Tag: cardio blast

Wednesday Workout: 2 Circuit at Home Workout

5 Comments

Hey there! Before I get into my workout for today, I want to take a moment to remember all of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attack in NYC, think of those who lost someone and thank those who helped save people. I can still remember exactly where I was when news hit and I’m sure that’s the way it is for most of you reading this post today.

*******

It’s Wednesday- woohoo! It’s also my friend, Tim’s, birthday today so I want to wish him a very happy birthday!!! I’d say this workout is for him, but he hates all my workouts (except my ab ones) 😉

Anyway! I mentioned on Monday that I did an at-home workout on Labor Day when I was home in Maine. It literally left me sore for a few days and I am still trying to figure out why. It could possibly be because I focused on each move and worked diligently throughout the motions since I was only lifting 5lb weights. When I lift heavier weights in class and on my own, I don’t think I work through the movements as well and effectively as I should; definitely something to be mindful about going forward.

With that said, here’s the workout:

2 circuit at home workout

I warmed up with 5 minutes of dynamic stretches and cardio before starting my 3 rounds of circuit 1. You don’t want to rush through the moves, but you want to go at a good pace where you’re keeping your heart rate up while still getting the full range of motion in each move. After 3 rounds of circuit 1, perform the cardio blast then move on to 3 rounds of circuit 2.

Couple of notes on the moves:

  • Below parallel squats- you can use weights here if you want (I did), but you don’t have to. The point of the squat is to expand your range of motion and squat deeper and lower than you normally would. In other words: drop your butt and get it as close to the ground as possible!
  • Incline Push-Ups- I did these against the coffee table 🙂
  • Monkey Curls- I did these a while ago in one of my UXF Burn classes. You can see pictures of the move in this post (bottom right picture). The key with these is to stay in that super low “monkey” sit/squat, but to make sure you aren’t resting your hamstrings against your calves- that’s way too easy 😉
  • Spiderman plank- There are multiple ways to do this, but all I want you to do is stay in a high plank and try to touch the same knee to the same elbow (right to right, left to left). Really focus on squeezing your obliques to get the knees as close to your elbows as possible!
  • Front Lat Raise into Wide Row w/ Calf Raises- phew, right?! Let me break it down for you: hold light weights in either hand down by your legs. Lift up onto the balls of your feet while your lift your arms up to shoulder height out in front of you. From there, and while still balancing on the balls of your feet, squeeze your shoulder blades and pull your elbows back (like a bent over wide row, but in standing position). Straighten arms back out in front of you and lower them and your heels until you get back to the starting position. This is my new favorite move- I felt it in my back and lats fa’ dayyyssss.

Did I miss anything? Let me know if you try this- I like to know what you like these posts and that they are valuable to you- are they?!?!

Questions for you: What’s the last workout you did that left you super sore? Move that you’re currently loving?

Wednesday Workout: Mini Circuit Workout

12 Comments

Hi there! I hope you all enjoyed last week’s “Wednesday Workout” post, which focused on burpees! I heart burpees. A lot.

Anyway! I wanted to give you an actual workout to try this week. I taught this in my SHRED class and really enjoyed it. The workout itself actually came from Fitnessista, but I added my own touches with the cardio blasts and changing up the reps a bit.

Mini Circuit Workout

Everything should be pretty much self-explanatory, but if you have questions, obviously leave me a comment or shoot me an email.  For the step-ups, I had my members stack 6 risers under each side of the bench and hold a weight while they stepped up. This is KILLER for the quads and glutes; I’m totally obsessed with step-ups now. I gave the class the option to do whatever burpee they felt like doing- so nice of me, right?! 😉

Let me know if you try this! I foresee this being a new “go to” at-home workout as you don’t need much equipment to complete it.

Questions for you: What’s your favorite leg exercise? What’s your favorite fitness blog?

Wednesday Workout: Strength to Core & Cardio Blast Workout

4 Comments

Hey there! Happy hump day:) The first few days after a long weekend/mini vacation are always the hardest, right? The one thing I do like about the week back after some time off from my regular schedule, is my motivation to get back on track with workouts… anyone else feel this way? I taught this one 2 weeks ago in my UXF Burn class and everyone seemed to like it. Some of the moves may seem funny or confusing, but that’s just because you haven’t seen them on here! I try to keep things fun in class and one way I do that is bringing in “new” moves that hopefully most people haven’t done before!

Strength to core & cardio blast

Here are some notes on some of the “new” or “different moves:

1.A- Squat with heels on weights & holding a weight overhead: take 2 dumbbells and place them end to end on the ground. Place your heels on the hand grip area of the weights and point your toes together. Your knees will naturally also touch (or come close to touching) since they like to be in line with your toes! Squeeze your knees together as you squat low (you can also squeeze a small ball between your knees if you have one! Extra inner thigh work is never a bad thing.). While you’re doing this, hold 1 weight over your head for a nice, little shoulder burn! Here’s a picture of me doing this a while ago in a class I took:

014

2.A- Push-ups with opposite arm and leg raise: Perform a regular push-up and when you come back up into your high plank starting position, find your core balance and extend your right arm and left leg out. Repeat on the other side. If you’re not comfortable with doing push-ups on your feet, you can do this on your knees and still get the full effect!

2.B- Plank with leg pulses: Start in a high plank, squeeze your right glute and lift up your right leg. Keep the tension and pulse that straight leg. Repeat on the other side.

3.B- In and out and up: We’ve done these a bunch of times in my classes. While seated, lean back a little and bring your knees into your chest, push them out to straight (about 6 inches from the ground), and then lift them up (coming almost into high boat position). Repeat!

4.B- Weighted V-Sits: One of my most favorite core moves at the moment! I love v-sits, but adding a weight to them is a nice change. Grab 1 weight and hold it with 2 hands over your head when your come up into your V.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if you give it a try; I like to know if you guys think it’s worth me posting these weekly workouts and if anyone actually does them!

Questions for you: Have you learned any new takes on old/standard moves? What are you currently loving for an exercise or cardio burst?