Category: Workout

Wednesday Workout: Full Body Supersets Workout

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As I said on Monday, I taught a workout in SHRED last week that I loved when I did it on my own, but wasn’t crazy about it when I was teaching it. I based my workout off of Athena’s 35 Minute Upper Body Blast workout that she posted a while ago. I knew I wanted to do an upper body strength workout, but since I was at my apartment, obviously without a rowing machine, I had to do something to replace that piece of the workout. Enter: core supersets and short cardio blasts.

Since the workout left me really sore, I thought it would be good to teach (I’m evil that way 😉 ), but I knew I wanted to add in some lower body super sets so that my members could have a more well-rounded workout (when I workout on my own I can pick and choose what I want to do, which is why I loved Athena’s upper body focused workout). Here’s what I came up with!

Full Body Supersets

I’m not really sure why I didn’t love teaching this, perhaps because we did each superset 3 times through and it felt too repetitive? Regardless, I liked the actual workout and can see myself doing it again, which is why I’m sharing it with you today!

I think most of the moves are self-explanatory, but if you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Also, if you’re running short on time, but still want a full body workout, feel free to do only one or two rounds of each strength/core exercises. Or, you can skip the cardio! I do this all the time with workouts that I see online. I’ll change something, add something, remove something… you get the idea.

Let me know if you try this!

Questions for you: Instructor friends- do you like to teach different formats from what you do when you’re on your own?

This Week: Workouts, Things I’m Looking Forward To, & Week 3 of the January Challenge Check-In

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Hi there! Happy Monday! I hope you’re all feeling refreshed after the weekend.

At the beginning of last week, I was feeling bored with my workouts. I don’t really know why, because I feel like it was just a few weeks ago where I said my workouts left me really sore, so that must mean I’ve been doing different things, right? Whatever the reason for having that feeling, it went away just a few days into the week. Between subbing a class, doing an at-home workout and going to my first class at Recycle Studio, I had a fun-filled week of fitness by the end of it!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I did 20 minutes on the cross trainer before doing 10 minutes of abs and teaching kickboxing at the Watertown BSC.
  • Tuesday- It was my plan to go to the gym after work, but by the time I left work it was freezing cold, windy and snowy, so I opted to take advantage of a non-teaching day and head right home after work to do an at-home workout. I based it off of this workout from Athena. I obviously didn’t row, but I did 2 minutes of cardio and core supersets in place of the rowing. My chest was so sore on Wednesday!

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  • Wednesday- I ran 3.5 miles before teaching a packed UXF Burn class. Dana asked for a hard workout and although I planned it before  her request, I think it still ended up being pretty hard!
  • Thursday- I taught SHRED and Kickboxing. I based my SHRED workout off of what I did at home on Tuesday night, and although it was a good workout, it didn’t pump me up while teaching it. Fitness instructors- do any of you ever experience this? You do a workout on your own and love it, but don’t love to teach it? Hmmm.
  • Friday- Rest day! Besides my normal walk to and from work… I had an exciting meeting that I’ll share more about with you later 😉
  • Saturday- I took a “Reboot” ride with my friend Lindsay at Recycle Studio.

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  • Sunday- I went to Exhale Spa for one of their Core Fusion Barre classes. Since I bought the Guilt 3 class pass, I wanted to try out different classes. Last week was yoga, this week was Barre. I liked the class, but I think I like Pure Barre better!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I’m not sure what I feel like doing after work today! I received a 3-week pass to the gym in my new office building and they offer a ton of classes so I may try something there during or after work or I may head to spin at the East Boston YMCA. After my class with Linsday, though, I’m not sure I can go back to regular ol’ spinning!
  • Tuesday- I have plans after work so I’ll get up and probably do some strength training in the morning.
  • Wednesday- The usual: running and then teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Again, the usual: teaching SHRED and Kickboxing
  • Friday- Rest- but maybe some yoga when I work from home.
  • Saturday- Teaching kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA.
  • Sunday- I may be running a 5k in Cambridge with some BSC gym friends. If I don’t do that, I’ll do something else since I think it’s the Super Bowl and even though I don’t watch football, I’ll probably be around people who do… and eating football food (whatever that means… I’m pretty sure it’s not healthy…), so a workout before that is not a bad idea.

