE INTERMEDIATE
Hand weights: 5–7.5 pounds
Rest between circuits: 15–30 seconds
Intensity: medium
Approximate time per circuit: 3:00–3:30
Approximate time per 3 circuits: 9:45–11:00
IF YOU ARE ADVANCED
Hand weights: 7.5–10 pounds
Rest between circuits: 5–15 seconds
Intensity: medium-high
Approximate time per circuit: 2:30–3:00
Approximate time per 3 circuits: 7:45–9:45
IF YOU ARE AN ATHLETE / PROFESSIONAL PLAYER
Hand weights: 10–12+ pounds
Rest between circuits: none
Intensity: high
Approximate time per circuit: 2:00–2:30
Approximate time per 3 circuits: 6:00–7:30
WOMEN and MEN
Follow the directions. Sometimes you’ll start with your right leg and arm, sometimes with your left. All the circuits have been deliberately designed so that both sides of your body are worked out equally.
After two weeks of regular exercising, don’t forget to gradually increase the amount of your hand weights. Never upgrade by more than 2 to 2.5 pounds. For example, if you start with 1-pound weights, your next weight can be 2 two 3 pounds; if you start with 3 pounds, your next weight will be 5 pounds.
It will take you a few days to master each circuit. Aim to reduce the time it takes you to do each circuit from the second week on.
For those who already have a regular cardiovascular routine, I prefer to add these Super Body, Super Brain circuits after you’ve finished your cardio.
Level 2: THE HAWK
STEP 1: MIND-SET
Visualize the exercises for thirty seconds before you start, just as a professional athlete would—with concentration, intensity, precision, and proper form. Say, “I am going to do my best. I know I can do it.” Breathe deeply.
STEP 2: ALWAYS STRETCH BEFORE YOU START
Stretching not only loosens you up but sends a signal to your brain that you’re ready to work out.
Standing tall and straight, cross your left foot over your right foot.
With your arms straight, bend at the waist and drop your upper body down to touch your knees, ankles, or toes. If you are already used to stretching, do not bend your knees; if it’s more comfortable, you can bend your knees slightly to avoid locking the joint. You should feel the stretch in the back of your legs.
Hold this position for ten seconds. Then, without uncrossing your feet, raise your arms as high as you comfortably can. Look up toward the ceiling and breathe deeply.
Switch feet, crossing your right foot over your left, and repeat the stretch.
STEP 3: ENERGY BOOSTER: CLAP + BALANCE
You can do this exercise whenever you feel sluggish during the day, too.
From a semi-squat-plié position, with your arms down at your sides, clap between your legs.
Stand up and then raise your heels while simultaneously raising your arms to clap overhead. Don’t forget to smile!
Reps: 10
Every count should be coordinated with a loud voice. You can count from one to ten or shout out positive ideas like “Let’s do it,” “We can do it,” and “Come on.”
Do your clapping with as much speed as possible.
STEP 4: Exercise Circuits
1. Opposite Triceps Extensions and Leg Raise
Stand tall, with your feet close together, arms bent at your elbows.
Hold the weights with both arms bent at the waist and then straighten your left arm behind you while simultaneously bending your right knee up at a ninety-degree angle, foot parallel to the floor.
Repeat on the opposite side. This is one rep.
Reps: 15
Be sure not to lean forward.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: balance, coordination, opposite arm and leg movement, posture alignment
Body: core strength; front thighs, glutes, shoulders
2a. Leg Kick with Triceps Extension / Tapping
Stand tall, with your feet shoulder width apart, arms bent at your sides. Cross your left leg slightly behind your right.
Kick your left leg out to the side while simultaneously extending both arms backward. This is one rep.
Reps: 10
Keep your back straight at all times.
Beginners should feel comfortably balanced when they cross their legs behind; you don’t want to lose your balance. The more advanced you are, the more you can extend the crossing action behind your leg.
Your hips should always be facing front. If they aren’t, it means you’re crossing too far and your balance will be out of whack.
