Natalie Yco's Cardio Kickboxing with jump rope.

Sorry for the delay! Here’s the fourth workout I began doing consistently after breaking up with Jillian. It’s a Natalie Yco cardio kickboxing workout with a jump rope and it’s definitely one of my top five favorite workouts, if not my all-time favorite workout. Words can’t possibly express how much I adore this workout so I won’t even bother gushing about it, I’ll get right down to the nitty gritty and talk about the workout itself - just know that I love it and it is AMAZING!

Natalie starts you out with doing a quick warm up, jumping jacks, lunges with rotations, swinging legs, and punches. She then has you go right into the workout, jumping rope for a minute. The way she designed this workout is you do one minute jump roping, and then another minute doing a kickboxing move, repeat jump rope, repeat with a new kickboxing move. I don’t actually use a jump rope, but I mimic the moves and hold my three pound weights during the jump rope sections to get a bit of an extra calorie burn. After your first time jump roping, your first kickboxing move is a move where you turn to the side into lunge and punch, come up and punch forward for two, and then two punches down in squat, and then from squat you move to lunge. I know that sounds like a lot, but the video will show it better. You twist to the right for the first 30 seconds, and then twist to the left for the next 30 seconds. After another minute of jump roping, your kickboxing move for the next minute is a squat, front kick, squat, front kick with the opposite leg. Get ready to feel the burn! Jump roping, and then a side lunge to a side kick. 30 seconds going right, and then 30 seconds going left. I really like this one because - nerd alert! - I was/still am a wrestling fan growing up, and side kicks always remind me of Shawn Michaels. Sweet chin music, anyone? Haha! After jump rope, you do my next favorite move is where you bring your knee up, punch with your elbow, bring your knee up again, and then a back kick. After 30 seconds you switch legs, and then start jump roping again! After jump roping, you shuffle side to side punching for a minute. The next moves are three kicks, a front kick and a jumping jack, alternating legs, and then a fun move where you punch and bring your knee up. That one reminded me of dancing! Then in jumping lunges, she has you punching out to the side. Next, she has you do a round kick, and a jumping jack alternating legs. After that, you do jumping jacks one last time, and then your final move is two jumping jacks, and two front kicks, one kick per leg. And then it’s time to cool down, and you have earned it! 

I LOVE this workout. I love cardio and this is a cardio kickboxing workout. And I’ve been a big fan of Natalie’s for a long time, so this workout was just made for me! (Okay, not made for me, but I can pretend, right?!) 

If you’re interested, you can check it out and do the workout yourself with the link below!

Natalie Yco's Full Body Workout with Dumbbells via GymRa.

Hi guys! I’m going to talk about another workout I’ve been doing lately since ditching Jillian. ;) But if it weren’t for Jillian, I wouldn’t know about this woman - it’s Natalie Yco! (Natalie has been in Killer Buns and Thighs, 30 Day Shred, Killer Abs, and I think a few other Jillian DVD’s that I haven’t actually bought). I’m a huge fan of hers, and a big fan of this workout! I’ve linked the video below. This one is also on GymRa’s youtube page, like the last workout I posted about. 

This one is about 30 minutes long. There are five circuits in this workout, each circuit with two strength moves and two cardio moves. I use my eight pound dumbbells for this workout and man, do I ever feel the burn! Each move lasts 45 seconds and she gives you 15 seconds to transition from one move to the next, and she demonstrates each move, which I love! After a quick warmup, you start doing two strength moves, a squat into a lunge alternating sides, deadlifts, and then rotating jumping jacks and then a kickboxing kind of move where you are doing jump kicks. Next circuit had walkout pushups, chest flies in bridge, and then burpees with a ski hop which made me consider throwing my laptop across the room and then crab kicks which made me SERIOUSLY consider throwing my laptop. I hate that cardio bit. ;) Third circuit has rows, chest flies in plank, four way hops and then jumping lunges in plank, which is have to modify (I could probably do them, but I think I’d do them incorrectly). Fourth circuit may be my favorite but I’m not sure; it has pikes with lateral raises, upright rows, and then skaters, which is my favorite cardio (!) but then she’s got you back in plank again for jumping side to side in plank. Last circuit has you doing triceps dip and a bicep curl (which I can’t curl without twisting my wrist, so I actually kick my leg instead of curling. I think that my dumbbells might be too tall and that’s why my wrists feel unsteady) and a half get up with the weight. Cardio is surfer get-ups and side mountain climbers. And then you’re finished with all the hard stuff! She has you finish off with a nice cool down with lots of good stretching and then you’re finished with that workout!

Natalie’s workout reminds me of a lot of Jillian’s and I’m familiar with all the moves. But just like in the other GymRa workout with Christie, it’s something different, and I think that’s what I welcome the most. A different voice, a different change of scenery. I like that these are filmed outside. Sometimes when I’m finished with the workout, I just want to hop into the TV and jump in that pool behind her! What I liked about it is that she did the workout with you, the change in scenery, the fact that it’s Natalie (haha), and that she demonstrated the workout and gives you a few seconds to transition in if you need. 

I burn anywhere from 200-250 calories as according to my Fitbit Charge HR. I’ve been doing this one consistently for a couple months now and I really like it! When I started out, I had to modify so much but now I can do the majority of the advanced moves!