30 min cardio and core interval

Found this gal's channel today--> http://www.youtube.com/user/joannasohofficial?feature=watch

And did the 30 minute cardio & core interval workout. ==> 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO4LDgRoYdQ

She claims you can burn 275-350 calories if you do it hard without stopping. Seems about right. 

I enjoyed the workout. It did have quite a bit of jumping or hopping to it. And it was true intervals. You'd get your heart rate up and go down, over and over. It is a cardio core, so you have quite a bit of floor work every now and then as well. I hate to do core, so I figured this might be a good way to sneak it in. 

You know I'm a nut about heart rate and most abs workouts are a total wash on the calories (I think T25 abs runs me around 105 bpm, which is totally blah). This workout was better for me--132 bpm average. I had an abnormal spike at the beginning, but after that, it seems accurate. 

There was a two minute cool down at the end, and it was just stretching, so I didn't include that in my heart rate analysis and stats. 

Overall, it was a nice challenge with some core work added in. Give it a try!

Insanity Pure Cardio

A friend of ours loaned us his Insanity DVDs and since today is 'day off' for T25, I figured I'd go see what all the fuss was about Insanity. I've considered doing it before, but the workouts are longer than I have time to do in the mornings and I don't always have time to work out in the evening. 

First off, I decided to do Pure Cardio. I figured that would probably be the most heart thumping one of the first month workouts. Just a guess (I'll try Plyo next). And, the heart rate chart doesn't lie--

(I did miss the first minute of the workout data...forgot to hit start on my Garmin) The workout started off quickly going right into jogging in place, jumping jacks, and other cardio things (like high knees, butt kicks, etc.). You do them for a certain amount of time. Then, the set repeats two more times, each time getting faster and faster. So, you see my heart rate chart climbs quickly. Then, you'll notice a dip. He goes into a recovery/stretching period. I admit, I'm not huge into long stretches and this seemed really long, getting my heart rate way back down (but I get that stretching is good for muscles). But, once that was over, it amped up. I jumped quickly to 160 bpm and the next 20 minutes was tough. I was pretty proud, though, that it was hard for me, but not impossible. I never stopped for more than 3 seconds and the only modification I made was on a sequence that started with pushups (I did lady pushups instead of on my toes). And, it hurt but it was a great workout.  The workout ended with another 5 minutes of stretching but after having the heart rate up so high, it actually leveled out a little bit and didn't dip so low. Even 20 minutes after the workout, I was still holding above 100 and my resting heart rate is more like 65. For the whole workout, my average heart rate was 141, which is pretty close to my average heart rate for T25 Cardio. 

Unlike T25, he makes no modifications for people who aren't quite ready for this level of cardio. So, you will have to just slow down and do your own pace or just do something else if it gets too hard. The screen does remind you to "keep moving" if it gets too hard. You see the people on the video stop or improvise at times, too. 

So, it was a good workout. There are many free workouts on YouTube that will probably get you the same results, and if you have the time to do it, I am sure it will yield results. I'll see how I feel after I try a few more of the workouts!

Let's Get Fit Intervals w/step

Hey, I remembered that I had an aerobic step under my bed, so I looked for a step workout with weights and ran across this one. It was pretty challenging, but not too hard (if that makes sense) but you need a step and some weights. You can probably get by with just light weights, but if you typically do weight training, you might keep a heavier set as well. I used some 5s and 10s depending on the exercise. And, if you don't have a step, you could just do it on the floor, but the step definitely makes it more challenging. You can find the workout here on YouTube-->
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkGZ20zZC0w







What I Liked:

• It was intervals, so you do some cardio and then break for some weights or strength training. My heart rate average was 129, which doesn't sound great, but there are parts where you are just holding in a plank or not moving, so it's a little misleading. It was a good workout.
• You don't constantly use the step, but she works it in. I liked some of the motions on the step (half lunges and squats, hop ups, triple jumps) and they really increased the heart rate. 
• Check out the ups and downs on my heart rate chart! Good stuff!

Concerns:

• Push-ups. Enough said. But, I did them. It is a little heavy on shoulder and if you have shoulder problems, she does address some modifications.
• It is a little repetitive. Some people like that and some don't. You might like doing three rounds of something because after the first time, you know what you are doing (I had a basketball game on... ugh, Razorbacks on the road...) and you can just watch TV and listen for cues. 
• There is quite a bit of jumping and hopping. And, some of lateral hopping, which is tough on the knees. I heard lots of popping as I stepped and hopped. So, if you have knee problems, you might want to pass (or opt for trying it without a step). I just fought through it since I liked the workout. 

