Hello Old Friends! It's been a while....

That title sounds like the beginning of a cheesy 80’s song doesn’t it (Acutally, I think it is!)?  Well for me today, it was the recurring theme for my workout.  With the swelling in my ankle down after 3 weeks off (OMG seriously!?!?!), my food for the week taken care of (Thank you again to My Fit Foods) and feeling like a sloth sitting on the couch, I made my goal for today to officially get back in the gym. 

I decided to go during my lunch as I am not back in the routine of getting up early yet. All morning while I was doing my work for my full time job, I had my workout music blaring in the back ground.  Hello old friend #1!  Thanks for getting me pumped up and motivated. 

At the stroke of noon, I mixed up my usual workout drink of water and glutamine (tastes like cherry), grabbed my music, slapped on my shoes and was out the door!  As I was walking to the clubhouse in my condo complex, I started sipping my drink. Hello Old Friend #2!  The taste was immediately familiar. 

All of a sudden in my head it was 2006 and I was getting ready for my figure show.  It all flooded back in…the hard work, the dedication, the motivation, the exhaustion, the sweat, but mostly the desire.  It is the type of desire that drives a person to do their very best and leave nothing on the table.  It is the type of desire that drives a person to all ends of the earth and enables them to jump over or mow down any obstacle in the way of their goal.  At that moment I knew I this was going to be a HARD but GREAT day back.

As I walked into the workout room I saw that no one was there.  It was just me.  No one was there to distract me. No one was there to steal the equipment.  No one was there to make sure that I got every set and rep done.  No one was there to keep me from slacking off.  I was completely alone and on my own.  It was all me!  I took a moment to scan the room and take inventory:  Elliptical, treadmill, bike, free weights, benches, universal machine, and stability ball.   Hello Old Friends #3!  Oh my I have missed you. 

Finally, I took a deep breath, turned on my music and went to work.  Mostly, I took aim at my chest and my triceps.  Since my ankle was feeling good I added some basic cardio intervals.   However, my abdominals were feeling a little bit jealous so I pounded on them for a bit too.  After I had sufficiently punished myself with weights I started to walk towards the door and paused at the bike (boy do I miss spinning).  I got on to see how it worked and how it felt to ride.  Well, it must have felt good and familiar because before I knew it 10 minutes had passed.  It felt so good that I could feel my body craving more.  And even though I had not done ANY activity in 3 WEEKS (Man I was SUCKING WIND!), the more I pedaled, the better I felt!  Unfortunately, after those 10 minutes I had to call it quits so I could get back to work.   And just like that 55 minutes after I had walked into that room, I was walking out.  My goal for today was met!

Mentally, I feel awesome.  Physically I am toasted.  I believe that my muscles do each have minds of their own.  Today I could feel them shaking in what I am going to describe as FEAR (in reality it is FATIGUE).  Tomorrow I am positive they will be screaming at me in ANGER (in reality this will be SORENESS).  My response to them is this…..Bring it on!  I welcome the pain!  Change does not come without some degree of mental or physical pain!

Monday Motivation.... 
You are only ONE workout away from a good mood!

Did Someone Order a Workout With Their BLT???

.....A “BLT(Buns, Legs, and Thighs)  Workout” That Is

A few weeks ago I wrote up a post titled “No Pain, No Gain: Abs of Steel Workout”.   I received quite a bit of positive feedback on that post as many wanted to see more posts like it.  Well, I have listened and it is time for another installment.  However, I always say…..careful what you wish for ;)   This time we are going to pick on the lower body!!! 

When tailored to the right intensity for your fitness level, the circuit below is sure to leave your legs, buns, and thighs burning.  Remember, this workout should take about 15 minutes to complete.  Move rapidly from one exercise to the next so as to maximize the burn, firm legs and the tightest, roundest, butt in all the land!!!

Feel free to add this circuit to your current lower body routine or do it all on its onsies.  As always, make sure that you warm up before you do it, your form stays good and that you stretch after.  Stretching is going to be so important after this one….you have to trust me on this one!  Enjoy!  Mwahahahahahah......And keep me posted on how it goes!

NOTE:  SB – Stability Ball

1. Dumbell Squats w/ 3second pause at the bottom – 15-20 Reps

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/dumbbell-squat

Options:

a)      No Dumbbells?  Then do body weight squats

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/bodyweight-squat

2. SB Hamstring Roll-ins – 8-12 Reps

http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/bridge_and_leg_curl_on_stability_ball.aspx

Options:

a)       No Ball? Put feet on floor.  You can then either work a simple bridge or add intensity by walking them in and out, keeping the butt off the floor as you do it

Bridge on SB: http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/bridge_on_stability_ball.aspx

Bridge on Floor:  http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/isometric_bridge.aspx

3. SB Hip Extensions w/ 3 second pause at the top – 8-12 Reps

http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/hip_extension_on_stability_ball.aspx

Options:  

a)       No Ball? Can be done on the end of a bench or table also

http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/hip_extension_on_table_edge_.aspx

4. Squat Jumps – 20-30 Reps

http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/squat_jump.aspx

Options:

a)      Take out the jump and do quick squat pulses and add intensity to the pulses by using dumbbells

5. 60-90 Seconds Rest (Repeat Circuit 3x)

Have a Great Weekend and A KILLER Workout!

