There aren’t words to describe the tragedy, pain, inanity, and suffering of September 11th, and today, I won’t even try. However, I hope you take a moment to remember that day with a heavy heart, put things into perspective, and use the memories to be grateful for something in your own life. I’m a proud American, but I’m still baffled by the violence that continues in our world, made ever more clear in the past several weeks with the issues in Syria. 
Now, on to lighter topics! It’s Work Out Wednesday, and you didn’t think I’d let you skip out on your workout, did you? I have a fun one for you – it’ll get your heart pumping and you won’t get bored, but you WILL get a great full-body and core workout! The whole workout took me about 20 minutes, and requires no equipment!
Run through the list of exercises four times total – 9 reps per exercise in the first round, then 11, then 9, then 11. Sounds easy enough, right? Let’s go! 
(picture sources for left side of workout graphic: here, here, and here)
Exercise Explanations
(If I have explained the move in a previous blog post, I won’t repeat it here, but you can click the link to see that explanation. Clicking the links will bring you to YouTube video demonstrations, as well.)
- Skaters
- Mason Twists
- Burpees with push-ups
- Leg Raises: lying on your back with your hands underneath your butt, hold straight legs perpendicular to the floor, heels to the ceiling. Slowly lower legs together until they are a few inches above the floor, then bring legs back to starting position for one rep.
- Jumping Jacks
- Hip Rock and Raise: lying on your back with heels together in “butterfly” position, bring legs over your head, rocking your hips upward. Lower to starting position for one rep.
- Squat Jumps: Standing with feet hip-width apart, squat down until hands touch floor, then jump straight up with hands to ceiling for one rep.
- Plank Shoulder Taps: In a plank position on your hands, bring right hand to touch left shoulder, then return to plank position and bring left hand to touch right shoulder for one rep.
- Butt Kickers: Like jogging in place, but bring your heels up to touch your butt each time.
- Sumo Squat with elbow-to-knee: Standing with feet wider than hip-width apart, toes turned out and hands behind head. Squat down to the middle, then stand up, raise right knee and touch to right elbow. Repeat squat and lift left knee to left elbow. Both sides together are one rep.
- Plank Jacks: In plank position on hands, jump feet out and in as if you are doing a jumping jack from plank position. In and out is one rep.
Two more random tidbits before I let you go:
- If you follow a lot of food blogs like I do, you’ve seen a pumpkin explosion over the past few weeks. Trust me, I love pumpkin as much as anyone (have you seen my favorite breakfast, which I eat year-round?), but I haven’t gotten into the whole Fall feeling yet, with temperatures in Dallas still consistently in the upper 90s. Anyway, this Buzzfeed article cracked me up – check it out for a laugh!
- If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that I completed my long-standing goal of a 5-minute plank last night! That means that the 30-Day Ab Challenge is officially over. Did anyone complete it with me? If so, sing your own praises in the comments below! If you didn’t why not start now? Anyone have suggestions for our next challenge?
So tell me in the comments … Any thoughts or memories to share about 9/11? Did you complete the 30-Day Ab Challenge? What challenge should we do next?
Thanks for linking up today! I LOVE LOVE LOVE finding new workouts to keep things fresh!
If you ever have anymore feel free to come back every Wednesday and do so. You can keep me motivated to keep working out!
Thank YOU for hosting, Emma! I love the idea! I definitely linked up to an old post (this one), just for fun, since I think it’s a good workout. I’ll continue to link up future Workout Wednesday posts I do!
Very cool idea for a 9-11 Workout! I love how you structured it and there
are some solid exercises in there too!
I had the priviledge of being a part of a really tough but incredibly
rewarding 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb in memory of the firefighters that we
lost. We climbed 110 floors and each of us carried with them one of the
firefighers we lost. I wrote about it here
http://www.mavrocatstrength.com/2013/09/11/clayton-2013-911-memorial-stair-climb-recap/
I found you on Friday Linkup and am glad that I did! I look forward to
delving further into your site!
Oh and big fan of anything pumpkin too! Love me some of the pumpkin beers
that come out this time of year and I always feel like I could eat a whole
homemade pumpkin pie : )
Chris
http://www.mavrocatstrength.com
Wow, Chris, your 9/11 stair climb looks pretty incredible – I’m not sure I would be able to complete that! Congratulations to you! Thanks for stopping by!
Congrats on the 5 min plank! You’ve included some of my favorites in the workout. Pinning for later 🙂
Good! I hope you like it, Jill!
9/11… I was at work and so was my husband. He was/is an air traffic controller. Watching that day unfold with terrible sadness and then seeing the look on my husband’s face when he walked in the door that afternoon is another image I will never forget.
I’m glad the pumpkin recipes are popping up everywhere again! However, I’m in the DFW area like you and it’s really hard to get into fall foods when it still feels like summer!
Jennifer 🙂
Wow Jennifer, I can’t even imagine being an air traffic controller on that day. Thanks for sharing your story and popping by – great to have another DFW area reader (and crossing our fingers that the verrry minor but very appreciated break in the heat we’re getting will stick around!)
YAY FOR THE 5 MIN PLANK! i am so over all the talking about pumpkin. it is freaking 90 degrees and humid today in CONNECTICUT. clearly no one should be drinking or eating pumpkin, or at least celebrating that they are, unless they live in maybe canada?
at first i wasn’t sure what you meant by 9/11 workout but then i saw the reps and such. creative and a unique way to remember the meaning of this day.
Thanks, Caitlin! I remember a few months back when YOU did a 5 minute plank and I thought I could NEVER do it … the 5 second per day increments worked wonders for me! It’s hot and humid where I am, too – never too hot to eat pumpkin, just too hot (for me) to feel the Fall “hype”!
That buzzfeed article…AMAZING. and yes I am totally one of those bloggers….In my defence it was cold here for the past week (we just got hit by a heat wave but the weather is dropping back down tomorrow) so it was completely reasonable to whip out the pumpkin!
Thank you for the first paragraph. Though today is a reminder of the thousands of lives lost due solely to hate, it is also a reminder of the amount of work we still have to do. If you are ever in NYC go to the memorial, it is incredibly touching. I was living in the city as the Freedom Tower was being built (I think it’s finished now) and each day I stepped out of my apartment I was reminded of what an incredibly resilient country I live(d) in. I am a proud American and Canadian.
I’m happy you are one of those bloggers because I love pumpkin stuff! I eat pumpkin year-round so I welcome your delicious-looking recipes! What a nice way to remember to be grateful for your country/ countries – seeing the memorial every day must have been emotional! Thanks for your story, Davida.
I just remember the overwhelming sadness I on that day. I was walking to class when the first plane hit, had just sat down for lecture when the second hit. In my next class, sociology, the professer was crying when we got there, and announced what had happened and sent us all home.
This day still weighs heavily on my heart because it’s all so senseless. I just don’t understand how hatred can bring us (as humans) to the point of something like this happening.
Thanks for sharing your story, Robert. I know we all look forward to the day we can overcome the hatred that still plagues us!
I can remember exactly where I was on 9/11 – sitting in Spanish class. My brother had just moved up to DC to go to college and I was so scared because no one could get in touch with him for several hours. I didn’t but wish I had! I may have to go and complete it on my own – my abs could use it!!
I remember, too … they rolled a TV into our classroom to watch, and then decided that was a bad idea and shuffled us all into the cafeteria. I don’t think I really “got it” at that point, but still remember feeling scared and threatened.