Better Body Now

Walking Lunge

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides.
• Step your right foot forward and bend both knees to come into a lunge. Drive out of your front heel to bring your left foot forward and step into a lunge.
• Continue to lunge, walking forward and alternating legs, keeping your chest tall and core braced.

Calf Raises With Arm Swings

• Stand with your feet under your hips, arms at your sides.
• Swing your arms up above your head as you come up onto your toes.
• Bring your arms back down to your sides and return your heels to the ground.
• Repeat.

Single-Arm Circles

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hands hanging at your sides.
• Arc your right arm forward and up in a full circular motion.
• Focus on using your full range of motion and loosening your shoulder.
• Continuing circling your arm forward. Then switch directions and circle backward.
• Switch arms.

Scorpion Push-Up

• Start in a high-plank position with your hands on the ground just outside your shoulders, your toes on the ground and your feet hip-width apart.
• Bring your right foot up and over across your left leg like a scorpion.
• Bend your elbows to lower into a push-up.
• Return to start and repeat with your left leg, lifting it up and over your right.

Renegade Row

• Place two dumbbells on the floor, shoulder-width apart, and begin on all fours.
• Grip the dumbbells and extend your legs to come into a high plank. Keeping your body as strong and still as possible, row the right dumbbell to your shoulder and lower it.
• Repeat with your left hand and dumbbell and continue to alternate sides.

Dumbbell Transverse Lunge With Crossover Chop

• Stand with your feet together, holding a dumbbell in both hands over your left shoulder.
• Step your right leg out and sink into a side lunge, bending your right knee to 90 degrees, as you chop the dumbbell down across your body and outside your right hip.
• Reverse the chop and bring the dumbbell back over your left shoulder as your press through your right heel to return to stand.
• Repeat and then switch sides/legs.

Dumbbell Split Squat With Biceps Curl

• Stand in a split stance, with your right foot in front of you and your left behind you, feet hip-width apart and holding dumbbells at your sides.
• Drop into a split squat stance, with both knees coming to 90 degrees.
• At the bottom, perform a biceps curl, keeping your chest tall and core braced.
• Return to stand and repeat, then switch legs.

Dumbbell Goblet Squat

• Begin standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Hold a dumbbell in front of your collarbone, elbows in line with your shoulders.
• Descend into a full squat, with your thighs parallel to the ground.
• Press through your heels to return to stand. Repeat.

Elbow Plank With Hip Dip

• Start in a high-plank position with your forearms on the ground, your elbows directly under your shoulders and your toes on the ground, hip-width apart.
• Create one long, strong line from head to heels and brace your core. Drop your hips to the right and then to the left, allowing your heels to fall right, then left, as you dip.

Leg Raise

• Lie on your back and bring your arms out to form a T.
• Keep your feet and legs together as you raise your feet up above your hips, keeping your legs straight.
• Lower your legs back down to hover just off the ground, then lift again.

Standing Hamstring Stretch

• Stand with your feet under your hips.
• Hinge forward from your hips, keeping your legs straight and knees soft, and touch the floor with your hands (if possible).
• Hold the stretch for 60 seconds.

Standing Groin Stretch

• Stand in a straddle stance with your feet wider than your shoulders.
• Hinge forward from your hips, keeping your legs straight and knees soft, and touch the floor with your hands (if possible).
• Hold the stretch for 60 seconds.

Pigeon Stretch

• Begin on all fours.
• Fold your right leg under your left shoulder so that you feel a nice stretch in the back of your hip and your lower back.
• Hold for 60 seconds and then switch sides.

Relaxation Stretch

• Lie on your back, stretch both legs out, lengthen your arms by your sides with your palms up, and relax your shoulders, eyes and jaw.
• Take a few deep breaths and rest completely and fully into the floor.

“Better Body Now” model Miguel Fajardo Jiminez is assistant fitness manager and a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness San Ramon Super-Sport in Northern California. He took time out of his busy schedule to answer these burning questions from 24Life. [Editor’s Note: Miguel may not like biceps curls, but he has a great sense of humor and obliged us with the photo for this article.]

24Life: Why did you become a personal trainer?

Miguel Fajardo Jiminez: I became a personal trainer because I’m passionate about fitness. I love being a small part of someone else’s successful, healthy journey.

24Life: Favorite and least favorite workout move?

MFJ: My favorite workout is legs. I enjoy how athletic and strong our lower body is. I really dislike biceps curls: They’re just for looks, and there’s no athletic performance benefit.

24Life: Finish the sentence “When I’m not working out, I am…”

MFJ: If I’m not working out, I’m either hiking or spending time with my family or on road trips.

24Life: Your favorite fit tip?

MFJ: Just be active, walk, run or play a sport.

24Life: Your power/pump-up song?

MFJ: My go-to music is almost anything from the 2000s that’s hip-hop/rap.

24Life: Favorite memory as a trainer, so far?

MFJ: My favorite moment as a trainer was recent. I have a client who came to me after having four knee surgeries but couldn’t ski or play sports anymore. I’ve been working on his recovery, stability, strength and different planes of motion for about two years. One day, he came up to me and hugged me tightly and said, “Thank you for making my knees bulletproof.” He told me he was back country skiing and his skis got stuck, he face-planted and was scared that he had just gotten another knee injury. He got up and his whole body hurt except his knees! He hasn’t had any knee pain since he started training with me.

24Life: In anticipation of summer, what’s one thing you wish every client knew about getting ready for summer?

MFJ: Summer is around the corner, so add 20 minutes of cardio after every lifting session. It will help you be a bit leaner and keep burning fat.