Let’s be real. Jessica Alba is pretty freakin’ amazing. Not only is she a major Hollywood actress and a superstar natural-beauty business-owner but, ICYMI, she’s also kind of a fiend when it comes to working out. From HIIT to resistance bands to cardio, Jessica is down to try pretty much any kind of sweat sesh. It’s honestly no wonder she’s literally always serving us glowy-AF skin and tons of smiles. (Hint: it’s all those dang endorphins!)
She’s also big on posting a lot of #fitnesschallenges and workout inspo on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube lately. And TBH? Most of her exercises are totally at home-friendly, which means that you can try them out no matter where you’re staying at the moment. So since I’m a major fan of celebrity workouts (especially if I can do them safely RN!), I had to give all her self-proclaimed full-proof exercises a shot for myself.
Jessica’s routine includes a little bit of everything, so I decided my week-long routine would include a little bit of strength training, cardio, and of course, a TikTok challenge. Here’s what it was like working out like Jessica Alba for a week (spoiler alert: you’re in for a sore-as-hell butt).
Workout 1: Resistance Bands
Jessica filmed a 10-minute butt-focused video on her YouTube channel that featured her and close friend Lizzy Mathis #werking out with trainer Aaron Hines. It looked suuuper hard (Jessica and Lizzy were *dying* the whole workout), and it was short (the vid is literally 10 minutes), so obviously I added it to my list. (TBH, I don’t have the time or energy for extra-long strength sessions.)
I rolled out my yoga mat on my deck, grabbed my resistance bands, and did the workout outside to add a little extra sweat from the ~heat~. This workout moved fast. They started with a light warmup of jumping jacks and reverse lunge jumps that got my blood flowing and had me feeling good. Then, Aaron led them straight into the workout, which featured tons of squats, pulses, fire hydrants, and more, all while wearing the bands.
For some of the exercises (looking @ you, leg raises) I had to move down to a lower resistance option because, FYI, my butt was on FIRE. My glutes were absolutely searing through every rep and I could taste the salty sweat dripping all down my face by minute five. Ew. Let’s just say I was veeery grateful when it was finally time for the closing minute of stretching.
Workout 2: FitOn App
Jessica’s promoted the FitOn app via her IG multiple times. “Staying fit and having fun with my girls is everything right now!” she wrote in the caption of a recent post, which featured her and her daughters doing one of the app’s workouts. She’s also mentioned being a fan of HIIT: “I like high-intensity workouts; I like moving around a lot,” Jessica told Byrdie. “I don’t like a lot of repetition.” So yeah, I decided I’d combine the two favs and do a lil’ HIIT workout on the app. (I know, I’m a genius.)
I don’t do HIIT workouts all that often, so I figured I’d try the 16-minute ‘Intro to HIIT’ class with trainer Danielle Pascente. It was def the right choice for me. Basically, this session reminded me how freakin’ important it is to go back to the basics. TBH, I haven’t really done much ~strength training~ lately. (Subtle flex: I like to run).
So even though the movements—like bodyweight squats, lunges, and burpees—were super simple, doing them over and over again while focusing on keeping up my form was actually making me work up a true sweat. After I finished, my legs were V heavy, and I was ready for a well-deserved hot shower.
Workout 3: Jessica’s TikTok Challenge
Last but not least, it was time to venture into Jessica’s TikTok. She posted an ‘At Home Cardio Challenge’ on her page so obv, I needed to copy. The workout includes a circuit of 30 jumping jacks, 20 burpees, and 50 mountain climbers, and then you repeat that circuit three to five times for a full workout. (I don’t hate myself, so I did three rounds total.)
While this workout *seems* simple, it actually made my heart rate legit skyrocket. Like, my chest felt like it was getting punched by how fast it was beating from just doing the jumping jacks and burpees one after another. Plus, since I did this one outside, I was sweating buckets. TLDR; don’t let these super short circuits deceive you. That sh*t was hard.
Overall, I have to say that my week of Jessica Alba-inspired workouts was a #positive experience. She taught me that workouts definitely don’t need to be super long in order to be hard (and make you really, really sore!). So thank you Jessica for being a major time-saver, but also for just being the bundle of good vibes I needed.
This article originally appeared on Women’s Health US.
Source: Read Full Article