The "Baby It's Cold Outside" At Home Circuit

Mother Nature decided to play this awesome trick on me. It looks a little something like this.

Does that look/feel familiar to you? Yowza. Not my favorite kind of joke. With temperatures that make your breath freeze in mid air the second you step outside, it can be MUCH easier to get your sweat on indoors. My mom and sis and I did this workout when I was visiting in Texas. It takes about 25 minutes. Quick, sweaty, and to the point. Just the way we like it! Hopefully this at-home circuit workout will help you out!

The "Baby It's Cold Outside" At Home Circuit Workout

30 burpees
30 deep air squats
30 pushups
30 plyometric lunges


20 burpees
20 deep air squats
20 pushups
20 plyometric lunges


10 burpees
10 deep air squats
10 pushups
10 plyometric lunges

*If you get to this point and you are feeling like you wanna push it some more, go through and do 10 again, or drop down to 5 of each!*

1 minute plank hold
10 walkouts to a pushup
1 minute plank hold
10 walkouts to a pushup

*for the walkouts to a pushup you start standing, bend over with straight legs, walk your body out to a pushup position with your hands (feet stay in place) do a pushup, walk your hands back to your feet with straight legs, and stand back up.

You can do this workout anywhere! If you want to add some intensity, do your burpees, air squats, and plyo lunges holding weights, increase your plank time, or add more reps. Speaking of Texas...here are some of my favorite pics from the trip...

Yep. It was a blast! 

Merry Monday Circuit Workout

Merry Monday to you! This morning I was TIRED. We were up late playing Christmas games and laughing, and then all of the sudden....shoot it's 5:00 AM and I'm being beckoned by my alarm clock. My house was chilly and I didn't want to get out of bed...but I did, and I ended up having a killer circuit workout this morning that I thought I'd share!
In case you were wondering...this is what Monday looks like at my house...mid-day, wrapped up in a blanket, hood on, writing up a storm. Don't let this pic fool you...it has actually been a fabulous day!

Merry Monday Circuit Workout

15 32" box jumps
15 Pull ups with the TRX
15 DB squats with a curl
*repeat 3 times*

40 rope slaps (with the heavy industrial ropes)
15 Med ball snatches with a burpee (18 lb med ball)
20 alternating walking lunges with a curl (20 lb db's)
*repeat 3 times*

...and the grand finale heart rate killer...
20 kettle bell high sumos with 25 lb KB
10 Burpees
*repeat twice through with no break*

This workout took me about 40-45 minutes. I try to take as few breaks as possible, so my heart rate stays high! Although I was freezing and tired, it felt good to get a GREAT sweat in! The key to outwitting the holiday hype of weight gain is to keep up with the healthy habits you know and love so much! You may be busy, and you more than likely tired...but I promise...It's worth it!!

A Circuit for Sweating and Strengthening

So. This is me at work. I'm not going to lie...I kinda love where I work. :)

We were doing a circuit workout that was killer! I say "we" all the time with my clients...and they always make fun of me for it. For example, I'll say..."Ok, next we are going to do a plank series," and they always say..."oh are WE?" Because they are actually going to do it while I time them through it. I still feel involved? Anyways...Here is the circuit WE did on Monday.

Set #1 - (repeat this twice)
1 minute sprint
1 minute pushups
1 minute of squats with heavy dumbbells (at least 20 lbs)
1 minute of pull ups from the ground with the TRX
1 minute of plank slides with the towel

Set #2 - (repeat this twice)
12 Single arm lunge, row, curl, press with dumbbell on the right (With these you step back into a lunge with your right leg, row with your right arm, stand, curl with your right arm, and press with your right arm. Repeat on the same side)
12 Single arm lunge, row, curl, press with dumbbell on the left
low side stepping squats right (1 length of the floor)
low side stepping squats left (1 length of the floor)
1 minute plank 

Set #3 - (repeat this twice)
20 plank hip dips  (start in regular plank and touch hips to each side)
15 slow release/reverse sit ups (start sitting up and slowly roll back and then come up, 3 cts each way)
20 cherry pickers

cool down/stretch!
It's a killer work out! Try it :)

Overcoming Plateaus

To Plateau: To reach a state of little or no change after a time of activity or progress. Sound familiar to anyone? I hear a lot about plateaus from a lot of people in regards to losing weight. A stint of progress gets halted and frustration sets in. There are many different reasons why people reach plateaus in weight loss. Usually it has something to do with falling into a routine of doing the same things exercise-wise, eating the same foods over and over, decreasing in focus, letting small bad habits sneak back in, etc.

