Wednesday Workout: 3-2-1 Strength, Cardio, Core Workout

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I’ve always been a fan of the 3-2-1 style workout. Whether it be 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of core or 3 minutes of cardio, 2 minutes of strength, 1 minute of core (like this workout)- or even just 3 strength exercises, 2 cardio moves and 1 core move, I think it’s a great format that will leave you feeling like you’ve had a total body workout.

In the case of today’s workout, I went with the 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of core format. I tried to build off of the strength moves, especially with the leg sets. What I mean by that, is that I tried to do each minute of the strength set based off of the same move. Example: lunges- right leg, lunges- left leg, alternating lunges with a twist. I wanted a chance to make the muscles burn, but didn’t want to do 3 minutes of the same move because, well, that’s boring to me.

3-2-1 Strength, Cardio Core WorkoutSorry, this isn’t my prettiest workout graphic, but I was having trouble figuring out how to organize the exercises and excel was the easiest way 🙂

Most of the moves should be fairly self-explanatory, but here are a few that might need explaining:

  • Row to curl- I learned this from my friend Tim. It’s best to use a barbell here- perform an underhand grip row and when you’re in the contracted position (bar is up against your rib cage, elbows are back and reaching towards the ceiling), perform a curl, then extend to the contracted row position and back to the starting position. Repeat. It’s a small movement, but man it’s effective!
  • Bench jacks- straddle the bench and jump your feet on and off
  • Plank hold w/weight pass right left- in a high plank position, put a weight outside of your right hand then take your right hand, grab the weight and move it to the center. Then, take your left hand and grab the weight and move it to outside of your left hand (if it was on the ground). Repeat. The key here is to keep your hips down and weight spread evenly. The only thing moving should be your arms/hands.

Let me know if you have further questions- I’m always happy to explain things in more detail!

Questions for you: What’s your favorite workout format? Do you use the 3-2-1 format often?

Also! I wanted to let you know about a really great workout that The Ultimate Bootcamp is hosting this Saturday from 9-10am. It’s $25, but all of the proceeds go towards The One Fund. Here are additional details, as well as a link for you to sign up if you’re around!

Ultimate Bootcamp is hosting two fundraiser workouts in Boston & Framingham to support those running the 2014 Marathon and those that were affected by last year’s events. All of the proceeds from these workouts will be donated to The One Fund. The workouts, designed for beginner to intermediate fitness levels, will be a rewarding day of fun, heart-pumping outdoor bootcamp. For more information and to register, visit: www.ultimatebootcamp.com/onefund.

PS I want to wish my friends Meredith and her twin, Kim, a very happy birthday!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

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A few months ago, my friend Lauren had a great idea for all of us to get tickets to go to a Red Sox game during their home opener weekend. I think we all know I’m not a huge sports fan (or fan at all), but I never turn down a chance to do something fun with my friends, so I was all in! I can’t say I wasn’t a little nervous about going to an outdoor sporting even in early April, especially with the crappy weather we’ve been having in New England, but lucky for us, Sunday ended up being an absolutely gorgeous day! IMG_7099 Lauren ended up getting us amazing seats in the bleacher section, just a few rows from the field- well done, my friend. IMG_7101 Although my college friends and I are in communication via text or email fairly often, it’s not always easy to get us all together in person these days. While not all of us were able to make the game, a good amount of us and our significant others were! It was so nice to be able to catch up with everyone; I can’t say I watched any much of the game, but my socializing skills were top notch 😉 IMG_7105 Post game, we headed to Landsdowne Pub for another drink. Icing definitely happened, which was amazing. IMG_7108 IMG_7111 IMG_7112 Spending a sunny, relatively warm Sunday afternoon at the Red Sox game with some of my favorite people was the perfect way to end the weekend! Thanks for setting it up, Lauren! IMG_7113 Questions for you: What’s your favorite sport? Do you like going to games? Do you get together with your friends a lot?

