![]() Lauren's Beach-Ready WorkoutMark Sindayen and Lauren Irick entered Max Muscle's Best Beach
Body contest last year and won! Not only did they take home $1,000 in
prizes but they were awarded their very own cover of Max Sports &
Fitness. Find out a little more about them and check out the workouts
they shared to help YOU get ready for summer!
Lauren Irick, 27, of Portland, Oregon struggled with weight issues
for years. She had an eating disorder that kept her on the
way-too-skinny side. A trip abroad packed on some pounds then she shed
it in an unhealthy way. She was tired of feeling trapped in the hell of
her eating disorder, and of not feeling healthy and strong.
In 2013, she decided to get in great shape – the right way. This
meant she had to lift more and stop the cardio madness. She found
trainer Amber Fokken (then Orton) and her life began to turn around. In
2014, she got her nutrition in order (thanks to Fokken's guidance) and
decided to enter her first bikini competition. She did High Intensity
Interval Training (HIIT) for her cardio and hit the weights hard. It
wasn't long before she earned IFBB Pro status, something Lauren is
really proud of to this day.
Lauren's typical weight training regimen goes something like this:
legs/glutes three times per week, shoulders twice, back once, and
everything else she targets along the way. Plus, she does one day per
week of conditioning. When she's not training herself, she's training
others as a personal trainer.
She picked the workout she shared with MS&F readers because
“it's suitable for all levels of intensity. People really determine how
hard they want to work by how they spend their time in the interval,â€
she said. “The exercises I selected recruit some of the largest muscles
in the body and will get your heart rate elevated.†In short, this
workout burns some serious fat and builds lean, hard muscle!
On winning Max Muscle's first ever Best Beach Body contest in 2015
(and the cover of this month's magazine!), Lauren said, “I was excited
and just surprised! I knew there were a ton of applicants. My friends
even joked it was hard to find me on the voting page because there were
so many! Lots of beautiful women to pick from (and many I knew!), so it
was really flattering to be picked as a finalist and an honor to take
the top spot.â€
Lauren's Beach-Ready Workout
Do 5 rounds. Rest for approximately 2 minutes between rounds. Workout is 20 minutes.
Tip: To keep the momentum of the workout up, count
the number of reps in your head for each interval. (For example, for 30
seconds squat and press, you may get 25 reps in the first round. Shoot
to hit that 25 reps each round!)
â– 1-minute Pushup with Single Leg Glute Squeeze
With your hands on the bench, perform an incline pushup. At the top
of the pushup, lift a single leg and squeeze the glute. For each
pushup, alternate the legs. You can make this more difficult by
performing the exercise on top of the flat bench or by performing a
decline pushup where your feet are on the bench and hands on the floor.
â– 30-Second Bench Step-Ups
From standing position, step one foot up onto the bench, bringing
the opposite knee up. Make sure to alternate your steps! You can
increase the difficulty simply by jumping up onto the bench with both
feet. For advanced, start with a burpee; instead of jumping straight
into the air, jump onto the bench instead.
â– 30-Second Single Leg Squat
Put your right foot backwards onto the bench in an elevated
position. All of your weight should be on your front leg. Sink into that
leg as if you were performing a squat. Do not let your knee go past
your toes. Make it more difficult by holding dumbbells. Do 30 seconds
for each leg.
â– 30-Second Squat and Press
Standing next to the bench, hold two dumbbells. Squat down parallel
to the floor, with dumbbells at shoulder level. When you stand, press
the dumbbells overhead in one movement.
â– 30-Second Bunny Hops Over Bench
Grab the bench and stand to one side. Your weight should be in your
upper body as you push from the floor and hop over to the other side of
the bench. A good substitution for these would be mountain climbers. MS&F
*Photo by Wainwright Images |