Monique St. Pierre Circuit Burnout

Review

I got a great deal on a DVD fitness system, Circuit Burnout, Monique St. Pierre on Amazon for less than $18 with free shipping on my Amazon Prime. Tonight, I decided to try the Total Body DVD. This is a roughly 25 minute video that includes a short warmup and cooldown and a 5 minute bonus round (called the SuperSet) as well. All total, my workout tracked on my heart rate monitor as 29:09. I like to keep my workouts between 20-30 minutes, so this worked perfectly. 

Here's my official stats. Good calorie burn as it was intervals. Average heart rate was 123 and max was 159. I would have liked a higher average, but with the warmup being pretty low key, it wasn't surprising. It took a little bit to get the heart rate up.

The workout was total body, so very much a mixture of things ranging from weights to abs to jumping. A few of the moves I remember include.... curls to shoulder press, plank rows, diamond jumps, ski lunges, and several others. I despised the abs... but I guess that's because it's probably my absolute weakest feature. There was a little bit of jumping at times, though not for very long. They did have a gal doing modifications throughout the video, though.

After the workout... always like seeing some sweat dropping off my hair! :)

I felt like this was a decent workout. Some of the in between times were too long and I felt the need to run in place or do jumping jacks to try to keep my heart rate from dipping too terribly. We'll see how the other 4 DVDs are!

NOTE: The Amazon reviews mention the video quality not being the best. It's true that it probably wasn't filmed in a high dollar studio. The microphone isn't perfect, but the trainer is motivating and this first DVD didn't have any issues for me. However, I don't run it off the DVDs... I have a program I bought called WinX DVD Ripper Platinum that I use to pull the video off the DVDs so I can put it on my tablet that doesn't have a DVD player. There was no skipping or issues for me. But, yes, the quality is not excellent. :)

5-4-3-2-1 Workout

Site for workout

So I was almost headed to the shower when my friend Lea Anne posted this short 15 minute workout. I figured ... why not? :)

Here is the workout. Since I'd already done my treadmill this morning I did the suggested cardio exercises.

Let me tell you.... those squats were BURNING. I mean, ouch!! I did reps on those instead of seconds (15 reps of each back and forth). 

One thing I loved is that the workout really did seem to speed by. I was just using my heart rate watch (my Polar) to watch the time, so I wasn't checking my heart rate along the way, but it never started beeping, meaning I was in range for cardio.

My average heart rare was 139 for the 15 minutes. That's not bad with strength training and a plank in the mix but I guarantee you .... I got my sweat on!  Give it a try sometime if you are short on time!

Backyard Workout

Here's me in my backyard! Today, I read an article about backyard fitness and I thought that was a good idea, but they had you essentially doing boring things in the yard... I mean, planks... whatever. So, to the garage I went looking for props and ideas...

Our list of exercises included:

1. Obstacle course (aka outdoor seating rearranged) w/weight and burpee-- you pick up the kettlebell and then weave in between the furniture and back. Put it down, do a burpee with no pushup, and then repeat.
2. Roundhouse leg kicks-- I found one of those long squirt things and pushed it into the ground. We just did five reps on each leg of kicking over it and then touching the ground and repeat.
3. Chair runs-- two lawn chairs and you run sprints from chair to chair
4. Tree pull lunges-- I had $1 gadget that I put my stretchy band thing on and hung from a tree branch. We just used it to balance and as resistance and stepped into a reverse lunge.
5. Surfer log jumps-- We have a few wooden things in the yard near a tree that you can step on. So, I put a few of those water foam things you float around on and you just jump off the log over them and repeat.
6. Trampoline-- Yard trampoline #1, do what you want (I have a pogo stick... if I didn't have a trampoline that might have been fun...)
7. Racket Ball-- I had an old racquetball raquet and a lightweight kids ball. It was a balance or toss and catch activity (keep it off the ground). I wish I'd have had a badminton racket and shuttlecock. It would have been better.
8. Trampoline-- Yard trampoline #2, do what you want (if I didn't have a yard trampoline, I might have done jump ropes or something like that)
9. Soccer buckets-- I put two buckets as guides. We just run the soccer ball from one to the other and around the bucket.
10. Cooler pull and frisbee run-- I had a cooler that I threw 2-liters in. I set out two frisbees, one to mark a spot and one to use and then set a marker (box) on the other side. You drag the cooler to the frisbee and leave it, pick up the spare frisbee and run to the other spot to drop it, and then repeat. You are either toting the cooler or running the frisbee each time. 

