WOD 8/29

Workout of the Day (WOD) 8/29

Calisthenics 

Warm up
1 Minute Jumping Jacks
Stretch

Run 1.5 Miles
Max Set of Push-ups
Max Set of Dips
Max Set of Body Weight Squats
15 - Burpees

Run 1 Mile
Max Set of Sit ups
1 Minute - Mountain Climbers
1 Minute - Planks
1 Minute - Flutter Kicks

Run .5 Mile
Max Set of Push-ups
Max Set of Dips
Max Set of Body Weight Squats
Max Set of Pull-ups
Max Set of Sit-ups

WOD 8/27

Workout of the Day (WOD) 8/27

Today is a good day to hit the weights. After a day of rest your body should be ready for a little extra work.

Warm up
1 Mile Run Steady Pace
Stretch

Start off with a weight you are comfortable with

Bench-15 Reps
Squat- 15 Reps
Curls- 15 Reps
Tricep Extension - 15 Reps

Add 5 pounds to each workout

Bench - 10 Reps
Squat - 10 Reps
Curls - 10 Reps
Tricep Extenson - 10 Reps

Add 5 pounds to each workout (this should be a difficult weight and expect to only be able to do a few reps)

Bench - (5-8) Reps
Squat - (5-8) Reps
Curls - (5-8) Reps
Tricep Extenson - (5-8) Reps

Now that the weight lifting is done, I always like to throw in a little calisthenics at the end. 

Max Reps
Pull-ups
Push-ups
Dips
Sit-ups

Cool Down

Bike/Walk - 5 Mins
Stretch

This should be a difficult workout and you should feel exhausted when you are done. Embrace that feeling!

WOD 8/26

Workout of the Day (WOD) 8/26

For me I find it easier to make time for long hard workouts on the weekends. Therefore, I usually have my rest day be Monday. Not only is it the first day of the work week, but you are likely to be more tired than any other day of the week. My advice take Monday off, rest up, and get ready to hit it hard again on Tuesday.

WOD 8/25

Workout of the Day (WOD) 8/25
Sorry for delay between posts, but here today's WOD. CARDIO

Run 1 Mile

Repeat 4 times

1. Body Weight Squats (15)
2. Sprint for 25 Seconds
3. Rest 30 Seconds

Repeat 3 times

1. Push Ups (15)
2. Sprint for 20 Seconds
3. Rest 30 Seconds

Repeat 2 times

1. Box Jumps (15)
2. Sprint for 15 Seconds
3. Rest 30 Seconds

Run .5 Mile (Cool Down)

30 Day Fitness Challenge

In the last month I have seen several 30 Day Fitness Challenges pop up. All seem to have good parts and pieces but none of them had a solid overall workout.  I have created a combination of a couple different ones that I believe will give you an all around great workout and that I have currently been participating in. Keep in mind this does not have to be your total source of working out each day. I have been able to incorporate this challenge into my daily routine to spice things up a little. If you feel up to it give it a shot and let me know how it goes! Also, some of you may not be able to start off with 20 reps of each. If you have to start off with 10 or 15 reps of each that is fine, just remember to push yourself and try your best and you will see results.

Rules:
Do not break into sets
Complete one exercise before moving onto the next
Know your limits and use proper form

Day 1 20 Jumping Jacks
         20 Burpees
         20 Squats
         20 Push-ups
         20 Sit-ups

Day 2 25 Jumping Jacks
         25 Burpees
         25 Squats
         25 Push-ups
         25 Sit-ups

Day 3 30 Jumping Jacks
          30 Burpees
          30 Squats
          30 Push-ups
          30 Sit-ups

Day 4 REST (Keep doing these same 5 workouts each day. I am going to write out how many reps of each should be done on that day)

Day 5 - 35 Reps
Day 6 - 40 Reps 
Day 7 - 45 Reps
Day 8 REST
Day 9 - 50 Reps
Day 10 - 55 Reps
Day 11 - 60 Reps
Day 12 Rest
Day 13 - 65 Reps
Day 14 - 70 Reps
Day 15 - 75 Reps
Day 16 REST
Day 17 - 80 Reps
Day 18 - 85 Reps
Day 19 - 90 Reps
Day 20 REST
Day 21 - 95 Reps
Day 22 - 100 Reps
Day 23 - 105 Reps
Day 24 Rest
Day 25 - 110 Reps
Day 26 - 115 Reps
Day 27 - 120 Reps
Day 28 Rest
Day 29 - 125 Reps
Day 30 - 130 Reps
Complete!! 