WARNING:  Please consult your physician or other healthcare professional before beginning or changing any fitness program to make sure that it is appropriate for your needs; especially if you have a history of any of the following:
High blood pressure (you or your family), Heart disease (you or your family), Chest pain when exercising, Chest pain in the past month when not engaged in physical activity, Smoking, Have high cholesterol, Obesity, Currently pregnant, Bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in physical activity.

No Pain, No Gain: ABS of Steel Workout!

So, every week I teach a 15 min Abs class followed by a 45 minute Muscle express class.  In that first 15 minutes all we do is ABS ABS ABS.....very little rest, slam 'em and get done.  Yes, it is a challenge and yes, sometimes soreness seems to exponentiatied (is that even a word???) depending on the exercises and order in which we do them. This is EXACTLY what happened this week.  OMG!  The exercises were perfect, the order was perfect, and it hurts soooooooo much to laugh right now!  In an effort to spread the love, I thought I would share with you all what we did so that you also might be able to also partake in the abdominal soreness.  The only equipment that this workout requires is a stability ball, a mat (optional), and YES mental focus to push past the burn!  Keep in mind though that all of these exercises can be adapted to use without a stability ball if you do not have access to one.  Just go ahead and perform them on the floor.  :D


Remember this is a 15 minute circuit style workout.  Move rapidly from one exercise to the next so as to maximize the burn and hit every abdominal muscle fiber that exists! 
NOTE:  SB = Stability Ball


1)  SB Crunches - 30 reps  (http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/crunch_on_stability_ball_with_arms_across_chest.aspx)
2)  SB Cross Over (Oblique) Crunch -  30 reps/side(http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/crunch_with_rotation_on_stability_ball_with_arms_behind_head.aspx) -3)  SB Reverse Curls - 20 reps
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAl-awGIzDU&feature=player_embedded)
4)  Plank Walk Ins & Outs (See below for description) - 12 using hands only, 12 using feet only, 12 using both hands and feet
5)  30s rest, then repeat the circuit 2 more times

Plank Walk Ins & Outs - For this exercise, get in plank(push-up) position on hands and feet.  With feet only, move right foot outwards, left foot outward, right foot inward, and then left foot inward.  Repeat 12 times.  Then repeat the same motion only with the hands.  For the final challenge tighten abs and move both hands and feet at the same time.

Feel free to add this circuit to your current workout or do it on its own.  As always, make sure that you warm up before you do it, your form stays good and that you stretch after.

ENJOY!

Oh, The Monday Aftermath!

TBC (Total Body Conditioning), as it is taught at our gym, is typically a workout that combines muscle/resistance training with high powered cardio intervals.  I love teaching it because I get to be as creative as I want with the format and the exercises while having a ton of tools at my disposal (i.e. – dumb bells, steps, resistance bands, stability balls etc.)  I am not lying when I say that I will use anything and everything in the room if I think we can build a better body using it…even the lint on the floor if necessary.  After pondering and laying out the plan of yesterday’s class, I decided it would be good to send out a warning…

Tab:  "Hey! You might want to make sure that you leave enough time between snack #2 and TBC class."

Chelle:  "egads! Now I'm scared!"

Halfway through the class I did not realize as to how accurate my statement was going to be.  No joke….it was 60 minutes of non-stop energy (very little rest), great music, and calorie busting hard work.  Here is a rundown of what took place:

Overall Description:  4 Rounds/Stages of Circuits, each done 2x through and each with a theme that may look and sound a little familiar
(if you read yesterday’s blog you will know what I mean):

Warm-up

Stage 1:  GOALS: Think about the goal you want to accomplish during this stage

• Dumb bell Chest Press
• Sit-ups – with dumbbells continually pointed up to the ceiling
• Dumb bell Pullovers
• Sit-ups – with dumbbells continually pointed up to the ceiling
• 30 Plank jacks – pretty much a jumping jack in plank position

Stage 2:  COURAGE:  Have the courage to go after your goal

·         Single arm dumb bell squat swings

·         Squats w/ lateral leg lifts

·         Squat thrusts

·         Mountain climbers

·         30s – 1 min Static squat holds

Stage 3:  YOUR BEST: Do your best to get closer to your goal

·         Woodchopper w/ one arm diagonal dumb bell swings

·         Resistance band rows

·         21s – Bicep curls w/ the resistance band
     *7 all the way up & halfway down
     *7 all the way down & half way up
     *7 all the way up & all the way down

·         Bench hops

·         Bench step ups/run ups/jump ups

Stage 4:  CONQUER: ‘Nough Said here!

·         Bench Dips

·         50 Push ups

·         50 Lower half squat pulses

·         30 Butt-ups – You can check this one out here:

o    http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/butt-ups

·         Plank hold – 1min

Stretch

When we were done, the equipment put away, and everyone was gone, Chelle and I shared a couple of looks that could only translated into one conversation (I love that we share a brain and can have conversations without even uttering a sound)….

“Where is the closet garbage can we can puke in?” :D

Which was followed by...”Now that was a great workout!”

And then finally…”But….Who is going to carry us down the stairs to our cars?”  ;)

I have to say…for me, I will have fond thoughts of the queasiness of yesterday every time I go to move and feel the soreness today!  Killer Monday Workout…CHECK!

Bring on Tuesday!