The truth of the matter is that the body wants to be as efficient as possible. When a person does the same exercise routine over and over it becomes easier. The body becomes accustomed to what it is doing because it is becoming more efficient at it. This is why I believe that it is very difficult to run a great deal and lose weight. This is also why I am such a believer in interval and circuit training. By keeping the body constantly challenged and guessing you will never reach the point where the body is comfortable. Hence, you will fight reaching a plateau.

This can happen with food as well. However, I think more to the effect that people fall into a less strict place where they let bites, licks, chews, handfuls, and tastes of foods they probably shouldn't eat sneak back into their diet. While it may seem like little tastes and handfuls shouldn't matter or make that much of a difference, they are usually just the perfect amount of excess calories to keep you from making any progress. Think about it, a few hundred calories here and there add up.

NOW. If you relate to knowing what a plateau is, you probably would like to know how to get over that plateau and on with your progress. These tips may help you to shake things up and get losing!

1) Stop with the monotonous cardio. Make your cardio count. You can KILL some calories quickly if you do it right. Intervals and circuits are where its at my friends. Get your heart beating!

Here we have my darling mom and sis working at some KILLER circuits! 

2) Be perfectly consistent. Yep...I just posted all about how important it is to be consistent and here I am saying it again. This is because it makes all the difference. One week of solid effort is not going to do much for you, unless that one week translates into another week...and then another. Give your body a chance to adapt to your new way of living. It will respond.

3) Make your meals count. Eating Habits make all the difference. If you aren't seeing success in your weight loss, the chances are that you are not eating as well as you think you are. I hate to say it...but your sneaking bites here and there aren't helping you. They actually do count.

4) Go to bed. The body needs sleep, and not sleeping can be a big part of your reason for a lack of progress. Your body needs that time to recharge and repair itself. On top of the need for sleep, not having sleep can cause people to fall into some poor eating habits, lack of exercise, and will definitely sway a person to feel as if they "don't care" and will "start over tomorrow." That mindset will NEVER get you anywhere.

5) GET RE-MOTIVATED! One major part of overcoming plateaus is finding the motivation to get going! Once you see some progress, the progress itself helps increase motivation, but the initial boost to get going can be difficult! Set some goals, and DECIDE to make them happen. You really can do it. It is all about how bad you really want it.

Sore Legs are Happy Legs: A Killer Circuit Workout!

I LOVED my workout yesterday. I usually like my workouts, but for some reason I really LOVED yesterday's. It was challenging and it went by really quickly! I was sweating like crazy, and I am now super sore, which is not the norm for me. It felt great! It went a little something like this...

Alternate through the first three sets three times, and then finish with the fourth set of core work. The pull ups can be done on an assisted pull up machine, or can be replaced with bent over rows if you are doing this workout at home! I used a 25 lb dumbbell for my clean to press, but you can use whatever weight works for you!

Happy Sweating! 

Don't forget, there is only a few more days to enter the August Anthems Mix Giveaway!

A Simple Jump Rope Dumbbell Circuit

Sometimes being home in AZ really is just the best. I woke up this morning and laid in bed, which is SUCH a luxury to me. Usually the moment my alarm goes off I have to sprint out of bed to get to work in the wee hours of the morning. Not today. I stayed there for a bit...read for a bit...played on my phone...and then decided to get up and get my work out on.

This morning's workout was simple. All I needed were these two things.

The workout went a little something like this...

I used 15 lb dumbbells, but you can increase or decrease weight to make it more difficult. The key is to go from one exercise to the next without resting too much in between. This is an awesome full body workout that requires very little equipment, which makes it so you can do it anywhere!

Today's post-workout activities consisted of shopping, shopping, and more shopping. We did a number on the Fashion Square mall. 

Maybe I should say that mall did a number on us...It is so massive, and we were so tired after. So tired that we decided that we needed to do some post-shopping refueling. Naturally, we decided to stop by Yogurtland.

 So tasty. I think it tasted especially good because it is 111 degrees here. Let's be honest, it always tastes good!

July's Muncher Cruncher 30 Move Killer Circuit!

It's here! Remember how all of July I threw all sorts of new moves at you? Well, it's time to put them all together! This is a KILLER circuit workout that will surely get your heart rate up and have you sweating!