If you made it through the whole challenge congratulations! Feel free to share your results and let me know if you liked it or not! 

WOD 8/20

Workout of the Day (WOD) 8/20
Circuit 1 Minute Each Max effort (20 Mins)

Sprint
Push-ups
Mountain Climbers
Burpees
Flutter Kicks
Jumping Jacks

Sprint
Push-ups
In & Outs
One Legged Hops (Both Legs)
Sit-ups
Pull-ups

Sprint
Dips
Burpees
Squats

Sprint
Sit-ups
Push-ups
Pull-ups

WOD 8/19

Workout of the day (WOD) 8/19
3 sets of the following:

75 Jumping Jacks
30 Squats
30 Burpees
30 Push-ups
50 Sit-ups
20 Calf Raises (for more range of motion use a step)

WOD 8/18

Workout of the Day (WOD)
2 SETS OF:
100 Jumping Jacks
40 Squats
30 Lunges
20 Push-ups
30 Sit-ups
40 Mountain Climbers

Fartlek- Increase your run times and overall fitness level

This workout will help you increase your speed during runs. The military lives by this type of workout because it not only works your speed and endurance but it allows other full body workouts to be thrown in the middle. This creates an excellent total body workout and is guaranteed to help you increase your endurance and take minutes off your long distance runs. The training will start of fairly easy and as the weeks go on become more and more difficult. The first week will allow you to adjust to the cardio aspect of the workout. After that the full body workouts will be placed into the fartlek.

Repeat 3-4 Times

1-      Run ½ mile at your goal pace

• Walk/jog between 1/4 - 1/8 of a mile
• Week 2+ workout

Repeat 4-6 Times

2-      Run ¼ mile at your goal pace

• Walk/jog between 1/5 - 1/10 of a mile
• Week 2+ workout

Repeat 4-6 Times

3-      Run 1/8 mile at your goal pace

• Walk/jog between 50-100 yards
• Week 2+ workout

Pick and choose what workouts to add in to your circuit. The amount of reps during each workout will be set by you. Each workout should be tough, yet you still should be able to accomplish it. The workouts to be added in are as follows:

Push-ups- Variants may be added (ex. Wide/narrow push-ups, diamond push-ups)

Planks- Get in the starting position for a pushup. From that position, you can stay as you are or drop down to your elbows. Make sure your core is tight and your body is straight. Stay in that position until you no longer can.

Sit-ups- You can add a twist or other variations if desired.

Up-Downs/Body Builders- There are two different variations of this workout that can be used for beginners or more advanced individuals.

• Up-Downs- For beginners, simply from a standing position crouch down and push your feet out so you will be in a plank position. Then jump your feet back in and return to the standing position.
• Body Builders- Advanced, from the standing position crouch down and push your feet out until you are in the plank position. From here you will do a push-up, bring your feet back underneath you and return to the standing position. From here you will jump straight up and reaching your hands above your head. This process is then repeated.

Mountain Climbers- From the plank or standing position, bring your knees to your chest in a running motion. Continue for 30 sec to 1 min.

Be sure to know your limits and be sure you are doing the workouts correctly. Don't hurt yourself.

Burn Calories Faster With Full Body Moves

Burn Calories faster with full body moves

Everybody today wants weight loss results faster. The fact of the matter is the only way you are going to see results is to burn more calories than you take in. To burn more calories than you eat you have to workout. However, you do not need to do the usual boring lifts that only focus on one muscle group at a time. It is common sense that the more you move, the more calories you can burn. So why not do workouts that involve moves that make you move your whole body? Not only will you burn more calories, but by working more muscle groups with one move, you can also cut the amount of time you workout in half. In fact, by doing full body moves you can burn the same amount of calories in 10 minutes that would take you close to 20-30 minutes to do when only lifting one muscle group at a time. Below you can see a short list of full body moves that can help you burn more calories faster:

Lunge with a twist- Start by lunging forward, once at the bottom of the lunge twist your body to the knee that is out in front of you. Return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite leg. This works your legs as well as your core.

Squat with a military press- Standing with a dumbbell of your choice in each hand keeping your back straight squat down as far as you can go, do not hurt yourself! Then stand back up and press the dumbbells above your head. This workout will work your legs as well as your shoulders, arms, and back.