Recommend? I think it's a good workout. It was a little bit longer from start to finish than I generally like. There were a few places I felt she paused too long and the end has two minutes of talking, but you need at least 35 minutes to get through it (though she says it's under a half hour).

Saturday Morning-- 20 Minute Interval Workout

It's Saturday and I'm down over 4 pounds from last Saturday (man, what getting back into the routine after extended Christmas break can do!!). So, I celebrated with baking cinnamon rolls. :) Then, started looking for a 15-20 minute workout. I'm planning to some big cardio on the treadmill later, but started searching for intervals and ran across this one-->
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYsfecaHmBs

Note that I didn't have my heart rate monitor on (heck, I'm still in my PJs and socks) so I don't have official numbers for this one. :)

What I Liked:

• It didn't require tennis shoes; I was able to do this in my sock feet (Our T25 workout we do during the week requires tennis shoes and a mat... it's TOUGH on the feet! This is not!)
• They gave three levels-- the instructor does the "normal" and then there is an advanced and a level 1 person also doing the workout. Level 1 stays low impact all the time with no jumping. Advanced uses a hand weight during much of the workout and during the jumping jacks, she does air jacks (fun). I loved this option and used a weight to tone my upper body more (just a  5 pound hand weight). 
• The instructor was pretty good. She reminded you to "smile" all the time. You should be able to breathe and smile during the workout. So, if you can't smile and are huffing and puffing, you need to calm down a little. I thought that was a nice cue.
• It's intervals so you do cardio for 2-4 minutes and then strenghtening/toning for 2-4 minutes. The time seemed go really quickly, honestly. I did think some of the "down time" moments were a little too long, but I did get a decent amount of sweat and she really tried to get your heart rate to go up and down. 
• 20 minutes. The first 2 minutes are warmup, but then after that, she hits the ground running.  
• The cardio segments aren't just the same thing the entire time. She starts something and builds up.

Concerns:

• Not many!  I probably wouldn't use it as my one and only workout for the day, but if you want to squeeze in something early and then do something more rigorous later in the day, it's nice for stretching, getting your joints and circulation going, and for toning.

I really liked this workout. It wasn't greatly difficult and it wasn't going to put my heart rate through the roof, but it was enjoyable. For anyone new to working out, give this a try. It's a nice workout and since there are modifications, you can do it with friends and everyone can handle it their own way.

How My Week Has Gone.. and a short "bootcamp" workout review...

I have been back to work (all the snow is gone!) and busy, busy, busy this week! Don't worry, just because I haven't blogged doesn't mean I haven't been working out. I have been hitting the treadmill in the evenings and doing T25 with my husband in the mornings. But, just not really doing online workouts.

I had a volleyball game tonight (and I didn't miss any serves... yay!), so I decided to do a short workout tonight and then I'm heading to the treadmill for a 20 minute jog. I have been super good with food this week, so certainly hoping to have a good week on the scales.

Off topic, I don't know if it was the particular flavor or what, but I tried Greek yogurt yesterday and hated it. HATED IT. I love yogurt, but the caramel macchiato flavored yogurt was just icky. It tasted, for lack of a better word, sour! Anyway, went back to the generic low fat 90-calorie yogurt (raspberry.... yum!) today and that makes me happy. Oh, and tuna. That's my lunch this week. I love pouch tuna-- hickory smoked. If you haven't tried that flavor, do it. SO GOOD.

Okay, to my workout I just did... she called it "15-min Black Friday Bootcamp" for the day after Thanksgiving. It was all bodyweight, low impact (no jumping), and my heart rate average was 121 for the 15 minutes. She did suggest (in the comments) doing the workout twice or using it as a warmup for a run (which is what I am doing!).

The workout is here--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y84Fnn8Gb1s

What I Liked:

• I really didn't like the workout tons. It is intervals that are either 1 minute or 30 seconds long, so it didn't seem super terrible in length. I do like intervals to move the heart rate up and down.

Concerns:

• Boring. It was just kind of boring... I mean, I can handle boring if my heart rate gets up higher, but at least I broke the 120 (which is not bad for low impact). 
• Abs. Ick. I have horrible abs. There were a few ab exercises and planks. So, those seemed hard. I am in good physical shape, but I guess I need to work those abs more. I think if you haven't been toning, you might find this workout a little difficult to finish, even though you aren't going to burn major calories. 
• I couldn't really hear her cues well enough. I was trying to watch TV and do this and really had to look up quite a bit to see if it was time to switch exercises. 