There are a few ways that you can use it...
- Time yourself trying to get through it as quickly as you can. Work to beat your personal best time each time you go through it.
- Try to see how many times you can get through it! You just may surprise yourself
- Make it part of your running workout and add a .25 mile or .5 mile sprint throughout the workout.
**If you would like a description of what each item is you can click HERE and look back through July's posts. All of the exercises have descriptions!**

I would LOVE to hear your results if you try it out! Post your time and/or how many times you make it through the entire workout in the comments! Happy sweating!!

Jump it!

I have discovered a love for jump roping. Ok, I should maybe say that I have rediscovered a love for jump roping, because I am quite certain that my 8 year old self was a jump roping fool. I have most certainly been passing my rediscovered love on to my clients, and I have been throwing jump roping intervals in to everyone's workouts. Jump roping is an AWESOME way to quickly spike that heart rate up, and it definitely works your full body while doing so.

(Image Source) 

 Jump roping is also awesome because you can do it anywhere! If you are vacationing, take a jump rope with you and you will instantly have a workout plan wherever you may be. You can burn anywhere form 11-20 calories per minute when you jump rope. Meaning...if you throw in one minute jumping intervals here and there, you will be amping up that calorie burn a ton!

You can use a cheap-o jump rope that only costs a few dollars, or you can get a leather one that is a little more costly. There are jump ropes that will count your number of jumps, and you can even find ones with weighted handled that will increase your workout! So easy, so portable, so awesome!

If you are wanting to add some jump roping into your workout regimen, here are a few things you can do...
- Time yourself to see how long you can go without mis-stepping. Try to beat your record.
- Add in one or two minute intervals into a weight lifting workout
- Do one hundred jumps in between weight lifting sets
- Try to jump for two minutes, and then recover for one. Repeat this several times.
- Take your kids outside and have a jump roping party!
- Put on your favorite tunes and try to jump for a full song!
- Try some double unders! (Passing the rope under your feet twice with every jump)

Day#27: 27 double unders

Of course, with the theme of today's post, the challenge has to do with jump roping. Twenty seve double unders in a row. See THIS video if you need an explanation of what they are!

We Gone and Done It Again

Today was round two of our at home circuit workouts. This morning my fabulous sister Linds joined in as well. I love being able to work out with everyone! It is so much fun :)

Our workout today went like this...

3 rounds of the following...
- Jump Rope 100 times
- 20 front to back single leg squats on the right leg w/the TRX
- 20 front to back single leg squats on the left leg w/the TRX
- 12 squats, 12 rear rows, 12 bicep curls (with 15 lbs DB's)
- 10 inchworm push ups

2 rounds of the following...
- 30 seconds of mountain climbers
- 30 second regular plank
- 30 second elevated plank
- 30 toe pick crunches

finish with a grand finale of 15 pushups :)

It was a great workout that took us about 40 mins again. Keep in mind that in between some of these exercises we are wrangling children! I love that my sisters little kids want to be in on the workout with us. We got to talking about how having kids at home can make getting a workout in difficult. Leaving to go to the gym may be impossible, and little kids love to interrupt a good workout session at home. Obviously, I haven't ever dealt with this issue, but I asked my sis what helps her to get her workouts in.

Her answer was that she makes her workouts a priority. It is SO easy to have something come up, to give an excuse, and to let something else take priority over exercise, but you HAVE to decide how bad you want it! My sister tries to exercise when her kids go to school or nap, so that she can have some time to herself. She said it helps that she has a treadmill and some weights at home, because getting to gym is really hard to do. She does a lot of my at home circuit workouts that you can do ANYWHERE, and with just about anything. I loved her suggestions!

How do you get a workout in with kids at home, or when your real life schedule gets the best of your time?

Wednesday Workout: Get Your Circuit On!

It is no secret that I love a good circuit workout. In fact, I am STOKED to get this marathon over with so I can get back to my circuit loving self. I know a lot of you have come to love the circuit as well...so without further ado...Wednesday's workout.

Warm up 5-10 minutes (walking/jogging/elliptical)

Set #1
15 burpees with a push up and a jump
1 minute plank hold
20 quick air squats (these are just regular squats with no weights)
**repeat 3 times**

Set #2
15 squat curl presses w/DB
15 pushups
40 slow mountain climbers
**repeat 3 times**



Set #3
15 kettle bell swings (this can be done holding a single dumbbell as well)
20 jump squats
15 narrow push ups (with arms right by your sides targeting your triceps)

**repeat 3 times**


Finish with a ten minute bout of cardio of your choice at full exertion (AKA really push it!)