Demo video by my kids--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsaJB__lCSQ&list=UU9wQQEwTOd0KKonVpoxvpAA

As usual, we did 20 rounds (2 full circuits of 10 stations) of 45 seconds on, 15 second rest/transition. My heart rate was 151 average and high of 161, so it stayed rather consistent with no real lows. We did have two stations that were low activity (lunges and leg kicks) but most kept you jumping or jogging. 

So... challenge your kids to find fun ways to exercise in your own backyard!

Another Playground Workout ... Blanchard Elementary

Today, we visited a playground near Southeast Missouri State University-- Blanchard Elementary.

Like our standard playground interval circuit, we came up with 10 stations and worked through the circuit two full revolutions with 45 seconds of activity and 15 seconds of rest for a total of 20 minutes. 

Exercise stations included:

• (on the mat section) Duck walks and Gallop runs
• Ladder up/downs
• Climb and slide
• Climb and monkey bar swing
• Hurdles (or modified assisted cartwheels)
• Swing jumps (or modified zig zag runs)
• Climb and slide (other slide)
• Obstacle course
• (on the concrete slab) High knees, bunny hops, box corner line drills
• Jungle gym climbs (or modified squats or squat hangs)

Check out the demo by my kiddos:

My final heart rate numbers--> average of 150 bpm and max of 167 bpm. And... it was HOT today. Whew.

Fitness Blender Cardio, Abs and Butt workout Red light Green light

Here is my red face after this workout. Don't let my numbers fool you... though I averaged in the 130s heart rate, that is due to the fact that they work in ab intervals where you are on the ground and thus, your heart rate drops down. It was a really nice interval training!

My numbers:  132 heart rate average with a high of 156 bpm

Total workout time as just over 25 minutes; that included a warm-up. No cool down was provided.

Essentially, this workout had some more "combination" cardio intervals (such as jumping jacks with a squat in between or  flutter kicks with a squat and 180 degree turn) so they weren't boring. I wasn't a huge fan of some of the ab exercises, but they did "hurt" or rather tire out my abs or obliques, so I guess they were effective.

What was cool about this workout was what they called "red light, green light" and that means that each exercise sequence would be a certain length (I can't remember if it was 120 or 180 seconds) and you would go for a certain amount of time and then they'd call red light; so the thought is you work hard because you know that a break is coming down that 120 seconds or whatever. They did ask during recovery segments that you move in place or jog in place if you felt you had the energy to do so.

I liked it. It didn't involve weights, only body weight. However, some of the floor exercises might be challenging if you have shoulder or hip issues and there is a good deal of jumping, so this is pretty high impact. 

So, for overall toning along with cardio, I give this workout a B+. It seemed to go by pretty fast and had plenty to keep you from getting bored. :)

Playground Workout--Clippard Elementary Playground

So, my two daughters (ages 8 and 12) joined me to work out today. We are trying to do 20 minutes of family exercise daily this summer. Involving them in deciding the workouts seems to keep them more motivated than the days when I say we are going to jog the trail or go for a nature walk. So, we've decided to give this a shot.

It was a bit of a learning experience. It took us a good while to figure out what we wanted to do, the order, and how to adapt it for my younger daughter or anyone who can't do some of the harder things (like monkey bars). So, we were already hot before we even started!

Our 10 circuits were:

• Triangle slide climb
• Step ups/jump off
• Monkey bars or parallel arm lift swings
• Reverse pushups
• Climbing wall
• Slide step ups
• Obstacle course section
• Concrete tunnel/runaround
• Swing
• Swingset Hops (or alternating swing stands on one leg)

Here is my oldest daughter doing the demo of each of the 10 stations!