2b. Leg Kick / Tapping
Stand tall, with your feet shoulder width apart, arms bent at your sides. With your toes pointed outward, slightly raise one foot and then quickly follow it with the other foot, like you’re tapping your feet.
Change legs and repeat exercise 2a with the other leg.
Reps: 10
Think of the foot shift as almost a tapping movement, as if you were a basketball player defending your position.
Ideally, these steps should be performed as quickly as possible without losing the pattern. If you miss a step here and there, you’re going too fast.
When doing exercise 2b, make sure you always alternate left and right feet when starting the exercise.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: balance, coordination, footwork, speed, timing
Body: core strength; calves, front and inner thighs, glutes, shoulders
3. Semi-Lunge with Shoulder Raise
Stand tall, in the semi-lunge position, arms down comfortably between your hips and knees, palms facing each other.
Raise your left leg by pushing it with your toes, until your left thigh is parallel to the floor while simultaneously extending your arms straight out to the sides. This is one rep.
Reps: 8
Be sure to keep your weight shifted back; you do not want to place your body forward over your knees. Your back should remain as straight as possible.
Do not raise your arms higher than shown in the photograph.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: balance, coordination, multitasking limb movements, posture alignment, timing
Body: core strength; ankles; back, front, and inner thighs; calves, chest, glutes, knees, shoulders
4. Semi-Lunge with Biceps Curl
Stand in the semi-lunge position, arms down comfortably between your hips and knees, palms facing each other.
Raise your left leg by pushing it with your toes until your left thigh is parallel to the floor while simultaneously doing a biceps curl with both arms. This is one rep.
Reps: 8
Keep your arms as close in to your sides as possible. Your upper arms will barely move at all as you flex.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: balance, coordination, multitasking limb movements, posture alignment, timing
Body: core strength; biceps, calves, front thighs, glutes, shoulders
5. Semi-Lunge with Upper Back Extension
Stand in the semi-lunge position, arms down comfortably between your hips and knees, palms facing each other.
Raise your right leg by pushing it with your toes until your right thigh is parallel to the floor while simultaneously extending your arms straight up toward the ceiling. This is one rep.
Reps: 8
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: balance, coordination, multitasking limb movements, posture alignment, timing
Body: core strength; front thighs, glutes, shoulders, upper back
6. Semi-Lunge with Triceps Extension
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Stand in the semi-lunge position, elbows bent at your waist, palms facing each other.
Raise your right leg by pushing it with your toes until your right thigh is parallel to the floor while simultaneously extending your arms back behind you. This is one rep.
Reps: 8
Keep your back straight at all times. You do not want to swing the weights or pull them too far back; the motion backward should be smooth and should feel comfortable.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: balance, coordination, multitasking limb movements, posture alignment, timing
Body: core strength; front thighs, glutes, shoulders, triceps, upper back
7. Semi-Squat Plié with Reverse Backhand
In the semi-squat-plié position, raise your heels slightly off the floor. Hold your arms slightly higher than hip height, elbows slightly bent, palms close to and facing each other.
Extend your arms forward to slightly higher than hip height, palms close to and facing each other, and then move both hands to your left side, as if you were hitting a tennis backhand shot, slightly past hip level, without moving your head.
Repeat the movement, moving both arms to your right side. This is one rep.
Reps: 10
Your head should be straight at all times—not following the movement of your arms. If you feel it in your lower back, you’re moving your head too much; you should feel the movement only on both sides of your waist.
Make sure you are perfectly balanced, with your heels raised, during the entire exercise.Do not raise your heels any higher than two inches off the floor or you might lose your balance.
Because most of the movement comes from your oblique abdominal muscles, you do not want to engage your hips at all.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: controlled imbalance, coordination, multitasking movements (your lower body is balancing while your upper body is moving)
Body: core strength; back, front, and inner thighs; calves, chest, glutes, oblique abdominals, shoulders
8. Eyes Closed—One Leg Up + Biceps Curl
Stand straight with both feet close to each other, your arms straight at both sides.
Close your eyes. Lift your left leg a few inches off the floor and raise your palms face-up to waist high, arms bent. Then, without losing your balance, raise the left leg until your left thigh is parallel to the floor while simultaneously doing a biceps curl. This is one rep.
