December 13, 2020, 9:03 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Fernanda Brandão knows how to stay fit–after all, she was Germany’s youngest licensed fitness trainer at just 16. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the well-toned Brazilian relies on high-intensity home workouts in the Tabata style, which effectively train endurance and strength and burn fat in a short time. Brandão also sees another advantage in this type of training: It helps her express pent-up emotions. You can see the home workout the 37-year-old has put together for FITBOOK in the video above.
What to Expect in the Video?
Fernanda Brandão presents an eight-minute interval training session. The workout follows the Tabata style, a special form of HIIT training: 20 seconds of maximum effort followed by ten seconds of rest. The home workout consists of four blocks, with two exercises per block. Each block is repeated four times. No equipment is needed for the training–and the exercises are designed to be performed well even in a small living room.
However, since a high physical load is achieved in a short time, it is more suitable for individuals who have reached a certain fitness level. Beginners should approach cautiously–perhaps another home workout from FITBOOK might be more appropriate? There’s certainly plenty of choice.
10 Minutes of Yoga and Pilates with Fernanda Brandão
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Exercises in Fernanda Brandão’s Home Workout
- Squats in various forms are the focus of the first Tabata block. Fernanda performs the popular bodyweight exercise in a jumping variant, where you rotate 180 degrees around your axis while rising. When descending, Fernanda aims for the deepest position possible: “As if sitting on the smallest chair in the world.”
Also interesting: Common Mistakes Many Make with Squats
- In Block 2, expect jumping and side lunges (Jumping Lunges and Side Lunges). Learn how to perform lunges correctly in our How To.
- Intense exercises for a strong core await in the third block of the home workout: First, crawl from a standing position into a plank and back; the second exercise is called Mountain Climbers: Knees are alternately pulled to the chest as quickly as possible in the plank position.
Also interesting: Correct Posture When Planking and Variations
- For Block 4, Fernanda Brandão draws inspiration from the Pilates powerhouse: This refers to the body’s power center, consisting of muscles responsible for stable posture (such as the pelvic floor, diaphragm, and core muscles). For the first exercise, sit up from a supine position (legs bent) with maximum powerhouse tension, vertebra by vertebra, like a snow chain. For the second exercise (same starting position), arms pulse parallel to the body at high frequency. This exercise is called “The Hundred” in Pilates.
Also interesting: What Exactly is Pilates?
More Home Workouts from FITBOOK
Fernanda Brandão’s Tabata-style home workout is part of a FITBOOK series featuring athletes and fitness professionals: Hendrik Senf, one of Germany’s top CrossFit athletes, has created five workouts that anyone can do at home and adjust to their level. Additionally, FITBOOK offers home workouts with ballerina Louisa Paterson, athletic trainer Egidijus Pranckus, and personal trainer Micha Østergaard–you can find the videos here.