Interval Training

Lately I have been trying to get my workout in before my husband leaves for work. But on the days when he has to leave by 6:45am, my poor sleep deprived pregnant body can't/refuses to get up by 5:30am. Instead I will do some cardio and strength intervals at home in my front room while the little one is still asleep. Although I did do one the other day when she was awake and she found it very entertaining. She especially loved the jump rope which made things a little tricky for me. She was actually a great personal trainer because she never wanted me to stop jump roping.

Here is an interval you can do with minimal equipment. I really am a fan of this kind of workout because you can get both the cardio and strength going at the same time.

Lower Body Strength Interval

I will be working on getting other videos together so you have a total body workout you can follow. Here is a 5 minute one for starters. I would suggest doing this without the bench to begin with until you feel comfortable doing the back lunges. To increase the intensity you could add some 5 or 8 lb handweights in each hand.

Toned Triceps

Something for the girls...

It seems that every girl wants to know how to reduce the underarm giggle. There is no miracle move, and you may need to drop a few pounds before you see any results, but these moves are great ways to target the tricep muscle.

The Top Triceps Exercises

Next we will focus on some shoulder exercises. If you notice in the pic of Cameron Diaz it is the shoulders that make her arms looks so fantastic!

Time to take it Outside!

The weather here has been absolutely spectacular! It is definitely time to start taking some of those workouts outside...running, walking, biking. Spring is really on the way. And isn't it such a relief?!

Here is a great strength routine you can do at any local park. It would be the great way to finish off a long run.

Video explanation-
Play Away the Pounds - Fitness Magazine

Pictures and words-
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/lose-weight/total-body/park-workout/?page=1

Enjoy the great outdoors!

19 Push-up Variations

I like this little video clip of push-up variations. With 19 different options you can find a way to challenge your current fitness level. Plus it shows there are so many differnt ways to work your body without any equipment.

If push-ups aren't currently a part of your fitness regimen it is time to change that! Push-ups will increase your upperbody strength better than any other exercise in my opinion.


19 Push Ups Variations Without Any Equipment - Watch more Funny Videos

Abs-olutely Fabulous - Fitness Magazine

I will be doing this ab workout tonight-

Abs-olutely Fabulous - Fitness Magazine

You will like it!!!

Advanced Leg Workout-

This little leg routine should give you a great burn. The first exercise is more advanced so if you are new to the exercise scene either skip this one or just do regular squats. You can also choose to use a much lower bench. A step bench would be a great alternative.

Strength Training Basics-

Check out the challenge for the week by clicking here.

I want to step back and look at the basics of strength training. Working with weights is an essential part of every workout program. But if you haven't worked with weights much it can be very intimidating. People often comment that they want to start working out but have no idea where to begin.

First lets look at why we should strength train-

1. Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. "If you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, you'll increase the percentage of fat in your body," says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. (This is due to a decrease in metabolism). "But strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle mass — at any age."

2. Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

3. Control your weight. As you gain muscle, your body burns calories more efficiently — which can result in weight loss. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to control your weight.

4. Reduce your risk of injury. Building muscle protects your joints from injury. It also helps you maintain flexibility and balance — and remain independent as you age.

5. Boost your stamina. As you grow stronger, you won't fatigue as easily.

6. Improve your sense of well-being. Strength training can boost your self-confidence, improve your body image and reduce the risk of depression.

7. Get a better night's sleep. People who commit to a regular strength training program are less likely to have insomnia.

8. Manage chronic conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.


There are a lot of ways to approach a strength training routine. I will give you the basic guidelines, plus a simple plan to follow.

If exercise is fairly new for you start out doing 1-2 sets of 15 reps. You want to choose a weight that makes your muscles tired by the last rep without compromising form. Rest about 2 minutes inbetween sets. **

If you have been exercising regularly for a few months you can do 2-3 sets of 15 reps. Again be sure to choose a weight that is challenging yet allows you to maintain proper form.

You would do this routine 2-3 times a week making sure to leave a day of rest inbetween workouts.

We all have those "trouble areas" that we want to change, but when you strength train you need to make sure to work all muscle groups in your body. You should start by working the biggest muscle groups (legs, chest and back) and finish with the smaller ones (arms and abs).

A good routine to follow would be-

Legs- Squats

Chest- Chest Press or Flys

Back- One Arm Back Row (just use a dumbbell in place of the kettlebell)



Triceps- Extensions



Biceps- Curls

Legs- Lunges or Ham Curls




Shoulders- Shoulder Presses and Push-ups (Do presses first and then go right into the push-ups) (Girls, lifting weights will not bulk you up like the lady in this video unless you are training like crazy and with really heavy weights)

Abs- Ball Crunches and Plank


I will provide some other weight training options in future posts.

**To be more time efficient and to make your workout harder you can do one set of each exercise without rest in between each one and then repeat the exercises 1 or 2 times.

Upper Body Strength Exercise- Push/Pull Interval

Once again here is a great way to use the exercise resistance band-

Under Construction...

This weekend I am going to work on revamping the daily challenge. Please check back Monday for more info and tips.