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I think I’m getting together with someone on Tuesday after work. We talked about going grocery shopping and cooking dinner, which is one of my favorite things to do! I’m also looking forward to hopefully running a 5K this weekend and then rewarding myself with food, drinks and friends while pretending to watch watching football.

January Burpee and Push-Up Challenge- Week 3 Check-In

I have to be honest with you guys. I did NOT want to do the challenge yesterday. I had gone to a barre class and showered and was feeling super relaxed when I got home and the LAST thing I wanted to do was get out of my peaceful mood and bust out 100 push-ups and burpees.  We also did a LOT of push-ups in the barre class, so  the thought of doing more was daunting. I don’t get like this very often, but when I do, I try to honor my body and myself. My friend, Jen, posted on Facebook that she did the challenge for week 3, but not for time because her legs were tired from snowboarding. I was so proud of her for acknowledging this and modifying for it. It’s important to push ourselves, but we also need to know when to call it quits, right? So, I copied Jen and did the challenge last night, but not for time. I modified the burpees (didn’t do the jump at the top) and did the push-ups on my knees and with multiple breaks within each set of 25. I’m happy that I listened to my body and took the challenge down a notch. I know I’m guilty of getting wrapped up in doing things as fast as I can all the time, so it was a big thing for me to slow down, achieve the challenge, but leave behind the competition with myself. It made for a much more enjoyable experience!

I want to hear from you- Week 3 of the challenge… how did you do?  Did you push yourself this week or did you do it without a goal or time? What was the hardest or easiest part for you this week? We’ve got one week left and I hope you’re all going to stick with me until the end!

Questions for you: Did you make it to the gym in the snow storm or did you opt for an at-home workout? Did you try any new workouts this week?

Wednesday Workout: Across the Floor Workout

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Last week, I taught a SHRED workout that required a lot of movement. Well, duh, you’re probably saying. Don’t all workouts require movement? Yes, I guess they do. But in Thursday’s class, the movement was moving from one side of the room to the other. I used to do these types of workouts at the Allston BSC since the group ex space was on a basket ball court and therefore there was so much room and it worked out great, but I hadn’t done one in a long time so I figured it was time to bring it back! The Central Square studio isn’t as big, but if you go there and back twice, it’s basically the same thing 😉

It’s funny, because as I was making up my workout, I realized a lot of the exercises/moves I wanted to do were “animal” moves: crab walk, alligator crawl, inch-worm push-ups, bunny hops… you get the idea. My friend Athena and I had a convo a while ago about all the different animal moves she could do in her class (Train Like an Animal is the workout she came up with) and while I didn’t do all of the same moves, I did include a lot of them because they work perfect for across the floor workouts.

Across the Floor Workout

So, what you do in this workout is you start with the weighted lunge and lift going across the room and back, then do you do the cardio. Then you do that set once again before moving on to the inch worms. Here are some notes/comments on the moves and how they were performed:

  • Walking Lunge & Lift– add weights for a more advanced version!
  • Inch Worm Push-Up– do 2 push-ups at the end instead of just 1 like shown in the video.
  • Squat & Bicep Curl- If you’re starting on the left side of the room, you’ll step your right foot out, squat, step your left foot over to meet the right. Then do a bicep curl. So it’s step, squat, step, curl. Moving from the left side of the room to the right, and then back
  • Alligator Crawl- If your on a wood floor, put your feet on a towel or Gliders (if you have them) and get into a plank position. From there, walk your hands forward so that you are pulling your legs behind you. This is KILLER for your upper body/lats/shoulders. Wowzers we were all dying.
  • Bunny hops- these are just little jump squats that you do in a forward direction. Want to make it harder? Hold a weight overhead.
  • Plank w/weight push- Get into a plank position with a weight between your hands on the floor. Use one hand to push the weight forward and then walk in that plank position to the weight. Repeat. On the way back, you’re going to walk backwards in the plank position and this time you’ll push the weight under your body towards your feet. Try to keep your butt down during this- it has a tendency to want to lift up 😉
  • Frogger Burpees– instead of turning around to jump back to your spot, keep moving in one direction until you get to the other side of the room.