Recommend? Nope. There are way better and more fun workouts out there. Take a pass.

Athletic Interval Training Cardio Workout: Denise Austin

I was getting ready to get in the shower and decided to find one more really short workout before I call it a day. My daughter has a cheer competition this weekend, so we are heading out of town.

Since I was in the mood for Denise Austin, I found an interval workout by her and decided to give it a try. I haven't done this one before, but since I just did another Denise Austin workout, I picked up on it quickly as some of her moves from the Cardio Burn Weights workout were repeated (without weights).

Workout-->  http://youtu.be/VL52s3sAP9g

What I Liked:

• 10 minutes of cardio. My heart rate was 136 bpm average with high of 154. I think it would be a good workout before a run/jog. 
• The "athlete" vibe was cool. You run, do football like jumps, bow and arrows, etc. 
• The moves change quickly. You don't do anything for a really long time. 

Concerns:

• It's got some impact moves, so this might be a problem for some. It's not super heavy on jumping, but there are one leg hops and things like that. Most of the moves are more running in place, big steps, kicks, or lifting your legs. 
• I think if it's too challenging for someone that it's easily adaptable. She doesn't give any alternate moves, though. 

Recommend? Well, I liked it. It's short, so I'm not sure it's "enough" if you are really trying to get more fit. But, it's a good workout. If you like to run, I think you will like this workout. It's very "athletic" feeling and would probably be a great workout to warm up your muscles before a run.

Denise Austin-Cardio Burn Weight Training

Two years ago, I got up and did aerobics every morning (last year, I ran on the treadmill each morning). And, when I did, I had an onDemand option for FitTV, which was cool. I found several workouts on there that were pretty good and rotated between them. Well, this morning after I got off the treadmill, I decided to look for a cardio weights workout, and here was this workout that I used to do! I was pretty excited. I know she's been around awhile, but her soothing voice and pleasant demeanor always puts me in a good mood. The video is here-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqsZxPwKBSM

You will need weights for this workout. I used 5 pound weights and 10 pound weights. For certain moves, I could not do the 10 pounds, but I'd say I used it for about half of the workout. It really depends on how strong your upper body is. Do what you can manage but isn't easy. If you are new to this stuff, maybe try 3 pound weights or start with some canned goods.

<--My weights! :)

The point of the workout is to strengthen while also toning AND getting the heart rate up. That's tough to do with most toning exercises. But, she also keeps it fun. The exercise moves are not real simple (my daughter wanted to work out with me and quit after the first combo) so it might take a few times to feel comfortable with it.

What I Enjoyed:

• Good length--20 minutes. Nice for a quick morning workout!
• Good cardio! My heart rate average was 135 bpm with max of 154 bpm.
• Low impact! That's something that was really nice. No jumping or running on this workout. And, if you really do the exercises (don't hold back, squat deep, and use weights) it is a great cardio workout as well. 
• Denise. I like her. I mean, maybe it's because that's my middle name... but still. She has so many good videos for all fitness levels and she always soothes me. 

Concerns:

• You need weights to do this, so if you are working out at home and don't have any, you might need to get some. If you are starting out, try some green beans or something in a can. 
• Caution-- If you have problems with your wrists or shoulders, this might not work for you. There is a very short segment of floor work (planks, one-armed stuff) and you are lifting all the way through. You might could try it anyway and just not use any weights, but not sure if you will get the cardio burn you want. Still, you'll get a good leg/toning workout from it.
• There is lots of lunging and some squatting. It's a little rough on your knees, so be careful if you have any knee issues.
• Most of this is combo moves and you have to be stepping or lunging one direction while also moving your arms. That might be challenging at first.

Recommend? YES! Do it today! Seriously, if you haven't been doing some strength training in your workout regiment today, please give this a shot. It's just 20 minutes. You have time. GO! :)

15 minute Insanity Cardio HASfit

Well, I decided to do one more quick workout. My hubby came home and I told him to get some tennis shoes on for "just 15 minutes of cardio" that he could do while watching the NBA game. So, he suited up and off we went! I found this 15 Minute Insanity Cardio Workout by HasFit.com.

