Travel Tabata Workout From The Tower Of Hercules In La Coruna, Spain

This year my husband and I did the “glamp” version of The Camino De Santiago. We started out in Ourense, Spain and walked 25km a day for five days until we entered through the gates of Santiago De Compostela. This trek is a story in and of itself, (for some reason I have not been able to bring myself to write about it.) But today we are focusing on those segments of travel where you don’t have exercise planned into your day. There are easy ways to inject some movement into your trip, so you don’t lose all the results from the hard work you put in at the gym before you left!!

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After we completed the Pilgrimage portion of our trip, we decided to relax in La Coruna, in Galicia, the most northwest part of Spain.

This city left me breathless. La Coruna is a beautiful port city built on a peninsula that reaches out into the Atlantic. With tons of restaurants, culture, history and the most beautiful boardwalk that runs the six or so miles around the city, we found ourselves actually looking at real estate. This city was a beautiful blend of modern fashion and food with the traditional architecture and art that we love.

One of La Caruna’s most stunning and popular sights is the tallest lighthouse in the world. The Tower Of Hercules was impressive at a distance, but when you are about to enter through the door, it bears a dramatic presence. The structure is almost 2000 years old and is 55 meters tall. Once inside you have the opportunity to climb the kabillion stairs to the top. The lighthouse was completely revitalized and repaired and is uniquely beautiful because the repairs preserved the original Roman structure embedded inside. It, therefore, makes it not only the largest lighthouse but the oldest.

The view was so stunning I couldn’t resist shooting a little Tabata video in front of it. For those of you that follow my “Tabata Travels,” I have not done one in awhile, so it was a joy to be near the water in front of the largest lighthouse in the world knocking out a little movement and exercise.

This workout is one of my favorite on-the-go Tabatas. It is such an easy one to do anywhere because all you need is a park bench! The up-down movements challenge your cardio and leg strength. The intent is to do these exercises as quickly as possible while remaining safe. In the video, I demonstrate a few repetitions of each exercise. When you perform this workout yourself, you will want to use your timer for 20 seconds and then rest for ten. You can go through the circuit three or four times or do it strict Tabata Style for a cycle of eight (4 minutes).

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THE EXERCISES:

UP AND OVER: This exercise is all about agility and balance. Start on one side of the bench. When you land the trailing foot prepare to step off the other side. Once you have planted both feet on the other side prepare to go back up the opposite way. You are trying to get the most amount of up and overs in the twenty-second timeline. Keep your progressions smooth and fluid and be sure to land softly using your whole foot. 

STEP-UPS: These seem simple enough but they build! You are simply stepping up onto the platform with one leg and then let the trailing leg then follow the first. Step down with the same leg you stepped up with. If these are too easy you can progress to jumping up on one leg instead of stepping up. Remember to step back down carefully and with control. Do your twenty seconds on one leg and when the exercise comes back around during the circuit, switch legs. 

BOX JUMPS: (AKA: The shin killers.) Get into a squat position in front of the bench and then cleanly jump up to land on top of the bench. Be careful to land with your feet fully on the platform. If you miss getting your foot all the way up you will be nursing very sore shins.  I have the scars to prove it! Keep your hips loose and bouncy and be cautious and safe when coming down. Make sure to involve your arms in the process. 

SINGLE LEG DIPS: These are all about control and form. Stand on the bench with one foot off the edge. Slowly dip to the level of your comfort. Be cautious of your knees. Keep your core tight as you push with the planted foot to bring you back up to standing. 

This Tabata was such a fun workout to do! I recommend that this week you take this workout somewhere beautiful, put your headphones on and have a blast! Make sure to stretch after your exercise. Here are the stretches I recommend.

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If you liked this post, you will do step-ups for these!

FIND OUT HOW TO DO THIS FOUR MINUTE TABATA

TRAVEL TABATA – PAGOSA SPRINGS, COLORADO

The TOUR COMPANY we used for our Camino was MACS ADVENTURE – 10/10 rating!