Sample Class: Jump & Glide

Have you noticed that participants are showing up to classes ready to be pushed hard? The challenge for you, as the instructor, is to keep class form-focused and safe while providing the dynamic moves participants crave. This workout—which mixes high-impact plyometrics with controlled, fluid strength moves requiring mindfulness—allows you to do both.

Jump & Glide Details

GOAL/EMPHASIS: full-body workout, using minimal equipment, to tax both the muscular and the cardiorespiratory systems

TIME: 60 minutes

EQUIPMENT: Gliding™ discs or paper plates; optional: jump rope and mat

MUSIC: 125–135 beats per minute, but participants should be encouraged to work at a comfortable pace

Warm-Up (5–8 minutes)

Create heat through the entire body and perform limbering movements. Incorporate the following:

• hamstring curls with chest openers and lat pulls
• squats
• plié squats
• lateral lunges with wide, static stance
• side stretches
• kickboxing bob-and-weave

Remind students to assess their bodies during the warm-up for any discomfort in the knees, lower back or shoulders, and to modify exercises during the work phase as needed.

Work Phase (40 minutes)

Complete three rounds of the following sequence, resting 1–2 minutes between rounds and hydrating when necessary. Create short recoveries by giving specific form cues before exercises and cheering on class members.

Jump Rope or Jumping Jacks

• Cue participants to jump rope or do jumping jacks for 1 minute, keeping knees soft and landing lightly.

Gliding Twist

• Place disc beneath each foot and straighten into standing position, knees slightly bent; have arms in “biceps flexed” position.
• Do the twist (i.e., the dance) for 30 seconds, focusing on trunk rotators and quads.
• Encourage class members to go lower for more challenge and to keep knees aligned between ankles and hips.

Plyometric Curtsy Lunges

• Keeping hips level, drop into curtsy lunge, then hop laterally into curtsy on opposite leg.
• Focus on powering from gluteals, with core engaged and knees aligned with toes.
• Move arms naturally to help with power and balance.
• Perform 15–20 full moves.
• Regression: Make move smaller. Progression: Perform skater lunges.

Gliding Curtsy Lunges

• Start in standing position with Gliding disc beneath right foot only, heel lifted, knee slightly bent, hip-knee-ankle externally rotated about 45 degrees.
• Perform curtsy lunge as before, without alternating or hopping.
• Work into glutes and keep abs strong.
• Use hip flexors and adductors to pull back leg forward until body is back to start position.
• Repeat 15–20 smooth, controlled reps; switch sides. Shake out hips if necessary.

Plyometric T-Thrusters

• Begin in high plank position, with quads, glutes and abs contracted.
• Hop feet out into jack, back to plank, then forward toward chest, elevating hips somewhat while contracting abdominals, then back to plank.
• Move quickly and smoothly in 4-count movement, cuing, “Out, in, up.”
• If hopping both feet forward bothers lower back, modify to single knee toward chest, alternating knees each time.
• Repeat 10x. This move is challenging, so tell participants to rest when they max out.

Gliding T-Thrusters

• Perform T-thrusters as before, but place disc beneath each foot and glide instead of hopping.
• Focus on retracting movements, such as adductors pulling legs back into plank and abdominals and hip flexors pulling knees toward chest.
• Repeat 10x.
• Regression: Hold plank. Progression: Change tuck phase to pike.
• Take child’s pose, to stretch.

Lunges With Knee Hop

Start with R foot forward, L foot back in “lunge ready” position, hips level, knees tracking with hips and ankles in sagittal plane.

• Cue participants to drop into their best lunge, then immediately drive L knee forward and hop up on R foot, landing in start position.
• Do not rush these; be sure back foot has returned to solid start position before lunging again. Cue, “Lunge, hop, land,” to make sure focus is on range of motion and good form rather than speed.
• Switch sides after 10–15 reps.

Gliding Low Lunges

• Start standing, with disc beneath L foot, heel lifted, knee and ankle aligned with hip in sagittal plane.
• Slowly and smoothly slide L leg back into reverse lunge.
• Use abdominals and hip flexors of back leg and glutes, hamstrings and quads of front leg to pull back up to start position.
• Take 2 counts to lunge and 2 counts to return, maintaining strong core and fluid movement.
• Switch sides after 10–15 reps.

Mountain Climber/Push-Up Combos

• Begin in strong plank position, then alternate knees toward chest, slightly hopping hips up, performing three mountain climbers.
• Return to plank in 1 count and perform two push-ups, for 8-count move.
• Alternate lead leg on mountain climbers.
• Regression: Drop to knees to perform push-up, but “take your booty with you” (keep hips in alignment) as you lower into push-up.
• Repeat 5–10 times.

Gliding Push-Ups

Return to plank position, this time with disc beneath each foot.

• Perform push-up, gliding R leg straight out to side as you lower arms to 90 degrees.
• Keep hips squared to floor, or slightly externally rotated for a larger ROM.
• On next push-up, switch to L leg.
• Focus on core strength and extending leg.
• Regression: Skip push-up and focus on holding plank (high or low) while moving legs. Allow 2 full counts to take leg out, another 2 full counts to return to center.
• Complete 5–10 reps.
• Take child’s pose to finish.

Cool-Down (5–10 minutes)

After completing two to three rounds of this very athletic work sequence, your class will be exhausted. Finish with some supine stretches, including the following:

• knee hug
• spinal stretch
• hamstring stretch
• reclined pigeon hip opener
• supine straddle with ankle rolls
• breathing awareness

Carefully rock and roll up, and do the following from standing position:

• cat-cow with hands on knees
• quad and hip flexor stretches
• chest opener
• shoulder stretches
• gentle neck stretches

Hold each stretch about 15 seconds.