What we learned:

• Some stations were too hard do do for 60 seconds each. Our original intention was 1 minute intervals with 10 seconds in between. So, 30 to 45 seconds is more ideal. We did one round with 1 minute but I noticed my youngest daughter had to run in place quite a bit (we had a rule to just keep moving if an exercise got too hard). And, by the end, we were all dreading having to start over for the second circuit. So, the second time through, we did 30 seconds on with 15 seconds off. That was better. If you are exercising with a little child, that's probably better. With my oldest daughter, we think 45/15 is a good balance for teenagers/adults.
• We did make the mistake of having pushups back to back with another arm exercise. That was a mistake. In the future we will not put two extreme arm exercises right next to each other. 
• A break might be necessary (walking or light jogging) between sets; since our first set was just too long, we did break with a walk between sets this time

If you try something like this out, please share!!! :) We had fun!

Playground Workout-- Shawnee CAYSA Playground

Today, my oldest daughter, Sierra Beth, and I tackled a new playground. This is the playground from a distance. We came up with 10 exercises that get maximum burn! You will get a great cardio workout and get some strength training at the same time. 

Our circuits list:

• Slide climb
• Wall climb
• Pushups or bounce planks
• Ladder climbs
• Step climb and swing
• Fireman ladder, pike, and slide
• One legged squats
• Sprints
• Balance beam
• Stool steps

I have an Android phone and used the Tabata HIIT timer to give us audio cues to switch. We did 20 rounds with 45 second rounds and 15 seconds for rest/transition between exercises for a total of 20 minutes. There were 10 circuits, so we did each circuit twice.

Here is a link to my demo of the 10 exercises we came up for at Shawnee park and you can watch below... I'm 39 years old, but I can do it, so you can, too!!! --> 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqqEt1xkC4Q

My daughter is much better, though... here's a 12 year old going for it! :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghtGS3LPhT8&list=UU9wQQEwTOd0KKonVpoxvpAA

My average heart rate for the 20 minutes of this circuit was 155 bpm! Wow! 

Jillian Michaels 6 Week 6 Pack

Well, I have an Amazon Prime membership and I LOVE it. Of course, I didn't initially get it to watch free videos and stuff (NetFlix style) but rather for faster and free shipping (I shop online quite a bit). But, bonus is that I get access to movies and TV! And, Jillian Michaels has several workouts free on Prime streaming. So, I decided to give this one a try on my laptop-- Jillian Michaels 6 Week 6 Pack. 

First, let me say that I will never have visible abs. I have a terrible mid-section and I am under no illusion that even doing this every day and eating lettuce that I would have abs pop out. But, she does state some obvious things like that you can't target fat burn the abs. You can TONE the abs and you can do cardio intervals at times to help burn fat (which will burn wherever you body sees fit) and if you burn enough on top of the hopefully well toned abs, then... 6 PACK TIME. Yeah, I never had a six pack. But, one can dream...

Anyway, it was a good workout. I was disappointed with my heart rate. I mean, I do lots of aerobic exercise and I believe my heart works pretty efficiently. I recover quickly, too. But, my average was only 115 bpm... for a 32 minute workout. SAD FACE. Only... that 115 bpm average heart rate is super misleading.  I was sweating like crazy. Seriously. SWEATING. Only 10 minutes of the 32 was I in my Polar monitor's "suggested range" for exercise, but she had cardio intervals interspersed and hopefully that will lend towards better metabolic burn despite the lower heart rate and increased emphasis on toning.

She has some modifications for those who need it. I went with the advanced gal most of the time, but I only did the first workout in the session, which is Level 1. It was (if you include the cool down at the end) around 35 minutes. I turned my HR monitor off when I realized we were sitting still during the cool down (I was at 79 before it was over). Active workout was around 32 minutes and that included a 3 minute warm-up that started pretty quickly. 

There wasn't much high impact. There was the option of a jump at the end of a burpee and there were mountain climbers. But, most of it wasn't much impact. She suggested a 3 to 8 pound weight. I used a 10 pound weight, but you use it only for maybe 8 minutes or so of the workout. Not much really at all.  You essentially just do a set of exercises and then repeat the entire set an additional time. So, it keeps changing and that's good.

I do suggest this as a workout if you have the time, though it's not going to give you great calorie burn (I think mine was just over 160 calories... and I can burn double that in 25 minutes on the treadmill). But, I think it was a good workout. 

