Get up close and personal with exclusive, inspiring interviews and taste profiles delivered with a cheeky twist to your inbox daily.

Success! You’re all signed up. 🎉
Please enter a valid email address.

By subscribing to our email newsletter, you agree to and acknowledge that you have read our Privacy Policy and Terms.

Kayla Itsine's Crazy-Good Ab and Arm Workout

Instagram's favorite trainer helps us reach our fitness goals.

Fitness
Kayla Itsine's Crazy-Good Ab and Arm Workout
Renée Rodenkirchen

Congratulations, you’ve made it to day 6 of your fitness resolution. Or maybe you haven’t quite started yet? No judgment. Whatever the case, we bet you could use a bit of fitness motivation right about now. How about some one-on-one with the creator of the fitness Instagram account you’ve been obsessively stalking since, oh, the beginning of 2015? The one with creeper-inducing before-and-after shots that are more addictive than a bag of Smart Food. The same one that features daily motivational quotes by the Aussie trainer at its helm, Kayla Itsines, that even those who would never admit to it, find some sort of likeness to. So yeah, we’ll admit, she totally got to us.

 

So when we heard she would be landing in NYC to promote her new app (download now, guys!), we quickly strapped on our Flynets and met her at the studio for what can only be described as a killer upper body workout :muscle:. Oh, and we documented it all so you can do it with us at home. No pricey gym membership required.

Move #1

Drop Push Up

 

"Plant both feet on the floor slightly further than shoulder-width apart. Looking straight ahead, bend at both the hips and knees, and place your hands on the floor directly in front of your feet. Keeping your body weight on your hands, kick both of your feet backwards so that your legs are completely extended behind you, resting on the balls of your feet. This is called push up position. As soon as your feet touch the floor behind you, bend your elbows and lower your torso towards the floor until your arms form a 90 degree angle. Ensure that you maintain a straight back and stabilise through your abdominals. Push through your chest and extend your arms to lift your body back into pushup position. Jump both of your feet in towards your hands, ensuring that your feet remain shoulder width apart. Push through your heels and extend your legs to return to a neutral standing position. Repeat for the 15 repetitions."

 


 

Move #2

Commandos

 

"Start by placing your forearms (wrist to elbow) on the floor and extending both of your legs behind you, resting on the balls of your feet. This is called a plank position. Release your right forearm and place your right hand firmly on the floor directly below your right shoulder. Push up onto your right hand, followed immediately by your left in the same pattern. Ensure that you brace through your abdominals to prevent your hips from swaying. Return to plank position by releasing your right hand and lowering onto your forearm, before doing the same with your left hand. Repeat this exercise, starting with your left hand. Continue alternating between right and left for the 24 repetitions.

 



 


Move #3

Bent Leg Raises

 

"Start by lying flat on your back. Extend both legs and engage your abdominal muscles by drawing in your belly button to your spine. Keeping your feet together, contract your abdominal muscles and bend your legs to bring your knees in to your chest. Briefly hold this position and then slowly release legs until they are at 45 degrees. Do 10 per side." 

 



 


Move #4

Outward & Inward Snap jumps

 

"Place both hands on the floor slightly further than shoulder width apart and both feet together behind you, resting on the balls of your feet. This is your starting position. Quickly jump both feet outwards so that they are wider than your hips, as shown. Quickly jump both of feet inwards to bring them back together into starting position. Jump both of your feet in towards your hands, ensuring that your feet remain shoulder width apart. Keeping your body weight on your hands, kick both of your feet backwards into starting position.Continue alternating between outward and inward snap jumps for 20 repetitions."

 

Photographed at the Mercedes Club, New York. 

More From the series Fitness
You May Also Like