Chest and Back Burnout

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Today I am bringing you guys a strength training workout for your Back and Chest. I am using free weights and my ball as my only equipment. But you could use whatever you have around the house, ex: weighted water jugs or a bench or ottoman. You are going to perform each exercise for 8-12 reps. with heavy weight or 12-15 reps. with a medium weight. The goal is to push yourself as hard as you can with as heavy weight as you can handle while still having good form and being able to accomplish the repetitions. So lets get started! :)

1. Push-Up with Right and Left arm Punches 

Perform a regular push-up and then come up to your starting plank and punch forward with your right arm. Repeat the push-up again and then return to plank and punch forward with left arm. Keep repeating until you have finished your desired repetitions. (Remember to keep your body in line the whole time. With your bum in line with your back and head in line with spine at all times.) 

2. Chest Press 

Lay down on either your ball, bench, or ottoman and lift your weights out in front of you straight in front of your shoulders. Lower the weight down to where your elbows are straight out from your shoulders and your arms are making a 90* angle. Hold for one second and then press the weight back up to the starting position. Repeat until desired repetitions have been reached. (Remember if using a ball to keep your core engaged to support your back and not to let your shoulders raise up into your neck.)

3. Laying down Chest Flys

 Lay down on your ball and hold your weight straight out in font of you with hands facing in towards each other. Then fly your arms out to your sides going no lower than shoulder level. Keep a slight bend in your elbows during the movement. Bring arms back up to starting position and repeat for desired reps. (Remember if using a ball to keep your core engaged to support your back and not to let your shoulders raise up into your neck.)

4. Bent-Over Rows 

  Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with a slight bend in your knees and have your wights in your hand arms hanging down in front of your body. Slightly bend forward at your hips while keeps your back still flat. Hold this position and just row your arms up along side your body while keeps your elbows tucked in next to your sides. Return back to starting position and repeat until hit desired reps. (Remember to keep your shoulders down and to not let your back arch during the movement.)

5. Single Arm Row (right)-

Usually I do these with my opposite knee as working arm bent up on a bench but since I didn't have one right now I did them free standing. Starting position arm straight down by your side with body bent forward. Then row your arm up keeping elbow against your side and not letting it flare out.  Hold for a second at the top of the row before taking it back down to starting position. Repeat until you have completed desired repetitions. (Remember to keep your shoulders back and down and try to keep your back straight.)

6. Single Arm Row (left)-

 Repeat the same movement as you did above on the right side but now on your left. Make sure to do the same amount of repetitions on the left side as you did on the right. You don't want to have one arm more worked and stronger than the other.

7. High Plank Forward and Fly lifts (right)- 

  Start in a high plank position and have a weight in your right hand. While holding the rest of your body still lift your right arm straight out in front of you, trying to bring it to your shoulder height. Bring your right arm back down to starting position and then fly it out to the side while keeping a slight bend in your elbow. Then bring it back down to starting position and keep repeating the two arm lifts. 1 repetition is when you do both the forward lift and fly to the side. (Remember to keep your body in a straight line in the plank position and to hold everything still while doing the arm lifts.)

8. High Plank Forward and Fly lifts (left)- 

 Repeat the same exercises as above but now using your left arm to perform the lifts. Make sure to try and perform the same number of repetitions that you did on the right side.

If you did not find this workout difficult then try increasing your weight and performing more repetitions. Another key factor is to try and not take a very long rest between the different exercises. Try and only take a 10 second break and then get set up to do the next exercise. Good luck with this Burnout and let me know how you liked it. :)

- Shauna

20 Minute Sprint Workout

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Are you ready for a quick paced, intense workout? Well here ya go! This workout is awesome if you don't have a ton of time, or you want to get a good sweat sesh in before or after you lift weights. I do this workout once or twice a week before I do one of my weight lifting circuits, and I am nasty sweaty by the time I am done! Two great things about this workout are:
1. You can make it as hard or as easy as you want- the faster your sprint is the harder the workout is. Remember: You do not have to be a "runner" to do this workout! I know it is called a sprint workout, but if you cannot run or you feel more comfortable walking, follow the directions and just walk. For example, when it says to perform your fastest sprint, just perform your fastest speed walk:)
2. You really can do it anywhere. I usually do this one at the gym so I am on the treadmill, but you can do it on the track, on the road, or really anywhere that is convenient for you.

Comfort: A speed where you feel comfortable: you can stay at this speed for a long time. This is going to be your recovery speed. You will recover after each sprint. 

Sprint #1: Think of this as your "warm up sprint". You are not sprinting your hardest, but your heart is beating pretty good! If you are on the treadmill, bump up your speed at least one full mph from comfort. For example, if your comfort is 6.0 mph, bump the speed up to at least 7.0 mph. 