The workout was on YouTube here-->  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzOe2ImO1rk

What I Liked:

• It was structured intervals. 30 seconds per exercise, 15 exercises, 2 rounds. This made it easy to do while watching basketball on TV. His vocal cues were loud enough to hear. 
• There was no "recovery" interval. Since I did a workout earlier that had "time off" in between exercise I wanted something to push me. Of course, they say the heart rate up and down is better for metabolism, but this was my fourth exercise tonight, so I wasn't too worried about it. If you want to burn calories and go hard for 15 minutes, this workout doesn't mess around.
• He used very light weights (3 pounds) for fast weight intervals. It was one of those "do as many reps as you can" and not "max out weight" for those 30 seconds. I liked it. I used my 3 pound weights from my jump rope fail workout. ;)
• The cool down was separate; you can click on the video at the end to move to his cool down or do your own.

Concerns:

• This will be a tough workout if you aren't of decent physical fitness, but don't give up! You can do it. My rule is JUST KEEP MOVING. Slow down on the reps if you can't keep up or reduce movement. Just don't stop.
• You do need "equipment" (hand weights) to do this workout, though you could probably do them without weights if you wanted to. Or, just put a water bottle in each hand if you have some of those in the refrigerator. 
• It is high impact, so if you can't do jumping, you'll need to modify and he doesn't provide any modifications.

Recommend? YES, if you want a good workout, I say to try this out for size. You work hard, it's total body (even though I hate mountain climbers), and you get it done in 15 minutes. Here's my heart rate stats:

 I like that!!! :)  Let me know if you give this a try! Best of luck!

10 Minute Jump Rope Cardio Workout... (success!!!)

Okay, so the first workout was a fail because that girl was way too good. This one by SparkPeople was more my style. And, it reminded me that I am not horrific at jump roping. So, yay.

This workout is--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY0lZTWlBAg

And, in case you think I can't jump rope, here's a short 15 second clip of me jump roping in the garage. It's not great video (webcam) and my husband pulls up and opens the garage on me at the end... lol. But, proof that I can still do it at age 38. Not that you were doubting. ;)

Did I like this workout? Yes. I did. If you can jump rope, you will like it. You know I am all about numbers. My heart rate average was 144 with a high of 167. Rock on. However, the "active" part of the 10 minute workout is really only 8 of the 10 minutes. The rest is cool down and stretch. I actually turned the heart rate monitor off at 9 minutes when my heart fell out of the "zone" on my Polar.

What I Liked:

• It was short, but almost too short. Had it been 10 minutes of active workout and then the cool down, I would have liked it better. 
• In the breaks between intervals, you do a little exercise so your heart rate doesn't dip too much. I loved that.
• Jumping really gets the heart rate up quickly, so I felt it was very efficient if you are short on time. And, jumping rope is very total body--works the core keeping the rope in line, arms/shoulders, and legs. So, it's awesome.

Concerns:

• You need space. Big space. I have a two-car garage and was able to do it with one car removed.
• I think I need a nicer jump rope. I think I might prefer the "hard noodle" jump ropes of the olden PE days better. But, it worked well enough. Make sure your jump rope is the right length or you might hit the ceiling, garage door, laptop, car...
• It is lots of jumping, so not good if you have knee issues. And, if you can't jump rope, I am not sure this is something you should do. Though, you could modify and use handles instead of a rope. 

Recommend? Sure, if you have mad jump rope skillz. :) 

Ten-minute Jump Rope HIIT #fail

Not even kidding. Sometimes you have good intentions and that just doesn't matter.

My youngest daughter observed today, "You have lots of exercise stuff." Yes, she is right. I didn't realize quite much much I had accumulated. So, I found my jump rope in the garage and started hunting for YouTube Jump Rope videos. Some gal named Sara Solomon had some videos out there. Now, I did NOT know that this particular gal actually has a jump rope named after her... so probably this was just a bad idea...

Boy, was I right! I put on the monitor, put mats down in my living room with vaulted ceiling, and set up the laptop. Three minutes later, I was sitting down thinking I was just totally uncoordinated! Don't get me wrong, I am decent with a jump rope. But, this girl was insane! Speed roping is too hard core for me.

But, I did not give up!

So, I put the rope away and grabbed these handy hand weights. I remembered when I went to Contours a few years ago that they had jump rope handles that just had the ropes about a foot or so long coming off the handle and tied in a knot (I think I have some that I made at home someplace). So, I figured I'd take these 3 pound weights and hold them like jump rope handles and try to do this workout.

This review isn't going to list the like/concerns like normal because I had to modify that whole program. I went as fast as I could, which probably wasn't as fast as her. And, I didn't actually jump over a rope. But, I did hold my weights like jump ropes and do the whole 10 minute workout and here's my numbers:

You can't argue those numbers! So, it was still pretty effective. And, holding the handles like I would a jump rope made my arms super sore. During the break intervals, I'd have to put my arms above my head sometimes because my shoulders hurt. She did say 10 minutes of jump rope is equivalent to 30 minutes on the treadmill. And, if I did it like her, probably so! But, I did my best and it wasn't a total fail. I did use a gymnastics mat under my feet to take the pressure off my knees with that much jumping (highly suggest you do that if you have a mat).

