Wednesday Workout: 30 minute burpee spectacular workout

October 8, 2014October 7, 20144 Comments

Happy Wednesday, friends! The workout I have for you today is awesome… especially if you like burpees! As I mentioned on Monday, I was able to go to a bootcamp last week with my favorite instructor. I ended up having to cancel my bootcamp because of the rain, so it worked perfectly. I got probably more excited than I should have when she started the class by saying “the workout today is going to be tough, you guys, but we are going to push through it since the hard part will be over in 30 minutes.” And then, after the warm up, she said “ok, to get you focused and get your drive going, you have 3 minutes to complete 50 jump squats.” Again, I was definitely too excited about this.

I just love the environment of a class where you’re encouraged to dig deep, get in the zone and give it your all. While I didn’t have the guts to make my class do 130 strict, chest to ground, burpees, I DID have the guts to make them do half of those 😉 And YOU have the option to do 120 burpees OR 60 burpees- have fun!

As the workout says, you do each exercise for 60 seconds. Whenever you decide to put in the burpees, you have 60 seconds to complete 10 of them. Whatever is left of the 60 seconds after your 10 burpees is your rest, so keep that in mind.

Here are some explanations for a few exercises that might be new to you:

Hand release push-ups with opposite knee crunch: start in a high plank, then lower yourself all the way to the ground and lift your hands (hand release, get it?). Tighten your core and press your hands into the ground to lift yourself back up into a high plank. When you’re in a high plank, bring your right knee to left elbow. Do another hand release push-up and bring your left knee to right elbow. These are killer after burpees!
Side Squats- grab a set of medium size weights and hold one in each hand. Bend elbows to 90* and squat right and then squat left. Your biceps will be burning by the end of this!
Spider man plank- the instructor called these long-legged mountain climbers, but I think they are really just spider man planks. Start in a high plank and bring your right foot all the way up to your right hand. Repeat on the left. Want more? pick up your pace so you’re hopping your feet up and back.
Plank with under body cross over- I couldn’t figure out what to call this exercise, hence the confusing name. All you’re doing here is holding yourself in a high plank to start. From there, bring your right leg (keep it straight) underneath your body and up towards your left hand. Keep your core tight and hips flat so that you feel a nice twist. Keep alternating legs for the 60 seconds.
Side crunches- get comfy on your right glute in a side lying position. Glue your legs together and crunch your knees up to your right elbow. Want more? Try it straight-legged. Repeat on the left.
Full body sit-ups- start in a spine position. When you crunch your upper body, crunch your lower body, too. So basically you’re crunching your knees towards your elbows.

I think that covers it. This workout was actually really fun… and the best part is this workout will leave you totally spent, in only a half hour! Instructor friends, after this, I did about 10 minutes of constant upper body supersets. It was perfect!

Questions for you: What’s your favorite burpee variation?

Wednesday Workout: Shapleigh Corner Circuit

September 3, 2014September 1, 20143 Comments

I always like to workout when I’m home in Maine. I guess that’s probably not a surprise, right? I did take a rest day on Sunday, but after having had two 10 hour sleep nights, I woke up Monday morning around 7am ready to get up and get my day started. The best way to start my day is always with a workout, so I laced up and headed out for a 3 mile run.

While I ran, I thought of what I wanted to do for a strength finisher when I got back to the house. I ended up doing 2 rounds of this workout and lead my mom through 1 round and thought it was a good, simple workout to share with all of you. I admit: I spend a lot of time coming up with different formats and exercises when I teach, but when I’m working out on my own and short on time, I always stick with the basics- you really can’t go wrong with that!

So, if you’re looking for a workout that doesn’t require much thinking or coordination, this is a great workout for you to try!

Questions for you: When you go “home” for the weekend, do you work out? Do you like to stick with the basics or get creative with your exercises?

Wednesday Workout: The “Everything Is Sore” Workout

August 27, 2014August 25, 20146 Comments

I’m not sure why I haven’t posted this workout yet, but I’ve taught it twice and both times it left me feeling super sore, so I think it’s about time I share it with you, right?! I have to warn you, though, nothing in this workout is anything new or earth shattering. It’s just a bunch of compound exercises, paired with complementary cardio and a timed core exercise.

After the class I subbed at PUMPS, a number of members came up and said they liked how it felt like an “interval training” class… I’m not sure what they are used to getting in classes, but interval training is often how my classes are (except kickboxing!). I love interval training because it forces you to work hard for a period of time, followed by a bit of rest and then bringing your intensity back up (and therefore burn more calories). And, while this workout is certainly not your traditional “interval” training type of workout, the way the exercises are set up does cause your heart rate to go up and down throughout the whole class. I’m not a big fan of doing just cardio at the beginning then focusing on strength and abs later… I like my heart rate to be going up and down all class, and this workout definitely achieves that!

