Katie Austin has become a social media sensation since uploading her first fitness content online back in 2015. Now, with millions of followers and a resume that includes fitness covers and her own wellness app, this fit female is on a mission to get you active too. Here, Austin shares one of her favorite workouts with M&F and the good news is that you’ll only need around 30 minutes, a mat, and a dumbbell to blast the arms, booty, and legs. So, let’s go!
In this particular workout, you’ll be replicating some of the principles of Pilates; strengthening and lengthening those limbs while building strength, but you won’t need to visit a studio or find space for a reformer.
“I always say it’s about strengthening and lengthening because you have to make sure that you’re always building muscle and sculpting,” Austin tells M&F. “Strength training is so important for your joints, it helps for everyday physical performance, bone density, and longevity of life. Lengthening is great because it is low-impact, sculpting, reduces tension, and improves circulation. My favorite part about these Pilates style workouts is that they also improve flexibility and mobility.”
Katie Austin’s 30-Minute Total Body Pilates & Strength Workout
Here are the exercises that you will be burning through in this session and during each movement you will be holding a dumbbell.
Warmup
Get the body primed with a range or stretches and rotations
- Hip rotations
- Side-to-side lunges
- Side-to-side toe taps
- Bear hugs
- Side-to-side Pulls
- Arm circles
The 30-Minute Total Body Pilates & Strength Workout
- Goblet Squats
- Dumbbell Twists
- Goblet Squats with Heel Lifts
- Dumbbell Sumo Snatch
- Dumbbell Sumo Snatch + Heel Lift
- Dumbbell Standing Crunches
Optional 15 Second Rest
- Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
- Wood Chop with Side Lunge
- Dumbbell Rows
- Single Leg Dumbbell RDL’s + Lunge + Curl + Press
- Lunge + Dumbbell Twists
Optional 15 Second Rest
- Standing Crunches
- Side Dumbbell Curtsy
- Side Leg Raise + Dumbbell Press
- Dumbbell Rotations
- Squat + Press
Optional 15 Second Rest
- Air Squat + Lateral Toe Tap
- Air Squat + Lateral Toe Tap + Upper Body Twist
- Knee Drives
Optional 15 Second Rest
- Weighted Situps
- Seated Russian Twists
- Suitcase Situps
- Lying Cross Crunches
- Lifted Bicycle Handoffs (or Bicycle Crunch)
Workout Breakdown
Don’t be put off if you find that some of these movements really test your balance. Just take a couple of extra seconds to stabilize yourself. The more you practice these motions, the better you will become, since the muscles will strengthen and adapt. Austin likes to keep things interesting in her workouts, often throwing in lots of exercises, so you’ll never get bored. This also makes sure that the muscles are hit from all angles for a total workout. If the session starts to become too intense, simply hit pause and take a short break and take a sip of water to hydrate.
Throughout the workout, you’ll notice that Austin encourages you to engage the core. “You need it for your balance and balance is everything in life,” says the Sports Illustrated swimwear model. “Whether you’re just going about your day or you’re doing a workout, having balance is really important, especially as we get older. It’s also really good for posture. Even if you’re just sitting reading this, make sure you have better posture and are tightening up your core because when we do that it can release strain on your back and help your overall health.”
Another essential aspect of this workout is to focus on breathing. “Breathing is so important when you are doing specific movements,” explains Austin. “When you’re crunching up you are exhaling and it’s really important to combine this with engaging your core. I would say, especially in Pilates style workouts, it is really important when you are inhaling and when you are exhaling, so I give you that advice; when to inhale and when to exhale during my workouts.”
Being mindful about breathing and engaging the core will also slow things down and improve your control. “It is extremely important to slow down so you can focus on your form and to actually get the most out of each rep,” says Austin. “Make sure you’re giving it 100%. If you speed it up, you’re using your momentum to do the move and not getting the full effect.”
Grab a mat and a dumbbell and try the workout for yourself
To learn more about Katie Austin’s app, which includes hundreds of additional workouts, healthy recipes, and events, follow her on Instagram.