So, take a look. Maybe you are a magical jump rope fairy. I'm not. But, I am going to try an easier workout now... headed to the cold garage to do this on the concrete! :)

Here's the video-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sitJ3UdYDjY

Walking Workout

Well, after my volleyball game tonight, I wanted to do just a little something, so since a few of my Facebook friends were talking about the Walk Away the Pounds DVDs, I thought I'd go for a walking workout.

Let me first say that I used to do these before I was a runner. They were harder for me then. I am pretty good at running now, so it takes a good deal of pace or incline for me to really get my heart rate up when I walk (when I walk on the treadmill, I go at a 4.5 mph pace typically with 3 or higher incline). But, nonetheless, I was curious about a walking workout and remembered a gal on YouTube who has several--JessicaSmithTV. I really wanted to do the Walking Exercise - Indoor Jogging (power walking, running, cardio, fat burning). However, it was 40 minutes and had lots of jumping (so I would probably love it) and I didn't want to do that right before bedtime (and didn't have 40 minutes to burn).

Since I wanted something shorter and low impact, I found this 26 minute one. I have done enough jumping for today and my knees needed a break! So, I decided on this one-->  Walking, Exercise: Dance Walk (walking workout, low impact, fat-burning cardio)   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1AU_yr2-mc

Of course, I forgot to hit START on my heart rate monitor, so I don't have data. The highest I saw it get was the 130s and most of the time it was between 110 and 125. So, I didn't get a really high heart rate going on this, but it was low impact, so I didn't expect to get too high.

What I Liked:

• It was low impact and only 26 minutes.
• The moves were not super easy. It was not JUST walking. She incorporated lots of arms. 
• There was a "swimming" arms move while moving side to side that I really liked. 
• I think this would be a nice group workout for beginners. It's not super difficult and since there's nothing high impact, no jumping, no push-ups or "hard things" it would be good for building confidence for those just starting out with exercise.

Concerns:

• If you are a runner, this might not be for you. You aren't going to get a crazy cardio rush from it, but that's the trade-off for low impact.
• If you are looking to burn major calories, since this is a shorter workout, it might be difficult to do.. unless this is more at your fitness level. 
• It might be a little boring for some people. I was distracted by the People's Choice Awards on TV, so I didn't mind it. 

Recommend? Depends. It really depends on who you are. Though I prefer higher heart rates on my workouts, I did still enjoy doing this and did work up a slight sweat. And, I could feel it in my legs. The arm movements were nice since I was sore from serving 200 volleyballs today and needed a nice stretch.

CrossFit Workout by FitSugar

I know CrossFit is all the rage. I hear people constantly talking about the WOD they did at 5 AM and so forth. So, when this online workout showed up on FitSugar, I figured I would give it a go.

 Let me first say that I know people who swear by CrossFit. They love it. They'd tell you to join and come and do it. And, I think the fact that most places that train with it have classes every hour of the day probably makes this appealing for many. Why am I NOT interested? Well, first, I don't like to have to leave my house to work out. You've seen that I have invested in a good amount of equipment (I have free weights, exercise ball, stationary bike, treadmill, punching bag, Wii, and a million YouTube workouts) and I never have an excuse NOT to work out. I don't know that I have the commitment to "go someplace" each day. And, I feel like driving someplace just wastes time that I could be working out. Why WOULD I be interested? I don't have a weight bench with heavy weights. I love to do dead lifts, for example, and I can't do that stuff at home. And, I think doing one of those crazy obstacle course workouts would be fun and those gyms could probably train me for it. Most of my friends who want me to join a gym say it's for the classes. I think most people (who actually commit and go) are probably there for the camaraderie thing. And, I am relatively anti-social, so I pass.

 But, I digress. The workout!

What I Liked:

• It's short... um... not much I liked honestly. That's not a diss to CrossFit, but more to the video itself. 
• It does show an easy, medium, and hard version of each exercise. 
• It's probably a pretty good toning workout. My heart rate average was 127, so not as high as I would like for a cardio workout, but not bad. I did max at 160.