There you have it!! Now go and get your circuit on!

PROOF: You don't need a lot of equipment to get your sweat on.

Happy Tuesday Y'all! Like I think I'm from Texas or something? I hope the start to your week has been great. Although coming home from vacation is always a little bit rough, I am always glad to get back into my own eating and exercise routine.

This morning my workout was extremely simple, but killer. I have done workouts similar to this one in the past, but anything combined with 8,000,000,000 burpees is always a guaranteed sweat fest.  All you need for this workout is a kettle bell or a dumbbell. Which means, you can do this workout ANYWHERE.

 (Image Source)

I used a 20 lb Kettlebell for my workout. I would recommend 15 lbs at least, but if you are just starting out, or you don't have anything else, go with 10 or 12 pounds. If you are using a single dumbbell, just hold one hand on top of the other and swing it that way. You only need to know two exercises for this workout.

1) The Kettlebell swing
2) The Burpee 

Kettlebell Burpee Pyramid Workout
To begin the progression you will do:
20 kettle bell swings
1 burpee

19 kettlebell swings
2 burpees

18 kettlebell swings
3 burpees

17 kettlebell swings
4 burpees

16 kettlebell swings
5 burpees

15 kettlebell swings
4 burpees

14 kettlebell swings
5 burpees

13 kettlebell swings
6 burpees

12 kettlebell swings
7 burpees

11 kettlebell swings
 8 burpees

10 kettlebell swings
9 burpees

9 kettlebell swings
10 burpees...

And you continue on until you get to
1 kettlebell Swing
20 burpees
 
It is VERY simple. It is VERY killer. I was sweating like crazy by the time I finished, and I can already tell you I'm going to be sore.  You should try it, such a great challenge!!
Warning: You may feel this way after... 

Add caption

I have such a love/hate relationship with burpees. They are SO dang hard, but they are SUCH an awesome workout. My clients probably think I love them. ;) 

ALSO...
We are offering one more FREE Barre Bootcamp class at The Lab tomorrow. It has been such a fun class, and we have had a great turnout. Come and try it if you are in the neighborhood. It starts at 7:00. Let me know if you have any questions!


How do YOU feel about burpees? Try this circuit out. It'll get ya!

May Minute Circuit

I am all about maximizing workout time. There aren't always hours to spare working out, sometimes there isn't even an hour to spare. This minute circuit workout is great because you can go for as long or as short as you'd like.  If you only have a quick twenty minutes you can bust through it full force four times and be done. If you are wanting to go longer you can add in some more rounds!

Grab
1) a timer
2) a jump rope
3) some dumbbells
4) Stairs/a bench/a chair

*try to get in a 2-5 minute warm up if you can*

MINUTE #1:00
Step ups with a shoulder press. Use your step and your dumbbells. Alternate legs as you step up and press your weights all the way overhead at the top. Go for the entire minute. Keep control, but go as quick as you can.

MINUTE #2:00
Push up Jumping Jacks. Get into a push up position. Do one full push up and then jump your legs out wide and back in. Follow with another push up and another leg jack. Etc. Keep your abs and core tight.

MINUTE #3:00
Jump rope. Keep it as consistent as you can! Aim to get your heart rate up! 

MINUTE #4:00
Squat, Curl, Press w/dumbbells. Stand with your legs hip width apart, and your dumbbells in both hands. Squat down, come to standing position, do a bicep curl, and then press overhead. Repeat for the full minute. 

MINUTE #5:00
Plank Rows. Get into an extended plank position with your weights on the inside of your hands. Grab one weight and row back with your elbow. Set the weight back down and switch arms. Repeat this for the full minute.

**Repeat this circuit as many times as you have time for!**

A KILLER TUESDAY Circuit. Why? Because I said so.

Isn't it about time for a new circuit? That is what I thought. Today's circuit is an AWESOME calorie burner. It will have you sweating, burning tons of calories, and burning fat. All. Good. Things. The point of this circuit is for you to keep your heart rate high the WHOLE time. The quicker you bust through these exercises, the better. My recommendation? Pump up the energizing jams and picture yourself busting through these exercises like the athlete you are. Get ready...this is a fun one. :)

5 minute warm up (jog, elliptical, jumping jacks, etc.)