Body Builders- With your feet shoulder-width apart, squat, thrust your legs back, do a pushup, pull your legs back under, and jump as high as you can out of the squat position (alt. do jumping jack).

Side Lunge Kick- Lunge out with your left leg to the left side of your body. On your way back to the starting position, with your right leg kick to the right side of your body.

If you would like to know more moves that incorporate multiple muscle groups in one move let me know, or google full body workout moves to help you find more. 

Working out- Tips to get back in the game

I know how it feels to walk into a gym and be completely overwhelmed with all the different pieces of equipment and even with all the other people around you. You may feel out of place and insecure about yourself; however, the fact that you made the decision to actually go there says a lot about yourself! Don't let fit people at the gym intimidate you into not going back. Everybody has to start somewhere. Make sure you set up a workout schedule and follow it! DON'T QUIT!

Basic tips to make sure you are successful at the gym. 

First make sure you are not lifting too much or too little. This is a very easy mistake to do and it is easily correctable. In determining if you are lifting too much, typically the minimum amount of reps you do each set should be 8. If you cannot get 8 reps you are trying to lift too much weight and should drop down a few pounds. To determine if the weight is too light, you want to be able to get a good burn within 10-15 reps. If you hit 15 reps and still don't feel fatigued the weight is probably t0o light and you could put a few more pounds on there.

Know what works better for you, free weights or machines. I personally like free weights because not only does it work the muscle you are trying to work, but it also works a lot of little stabilizing muscles. These muscles are very beneficial to preventing injury and can also help you perform better in sports or other activities. However, don't hurt yourself using free weights if you do not know the proper lifting forms. It is very important that you know the proper lifting form before you try a workout. If you need help, ask anybody working there to give you a spot or just check your form, they will help you. If you do not know the proper forms or just don't feel comfortable doing it, feel free to use the machines.

Muscle Groups- On days you go to the gym be sure you are not lifting the same muscles as the day before. Your muscles need a day or two to recover so lifting different muscle groups different days is very beneficial. Typically its upper body one day lower body the next. However, if you are going to the gym everyday you can separate the upper body into two days doing the pushing muscles one day (chest/triceps) followed up by the pulling muscles the next day (biceps/back) and finally ending in lower body on the third day. DON'T FORGET YOUR LOWER BODY- I see it more times than not people only want to work on their arms and upper body because those are the "glamour muscles" or the muscles that everybody can see. But having a strong lower body is essential for  your bodies performance. Not to mention you look funny when you have a HUGE upper body and your legs look like tooth picks. 

Women- Don't be scared to lift heavier weights in fear of having too big of muscles. I hear it all the time that women stick to lighter weights so that they don't "bulk up". The reality of it is this just won't happen. In fact by lifting slightly heavier weights you will gain a little muscle. I'm not telling you to start maxing out but instead of the usual 5-10 pounds, try doing 15 or just slightly more. By building a little muscle, it will in turn make you look more toned and defined which is what most people want!

WATER- Lastly do not forget to hydrate! Keeping your body hydrated ensures you are performing at the best of your capabilities and you do not get light-headed and pass out in the middle of the gym!

Benefits of Plyometrics

Benefits of Plyometrics

The key to every athlete’s performance is balance, speed, and power. There are several different workouts and techniques that are guaranteed to help you slim down, run faster, jump higher, increase strength, have a strong core, and become the athlete you want to be. The best-known solution to helping you increase in all these categories is plyometrics. Plyometrics are the combination of several workouts that include moving your feet quickly (speed), jumping, muscle conditioning and strength (power), and core strength (balance). By combining these into one circuit, you get an awesome workout that is guaranteed to help increase your performance in no time. Don’t believe me? Go watch any professional sports team train. You will see them doing a lot of exercises that involve them doing quick explosive drills otherwise known as plyometrics. During these workouts, you typically use more than just one set of muscles, which is why plyos are so beneficial. The more muscle groups you use in one move, the more your body has to work, the more calories you burn, the faster you see results. A plyometric circuit is the best workout to guarantee you see results fast.  Plyos are usually very intense and can take a toll on your joints and muscles which is why it is essential for you to warm up and stretch before you begin your workout. Also, ensure you are doing each move correctly with the proper form to also help prevent injury. There are many different plyometric workouts that can help you increase all aspects of your performance. Below I will list several different plyometric moves that can be placed into one circuit to help your overall performance. The plyometric moves are as follows:

·         

       Butt Kickers

·         High Knees

·         Ladder Drills

o   In and outs

o   Icky’s

o   High knee through ladder

o   Lateral high knees- (sideways)

o   2in-2out

o   One legged hops

o   Ski jumps

·         Skip Kicks

·         Mummy Kicks

·         Jump Tucks

·         Vertical Jumps

·         Lateral Bounds

·         Split Jumps

·         Box Jumps

·         Dot Drill

This is just a small list of available moves. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to comment below! If you do not know how to do these moves, simple explanations and step by step guides can be found on Google. 

Circuit Training - Benefits and Common Mistakes

It is proven again and again that circuit training is a very powerful technique to help see results faster. Now pretty much any workout can be considered a circuit since most of the time people go from one workout to another in a somewhat ordered processes; however, there are several mistakes or key elements that people forget about when they hit the gym.

One of the most important aspects that people forget about is keeping your heart rate up. I see it ALL the time, people go in do one set, get up and then like 3 minutes later do another set. Sure if all you're trying to do is build muscle this will work, but in terms of getting an overall workout you're doing very little. In order to burn calories and hopefully lose weight, you have to keep your heart rate up. To do this, you must have limited breaks in between sets. I'm not saying do one set after another after another but instead limit your break between sets to 30 seconds or 1 minute.  Circuits are designed to be fast paced which in turn gives you an awesome muscle-building, calorie burning workout.

The second element that I believe is very important is mixing up the types of lifts or activities being done in the workout. I'm sure many people have heard of the term muscle confusion training. For those of you who have not, basically it's where you never do the same workout over and over. Your body gets use to things and eventually the workout will not be as effective. There for by mixing up the activities in each workout, you in turn get better results.

Overall circuit training can be very beneficial. By decreasing the down time in between sets, this keeps the heart rate up giving you not only the strength training you wanted but also gives you some endurance and cardio training as well. Having your heart rate up the whole time also increases the amount of calories you burn during your workout. Lastly and one big reason I love circuits so much is keeping the pace fast, this decreases the amount of time your total workout takes! There are many many different circuits and fine tuning them to your level of fitness is key. Know your limits and make sure you keep good form. I will be posting circuits I have personally created and or found in the past which will hopefully help others in their training.

Obesity Rate Sore

Obesity Rates Sore interesting link I found on the obesity rate.

Tips to Prevent Injury While Working Out

Tips to prevent injury while working out

One of the biggest issues when beginners start training and working out is that they end up getting hurt. There are several main reasons why this happens.

The first big reason why people get hurting when working out is that they have improper form. They do not know exactly how to do each workout so they are placing extra weight and pressure on joints and muscles. This usually ends up in a muscle strain or pull, but occasionally in a worst-case scenario, you may see bones, ligaments, or tendons break.  To prevent this make sure you have a guide on how to do each workout, a gym employee, or a trainer look over you and make sure you are doing it right. Do not rush your workouts either, keep good form over doing one or two extra reps. This is the simplest way to prevent injury that only takes a couple minutes to do.

The second reason why people get hurt in the gym is trying to lift too much. Know your limits and know how much you can or can’t lift. If you try to lift too much, you are more likely to strain or pull a muscle, which will just set your training back even more. So make sure you have a spotter when lifting and make sure you are not lifting too much to help prevent injury.

The nest reason people get hurt is not properly warming up. Before working out you should warm up your muscles and joints. This can be anything from running for 5 minutes to doing some simple jumping jacks or so on. Warming up your body is essential to ensure everything is ready for the workout you are about to put it though. A warm up is something quick that gets your blood flowing so do not skip over this step.

Another reason why people get hurt is because they do not stretch enough or stretch the right way. This is especially important if you are planning to do cardio. It is very easy to pull a muscle while doing cardio so make sure after your warm up you stretch good. To make a stretch beneficial to you, you have to hold it for a minimum of 20-30 seconds. Anything less than that does very little.  In addition, it has been shown that stretching after a workout is equally as important as stretching before a workout. By stretching after a workout, you help break up and release built up acids in your muscles, which actually helps speed up the recovery of your muscles, and helps prevent you from being as sore the next day.