Trampoline Workout --demo with pictures and video!

I rocked out another HOT trampoline workout today (seriously, it was 93 degrees with 70% humidity!). And, my average heart rate was above 160 bpm, which is really awesome. Jumping will do that for you!

So, if you are like me and have a kiddo or two with a trampoline and you are itching to get on there and exercise, totally DO IT. I wear a heart rate monitor to make sure my workout is effective. My range is always to shoot for over 145 at all times (after a few minutes of warmup jumping). And, I try to do 30 reps of an exercise and then just bounce for a bit in between. Since I am watching my heart rate, I make sure it doesn't dip out of range in between exercises. Time flies by!  Sometimes, since they are about 20 minutes long, I put my phone on my arms and listen to FitMuses (an app on my phone) where these two gals just talk about life while exercising (okay, maybe that's strange) or I download something from Steady130.

Some tips to elevate the heart rate:

• Involve your arms; raising arms above your head requires more effort and makes your body work harder
• Jump high; if you need a break, just do a sort of "jog in place" motion, which on a trampoline is more like jumping with one leg in front of the other and then switching with a lower jump than normal. 
• Experiment with raising your legs when jumping. I do various jumps that involve leg motions that really get the heart rate up high.

Some jumps:

Rocketship: Shoot your arms up as you jump high

Slalom: Think "skiing" and jump side to side with arms in jump rope motion.

Split jumps: Move arms down and legs out

Squat jumps: Raise those knees up and touch them with feet apart

Straddle: Jump and touch toes (cheerleader style)

Tuck: Narrow jump with knees together.

Prance: Think of it like a skip; raise one leg up as you jump and alternate legs

Air Jacks: Like jumping jacks

Hurdlers: Alternate legs with a bounce in between

Below is a short (less than 80 seconds) demonstration of the jumps that are shown above. If you try it out, let me me know! It's fun stuff! I read that 10 minutes of continuous jumping on a trampoline is equivalent to 30 minutes on a treadmill with 40% less pressure on your knees. I don't know how true it is, but I can say my heart rate for this workout was higher than my 4 mile run average today... so.... yeah. :)

Jane Fonda Walking Cardio Workout Level 2

I say any workout is better than sitting on the couch. But, this workout was pretty low key. If you are very new to exercise or just get winded if you go on a walk, this might be a good workout. And, it's excellent for older folks who are trying to stay active. But, it was NOT for me. Not. At. All. 

Here's the workout. It's essentially 18 minutes of walking in place, step touch, a little arm movement, some minor leg lifting... no jumping or anything high impact. Full workout video is 26 minutes as she spends the last 8 minutes doing stretches with a chair. 

\

I am very "heart rate driven" and even with that, I just couldn't get my heart rate going. My average was pitiful-- 105 bpm with a top of 121 and that was probably because I was hopping when I was supposed to step touch.

I hate to be a workout snob, but unless you are not able to walk a mile without feeling tired, this workout needs a pass. I turned it off after the 18 minutes of active workout and didn't do the stretch. 

Sorry, Jane. But, hey, I burned 77 calories. So, there's that. ;)

I can't dance... but Lauren can!

I'll be honest. I am a terrible dancer. Terrible.

But, I happened upon some of Lauren Fitz' fitness warmup videos today and they are pretty fun. This gal is a super neat lady! They aren't crazy hard and they are repetitive so you can actually learn it and keep going (because, hey, I'm pushing 40 and I can't remember dance steps very well).

Her YouTube channel is here-->  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJYqB9IxpJsQl9mFmJd28JQ

She doesn't sell any fitness DVDs or anything. She is a certified Zumba and Hip Hop dance instructor in OKC, but that's not her full time job. She totally appears to LOVE her fitness classes and I dig her energy and enthusiasm.

I did several (like 10 or so!) of her fitness warmup videos today, including the two favorites of mine for the day-- Royals, Turn Down For What, and Flo Rida Low. They were fun. The videos are maybe 3 to 4 minutes long and I was only getting to about 120s heart rate, but that's better than walking and I think some of the poses (stretches, squatting, body rolls, booty shakes) probably are good for toning so it was combo workout. And, I think they would be excellent warmups before something more strenuous like a run or a cardio activity.