Repeat on the other side, raising your right leg up off the floor followed by a biceps curl.
Reps: 5 with your leg stationary, followed by 5 with your leg moving up and down
Remember to keep your eyes closed. Open them only if you are losing your balance.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: balance, coordination, posture alignment, sensory system
Body: core strength; back, back and front thighs, biceps, calves, chest, glutes, joints, shoulders
When your eyes are closed, your brain and body are missing their regular cues and must work much harder.
9. Opposite Arm and Leg Extension—Floor
Get down on your hands and knees on the floor, hands shoulder width apart, with your back straight.
Simultaneously extend your left arm and your right leg.
Repeat on the other side. This is one rep.
Reps: 5
Do not raise your arm any higher than your shoulders.
Do not raise your leg any higher than your hips.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: balance, coordination, multitasking limb movements, posture alignment
Body: core strength; back and front thighs, glutes, shoulders, upper back
10a. Crossed Leg with Push-up—Floor
Get down on your hands and knees on the floor, and then extend your right leg back. Without moving your upper body, cross your extended right leg over your bent left leg, tap it on the floor, and return to the starting position, with both knees on the floor.
Repeat on the other side, crossing your left leg over your right leg. This is one rep.
Reps: 8
10b. Crossed Leg with Push-up—Floor
With your left leg still extended straight behind you, bend your upper body down into a half push-up.
Repeat the entire sequence on your right side. This is one rep.
Reps: 6
When you’re doing the push-up, do not go down farther than a ninety-degree angle with your elbows. You don’t need to do a full push-up.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: balance, coordination, posture alignment, timing
Body: core strength; back thighs, chest, glutes, shoulders, triceps
11. Open Leg and Flies—Floor
Lie on your back with your legs up together and your feet pointing toward the ceiling, arms bent more than shoulder width apart, elbows almost touching the floor, palms facing each other.
Raise your arms straight up, no more than shoulder width apart, while simultaneously opening your legs to form a V shape. This is one rep.
Reps: 8
Keep your arms slightly bent to avoid locking your joints.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: coordination, multitasking limb movements, timing
Body: abdominals, chest, front and inner thighs, glutes, shoulders, triceps
12. Bent Leg Sit-up with Flies
Lie on your back, with your knees bent up at a ninety-degree angle and your feet in the air, arms at ninety degrees from your torso and bent at a ninety-degree angle, elbows touching the floor, palms facing each other. Keep your head flat on the floor.
Lift your upper body off the floor while simultaneously raising your arms straight up, no more than shoulder width apart. This is one rep.
Reps: 8
Do not look forward. Keep your eyes focused on the ceiling at all times.
If you feel a pull in your neck while doing the second step, you are not yet strong enough to raise yourself off the floor. Keep your head on the ground at all times until your core muscles become stronger.
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: coordination
Body: abdominals, chest, front and inner thighs, glutes, shoulders, triceps
13. Pelvic Raise with Flies
Lie on your back, arms bent at ninety degrees from your torso and feet flat on the floor, more than shoulder width apart, elbows almost touching the floor, palms facing each other. Keep your head flat on the floor.
Lift your pelvis up as far as is comfortable while simultaneously raising your arms up, no more than shoulder width apart. This is one rep.
Reps: 8
This Exercise Is Good for:
Brain: coordination, multitasking limb movements, timing
Body: abdominals, chest, front and inner thighs, glutes, shoulders, triceps
After you have done all the exercises, you will have finished one complete circuit.
Rest for zero to forty-five seconds, depending on your level, and then repeat the circuit two more times.
At the end of the third set, finish with a quick meditation cooldown. Ideally, you should aim for two to five minutes of meditation, but if you don’t have time, even one minute will be extremely beneficial. Simply close your eyes, breathe deeply, congratulate yourself on the powerful work you have just done, and appreciate your strength and commitment. (Never judge yourself or be hard on yourself if you missed a movement or your circuit took longer than expected.) Then, mentally prepare yourself for the rest of your day.