Phew! I think that’s it! If I didn’t explain something clearly, don’t hesitate to ask me for a better explanation. I should’ve taken a video of myself doing these, but it’s hard since I don’t have a lot of room in my apartment.

This workout left me really sore- I hope it does the same for you!

Questions for you: What’s your favorite workout format? Stations? Across the floor? Circular circuits? Any of these moves new to you?

This Week: Workouts, What I’m Looking Forward To & January Challenge {Week 2} Check-In

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Hi there! Happy Monday 🙂 Anyone have today off? I wish I did, but, alas, I am working and teaching. I hope your weekend was a good mix of everything you needed/wanted. Mine certainly was! I don’t know what I did differently with my workouts last week, but holy moly did they leave me sore! I ended up resting on Tuesday and Friday, yet I felt more sore than I did on weeks where I would have maybe worked out 6 or 7 days. I guess that just goes to show you that quality generally trumps quantity. While I like to sweat or do something active most days (mentally, I really need/like it… it’s my “me” time), I would take quality workouts on fewer days during the week than a week full of “meh” workouts every day. Anyone else feel this way?

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I went to the East Boston YMCA for spin. It was a sub, but it was a nice change and I liked the different things we did. I had time before the class so I did some biceps, shoulder and back strength training and did some core after class. I had decided I was going to rest on Tuesday, so I wanted to get a good workout in on Monday.
  • Tuesday- Rest day. I was still feeling sick on Monday and knew that if I wanted to workout on Tuesday, it would have to be in the morning, so I decided that sleep was more important than a workout. Guess what? I woke up feeling much, much better. Funny thing about that….
  • Wednesday- Because of my rest day on Tuesday, I was AMPED to workout and to teach. Seriously. I was looking forward to it all day. I ran a 5K and then taught UXF Burn. I joked that I hadn’t done squats in so long… and by the way my glutes and legs felt on Thursday, I wasn’t joking!

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  • Thursday- I taught a really fun SHRED class where we did all sorts of exercises across the floor. It was so fun and left my legs and upper body feeling like jello after class and incredibly sore on Friday. I also taught kickboxing, which was a good challenge for me because out of a class of 16, 12 of them had never done kickboxing or really worked out before. This was a great practice for my patience and my teaching/instructing skills. Since my “regulars” are so used to my teaching, I feel like I get off pretty easy because I don’t have to verbally instruct/coach/cue as much, so it was good for me to be taken out of my comfort/”cruise control” teaching zone and bring it back to the basics.
  • Friday- Rest! To try and loosen up my muscles I did about 25 minutes of yoga in my apartment, which ended up leaving my shoulders and triceps sore on Saturday… haha whoops!
  • Saturday- Taught another sweaty class at the Oak Square YMCA! There were almost 50 people in there again and we worked hard… I was so sore on Sunday!
  • Sunday- I went to a Power Yoga class at Exhale Spa. I got a Guilt deal so I was excited to go to yoga to stretch after a week of intense workouts. The class made me, again, realize how badly I need more yoga in my life. My hamstrings and hips are so tight!

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Subbing the 6:30 kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC! If you’re around, come sweat with me!
  • Tuesday- I am not sure… I usually seem to have after work plans on Tuesdays, but I don’t have anything planned as of yet so I may head to the gym for a weight session after work.
  • Wednesday- Probably running and then teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- SHRED and then kickboxing. Any suggestions for formats/exercises you’d like to do??
  • Friday- Rest day! Maybe some at-home yoga since I think that’s a nice way to stretch on an off day.
  • Saturday- I’m taking a class at Recycle Studio with my friend, Lindsay, who is a new instructor there. I am SO excited, but kind of nervous to take a class at a “fancy” type of spin studio.
  • Sunday- Maybe yoga again? I liked that last week!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I think one of the things I’m most looking forward to is going to Lindsay’s class. I feel like it’s going to make me finally cross over into the “I love spinning/cycling” world. I might be getting dinner with my friend Meaghan, which would be great since we haven’t seen each other in so long. Lastly, I’m excited to see my sister this weekend. She was in NYC last weekend and it was weird to not hang out!