Royals is my fave-- great leg workout! :)


Overall, two thumbs up. Check her stuff out... I'd love to be in her class (as long as I wasn't in the video... I am SO VERY TERRIBLE... I tell ya!!!).

:) Cheers!

PopSugar At-Home Tabata Workout

Workout from--> http://www.fitsugar.com/-Home-Tabata-Workout-22825569

This was a relatively short, but difficult (for me, anyway) workout. I found it to be challenging. Of course, I'm sore from my three workouts yesterday but it did push me pretty hard!

Essentially, it's a tabata workout, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, repeat 3 times with a strength burst of 25 reps of something in between. My full workout came in at about 13 minutes:

Overall, I'm pleased with my heart rate (138 bpm average) considering the 20/10 pacing. I would certainly recommend this for someone, especially if you do a short run or something first.

Here's the list-->

PopSugar Standing Abs + Jump Rope Workout (20 minute interval training)

I follow PopSugar online and they post workouts about every day or so. I made sure to give this one a try since I despise most ab workouts AND I enjoy jump ropes.

Workout details are here (it's not a video, but just pictures and times):
http://www.fitsugar.com/Jump-Rope-Workout-20-Minutes-34635656

I did not use an actual rope for this; I just mimicked the jump rope and jumped in place. But, I enjoyed it. Essentially it's a no rest exercise with jump ropes for 1 minute followed by a standing abs exercise for another minute. It's five different standing exercises total and two rounds.

The outline is:
Jump Rope
Low to High Wood Chops (w/weight)
Jump Rope
Overhead Dumbbell Side Bend (w/weight)
Jump Rope
Kick Crunch
Jump Rope
Row with Twist (w/weight)
Jump Rope
Overhead Circle (w/weight)

I liked the workout. The overhead circle got my heart rate lower than I'd like so I would have preferred something different for the last exercise, but overall it was a good workout.

My heart rate floated between 120 and 150 most of the time, depending on the workout part. Average was 133 with high of 159 for a total time of 20 minutes.

As I put on about 5 pounds in the last 6 weeks with the busy school schedule, too much eating out, and too much ice cream (darn it) I have really got to focus and get back on track for summer!

Hope your summer is off to a great start!! Keep on moving!

Trampoline Workouts

I honestly love rebounding. If you aren't entirely familiar with what that is, it is basically jumping on the trampoline. And I know many people who are my age or a little older probably have difficulty jumping for various reasons, such as our bladder weaknesses, equilibrium issues, and other things that are a sure sign of our age.

But despite all of that sometimes in the early morning or late evening, I like to borrow my children's toy, the trampoline in our yard, and just start jumping. As you know, I like to exercise with my heart rate monitor so that I can make sure I am getting a good enough burn for my time.

Tonight, I enjoyed a 20 minute rather easy workout with a 148 heart rate average. Not too shabby. If your kids have one... give it a try! Trust me when I say that 20 minutes can really work up a sweat!

You Are Your Own Gym

I've been doing "You Are Your Own Gym" workouts the last week. It's a three DVD system with three workouts on each DVD. There is a beginner, intermediate, and advanced DVD. If you do the warmup and cooldown, they are probably 20-25 minutes for a workout. I typically do my own warm-up and cool-down and don't use the stretches on the DVD. 

I did the intermediate Friday/Saturday and I was super sore Sunday! So, tonight I moved on to the Advanced Circuit Training on the advanced DVD. As you can see below, it was four exercises--Iron Mikes (basically jump lunges), Bouncing Push-ups (gag), Jack Knives, and Hip Raisers. Each exercise is 20 seconds long with a very short transition time and then a 20 second rest after all four before you do the next round. Eight rounds. Eight. Long. Rounds.

Honestly, they are somewhat repetitive. Even between levels, you see some of the same exercises. But, I do find them to be effective (or at least, I am sore in places that I am not typically sore!).  I still run and do other aerobic exercise or weights, but this is a nice one to add to my arsenal.

Overall, for the 18 minutes or so of active workout, I maintained an average of 142 bpm with top heart rate of 168. I'm pleased. As I get better at these type of workouts, I feel like I have to work really hard to get heart rates up that high (unless I am running or doing lots of jumping) so this was a great workout with TONS of sweat. I'm a mess!!