Concerns:

• It starts slow. I didn't even start my heart rate monitor until we went the the floor for push-ups. So, my total time was just at 9 minutes. That's too short for me.  I think you'd have to do it a few times, and I was too bored to do it again.
• The warm-up interval was pretty darn boring--5 pushups, 10 situps, 15 squats. The main workout interval was also pretty boring-- burpees (gag... but a good heart rate thing), grashhoppers (which for some reason my body didn't seem to twist right to do), and alternating lunges.

Recommend? Not really. I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a workout. I was just bored. There was too much standing around at the beginning and though the heart rate did get up, I feel like it just wasn't enough of a workout. What happened was pretty effective, but I just think I could burn calories in a happier way. :)

Cardio Ball Workout-15 minutes

Well, I am on another snow day today! I don't typically do 3 workouts a day like I have been lately, in case you are wondering (though I did go out last night and run in the 23 degree heat wave we had). But, I got up and did T25 Total Body Conditioning with my husband this morning, ate my oatmeal, and then was sitting around watching Biggest Loser on DVR and figured, hey, let's do another workout before I drop off my youngest at school! (yes, you heard right... the kids have school and I am off!)

This workout was honestly one I went into with low expectations.  I have this ball and I even have a little box of cards with exercises to do. And, though there are some good strength exercises, many are in strange positions (I guess because you have to balance to work on core stability) but I wanted to try to find something more cardio with the ball. So, I ran across a workout and decided to give it a try!

The workout was on the BeachBodyMom YouTube channel-- 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7s4YodODU0

What I Liked:

• It's 15 minutes long from start to finish.
• It starts pretty quick. You get moving without wasting much time.
• There are no strange poses with the ball or balancing maneuvers. Granted, that means you are doing less core work, but the cardio part is worth it and I didn't feel stupid.
• The first half was pretty easy. I felt like I needed some modifications to make it harder (I just tried to squat deeper, stretch higher, etc.). But, about when I was thinking that, she started giving suggestions for level 1, level 2, and level 3. Well, she must have heard me! So, I moved up to the highest level and amped it up. That was better for me.
• Ball jacks. That was fun. I did it faster than she showed it, but it got my heart rate up quick and was something different.

Concerns:

• This takes a little bit of space. I did it in my bedroom, which was pretty cramped (but I didn't want to get in my daughter's way while she was watching Disney channel and eating breakfast downstairs). I bumped into the ceiling fan a few times. You really need a good amount of space if you have a big ball. 
• I actually liked the workout much more than I expected. But, if you are looking for a sitting down or core workout, that's not what this is. 
• The leg work towards the end got pretty tough. It was lunges and then lunges with pulses. I did them with the ball extended fully above my head. My legs got sore quick! I pushed through, but if you are not used to doing lunges and squats, this has lots of leg work (yay) and you will probably have to slow down a little bit on the reps (but you'll have a great rear). 
• They say it's low impact, but I question that a little bit. You do some pivots, jumping, and deep lunges. I think those are a little rougher on the knees than I expected from a low impact workout. 

Recommend? YES! This was actually fun. I felt the ball was a nice distraction. It was honestly just there to engage your core more and encourage you to twist or reach higher. You could do it all without a ball, but it wouldn't be as good of a workout. And, if you have a weighted medicine ball or even just a kids ball, you could still give it a try. I think beginners would really like this workout. 

And... my heart rate... 133! That is way better than I expected with a workout ball! 

Wanna try? If you do, please let me know on my Facebook page, Techno Fitness! 

GCN: 20 Minute High Intensity Indoor Cycling Workout

Well, it was 3 degrees this morning, so still stuck inside for workouts. I got up early with the hubby for T25 Speed 1.0. It was a good workout, but my heart rate average was only 131 bpm, so I waited an hour and did another spinning workout from Global Cycling Network-- 20 Minute High Intensity Indoor Cycling Workout. This was a pretty intense workout!

The workout is here-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGGvKt8vWho and the format is as follows:

What I Liked:

• It starts with a 4 minute warmup period and ends with a 3 minute (I think) cooldown period. That was good for getting ready at the beginning and bringing the heart rate down at the end.
• I did a similar workout over the weekend that I reviewed. It had three body positions. This only has ONE position; essentially, you stay in the saddle the entire time and you either go hard or you recover. I presume if you wanted to add difficulty, you could come out of the saddle or change your arms. I did sit up straight with my arms off the bars and pumped my arms some on the longer rest intervals.
• They show several male cyclists (who apparently some people might be familiar with) and they also show their heart rates during the workout. That was pretty cool to see.
• My heart rate ROCKED during this workout! 

