Motivation!

Workout - Swimsuit!

Ready for week 2 of swimsuit in 6?  You'll be doing the same strengthening exercises listed below with the addition of a 5 minute cardio burst at the end.  You can do the cardio burst once or twice depending on what you are up for!!

Warm - Up
1 - 2 min march or jog
1 min drop step squats
30 sec plank walk
30 sec x-men jumping jacks
1 min standing oblique twists

*Swimsuit in 6 Workout 
1 min Pushup with 1/2 burpee
1 min Diagonal lunges
1 min Rolling plank

Rest 1-2 minutes

1 min Backward lunge with jump (switch legs at 30 secs)
1 min Side plank dips (switch sides at 30 secs)
1 min Mountain climbers

Rest 1 - 2 minutes
Repeat the circuit again at least one more time (if ready for it, do a total of 3 sets)

CARDIO BLAST (NEW THIS WEEK)
30 sec Speed Skaters / 30 sec Alternating Side Squats  - repeat these 2 exercises for 5 rounds (with no breaks)

When finished with the circuit, finish your abs off by seeing how long you can front plank.  By the end of 6 weeks, we expect it to be minutes!!! 

Friday Funny!!

Wednesday Wisdom - What do you Plank?

One of the best core exercises you can do is the plank (click for video demo).  Take a few 

minutes to read this and see if you are planking properly! 

Primary Muscles Worked:  abdominals (rectus and transverse abdominals), back (erector 

spinae).

Secondary Muscles Worked:  Shoulders, Glutes, Quads, Calves 

Starting Position:  

Lie face down resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor.  

Resting on the elbows, push off the floor and raise up onto toes.

Relax your shoulders, keep your back flat and in a straight line from head to heels. 

Pull your abdominals in toward the spine (should look like a tabletop) to prevent your rear

end from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle (you know you are sagging too much 

if your low back starts hurting. 

  

Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat 2-3 times.  Work your way up to minutes

at time or see advanced options below! 

Modification – set knees on the ground to make easier

Progression – lift an arm or leg off the ground to make it harder or try one of these advanced

planks!  side planks, lateral plank walk, plank hip dips, superman plank, reverse plank 

knee-in planks, 

2013 Swimsuit in 6 Workout - 6 Exercises, 6 Weeks

It's that time of year again...swimsuit season is rapidly approaching. (YIKES!)  We've put together 6 exercises to help you look great by the unofficial start of Summer.  We ask that you do these exercises 3 days a week on non-consecutive days (working the same muscles 2 days in a row gets you no where fast).

Commit to 3 days a week for 6 weeks with these exercises and you will see changes!!  We will add options in for you to do in addition to the main exercises in future weeks.  We will keep it simple as people adhere better to an exercise program when it is not overwhelming.

Don't be afraid of the pool this year...start working now!!  This workout is all body weight exercise so you can do it anywhere.

Warm - Up
1 - 2 min march or jog
1 min drop step squats
30 sec plank walk
30 sec x-men jumping jacks
1 min standing oblique twists

*Swimsuit in 6 Workout 
1 min Pushup with 1/2 burpee
1 min Diagonal lunges
1 min Rolling plank

Rest 1-2 minutes

1 min Backward lunge with jump (switch legs at 30 secs)
1 min Side plank dips (switch sides at 30 secs)
1 min Mountain climbers

Rest 1 - 2 minutes
Repeat the circuit again at least one more time (if ready for it,  do a total of 3 sets)

When finished with the circuit, finish your abs off by seeing how long you can front plank.  By the end of 6 weeks, we expect it to be minutes!!!


*Reminder, if you are just beginning an exercise program you may need to take the modifications in the videos and/or reduce interval duration to 30 secs and work your way up to 1 minute.

Workout 163 - Heart Breaker!

Here is a quick, heart rate raising workout to get your week started.  Tomorrow, we will publish our annual swimsuit in 6 workout (6 exercises, 6 weeks).  Yes, there are only 6 weeks until the unofficial start of summer?!!  Some of you are still wishing the snow away...training for swimsuit season will melt that snow!

Warm Up (5 minutes)
March or jog - 1 minute
Easy squats - 1 minute
Butt kickers - 1 minute
Inchworms - 1 minute
Standing Oblique Twists - 1 minute

Complete in intervals of 30 sec all the way through.  Rest for 1-2 minutes, then repeat at 45 sec intervals, rest, then 1 min intervals, rest, then 45 sec intervals, rest and finish with 30 sec intervals of the following exercises (click on the exercise for demos):

Speed Skaters
High knee run
Burpee's 
Shuffle with medball (or any weighted object)
Jumping Jacks

Note - The longer the interval the more you may need to rest.  

Complete 1-2 times.

Friday Funny!

Wednesday Wisdom - Do You Know Squat?

Squats are a great way to work the entire lower body including giving yourself a little 
"lift" on your back side.  Let's find out if your form is up to par or if you could clean up a 
few things to enhance your squats. 

Starting Position:  feet slightly wider then hip-width apart with your toes slightly turned 
out (similar to 10 and 2 on a clock).

Action:  Slowly bend your knees and lower down as far as you can, preferably until butt is just above 
knee height and heels stay on the floor.  Make sure your knees stay inline with your toes (and do not 
move inward our outward) significantly.  Slowly return back to start position.  To ensure you work 
the gluteal (butt) muscles to the fullest, keep your weight in the heels as you sink down and push 
heels through the floor on the way up.  Keep your core muscles engaged at the bottom of the squat 
to protect the back.

Modifications:  If squats bother your knees, try not to go so low and see if that alleviates the 
discomfort.

Progressions:  hold onto weights, jump squats, one-legged squats (advanced), or go lower on a 
regular squat 

Workout 162 - Run for Boston

Today, we encourage you to dig out a race t-shirt, put on a pair of running shoes and go out for a run in honor of the Boston Marathon tragedy.  We mourn with those who were affected and their families.

Here is an interval run (26 minutes in length for each mile of the marathon).  If you are running indoors on a treadmill, use the incline settings to add terrain.

Warm-up:
heel toe walks (1 minute)
lunges with hip flexor stretch (1 minute)
side shuffle (1 minute each side)
5 inchworms

Time                   Pace                     Incline
0 - 5 minutes       Easy Jog               .5%
6 - 8 minutes       Fast Jog                2.0%
9 - 10 minutes     Easy Jog               .5%
11 - 14 minutes   Fast Jog                3.0%
15 - 17 minutes   Easy Jog               .5%
18 - 20 minutes   Run                       4.0%
21 - 22 minutes   Easy Jog               .5%
23 - 24 minutes   Sprint                    5.0
25 - 26 minutes   Easy Jog               .5%

Cool down with a light jog or walk, finish with stretching.

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!