January Burpee & Push-Up Challenge: Week 2 Recap

Time for week 2 check in!! How did everyone do this week? I know that Jen Ryder absolutely rocked and beat her time from week 1 by over 4 minutes!! I am so impressed! Dana also sent her time to me (I love seeing all of your posts on Facebook– it’s a great motivator!), which is so impressive because she can do push-ups like a champ. Seriously. I wish I had that type of upper body strength!

I wasn’t sure if I was going to get mine in, to be honest. I planned for it on Friday, but I was so sore from Thursday’s classes, that I skipped it. Then, I was going to do it on Saturday after teaching kickboxing, but clearly that was a silly idea since I’m always beat after that class. That left Sunday… but after yoga and showering and puttering, it’s the last thing I wanted to do. But… I did it! And, somehow, I beat my time by 30 seconds. The secret? I think it’s because I opted to do more reps in each set: 40, 40, 20. By doing this, it eliminated the transition time from 4 transitions to 3, so that has to have been it? I don’t know, but I’ll take it. Maybe next week I’ll shoot for 50 and 50! The push-ups still sucked more than the burpees, oddly enough. IMG_6467

I want to hear from you! Did you do week 2 of the challenge? How did your time compare this week to last week? What’s the last exercise/workout that left you really sore? What are you looking forward to this week?

What Makes A “Good” or “Great” Instructor?

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Happy, happy, happy Friday!! I hope you’ve all had a good week and have exciting plans this weekend!

Today, I wanted to discuss something I’ve been thinking about since I got a super sweet compliment from a member after class:

What makes a good instructor

What makes a good instructor? What makes a great instructor? What makes people keep coming back to some classes, but not others?

As I stated in my status, one of the most important things for me is the instructors personality and energy. I know some people may prefer the quieter/more subdued instructors, but me? Nahhh. I’m all about the energy, the jumping around, the “yipping” and “yooing” (anyone who comes to my classes knows I LIVE for that!) and anything that gets people to smile and maybe even laugh.

Here are some others… in no particular order!

… Uses good music. I’m a fan of the mixes I buy from 32mix.com, but even if you prefer to make your own mixes,  think about your classes and participants when making them. What gets people going? What makes people want to move?

… Makes the workouts creative! Someone who always does this is Athena. I haven’t been able to go to her class in years, but I see the workouts she posts and am always inspired to change up my formats after I read them.

… Is encouraging. It’s so important to make people feel like they can do anything! You want to respect their physical abilities and/or limitations, but if you can tell someone is holding back because they don’t think they can do something, it’s important to give them encouraging tips and instructions that will help push themselves out of their comfort zone and to the next level.

… Is passionate about what they do. That type of energy is contagious!

… Is there for the members’ workout, not their own workout. As an instructor, our job during that hour (or two) we are teaching is to TEACH and give the members a great workout. It’s not to kick our own butts, although that is an added bonus. This may mean we don’t get to do all the reps or really “feel that burn”, but that’s ok!

… On the other hand, I hate when an instructor just stands at the front of the room and yells out what he/she wants us to do. They don’t need to do the whole workout, but I like to see them doing about 75% of it. I want to see them sweating and huffing and puffing and struggling… like I hopefully am 😉

… Able to make the exercises adaptable to all levels in the room: lower intensity, average and higher intensity. There will never be a class where everyone is at the same level, so it’s important to show levels so everyone feels like they can do the exercises and be a part of the class.

… Knows peoples’ names and acknowledging them by name. I didn’t even think I told the Pure Barre instructor my name last weekend, yet she somehow knew it and used it out of no where. I loved it! I learned a tip from a veteran instructor: write names down in a notebook (or in my “notes” on my phone) with a description of that person that will help you remember their name. This has helped tremendously!

… Makes you want to be there, makes you want to keep coming back and makes you want to push your boundaries by becoming stronger, becoming faster, having better endurance, etc. I know it’s hard for us fitness junkies to think that someone might -gasp- not enjoy working out, but the truth is, there are more people who don’t like working out than there are people who do like working out. Some people do it out of necessity, so if an instructor makes them feel good and makes the workout less miserable for that person, then I think that’s a wonderful thing.

Your turn! What is a quality an instructor has that you think makes them a good or great instructor? What makes you go back to classes- the instructor, the format (spin, BodyPump, UXF Burn, yoga, etc.), something else?

PS- I want to wish my mom’s friend, Jean, a very happy birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day!