I ordered this from Amazon.com-->  

http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Gym/dp/B00AM7EQYC/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

30 Day Fat Burn-Cardio Extreme Workout

30 Day Fat Burn-Total Body Shred

Extreme Full Body Workout Journey Gym

So, the YouTube heading says this is a 20 minute workout. It's more like 27 minutes. So, there's that. Make sure you have time.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MiS8XSlwtg&feature=youtu.be

I really liked this workout. You need an aerobic step. I have one and I don't use it much. Most step workouts are so repetitive and don't really get my heart rate up too much. The step they have on the video.. it's cool. It has some sort of handles and built in resistance. I don't have that, so I used 10 pound free weights. 

My heart rate average was 129 bpm, which was pretty good. It had some extreme ups and downs but never dropped real low (got below 120 a few times, but not tons once I got it up after the beginning). Some of the exercises were pretty challenging (I get scared jumping up with two feet onto the top of the step!) but you'd do an exercise for 30-60 seconds and if it was something that you had to balance on one leg or step with one leg, your supporting leg got super tired. So, good muscle fatigue. 

Anyway, I liked it. I'd like to make my "own version" of this with free weights and my favorite parts of this with variations. I came up with some good alternate exercises even if I do say so myself. :)

Try it!

Can you HIIT Like a Girl? @fitnessblender (22 min)

I've done this workout before, but wanted  a 20 minute workout this morning and figured I'd put on the heart rate monitor and put it on the list.

It's intervals, 20 seconds on and 10 seconds rest in between. That might sound like lots of rest, but you work hard during those 20 seconds and they want you to max out your effort.

It does have quite a bit of jumping, so it can be rough on the knees. It needs no equipment. There is no warm-up or cool down included, so you have to do that part on your own.

I recommend it! Good workout and quick!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dhO7S7_DW0

20 Minute Butt and Thigh Step Workout @fitnessblender

They just posted this new workout this month at Fitness Blender. Since it uses a step and I don't use mine too often, I decided to try it out. The workout is here-->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29SHXdBE4-o&list=UUiP6wD_tYlYLYh3agzbByWQ

It was pleasantly surprised by the workout. I don't tend to get really high heart rates on the step without weights, but an average of 136 bpm was pretty decent for a step. I will say that I turned off my heart rate monitor at minute 16 because the last 5 minutes appears to be cooldown and it's all stretching, so my heart rate came down very quickly. Once it got to below 120, I turned it off. So, it's a 20 minute workout, but I'd say only 15 minutes of active workout time. I think this workout might be a really nice warmup with stretch before a long run.

There were a few challenging moves involving jumping on and off the step or straddling the step, so if you are timid about jumping on things, that could psyche you out a bit. But, overall, it was a nice workout. I just wish the active part was about 5 minutes longer!
All natural me! --->

At Home Cardio HIIT @fitnessblender

Well, it's Saturday and I like to try something new on the weekend. I often do Fitness Blender workouts, though I rarely post on them. So, I figured I'd try a new one today. 

Most of their workouts have one single person standing there doing the workout and narrative feedback saying what to do as a voiceover (with a 5 second countdown at the end of an exercise). It's nothing fancy, no music, etc. But, that makes most of their workouts good for using while doing other things (like watching TV). 

Today, I did the At Home High Intensity Interval Training Cardio HIIT Workout from here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS7XkoGmhXQ

It was  a very good workout! And, only 25 minutes.  My average heart rate was 150 bpm, which is awesome for a non-running workout (though you do have to run in place and do tons of butt kickers, so I guess you are technically running... but you know what I mean).  This one is for sure going on my tablet for when I am out of town and need a workout for my hotel room.

It's a bit repetitive. There is a cardio warmup and then a period of HIIT intervals that is basically just three exercises for one minute each. You do them twice through, have a period of active rest, and then you do it all again. Those three main exercises are very effective, though. It is not low impact; you do have to jump and run in place, so it might not be for everyone. But, it's a good cardio burn!