Until then try this fun exercise-

Sissy Squats (these suckers are one of my favorites. They seem easy at first, but soon you will know exactly what body part they are working:). Do 2-3 sets of 20 reps.


I don't know if sissy squat is the correct term for these. It is just the name I was taught.

Stand with feet hip width apart and your heels elevated on the ends of dumbbells or a block of wood. You just need it so your heels are a few inches off the ground.

Squat down so you can grab your ankles with your hands.

"Glue" your chest to your thighs. If your chest leaves your thighs you are doing it wrong.

Lift your hips to the ceiling as you lengthen your knees. Remember chest stays connected to your thighs. Basically you should be folding forward at this point.

Lower your hips back down so you are in the starting position.

You should feel this working your thighs.

If this doesn't make sense let me know.

Enjoy!

Daily Challenge #9---LUNGES!

I am a fan of the lunge because you can work your legs with little to no equipment.

As ALWAYS be sure to use correct form. Your front knee should NEVER push forward over your toes. Legs should be at a 90 degree angle at the bottom of the move. Pay attention to the form in the pics and videos.


Beginner- 2 sets of 10-15 reps each leg.

Starting Position

Drop your back knee straight down trying to create a 90 degree angle with both legs. Slowly stand back up.

If new to lunges you can use a bar or other item to help you with balance.

Intermediate- 4 walking lunges equal one rep. Do 10 reps total. Rest 1 minute and repeat.



Advanced- 2-3 sets of 16 lunges (8 each leg).

CollageVideo.com- Workout DVDs

For those of you who do not belong to a gym, and like to exercise at home, or even for those days when getting to the gym is impossible, there are lots of exercise dvds you can do at home. You can check out Collagevideo.com and watch a quick clip of hundreds of dvds before you buy them.
I don't recommend buying them from this site because you can usually find them cheaper somewhere else. Try Wal-mart or Amazon.

Here are some that I recommend taking a look at-

Personal Training with Jackie: Power Circuit Training

Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones

10 Min. Solution: Quick Sculpt Pilates with Ball kit

If you like dancing-
Dance with Julianne - Cardio Ballroom

If you are a Stepper-
Cathe Friedrich's Athletic Step
Cathe Friedrich's Cardio Hiit

Resistance Bands-

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE WORKOUT ROUTINE AT THE END OF THE POST

I personally think one of the best pieces of equipment to invest in for exercising at home is a resistance band. They are really versatile and inexpensive. Each band will cost around $10. You can do a full body strength workout with them. They take up little to no room. Plus they travel well. It is hard to beat that.

You can buy the bands pretty much anywhere- Wal-mart, Target, on-line, or any sporting goods store. The prices on-line are lower but the shipping might make it a wash. Here are some websites for you to look at-
http://www.workoutz.com/shopping/product/resistance_exercise_tubing
http://www.resistancebands.com/components.html
http://www.spri.com/ItemGroup.aspx?ItemGroupID=1&CategoryID=24&ItemGroupTypeID=1

You will probably want two different levels of resistance depending on your level of fitness.

Here are some exercises you can do with the bands. You will have to make sure you buy one of the door attachment pieces in order to do some of the exercises.
http://www.resistancebands.com/exercises.html
http://www.invodo.com/Xertube/p/Z8A10016 (click on MORE VIDEOS on the bottm right of the screen to watch all of them)

Basic Full Body Resitance Band Workout

The exercises marked with an * are ones you will find specifically from this site.

Circuit 1- Do 15-20 reps of each exercise. Repeat circuit 3 times.
Squats
Chest Fly*
High Row*

Circuit 2- Do 15-20 reps of each exercise. Repeat circuit 3 times.
Tricep Kickbacks
Bicep Curls
Lunges with tap (done w/o the band. When doing right side step the left leg back so that you are doing a lunge. Then stand tall bringing the left foot up to tap the floor next to your right foot. Do 15 reps on this leg before switching sides)

Upright Row

Circuit 3- Repeat 3 times
Push-ups (without the band 15-20 reps)
Bicycles for Abs (30 sec to one minute Without Band)
Side Steps (Do just like the video. 2 right and 2 left make one rep. Do 15 reps)

These side steps are one of my personal favorites!

Please let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy your workout!

~PCFitness

Core Exercises

I came across this clip from a workout dvd. It is jam packed with great core exercises. You could incorporate some of the ideas into your workout. Or I would even recommend purchasing this dvd if you are one who does a lot of workouts from home.

Weight Training Circuit

I am a huge fan of this circuit. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Since the workout is made to do 8 reps, the weight is going to have to be fairly heavy. Although I don't recommend going as heavy as the girl unless you know you can. If you haven't ever done these exercises before do this workout with lighter weights and focus more on form and technique. Once you have that down you can increase your weights.

Advanced Abdominal Workout

I know not all of you are on the road to weight loss. So here is a killer ab workout just for you. Make sure to pay attention to his form. He executes the moves perfectly. This video clip is just instructional. So get a piece of paper to jot down the exercises. Then turn on some motivating music and give it a try. Let me know how it goes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoKNjNsN4CU