This Week: Workouts & Things I’m Looking Forward To {Birthday Week pt 1}

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Hi there! How are you doing? I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was good- Friday night my upstairs neighbor, Lisa, and I had a glass of wine at my apartment, which was a great end to the week. Saturday was busy, but all fun stuff! I taught kickboxing in the morning and then went to lunch with my sister and my date, and while the company was good, the food wasn’t so good. We went to 5 Napkin Burger, which I had heard great things about, but it didn’t really “wow” me. That night, my date and I went to his brother and sister-in-law’s in the South End and had a BBQ- so fun! I’m definitely ready for the summer!! I went to the Red Sox game on Sunday with a bunch of friends and was so thankful the weather cooperated!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I taught my 6am strength class (which I’m really starting to love!!) and then after work I went to a 50 minute “Pilates ReMixx” class at Boston Body. The instructor ended up being the same instructor who taught the Flywheel class that I wasn’t a fan of, but she was better as a pilates instructor! I was pleasantly sore the next day from the countless glute exercises we did.

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  • Tuesday- I went to a Pilates Tower class at Studio J in Government Center. I was SO lucky and ended up having a private class. The instructor was amazing and asked about my fitness level and how I felt and when I told her I was an instructor and wanted to be challenged, she went for it and ran! We did all sorts of advanced things that absolutely challenged me. Wow. It was wonderful. I want to go back soon!

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  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles on the treadmill before teaching a pretty tough UXF Burn class. I did warn my members before class started that we’d be working off the Crumbs Cupcakes I ate during the day 😉
  • Thursday- I taught a fun partner SHRED workout (similar to this workout) and then kickboxing.

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  • Friday- Nothing. Total rest day 🙂
  • Saturday- I taught my cardio kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA. I know I’ve said it a million times before, but I just love that class. It is always packed (60+ people!) and the members are of all shapes and sizes, all ages and all fitness levels. The common denominator is that they ALL always come ready to work hard, sweat and hopefully laugh a little 🙂 It really does make my day to see so many people get up on a Saturday morning to come to my class, and that people aren’t afraid to come because we jump a lot or do a lot of burpees. I always tell people you can modify anything, but sometimes people don’t feel comfortable doing it. The fact that everyone in my Saturday class practices this is amazing.
  • Sunday- I went for a 5K run around Eastie. It wasn’t as nice as I thought it was going to be (so windy!), but it was still a beautiful, sunny day and it felt good to run outside again. My miles are so much faster than when I run on a treadmill. Anyone else feel this way?

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- My plan today is to get to the gym during my lunch break for a strength workout so that I can go home after work and catch up on some major blogging. This is the start of my birthday week, so I’ve got a lot going on and could use a night where I’m home before 8 pm!
  • Tuesday- Since I plan on doing strength on Monday, I’ll probably stick to cardio on Tuesday. Maybe a long run outside?
  • Wednesday- I am subbing Melissa Shaw’s 5:30pm Sports Conditioning class and then teaching my UXF Burn class. Come to one or both 😉
  • Thursday- I am teaching my SHRED and kickboxing classes.
  • Friday- Not sure! It may be a rest day, maybe some at-home yoga, who knows.
  • Saturday- I am going to my friend Lindsay’s class at Recycle. Saturday is my big day of birthday celebrations and since I’m not teaching in the morning, the next best way for me to kick off the day is Lindsay’s class.
  • Sunday- My guess is this will be a rest day since I’ll likely be out late on Saturday celebrating my birthday.

Things I am looking forward to

Well, as I’ve said, this is the start of my birthday week. Yes, my birthday isn’t until NEXT Monday, but this week I’m doing fun things that lead up to my celebration on Saturday (I realize I am completely obnoxious during my birthday month). I’m going to treat myself to a mani and pedi and I think I’m going to get a spray tan (nervous about this!). I would love to try and get a new dress, but I’m not sure that will end up happening. My parents are coming down on Saturday and I can’t explain how excited that makes me! I feel like I haven’t seen them in a long time, so it’s nice that they are coming down for the day on Saturday to take me to lunch and bring my birthday bunny cake! Lastly, I’m looking forward to getting dressed up and going out on Saturday night with some of my favorite people!