REPEAT THIS 3 TIMES
- 20 Box Jumps (You can do these on a bench/stairs/chair/or box platform. You want to jump up and land with both feet on the bench and then back down on the ground. No resting!)
- 15 Up downs (standing position, hands on the ground, jump feet back laying body flat on the ground face down, feet jump in and stand up)
- 15 push ups

REPEAT THIS 3 TIMES
- 40 high knees (20 on each side)
- 15 Squat curl presses with dumbbells/bar/medicine ball
- 1-2 minute plank

REPEAT THIS 3 TIMES 
- 20 squat jumps
- 20 walking lunges holding dumbbells
- 15 burpees (standing position, jump back to push up position, pushup, feet jump in, jump up hands in the air)

REPEAT THIS 3 TIMES AS FAST AS YOU CAN
- 15 push ups
- 15 cherry pickers on each side
- 40 quick mountain climbers

Wipe of your sweat, and pat yourself on the back because YOU'RE DONE!!
This will be a KILLER, but it is so doable. These are the types of workouts that give you results because your heart rate is high, you are burning calories, you are working ALL of your muscle groups, and you are busting out that cardio all at the same time. TRY IT!!

Oh...and do you know what is glorious...this is.

Do you like circuit workouts? Do you want more of them??  I am a huge fan because they are so efficient, and I think they are a heck of a lot more fun to do!

Make Your Efforts Count

I hope your Love Day was LOVEly. Mine looked something like this...

Last week I had a client that was running behind due to the chaos that life can bring, and she ended up being able to make it for about 20 minutes of her session with me. At first she was bummed because she thought she missed out on burning lots of calories. I assured her quickly that you don't always need lots of time to get a great workout in. You can easily put 100 percent effort into a short workout and get some intense work done. Heck, I think sometimes people who spend three hours at the gym are wasting their time. I bet if you asked my client if she felt like her 20 minute HIIT workout was efficient she would say yes.

My tips for a quick and effective workout...
- Go big or go home. Use heavier weights, put forth maximum effort, and really make sure you are pushing yourself. (Safely, of course)
- Add in some cardio intervals. By adding in some cardio bursts you will be keeping your heart rate as high as you can. This helps you to burn the maximum amount of calories possible. Some good cardio burst exercises are jump squats, burpees, mountain climbers, or a quick sprint.
- Alternate exercise sets. I ALWAYS do this. ALWAYS. While one muscle group is resting I work another muscle group. I never just sit and recover. That is time wasted. If I just worked my legs doing squats, I'll allow my legs to rest while I am doing pushups, working my arms. Get it? Got it.
- Make your exercises multipurpose. This is another thing I ALWAYS do. Squats with an overhead press or doing an arm exercise while balancing on one foot to engage the core. When you make the most of your exercises you can fit a ton in to a short time period.

Don't let time be an excuse for not exercising. You don't have to have hours to spare. You just have to be willing to push yourself for the time that you do have.

Click HERE to see some of my previous circuit workouts that include all of these principles!

Do you include HIIT training into your workouts? How do you make your workouts as effective as possible?

"I Don't Need you!" - The Weights-Less Workout.

Sometimes working out at a gym is not an option. Sometimes all you have is your own living room...and hopefully an iPod to blast your favorite jams, because let's be honest, what kind of a workout is it if you aren't blasting your favorite jams? Here is a workout you can do at home, in the hotel, or even at the gym if you'd like. It's a great way to mix up your workouts and challenge yourself!

The "I don't need you!!" Workout
15 Burpees with a push up and a jump
30 plyometric lunges
15 pushups
1 minute plank
**repeat this 3 times**

15 stand-crawl-plank (Start standing, place your hands on the ground and walk forward into a plank, walk your hands back to your feet with straight legs and stand back up)
15 single leg squats on the right leg
15 single leg squats on the left leg
1 minute plank
**repeat this 3 times**

20 jump squats
15 pushups
20 cherry pickers
1 minute plank
**repeat this 3 times**

GRAND FINALE...if you can hack it ;)
15 more burpees with a push up and a jump
1 minute plank (alternate lifting one foot off the ground every 15 seconds)
15 more pushups

DONE!!

Good Luck :)

Post Christmas Circuit Workout

I was so ready to workout this morning. So ready. Luckily, my mom and sisters felt the same way, so we made it a group effort. We did a circuit workout that went like this...

