Fun little partner workout

This works best/only with a partner. I think Jason deserves a lot of the credit for thinking up this one too. But maybe I helped a little bit.

Pick one person to be partner 1 and one person to be partner 2. Partner 1 begins with running 1 lap around a gym or HPU track. While partner 1 is running, Partner 2 completes the exercise listed with the corresponding number of laps that partner 1 is running (in the first round, obviously, that is 1 lap). As soon as partner 1 finishes said number of laps, partner 2 runs the same number, while partner 1 performs the exercise listed next to that number of laps. Make sense? Let me write it out for you then explain it again:

1 Lap: partner does squat jumps or box jumps (then switch so that the running partner now does the exercises while partner 2 runs 1 lap)
2 laps: partner does jumping lunges or whichever exercise he didn't do last time
3 laps: high knees (easier: squat jacks)
4 laps: burpees (easier: walking lunges)
5 laps: bear crawl (or 3-way knees to elbow plank)
6 laps: do as many reps as possible of one exercise during each lap: 1.) bicycle crunches, 2.) V-ups, 3.) flutter kicks, 4.) Russian twist, 5.) straight leg raise, and 6.) bicycle crunches

Ok, that should make sense now. One partner runs, the other does as many reps as possible of the listed exercise until said partner has run his first set of laps. Switch. Work your way down the list until each partner runs 6 laps while the other does ab exercises for the entire time. This workout is rough, especially if your partner is slow. Choose your buddy wisely.

So, so overdue

It's been forever since I posted a workout and since I apparently have friends who check my blog every now and then hoping I've put up something new (ughmm, Emma), I'll throw this one out there real fast just for kicks:

It's another circuit. I promise I have workouts that aren't. In fact, next one I post won't be one. 'Til then...

Do 4 or 5 rounds, if you can and do them as fast as possible of:

30 double unders (or just use a heavy weighted jump rope)
20 wall ball shots (heavy ball)
10 burpee box jumps
1 minute high knees
2 laps around a gym or HPU track
3 stairwell runs

It starts out feeling easy doesn't it?

Thank Jason for this one

So I should be working on my senior thesis or even the attribute recognition project for strength and conditioning that is going to take me until my 30th birthday to finish, but instead, and in fact to avoid all of that, I'll post you another workout.

This one kicked my butt today. Officially. Thank you Jason because it was his idea.

Do this 4 times, without rest (5 if you can, but I didn't):

1 minute full-out SPRINT on a spin bike (med-high resistance)
5 Hang clean/Front squat (75 lbs, including barbell)
20 One-arm dumbbell snatch, as in 10 each arm (1st set: 40 lbs, 2nd set: 30 lbs, 3rd: 35 lbs, 4th: 30 lbs)
10 Forward giant jumps
40 Calf jumps

It sounds A LOT easier than it is so don't be fooled. Or do and then regret it later.

In case you still need motivation...

If the name of the workout below still doesn't inspire you, by special request, here's a little something for your viewing pleasure:

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

Bootylicious -- The Original

Complete 5 rounds as fast as you can of the following circuit:

1 min spin bike on high resistance, standing up (Pump up the resistance until it's too difficult to pedal sitting down. Stand up, using the handlebars only for balance)

1 min spin bike on low resistance (This is your rest period. Just pedal at a comfortable pace)

1 min spin bike on medium resistance, sprint!! (Turn up the resistance from your easy minute and pedal as fast as you possibly can for the entire 60 seconds)

30 Body-weight Speed Squats (complete these squats without added resistance as fast as you possibly can)

16 Jumping Lunges

12 Navy Push-ups (do a normal or girl push-up then bring one knee to the elbow on the same side. Complete another push-up, then bring the other knee to the other elbow. Keeping going until you've done 12 push-ups total)

25 Bicycle Crunches (every 4 turns counts as one repetition; put another way, every OTHER time one elbow touches the opposite knee, count one rep. If you still don't get it just don't even worry about it.)

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Part 2 (Do 3-4 rounds of these two with 0 rest. This is called a superset.)

30 Double Leg Calf Raises
50 Jumping Jacks


Congratulations! You are now on your way to being bootylicious.

Inspired

So I've been inspired. Finally.

My sister started keeping a blog because she's going to be a famous photographer someday. So I'm going to start keeping up with mine because she's my older sister and everything she does is cool, and thus I want to have one too. Needless to say it will be nowhere near as artistic as hers and probably not half as entertaining, but maybe it will at least inspire you to work out. Or something.

I realized today that more than I miss the paycheck of personal training, I really miss the actually doing it. I miss the people I trained, spending all day in the gym, seeing the same people come at the same time every day and do the same 500 bicep curls in front of the mirror and wonder why they've stopped getting bigger. I miss people asking me for workouts or why their this hurts or their that feels weaker. I miss making up crazy intense workouts that make you wonder why you ever dragged yourself to the gym in the first place.

Realizing this gives me a little bit of hope for my future too. I've spent the last four years trying to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life and have been too scared I'll get bored with whatever I choose to want to commit to it for real (as in, get a full time job doing it). But I think personal training is different. For a year and a half, I never once didn't want to go to work. Never. Not one single time did I ever wish that a session would be over sooner. And I can't say that about any other job I've ever worked.

So maybe I have a future after all. In something other than watching ABC re-runs.

Sarah's Workout

I give all credit for this workout to my friend Sarah. I do not pretend to own the rights to her creativity.

Do each exercise for 50 seconds, then take 10 seconds rest before beginning the next exercise. Complete 4-5 rounds for a total of 20-25 minutes.

Roundhouse kick with left leg, jump down into push-up position (you do not have to do a push-up. If it's too easy, add it. I didn't think it was too easy)

Roundhouse kick with right leg, jump down into push-up position

1-2-3 Push-up (aka Mountain Climber Push-ups: Do 3 mountain climber steps, then a push-up with one leg bent, knee to elbow style. Do 3 more mountain climber steps so that the opposite leg is now bent and do a push-up. Keep going.)

Ninja Jump/Sandbag Squat (begin kneeling on both knees; in one swift movement, jump to your feet. While squatting, pick up a kettle bell or dumbbell you have sitting on one side, stand up with the weight, and squat down to place it by your foot on the side opposite where you picked it up. Keep going, switching the weight to the opposite side each time.)

Wall Climbs/Dive Bombers (Dive bombers: look them up online, they're common, you'll be able to find them; Wall Climbs: Begin in push-up position with feet against a wall. Walk your feet up the wall, bringing your hands in toward the base as well, until you are in a handstand position against the wall, chest touching the wall. Walk yourself slowly back down. And go again.)

This one and the last one were quickies. But they're intense and will get your heart rate up high enough to burn a good amount of calories after you're done while your body is still recovering. That phenomenon is called EPOC for Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. Mini exercise physiology lesson: This means that your body is still consuming oxygen and burning energy as if it is still in exercise mode, even though it's not. So the higher you get your heart rate up during physical activity and the crazier the intensity, the longer it will take for your body to return to lazy, resting mode and, thus, the more calories you will burn post-exercise. Good story. Stay tuned for future educational programming.