Strength and Cardio
They say you can't cheat on training, but this intense workout—from Vancouver-based personal trainer Shaun Karp, who's spent more than a decade building fitness programs for pros like NHL veteran Petr Nedved and 21-year-old snowboard sensation Simon Chamberlain—qualifies as a shortcut. All time-strapped athletes will benefit from this full-body workout, which Karp devised for maximum strength and cardio payoff with minimum equipment (little more than a pair of dumbbells and a Swiss ball), so you can get real exercise even when you can't leave the house.

Begin with five minutes of cardio—jogging in place, doing step-ups on a chair, or jumping rope—to get your heart rate to 60 to 80 percent of your maximum range. Then complete two sets of the following exercises in succession, transitioning without rest between each exercise into a 30-second cardio interval (your exertion level for these should be high). Use a weight that is challenging but doesn't compromise form. If you can complete the cycle in less than 30 minutes, add 15 or 30 seconds to each cardio interval.

Illustration by Jason Lee

1. Alternate Lunges: Stand with dumbbells at sides. Step into a full lunge, step back, and repeat, alternating legs. Don't let your front knee go beyond your toes. 15 reps per leg

2. Hamstring Dead Lifts: Stand with dumbbells at sides. Keep your back straight while hinging at the waist until your upper body is parallel with the floor. Return to starting position. 10 reps

3. Two-Arm Rows: With knees slightly bent and back angled at 70 degrees, hold dumbbells extended toward floor and pull them up to hips. 10 reps

4. Swiss-Ball Press: Lying back side down on a Swiss ball, with knees bent 90 degrees and dumbbells at chest, extend arms vertically in a bench press. 8 reps

Illustration by Jason Lee

5. Bent-Over Lateral Raises: Start in the same position as two-arm rows, but bend elbows so dumbbells are in front of your knees. Raise arms to the sides, away from your body, maintaining bent elbows and straight back throughout. 15 reps

6. Ball Roll-Outs: Kneel with your hands on a Swiss ball in front of you. Slowly roll out onto the ball until your body is a straight plank, then return to starting position. Keep butt in and torso straight. 8 reps

7. Hip Lifts: Lie on your back on the floor, with arms at sides and legs pointing straight up in the air. Push your hips and legs up two inches off the ground with your lower abs. 20 reps

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Strength and Cardio | Muscle Balance and Flexibility | Power and Agility

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Writer RYAN BRANDT, a former Division 1 collegiate basketball player, lives in Berkeley, California.

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