Post Christmas Circuit Workout

2 minute sprint on treadmill
2 minutes plank
2 minutes kettle bell swings with 25 lb kettlebell
2 minutes of push ups

1 minute sprint on treadmill
1 minute plank
1 minute kettle bell swings with 25 lb kettlebell
1 minute of push ups

2 minute sprint on treadmill
2 minutes burpees
2 minutes squat rows with the cables (40 lbs on stacks)
2 minutes step ups with a bicep curl (15 lb dbs)

1 minute sprint on treadmill

1 minute burpees
1 minute squat rows with the cables (40 lbs on stacks)

1 minute step ups with a bicep curl (15 lb dbs)

30 second sprint (as fast as you can go)
90 seconds ab work
30 second sprint
90 seconds ab work

Done!

I also made it a point to record my calories today. EVERY. SINGLE. BITE. It is the best thing to get me back on track as far as my eating goes. I highly recommend it if you feel like you are needing a kick in the pants in the right direction.

Yay for sweaty pictures with no makeup :) 

Did you get a Post-Christmas workout in?

The 12 Days of Christmas Circuit Workout

Today has been a complete whirlwind...but in a 10 hours in the car kind of a way.
Woke up at 5:00 AM.
Trained until 11:00.
Met my dad. Hopped in his car. Drove to Arizona.
Voila.

This morning one of my darling clients allowed me to put her through a "12 days of Christmas Circuit Workout."

It goes a little something like this.

On the 12th day of Christmas my favorite trainer gave to me...
12 Burpees
12 Row Pull ups
12 Med ball Squat/Throw/Thrust
12 Push Ups

On the 11th day of Christmas my favorite trainer gave to me...

11 Burpees
11 Row Pull ups
11 Med ball Squat/Throw/Thrust
11 Push Ups

On the 10th day of Christmas my favorite trainer gave to me...

10 Burpees
10 Row Pull ups
10 Med ball Squat/Throw/Thrust
10 Push Ups

On the 9th day of Christmas my favorite trainer gave to me...

9 Burpees
9 Row Pull ups
9 Med ball Squat/Throw/Thrust
9 Push Ups

and so on and so forth...until you get to one! Get it?
It keeps your heart rate up pretty high, but if you'd like to add an extra challenge you could throw in a 1-2 minute sprint in between each, "day"

I'm exhausted...ready for bed...and ready to NOT wake up to an alarm tomorrow. WAHOO! Tomorrow will be full of helping my mom with finishing touches for Christmas!

Don't forget...you have until this Saturday, December 24th to enter the Ultimate December Mix Giveaway...in which I'm giving away a copy of a mix from each month this year.

One year ago today...There really is no place like home for the holidays...a post with a few more great holiday survival tips. 

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 6

Efficiency is a HUGE thing for me at the gym. You will not see me hanging out at the gym shooting the breeze whomever will chat with me and taking fifteen minute rests between sets. I think I'd go crazy if I did so actually. I like to get to the gym, workout, and get home. I love working out, and sometimes a good long workout is like medicine for my soul. However, I'm all about doing whatever I can to maximize my workout time and get the most bang for my caloric bucks (and my time of course.) During the holiday season, finding time to workout can be tough,  but it is doable. When you do find that time you don't want to waste it lallygagging around the gym. You want to make sure you are getting in, and getting it done as efficiently as possible.

(Image Source)
 Tip #6: Make Your Workouts Count.

Trying to get a quick workout in doesn't have to mean you don't work up a good sweat and burn a ton of calories. You can definitely do both! My longtime readers know I am a HUGE fan of circuit training and HIIT. It is the best thing you can do for fat loss, it's a great calorie burner, and it is a great way to keep your workouts interesting. I have posted a ton of circuit training workouts and a lot of info on interval training as well. If you are looking for a good way to get in a good sweat and burn a ton of calories while doing so try some of these workouts out!

I did a great full body circuit yesterday that went a little something like this...

10 minute warm up on the treadmill
15 assisted pullups
24 alternating rows with a deep lunge (12 on each side/20 lb DB)
15 squats with a curl (20 lb DB's)
2 minute sprint 
(repeat 3 times)


20 single leg squat to walking lunges with 2 push ups at the bottom (I may have to show these sometimes soon. They are KILLER.) Twenty feels like 300.
15 Overhead tricep presses
2 minute sprint
(repeat 3 times)

20 minute set of intervals in the elliptical
Finish with wiping off your sweat. Cause you'll need to... 

