Eat well - motivation

Friday Funny

Wednesday Wisdom - Form Check on Lunges!!

Are your lunges doing more harm than good?  Let's find out!!  

By the way...lunges are a great way to work the legs and booty.  Take them on the move and you elevate your heart rate as well!!

Let's start with a basic, static lunge (in place)

Starting Position:  
Feet hip width apart then take a large step forward (or back) maintaining the hip width positioning of feet (helps you keep balanced.  

Action:
Bend the front knee until the thigh is parallel to the ground.  Watch and make sure the knee doesn't move inward or outward.  Make sure that the front knee does not travel past the tip of the toes to avoid strain on the knee joint (causing more harm than good).  Keep the rear knee bent and the weight up on the ball of the foot (this is the back foot).  Your feet should still be hip width apart to help keep you balanced.  Keep your shoulders back and your torso upright.  Look ahead, not at the ground.  Return to starting position. 

The mistakes I usually see on lunges are not keeping your toes aligned straight.  People tend to point toes out either direction, especially when they are doing lunges with movement.  This puts a great deal of strain on the knees, so keep the toes pointed forward at all times!!

Progressions/Advanced:
Take your lunges on the move with dynamic lunges (step out and front, drop knee down, return back to starting position).  Diagonal lunges, backward lunges, backward lunge with jump, jumping lunges (really get the hear rate up!) and bottom 1/2 lunges shown below (like a full lunge only you really work deep into the muscle by only coming 1/2 way up!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x-omaDz9-A

Workout 161 - Spring Fever Workout!

Spring has finally sprung (or partially sprung) across the United States.  Warmer temperatures usually make people more motivated to workout, especially outside!  Here is a workout to guide you in your new found motivation :).  Complete the below workout 2-3 times (non-consecutive days) this week.

Coming soon...our summer workout plan!  That's right...swimsuits will make their appearance soon...YIKES!


Warm-up:
Jog / Walk (utilize your sidewalk/driveway/parking lot) 2 mins
Standing oblique twists - 1min
Walkout Pushup - 1 min
Kick butt lunges - 1min

Workout:
Complete each exercise for the time listed resting only 20-30 seconds rest between each.  At the end of the list rest 1-2 minutes and complete again 2 more times.  Please note, if you have NOT worked out all Winter, decrease the duration from 1 minute to 30 secs.  Easing yourself in to exercise is key in sticking to an exercise plan!!  It will help you be less sore.

1 Minute High Knee Run (travel forward if you have the space)
1 Minute Rolling Plank
1 Minute Diagonal Lunges (alternate sides)
1 Minute Knee-In Planks
1 Minute Push-ups

Rest and Repeat 1-2 more times!!

Cool down and do your favorite stretches for a muscle release!

Friday Funny!!

Wednesday Wisdom - "Perfect" Pushup Form

When did you first learn how to do a push up?  Was it in an elementary physical education class, the playground, or at your first organized sports practice?  Chances are, it was a long, long time ago.  Most of us have a little bit different body structure than we did back then so why not polish up your form to make the most out of your pushups!

Primary Muscles worked:  Chest, shoulders, triceps

Starting position:  palms-down on the floor, just outside the shoulders

Action:  lower your torso to the ground until your elbows form a 90 degree angle (YOU SHOULD BE A FIST AWAY FROM THE GROUND/FLOOR).   Keep your head facing forward (neck should align with the back in a straight line, engage your abdominal muscles by pulling them in towards the spine).  Push back up to beginning position.

Modifications

Beginner - start by doing pushups against the wall if you are not strong enough for modified (knee) pushups.  Use the above form.  You can progress to a bench which will require you to push more of your body weight.

Modified Pushup (by the way, do NOT call these girl pushups!!) - drop knees to the ground, keep feet on the ground, and keep weight forward (do not lean back = cheating).  Use the same form listed in the action stage above. 

Advanced - keep your elbows close to your body for more resistance and make sure you drop down to a fist away from ground.  When you are ready, there are hundreds of advanced pushups you can do!! Have you heard of spiderman pushups?  One of my favorites :)

Tips:  please note it is better to modify your pushups until you are strong enough to go all the way down to a fist width away.  You will get stronger with the full range of motion.  Pushups on your toes but only going down 2 inches are NOT EFFECTIVE!!

If you are looking to increase the number of pushups you can do, we recommend the following app and/or website to help you.  It gives you a daily plan to reach a goal of being able to do 100 pushups.  How great would that make you feel?!!  Hundred pushup website or there is an app for iPhone and Android users.  

LI

M

Words of Motivation...

Workout 160 - April Fools Calorie Blast!

No workout today...APRIL FOOLS!

After the holiday weekend, I have a feeling we are all going to need a calorie blast!
The goal of todays workout is to keep your heart rate up so we blast a lot of calories.

Reminder, even though the Easter candy is on clearance--avoid the isle at all costs!!

Equipment Needed:  Weights

Warm Up
1 min of the following:
alternating knee raises (traveling)
drop step squat
lateral plank walk
kick butt lunges
side shuffle

Do the following 2 exercises for 30 secs a piece and continue for 5 rounds (5 minutes):

Squat Press
Bicep Curls

REST 1 MINUTE

Do the following 2 exercises for 30 secs a piece and continue for 5 rounds (5 minutes):

Plank Rows
Diagonal Lunges

REST 1 MINUTE

Do the following 2 exercises for 30 secs a piece and continue for 5 rounds (5 minutes):

Tricep Pushups

Speed Skaters (sub jumping jacks if you detest speed skaters)

Cool down and stretch.  Done!