Sprint #2: A fast run. Faster than your first sprint. Bump your speed up at least one mph. For example, if my #1 Sprint was at 7.5 mph, I would bump it up to at least 8.5.

Sprint #3: This is a hard run. Almost your fastest sprint, but you are not quite pushing it your hardest. Bump your mph up at least one whole time again.
Sprint #4: Your hardest Sprint. Run as fast as you can (without getting hurt and with good form!) Bump up your speed at least 1 mph from the last sprint. 

20 Minute Sprint Workout:

Comfort:     3 minutes
Sprint #1:    1 minute
Comfort:     1 minute
Sprint #2:    1 minute
Comfort:     1 minute
Sprint #3:    1 minute
Comfort:     1 minute
Sprint #4:    30 seconds-1 minute
Comfort:     1 minute
Sprint #4:    30 seconds-1 minute
Comfort:     1 minute
Sprint #3:    1 minute
Comfort:     1 minute
Sprint #2:    1 minute
Comfort:     1 minute
Sprint #1:    1 minute
Comfort:     2 minutes

Let me know how it goes!! Good luck and have fun!

-McKell

Race Week Preparations

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I received a great request from one of our readers to post about things to do the week leading up to a race. Since my half marathon is next Saturday, it was perfect timing!

Race pic from my half marathon last September

Race week workouts:

You have completed all of your long runs and moved onto taper runs, so now what? The week leading up to a race is an important time to find that balance between keeping your endurance up and letting your body rest. This is not the time to start a new exercise plan or to push yourself too hard, but you also do not want to take the entire week off. 

Perform some easy runs throughout the week and also plan a few cross training days. It is a good idea to go for a short, easy run the day before your race to loosen up your legs. If you have kept up a good training schedule, keep your same schedule, just take some mileage off of your long runs. 

On race day, your adrenaline will be going crazy, so make sure to practice pacing yourself this week so you don't use up all your energy on the first half of the race. I made this mistake on my first half marathon. My pace for the first 5 miles was 1 minute faster per mile then my normal pace, and by mile 8, I was feeling it. I had to slow down a lot which hurt my overall time. Pacing is important!

What to eat leading up to race day:

Have you heard of carb loading? Many runners swear by it before a big race. Carb loading basically means increasing the amount of carbohydrates you are eating during the last few days leading up to a race. Carb loading can increase the amount of glycogen stores in your muscles to help keep you going strong during prolonged, high intensity exercise. This can help increase your athletic performance during a race. That being said, carb loading is normally not necessary if you will be running for less than 90 minutes. 

According to Runners World, carb loading does not mean you need to be increasing your calories, just have more of the calories coming from carbohydrates. The best time for your large, carb loading meal is at lunch the day before a race, then have a smaller carbohydrate based dinner. This will give your body time to digest and store the food so you are ready to use those nutrients during your race.  

This is not the time to start a new diet or to cut carbs out!

Get your gear ready:

Start watching the weather so you can make sure you have the right type of clothing to wear on race day. Make sure your gear is not worn down and that it is functioning properly. Do a test run in your outfit to make sure chaffing is not going to be an issue. If you are prone to chaffing, investing in some glide will save you on race day. My dad recommends Body Glide, which goes on like deodorant and is much less messy then gels and liquids. 

The day before your race, make sure all your gear is laid out and ready to go. Most races have "drop bags" where you can leave a bag of items at the start line. If it is a chilly morning, take advantage of this and bring a jacket or other warm clothes that you can wear while you wait for the race to start, then take them off just before you begin.

Rest!

It is recommended that you take a full rest day (a day off of exercise) 2 days before a race. This means if your race is on Saturday, you want a planned rest day on Thursday. This may be hard to do after being so strict with your training schedule, but it is important to let your body recover to prevent injuries and allow your muscles to be ready to work at their full potential on race day.

This week it will also be important to get enough sleep. Keep your body well rested and healthy! The night before a race, try to relax, stay off your feet, and get to bed early. I know it is exciting, but save your late night celebration for after the race.

Above all, remember to have fun! You have worked so hard and come so far, enjoy the experience and take it all in. Take lots of pictures!

-Jaeme

At Home Workout Challenge

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I found this 1000 rep workout challenge a few years ago on Body Rock TV. After I tried it the first time, I was hooked! It is such a good workout and each time you do it, you are pushing yourself harder. It is also great because it is easily done at home and no exercise equipment is required. Another one of the things I love about this exercise is that if you are short on time, you can just do it a couple times through and it gives you a quick and effective sweat session.