Concerns:

• I honestly don't have any! I felt this was a solid workout, great push, and you can adjust your own tension and speed as you go to your fitness level. But, my advice is when it's time to go hard, GO HARD! :)

Recommend? Yes, HIGHLY. Even if you don't cycle regularly, if you go to the gym, I think you'll find this a nice change of pace. 

Cardio Extreme 10 min workout

Well, I went out to eat and decided to throw one more quick workout in for today before I went to bed. This time, I found a series of workouts called "30 Day Fat Burn" from the Lionsgate BeFit YouTube channel.  I think this is the first workout in the series as it was just posted this week and the reviews are all from this past week. So, we'll see if they post more in the series (or how often).  The playlist is supposed to be posted here-->  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1c41tQdiDhPkUERLFje9twkoHtPkWr1lThis particular workout is 10 minutes and requires hand weights. Here is day one:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9rSPm-6s94&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL06F7D4D05FE22F9F

I found this to be an enjoyable workout. It was essentially 7 exercises, 20 reps each, using the weights and then a cardio boost at the end for about 2 minutes or so. I would imagine they probably expect you to use 3-5 pound aerobic weights, but all I had upstairs (hubby was downstairs watching football) were my 10-pound weights. So, I wasn't able to do a few of the exercises properly due to the weights being too heavy for that particular tasks. But, I did what I could do to modify it for a heavier weight.

What I Liked:

• This is another workout that doesn't require audio to do. You can watch it and follow along since it's a set number of reps. 
• The cardio burst at the end was nice. You drop the weights and do some jumping. I didn't have shoes on, and probably needed them for this part at the end, though. 
• This was mostly an upper-body workout and I believe strength training is very important. So, you are getting some level of cardio burn and you are working out your upper body. 
• It's super short (my favorite thing!) but that means you need to work twice as hard!

Concerns:

• There is a multiple muscle focus on this (which I prefer) and that might be a bit much for someone new to working out. You do lunges while doing something with your arms, so you work arms and legs at the same time. If you are new to this, perhaps try it the first time without actually holding weights and then if you get the footwork down, add that in next time.
• I put my heart rate monitor on for this workout. For the 10 minutes, my average was 125 bpm with max of 153. That's okay. I'm pushing 40 years old, so to get to the aerobic zone, I need to be 130 or higher and I was not for this workout sequence. But, I feel the weights/muscle building was the trade-off. Here's a sample heart rate chart in case you are curious about that stuff:

Recommend? Yes! I really enjoyed this workout. Even though my heart rate didn't get up, I loved the strength part. And, during the cardio burst at the end, it was up there where it needed to be. It might be good to do something else cardio first to warm up and get the heart rate up before starting. And, there is not really any warm up or cool down, so you may have sore arms the next day if you don't think to stretch.

Jillian Michaels Kickbox Workout

Well, I got up this morning and did T25 Day 1 with my husband. It's a snow day, so no school for me! And, that typically means I make a yummy breakfast for the kiddos (which included chocolate cinnamon rolls... oh man... yum... and I held back and only ate one, but it was big). And, I felt like that meant I needed another morning workout to work some of that off!

So, I decided to try Jillian Michaels Kickbox Workout online. It is posted here--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9avonsRVok on the ChannelFitnessVideos YouTube page. The video is 25 minutes long.

Things I Liked:

• It was a good workout, but not as tough as some of the workouts I've done. It was nothing compared to the T25 workout this morning! But, I am not quite as sweaty as I might normally like to be. If you aren't used to doing cardio, though, this is probably an ideal paced workout.
• I watched this video with no audio (was watching a show on my Amazon Prime side by side on the computer) and it was easy to follow.
  
• Most of the reps are in 20s (or 10 per side) except for speed punches, jump ropes, and jumping jacks. So, you can count reps most of the time and don't have to watch the video continuously. This makes this a good video if you want to watch something else at the same time.
• There was a four kick sequence I really liked. The exercises were not complicated at all.

Concerns:

• Concerns might be a strong word, but Jillian seemed drunk or something! Seriously, she was acting odd. The first minute I listened to her and she just seemed strange to me. So, I muted her. 
• The last few minutes are a bit slow. Of course, part of that is cool down. You get about 20 minutes of good, solid workout.
• Though it's kickboxing, there is not much boxing other than speed punches. Upper body is a very small focus. There are a few push-ups towards the end, but otherwise, it is mostly legs.

Recommend? Yes, for most people. If you are really super fit, it might not be for you. I think for someone starting out, it would be a good challenge for getting the heart rate up, but there is quite a bit of jumping (jumping jacks and jump ropes) so this might be a bad option for anyone with knee issues. There are no modifiers given.