Also, if you’re short on time, just pick a few sets to do instead of all 5. Or, you can skip the cardio and just do the strength and core pieces. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you’re properly warmed up and that you’re using a weight that’s challenging, but safe. If you’ve been using your trusty 5 pounders for a while and never feel like you’re tired from them, maybe it’s time to up it to an 8 pounder- I promise you’ll feel it then 😉

Let me know if you try this!

Questions for you: Do you like interval training or do you prefer to do cardio then strength then core? When’s the last time a workout left every part of your body sore?

Wednesday Workout: My favorite “towel” workout (aka, “Make your schoulders scream” workout”)

June 25, 2014June 23, 20144 Comments

The one thing I really love about the BSC is that they have a towel service. I don’t know about you, but I get SWEATY when I go to the gym, which means I need to towel off often throughout my workout. Using paper towels can be so wasteful, which is why I think every gym should have towel service, right?! But towels aren’t only good for wiping sweat, they can also be a great piece of “equipment” for your workout.

Why am I talking about towels, you might ask? Well, I’ve been meaning to post this workout for a while, but for some reason it keeps slipping to the back of my list. It’s a shame, because it’s a killer workouts that really doesn’t require much besides a mat and 2 of my beloved towels (or Gliders if you have those, or even paper plates).

What I love about the workout is it’s not your traditional “bicep curls/tricep extension/squats/lunges” type of workout. It’s just body weight and resistance from the towels. I’ve incorporated strength exercises, core exercises and cardio exercises, but I will warn you now… it’s heavy on the shoulder burn!

So, the way this workout goes (similar to this workout), is you do 60 seconds of move A, then 60 of move B. Before moving on to the next A and B moves, do 30 seconds of mountain climbers. The idea with this workout is everything will be done using the towels. They make an ordinary move seem so much harder, which is what I love about them. Just adding that extra bit of resistance or unsteadiness is a great way to change up your normal workout exercises. I promise you’ll feel it the next day!

Lastly, if you need help with some help with some moves, here are descriptions and/or videos:

Pendulum lunges- With your right foot on a towel, lunge/slide into a forward lunge and back into a reverse lunge. Repeat for 30 seconds then do it on the left side.
Side Squats- Stand with both feet on a towel. Step/slide right into a squat, slide it back to center and do the same going to the left. Focus on your abductors/adductors here- that’s where you should be feeling it if you’re really pushing and pulling your legs on the towels.
Tricep push-up & regular push-up- I do these on my knees because they are TOUGH. Place your hands on the towels in a high plank position. Perform a tricep push-up and then when you’re back in the high plank position, slide your arms out to do a regular push-up. Repeat.
Plank w/knee tuck- Place your feet on 1 towel and in a high plank position, tuck your knees into your chest. Repeat.
Spiderman plank- Place each foot on a towel and get into a high plank position- Slide your right knee up to your right elbow/tricep. Bring it back and repeat on the left. Focus on the obliques here!
Plank w/opp knee to elbow- Same as without towels, just do it with towels under your feet.

The cardio moves are performed just as they would be without towels, just do them with towels for the added challenge!

If you need more help or want demos, let me know 🙂

Questions for you: Do you ever use towels in your workouts? Do you have Gliders? What’s the most challenge move for your shoulders that you do?

Wednesday Workout: Strength/Cardio & Core/Cardio Super Sets

January 15, 2014January 13, 20146 Comments

Happy hump day! I’ve got a fun workout for you today. I played around with some different compound moves, as well as the format, to create this workout. In my UXF Burn classes, we are regimented to a 60 second time interval for most formats. While I like teaching in 60 second intervals (it gives time for me to demo, coach, give tips and walk around to correct form), I hate actually doing 60 second interval workouts. I find myself sick of the exercise by the time 45 seconds rolls around and usually cop out on the last 15 seconds (yes, fitness instructors do that too). So, I would rather count reps or do shorter time intervals (and give it my all throughout the whole interval) than do 60 seconds half-assed. Anyone else like this?

That’s why I like this workout. I set it up to be 30 second timed intervals of a compound strength move (most bang for your buck), followed by 30 seconds of a cardio move. From there, we moved right to the core move for 30 seconds and that same cardio move, again for 30 seconds. We repeated that once before moving on to the next set. I didn’t realize it when I was making up the workout, but that’s a lot of cardio in each set! I love cardio, so I didn’t mind 😉