Side note...Tonight my sister Linds arrived for a little weekend visit. I have missed her SO much since she moved with her fam to Austin, and I was thrilled to see her! She has been my little pseudo mother most of the time I've been in Provo because my parents moved to Arizona. We headed straight to Yogurtland after her arrival, and I can tell you one thing. Me + My fam + frozen yogurt = happiness. 

Please excuse the crappy blackberry photo...sometimes you have to take what you can get!

Are you a fan of circuit training? If you haven't tried it you most definitely should! I do a lot of HIIT with my clients and it gets results!

Click HERE to catch up on all of this months Healthy Holiday Tips

Filthy Fifty

When I am home my family members like to put themselves at the mercy of my workouts. Although I definitely enjoy the alone time a good cardio session can bring, when it comes to weight training I think it is so much more fun to workout with other people. Maybe it is because I enjoy being able to complain about how hard things can be with others who are feeling the same. Who knows? I think it just makes time go by so much faster. 

I have a lot of friends who are doing Crossfit right now. A lot of my circuits follow the same high intensity interval training that is the basis behind Crossfit. It is basically a quick, intense, all out way of working out. I am always reading up on different methods of exercise, and trying out new workouts, and I like a lot of the things incorporated in Crossfit type workouts. In my reading this past week I came across a Crossfit workout called the "Filthy Fifty." I have had a couple friends tell me it's a killer, so I wanted to give it a try. Yesterday morning my mom and sister were on board to try it out.

So, while watching The Biggest Loser, we got our sweat on.

We had to make a few modifications from the original Filthy Fifty, but our workout went like this...

50 Box jumps on a 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups (assisted)
50 Kettlebell swings (done with 20 lb DB)
50 Walking Lunges alternating legs 
50 Hanging Knees to elbows
50 Push press

50 Back extensions on physio ball with DB rear fly added in
50 Wall ball shots with a medicine ball

50 Burpees

Let me tell you...those 50 burpees are the cherry on top. If a cherry is comparable big spikey thorn poking you in the eye...painful, but oh so good. Oh, and yes...my mom did all 50 burpees. She is a maniac...in such a good way.

 

Sweaty. Make up-less. Done. 

I love family workouts.

Do you like working out with other people? Do you ever do high intensity interval training? Do you have a love/hate relationship with burpees like i do?

The rest of the day was spent helping my mom decorate the house for Christmas. Decorating FIVE trees with extremely tired shoulders is not for the weak my friends. Today will be spent driving from Arizona back to Utah...goooo...Maybe it secretly got warm while I was gone. Here's to wishing huh?

November 28th: Today I am grateful for the opportunity to get to hang out with my family all weekend. They are the best.


One year ago today...Post Thanksgiving Survival Tips

Turkey Burning Circuit Workout

Ok, so this circuit workout has nothing to do with turkeys. Unless of course you do it on Thanksgiving and or after to burn off some of the extra food calories we happen to eat...and then of course it has everything to do with it. Either way, this is a killer circuit. I did it today and I was sufficiently worked to say the least. I also had one of my clients do it tonight.

It goes like this:

30 Hanging Power Cleans (I used a 40 lb bar)
30 Assisted Pull ups (or real pull ups if you are tougher than I am which I am sure a lot of you are)
30 Kettle Bell Swings (I used the 25 lb KB)
30 Burpees (AKA murder)

20 Hanging Power Cleans
20 Assisted Pull ups (or real pull ups if you are tougher than I am which I am sure a lot of you are)
20 Kettle Bell Swings
20 Burpees

10 Hanging Power Cleans
10 Assisted Pull ups
10 Kettle Bell Swings
10 Burpees

I did 60 mins of intervals on the elliptical and then this circuit took me 27 minutes. I was exhausted. Let me rephrase...my body is still exhausted. I'll be interested to see how sore I am or am not. A few things to note about this circuit.

- I loved it. It was hard, but nice to do something different from my usual. 
- Don't be afraid of Hanging Power Cleans, but be sure to do them with proper form.  You could actually do them with DB's if you had to.
- Assisted Pull ups can be swapped with Lat Pull downs if need be. Just be sure the weight is heavy enough.
- A single DB held in both hands can be substituted for a Kettle Bell
- Burpees are really hard, but oh so awesome.

 November 22nd: Today I am grateful that tomorrow I get to go home!! YAY! A much needed break.

One year ago today...an experiment of sorts

Do you get a holiday break? I sure hope so! Do you ever include any power lifts into your workout routine?