For this workout, you do 10 workouts, 10 reps each, 10 times all the way through. At the end you will have done 1000 reps! Try to do it as many times as possible without stopping, then each day you after that, do it one more time then you did before. Push yourself and see what you can do! Its awesome to see yourself get stronger and be able to do more each time. Once you can do the challenge all 10 times, start timing yourself and work on getting through it  faster. Do not be intimidated-if you are a beginner, start by doing it 1-2 times all the way through and work up from there. Just make sure you are always using good form on your workouts! Pictures and descriptions of each workout are below. If you would like to see a video of the workouts, go to Body Rock TV here.

1000 Rep Challenge
10 Burpees
10 Squat Jumps (with or without added weight)
10 Push ups
10 Toe Touch Sit Ups
10 Tricep Dips
10 Tuck Jumps
10 Plank Jaxs
10 Jumping Lunges
10 Leg Drops
10 Squat Thrusts

Burpees:
Start in a standing position. Bend down into a squat with your hands on the floor, jump into plank (pushup position), jump back into your squat (hands still on the ground), and jump back up to standing position. It should all be a continuous and smooth movement.

Squat Jumps:

Perform a squat keeping your bum back so that your knees do not go over your feet. From your squat, jump up, then smoothly land back down into your squat. 

*My pictures of this did not turn out so I borrowed some from one of our previous posts :).

Pushups:

If you need to, drop down onto your knees for your pushups. Make sure to keep your back and bum flat.

Toe Touch Sit Ups:

Start laying flat. Pull up your legs (keeping them straight) and your chest at the same time, then go back to starting position. If you need to modify this, you can bend your legs into your chest (third picture).

Tricep Dips:

Find something that you can put your arms up on, a chair works great. Hold yourself up on your hands. Keeping your arms close to your body, slowly bend down at your elbows then back up.

Tuck Jumps:

Start in a standing position. Jump up into a tuck and smoothly land back down to standing position.

Plank Jaxs:

Start in plank position. Jump both legs out at the same time, then back in, like a jumping jack.

Jumping Lunges:

Lunge with one leg in front (never let your knee go over your foot). At the bottom of your lunge, jump up and land in a lunge with the opposite leg in front. Land softly and try to make it a continuous motion.

Leg Drops:

Lie on your back with your legs straight up. Slowly lower your legs down until they are almost touching the ground, then raise them back to starting position. Lift your head off the ground to increase difficulty. 

Squat Thrusts:

Start in plank. Jump your legs into your chest with your hands still on the ground then back out to plank. 

Have fun challenging yourself!

-Jaeme

Strength Training is For Everyone

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When most people hear the word strength training they think of lifting weights and bulking up. While that is a form of strength training there is so much more to the equation here at hand. Strength training has many health benefits and is great for anyone at any age.  It can improve...

- Bone Health: After puberty you start to lose about1% of bone and muscle strength each year. Adding strength training helps control and can reverse that process.

- Control your Weight: Muscle burns more calories than Fat, so the more muscle your body has the higher your metabolism will be resulting in a more controlled weight.

- Boost your Endurance: The stronger your muscles get the longer they can handle work without showing signs of fatigue.

- Manage major Chronic Conditions: Heart disease, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, and back pain all can be improved or prevented by strength training.

-Improves your quality of life: The stronger your muscles are the more your body is capable of doing functional things which will improve your outlook and confidence of your self.


Now that we know some of the benefits of strength training lets now see how we can achieve it. There are many choices of strength straining and ways that it can be done. You are recommended to exercise for at least 30 minutes 3-5 days a week.   You can either do...

-Free weights: Lifting dumbbells, barbell, kettle bells or any other form of free weight that will cause your muscles to do increased work. Using free weights forces all of the work on to your muscles causing even supporting muscles to be worked. You have to lift in a 3-dimensiaonal plane using all functional muscles. Lifting using free weights does not allow your body to rely on the machine for support.

-Weight Machines: Machines are great at allowing the desired muscle that you are working to handle more weight than it would by using free weights. With Free weights you can only lift as much as your weakest point in that rang of motion can handle. When using a machine it changes the displacement of the load allowing you to lift a heavier weight providing optimal resistance throughout the entire range of motion. 

- Resistance Tubing: Is a great way to add strength training at home for a cheap and easy storage option. It is a lightweight tubing that provides resistance when stretched

- Body Weight: Without any equipment at all you can still perform a great strength training workout. With just using your own body weight you can focus on stabilization and control while performing strengthening movements. Examples would be: pushups, squats, crunches, lunges, planks, and many more.

Strength training is such an important part of exercising and you should not overlook it and leave it out of your routines. Remember to switch up your routines often so not to see a plateau and have your muscles get used to the movements it is demanded to perform. Try increasing your weight or using all of these different methods of strength training in your workouts. You can also even try using free weights with your body weight movements to increase the intensity even more.

Let me know how your strength training programs are going and what type of exercises you like to perform.

Have a fabulous Friday and weekend :)
- Shauna