• Burpees with a leg raise instead of jump at the end
• Flutter kicks to a squat (LOVED this exercise!)
• Butt kickers (and I admit, I couldn't do that for one full minute.. ouch on the knees... so I did it for as long as I could and then just did standard jump rope jumps)

 

I dig this workout! If you don't have anything going on this morning, give it a try. Better yet, do it while watching some NCAA Tournament Basketball!

 

20 minute Kettlebell BootCamp Workout

I've been doing the T25 workout with my husband the last two months, so I haven't dabbled much with other workouts (other than the treadmill), but it's the weekend and I wanted to try something new. I really want to amp up my strength training, but the problem with many weights workouts is that they don't tend to get the heart into cardio workout range.

So, I knew of Ryan Shanahan's YouTube channel where there are some Kettlebell workouts. Mind you, I don't have kettlebells, but I do have free weights. So, I grabbed a 15 and 20 and decided to go for it.

I super liked this workout. It's non-traditional cardio. No running, jumping, or anything that really hurts your knees. It is tough on the wrist/shoulders (by design) since it's lifting weights. That didn't bother me, but if you have any injuries in that area, I thought I'd mention it.

I used 20 pounds for only one of the segments (where you lifted over the head). Otherwise, I stuck with 15 pounds (in one hand). There were a few towards the end where you just hold it straight to the side or straight in front of you and my arms were too tired... maybe with 10 pounds, but I had to just bend my arms on those. But, hey, that's good. I had to really push myself.

So, if you are looking for something that isn't jumping and running to get your heart rate up a little bit, maybe try this. You have to work. Just going through the motions with 5 pound weights isn't going to challenge you. Push yourself with the weight!

My heart rate stats were an average of 136 bpm with 156 as my high; it stayed pretty steady in the middle... didn't go really high and really low. Pretty consistent.

Jillian Michaels Shred it with Weights level 1

Well, we moved into "Beta" stage in our morning T25 workouts today (Beta Core Cardio), meaning we are now officially advanced! I loved today's workout. But, tonight, I wanted something more weights instead of cardio. This workout is one I've had on my radar. And, it looked like it would be weights with a little cardio, so bonus. I did not wear my heart rate monitor tonight, though. I wish I would have. I felt like my heart rate did get up there sometimes.

This workout was pretty intense with the 15 pound weight I was using. She uses kettle bells, though her "basic" person used a small dumbbell. I am not sure what weight she was using, but I'd guess around 15 pounds. I'd say if you are just starting out, go with 10. If you are a guy or really super strong, go 20. 

I really enjoyed the workout. It wasn't too high impact, though there were some big arm swings that could be difficult if you have shoulder problems and some squat jumps (tough on feet/knees) in one of the circuits. 

If you want to get toned, I say go for this one! It's only 25 minutes with about a three minute cooldown afterward, so a time saver!  Link--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w2ssgjdIts

Do any of you have any killer weights workouts that you know about? I'd love to try Body Beast... :)

Diet Soda Cake

This isn't exercise, but I modified a recipe to cut calories and figured I'd share.

Main ingredient stuff-->

Diet Mtn Dew Cake

1 box lemon cake mix (160 cal/srv x 12 servings=1920 calories)

1 can Diet Mtn Dew (0 calories)

1 tsp lime juice (0 calories)

1 serving natural applesauce (50 calories total)

1 package sugar free Instant pistachio pudding mix (30 cal/srv x 4 servings=120 calories)

Mix all incredients; blend well. Pour into 8x8 foil pan (what I did) or larger. It makes more than just the pan. Bake at 350 degrees.  Made some mini-cupcakes with the leftover batter; those took about 15 minutes to cook.  The recipe I used called for 30 minutes. I'd say 30-35, depending on your oven.

Topping

1/3 cup Splenda (0 calories)

1/2 can crushed pineapple in juice (not syrup)  (roughly 160 calories total)

1 tsp of cornstarch (trace)

Mix in a saucepan. Bring to boil.  Pour pineapple mixture over the cake to finish. 

Separately, I took 10 squirts of spray butter, a few tsp of coconut (70 calories for a serving), and 1 tsp lime juice and browned the coconut to sprinkle on top.

Total calories for entire recipe=2320

12 servings would be 193 calories per serving