Maria Menounos

" The moves that we're gonna be practicing today are based on Krav Maga, which is an Israeli self- defense system. So all of these moves are really self defense focused, but they have a huge fitness component because every time that you need to use your body to defend yourself, you have to use your whole body -- your legs, your hips, your core, everything. So these moves are based on Israeli Krav Maga and we apply them in the fitness context today."

" So go ahead and get into your stance. Your left leg is forward and your right leg is back. And all ten toes are pointing forward, feet are nice and wide. Knees are bent and take your back heel off the ground. Take your hands up in front of your face, a little bit away from your face, chin is tucked and shoulders are up. Look a little mean so you get into character. Exactly! So this is your basic stance. And you're going to send your right fist into your armpit, elbow up parallel to the floor. And you're going to rotate your elbow forward, pivoting with the back foot in a parallel plane. Then come all the way back. You're going to send it through and then back. Except bring the elbow up a little bit higher so that it's parallel to the floor. Exactly! As soon as you're done bringing it back, you're going to send that knee forward taking your heel close to your butt, toes point down and sending that hip forward all the way. Keep your hands up in front of your face. Okay so... right? Yup. And then to the knee. Awesome! One more time. Elbow and the knee. Good! So now we're going to take it to pads.And you're going to face me --don't hit me! You're going to send the elbow to the pad and then I'm going to hold it like this and you're going to send it with the knee as well. Okay, so in your fighting stance facing me. Maria: Okay, so I'm going to be doing basically that whole sequence again here? Exactly. So you're going to send the elbow to the pad. Nice! And knee. Perfect! Elbow. Knee. Excellent! Elbow. Knee. And make sure the elbow goes straight in and it doesn't skim across at all. Yup. One more. Awesome! Like that. Feel good? Maria: Yeah!"

" So we're going to do the ground position."

" <aMaria: Okay."

" So go ahead and you can sit right up here and I'll be..."

" Maria: Okay."

" ...behind you. And lie down facing on you left hip with your left elbow and forearm on the ground. Exactly. And your base foot is tucked in all the way. Maria: Okay."

" Good."

" And your top knee is pointing up with your toes pointing up and your foot flexed. Lots of tension there."

" Maria: Okay."

" Exactly. Top hand is up in front of your face as always to protect yourself. And when somebody comes in close to you, you can send a kick to get them away by reaching your hips all the way up and forward in that direction, extending the leg out and leading with the heel, then recoil right back to that position. So you're gonna do..."

" Maria: Arrghhh! "

" ...the whole thing kind of explosively, making sure that your hips come all the way up and forward. So if I present the pad to you, you're probably going to knock me over now. Make sure you hit the pad. Exactly! But make sure you hit with your heel and not the ball of your foot. Yup, exactly."

" Maria: Hurts on the ground here."

" One more."

" Maria: Could someone hurt and try to come at me in like a softer place, like on the beach maybe. This hurts! Okay."

" One more."

" Maria: Uh!"

" Nice. Really good, really good."

" Maria: All right, what's next?"

" So next is a really, really good fitness drill. It's the Sprawl. And Sprawl is actually a defensive move. If somebody's trying to take your legs out from underneath you and get you down on the ground like tackling you. And you can basically kick your feet back so they can't grab your legs. And you can send strikes from there as well. But we're actually not going to do that, we're going to do a fitness move. So, palms go down on the ground, bending your legs, and you're going to kick your feet out and back all the way. Nice and wide, the balls of your feet are on the ground. Back is arched and chins up. Now you send your hips up to the ceiling as explosively as you can, bring your feet back, and stand up. Exactly!"

" Maria: Okay. So now, show me what, if someone was coming at me to do that, why I would do this. Well, I mean, if you couldn't step back kick 'em or step back and punch them, if somebody is in a little bit tighter and coming down and reaching for your legs, this is something that you can do. And in fact, you're not --if it was with somebody-- you wouldn't be putting your hands on the floor, you'd be putting your hands on them. And using them as your floor to kick your feet back and away from them. Basically pancaking them on the floor. --"

" Maria: So it's like I'm coming at your legs and I'm trying to --Right, and I'm here and I'm taking you down and I'm jumping my feet back explosively. Maria: Gotcha! So it's not necessarily that you'd be coming onto the floor like that in that position? Right, we practice it on the floor. And its really good for your fitness. You would do the whole thing in one movement and then stand up again. Maria: And its a great workout because it's good for your core too, like you're squeezing everything up."

" Yeah, exactly, exactly."

" Maria: Okay."

" And your shoulders. And then to go 1 step further, you can make it even harder by adding a jump. So go ahead, do your sprawl and then add a tuck jump on to that."

" Maria: Oohhh, you do that really well. Let's see, okay."

" Perfect."

" Maria: Yeah?"

" Like that, exactly."

" Maria: Okay, cool."

" Exactly. Really good, really good."

" Now we're gonna be practicing sending strikes down toward somebody. You're gonna take a pad and if you don't have a pad just like this, you can always use a pillow of course. You're gonna straddle it, toes are pointing out at a 45-degree angle, weight is in your heels. Send your hips back all the way so you're coming in to a deep squat and your chest is nice and tall. From here, I'm going to be sending punches straight down, making sure that I make impact with my first two knuckes and keeping my forearm and my wrist completely straight and tense when I make impact so I'm not bending my wrist at all."

" Maria: Okay, so this is if you've gotten someone on the ground and you've gotta give them the last good throw."

" Exactly,exactly! And all I'm doing is staying nice and low, sending punches nice and hard, straight down. Other hand comes right back to my face."

" Maria: Okay. So?"

" Keep your hips nice and low."

" Maria: Like that?"

" Yup. Awesome. Just like that."

" Maria: Argh! Die, mosquito!"

" Perfect."