Boxing Workout

So, today I decided to head to the basement since it's freezing cold outside and try to figure out what to do with the heavy bag we have down there. I don't really do boxing. I guess I need some lessons. So, I decided to do a little YouTube research. And, I found a few videos that showed some form and some ideas for punches. So, I did that for about 10 minutes and decided I wanted something already put together and structured. I ran across this boxing workout (it doesn't require any equipment) from Sneak Punch.  It was short (which I like) and I decided to pop on my heart rate monitor and see how hard it made me work. The video was here-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca1vygb2b5s

What I Liked:

• It was short; about 12 minutes of active workout and then around 2 minutes of a cool down. So, done in 15 minutes. If you wanted to be sure to get a full 20 minute workout in, I'd suggest maybe running for 5 minutes before you start just to loosen up your muscles or do some jumping jacks or jump ropes. Or, do that afterward.
• For the 12 minutes of active time, I kept my data on the heart rate monitor. My heart rate average was 136 bpm and high was 169. I felt that was pretty good considering the first two minutes were a warmup and there was a 30 second rest period between each of the four rounds. 
• He divided the workout into warmup, 4 rounds, and cool down. So, you went hard and then had a short break between each interval. That's good for your metabolism as well; going up and down in heart rate is supposedly more effective for burning fat. True story.

Concerns:

• It had many punching sequences. That's cool for me, but for some people, it might be hard to learn them quick enough to do them since the intervals are short. 
• It says no equipment, but I used a mat (since I was on a hard basement floor) for two exercises, crunches with punches and the push up hops. I did those on my knees and had to have some padding. So if you aren't on carpet, you will need a pad or pillow. 
• If you are lazy with the workout, you might not get the full burn. Punching requires you to really go hard, keep your arms up, and put some effort into it (especially when you do speed punches at the end of each round... you have to really try to burn out!). Just going through the motions and moving your arms isn't going to give you adequate burn. So, if you do it, focus on doing it RIGHT. :)

Recommend? YES! It's short and effective. I think it might be a good one to repeat after a drink break and bringing your heart rate back down. I did some "line drills" after the workout after I felt good and warm and went back to the bag a little bit. 

T25

So, for the new year, my husband and I are embarking on the T25 Challenge. My mom bought me the DVDs for Christmas from Amazon-- http://www.amazon.com/Shaun-FOCUS-T25-DVD-Workout/dp/B00DDBS2JE/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

Why this, you say? Well, I commit to a half hour of exercise daily. And, that is typically done first thing in the morning. I've really wanted to try out some of those fancy P90X or Insanity workouts, but they are just too long. I do not have it in me to work out for an hour or more. And, I know that metabolic burn is effective even with a short workout if it's high intensity or intervals. So, this sounded perfect.

I've only done two workouts so far, Alpha Cardio and Alpha Speed 1.0. My first impressions are that it is a very good workout. There is lots of jumping, so if you have bad knees, it could be a problem. And, it is pretty rough on the feet so you want to wear a good shoe. I have PF in one foot and I can feel that foot get weak sometimes, but it doesn't seem to linger much after the workout.

We are just testing it out this week and then doing our weight/measure and pictures on Saturday and beginning the full program on Monday. It's a 60-day program, so I am hoping to see some results.

The "infomercial" about the program by BeachBody:

Spin Workout--My First Experiment

Global Cycling Network has a YouTube channel that posts several Spin Class workout videos. I figured today was the day to try out one of the classes online since I've never taken a spinning class.

Here is what I liked about it:

• It was only 20 minutes; I don't like long workouts and get bored very easily.
• There were only three positions to worry about. That might sound boring, but I don't mind repetition when I am only going to have to go hard for a third of an hour.
• There was a countdown clock during intervals so you knew how much time you had left, and I love that feature. 

What I didn't love...

• The "trainer" was a little bit monotone. It might have been a fancy computer voice, even. 
• They show people doing the workout with you on bikes. They are all ladies, so probably not the biggest pull for men doing the exercises. And, they don't seem happy or energetic at all. 
• The music was just techno stuff; nothing recognizable. 

Recommend? YES! For the short time span, it was a good workout. I got a great sweat on. As I am a heart rate monitor freak, I did wear it through the workout. I would say once I got going, I generally stayed around 140-155 bpm. They are very big on increasing your resistance if your bike is wobbly or if you can't stay stable, and that was good advice. So, I say go for it!