Questions for you: Have you been to Boston Body or Studio J? Do you like pilates? What was the best part of your week last week? What are you looking forward to this week?

How to stay fit when you’re stuck behind a desk all day

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If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then I’m sure you’ve seen the guest post that I wrote over at BostInno the other day. But- in case you missed it, I thought I would share it with you here, too. I’m sure a number of you are fellow “9-5’ers”, so hopefully some of these tips will help serve as a reminder of ways to stay active throughout the day.

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9-5 jobs. Whether we like it or not, this is the harsh reality that most of us face on a day to day basis. When you factor in your commute to and from work, sometimes an 8 hour work day turns into a 10 hour commitment, which can leave very little time for staying active and healthy. It’s all to easy to hit snooze in the morning and to say yes to after work drinks with friends or coworkers instead of workout, right? Over the years, I’ve learned how to manage working an 8-9 hour/day desk job AND stay fit. Want to get in on my secrets? Check it out:

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Put your workout in your calendar

If I write down my workout and make it part of my day, I am less likely to skip it. Every Monday, I post a Weekly Workout Log which helps me figure out what workouts I want to do for the week and hold me accountable for doing them. I get motivated by seeing my weekly workouts listed out in front of me.

Plan workout “dates” with friends

Working out with friends is not only fun, but it serves as motivation to get to the gym. Plan a date with a friend or a few friends to try out a new studio or a new class. Most gyms will offer you free guest passes or a free “first class”.

Stay active during the day

This may seem like a no-brainer, but I work with people who sometimes go HOURS without even standing up! I drink lots of water during the day, which serves 2 purposes: keeps me hydrated AND causes me to need to get up and go to the bathroom all the time. This is a great way to make sure you’re getting up and moving around every hour or so. Take the stairs when you can, walk during your lunch break, walk to someone’s office or cube instead of emailing them or calling them- all of these things help get you up and our of your chair. Every little bit counts!

Workout before work

If I know I have something going on or want to be ready in case after work plans evolve during the day (Thursday or Friday nights in the summer when outdoor cocktails are too hard to resist), I make sure to workout in the morning. I set my clothes out and mentally prepare for an early morning workout. It may not be easy to get out of bed, but I remind myself of how good I’ll feel after my workout is done, which helps. Remember: you never regret a workout!

Bribe yourself

Still having a hard time getting to the gym before or after work (or working out at home)? Bribe yourself with something to get you there and get a workout in. For instance, sometimes I tell myself that I can meet up with friends after my workout or that I can treat myself to a glass of wine when I get home if I spend 30 minutes at the gym. Sometimes even something as simple as signing up for a new class or buying a new workout top serves as enough motivation to get to the gym.

So, even though I, too, sit behind a computer most of the day, I am able to stay fit and active by doing some of the things I’ve listed above. Working out and committing to a healthy, active and fit lifestyle isn’t easy, but the more you do it, the easier it gets!

Questions for you: What’s something you do to stay active during the day? Are you a fan of making fitness dates? Do you workout before work, after work or during your lunch break?

Wednesday Workout: Body Weight Tabata Workout

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As I mentioned on Monday, I did a few Tabata workouts last week. One that I particularly liked was the body weight one that I did in my hotel room on Tuesday morning. There wasn’t a lot of space to workout, but the beauty of this workout is you don’t need a lot of room.

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If you’re new to tabata workouts, the idea is that you do 20 seconds “balls to the wall”, as I like to say, followed by 10 seconds of rest. You repeat this 8 times, for a total of 4 minutes. In a true tabata workout, you would do the same exercise for all 8 rounds, but for this one, I chose 2 different exercises per tabata to do in order to maximize my workout since I was limited on time. Side note: I usually jump around or jog in place during the 10 seconds to help bring my heart rate down; I don’t like going from crazy cardio or strength to nothing- I like to keep moving.

Body Weight Tabata Workout

As you can see, the exercises I did are very basic, but that’s the thing- if you’re giving them your all, you don’t need to do anything fancy.

If you have questions, let me know!

Have fun 🙂

Questions for you: Do you workout in your hotel when you travel? Do you like tabata workouts?