Tough Tuesday Workout #11: Burpees Galore

On Monday Zuzana Light posted a workout that involved doing 4 burpees every minute between exercises from there was born today's workout. If you've never seen a burpee - here is video of Zuzana Light from her Old BodyRock days doing one. (image is from the web - not me)

Warm-up
 Same as always - Jog, jacks, jump rope (3 J's) and some light stretching as well as squats and lunges to warm up the big muscle groups. Don't forget to warm up the back with some cat/cow.

I split the workout in 2 with abs in the middle...

Round 1:
5 burpees
Pushups (options - feet elevated or hands elevated) 15 total
5 burpees
Squats with heavy weights - 30 reps
5 burpees
Bicep curls 15/Overhead Press 15/Curl and Press - 10
5 burpees
Sissy squat (heels are up on a set of weights places side by side- taken from Jackie Warner so see her do it via the link) 30 resps
5 burpees
Shoulder raise
5 burpees
20 power squats up onto the step (if you don't have step, use a stair in your house or just power up and jump up straight and land lightly)

Abs
1 minute hold in plank
20 crunches center
20 crunches knees right
20 crunches knees left
20 bicycles
20 double crunches - lift hips and shoulders
10 hip raises (squeeze glutes)
10 dble crunches
10 bicycles
10 crunches knees left
10 crunches knees right
 10 crunches center
30 second plank hold
Standing up using heavy weight, hold in right hand on right side of body, bend to right, do 15 and switch.

Round 2:
5 burpees
25 lunges each leg with back foot on the step (no weights)
5 burpees
20 one-legged rows R&L
5 burpees
50 Alternating lunges light weights
5 burpees
10 side to side jumps over your rolled up mat - back and forth counts as 1
5 burpees
10 chest presses on the step or floor, 10 reverse flys, 10 skull crushers (tri), 10 tricep dips
5 burpees
10 each leg - one legged squat as low as you can go (I am nowhere near a full pistol squat and I think my knees might give out if I did one so do what you can)


DONE! And Cool down.
I got my first dirty look today with all the burpees and who can blame them it's 60 burpees total and my classes did a bang up job.  I salute them. Amazing! Below is a picture of me doing a burpee on our trip to Ireland in 2011.

Remember don't do any workout without checking with your doctor and be well and keep on tri'n.

Tough Tuesday Workout #10: Rockin' & Runnin' & Lazy Lasagna

Over the weekend my boyfriend and I ran the O'Connell's 5k Run in Union City.  It was his first 5k since 2009 so he wasn't sure how it would go and neither would I since I didn't feel as if I'd gotten any rest since the triathlon last weekend. All in all not a bad day.

The race was right near us so we literally ran up to the light rail, took the elevator, and walked a few blocks to the start.  We jogged to the light rail to warm up.  While I enjoy running, I am a terrible runner who has knowledge of my pace, form, etc.  We wanted to use this race to go at a 10 min mile pace consistently - which we did finishing just over 31 minutes.  It felt good and the weather was great. I am glad triathlon season is over because it means no more traveling, no more getting up at 5 a.m. and no more remembering gear and IDs. It was nice to have a race start at 9:30.

On Sunday we ran a recovery run and last night (Monday) we went to the track for our first "track" workout.  We ran a warm up 1 mile and then did 6 x 400 repeats at roughly a 2:15 pace.  We walked about 30 seconds - 1 minute after each repeat and ran down only a lap and half (mostly because I was trying to get home to catch the end of Bones and beginning of Major Crimes).

After the sprint workout we did a few pushups and tricep dips, well one set since that's all my running partner could handle. However after sitting for awhile watching Bones I was the one who was in pain trying to walk down the hall to the showers.

For dinner I had made the "lazy girl's lasagna" a few nights ago and we finished it up last night. Basically it's baked penne, when I am too tired to go out and buy lasagna noodles. I make lasagna filling and layer sauce, noodles, filling and in here instead of meet I added a layer of finely chopped zucchini since I have zucchini in droves from my farm market adventures. After the race Sat, we'd walked down the farm market and I bought out the zucchini.

For Tough Tuesday I was out of ideas so I checked out Bodyrock and was inspired by their lastest workout to make up one of my own.

Warm Up - same as always: Jog, Jump Rope Jacks, light lunges and squats and stretch. 

Round 1: (10 seconds rest after each)
15 pushups with feet on step or hands on step (hands on step and elevation of upper body makes this exercise a little easier)
30 seconds: 5 high knees and half burpee (no pushup)
15 squats with heavy weights
30 seconds: high knees
10 curl press
30 seconds: Jack
Lunges R & L 25 each no weights
30 seconds Jack
10 spiderman pushups
30 seconds - side to side jump
10 each side one legged row
30 seconds mt climbers
15 plie squat with weight front raise


Round 2: Abs (in the middle)
20 crunches center
10 crunches right (left shoulder right knee)
10 crunches extend right leg out to side in quarter of an "X" and bring R knee to L elbow
Repeat those 10 & 10 on opposite side
Flip over onto forearms into forearm plank
Lift R leg as high as you can, holding leg up move to right, back to center lower, repeat on left. 10 x total.
Come onto knees, lean onto right hand on side, extend top leg, lift and lower for 10x, push hips up or come to side plank (hold 15 seconds). Switch sides and repeat
On step or floor, sit back on sit bones and extend legs in and out, trying not to lean into your hands and wrists. 15 x
Using a step, chair or bench, squat down and press up (no weights) lifting up your knee 15x each side
Bicycles 20x 
Standing up hold weight in one hand, bend at waist, 15x each side
Move one raiser away from bench so you have an incline, lay with head at higher part and lift up hips for 10
Turn and face the other way so butt is at high part lay back 10 crunches and 4 roll ups (at your pace!)

Round 3:
Repeat Round 1 due to time I cut back the 30 seconds to 20 seconds and cut back the 15 reps so everything was 10 reps and we did one more set of crunches & bicycles at the end (15 each) and it was about 52 minutes and 55-60 with stretching at the end.

Cool down - Stretch. 

Make sure you check with a doctor before starting any kind of workout and work at your own pace. Great Job and Keep on Tri'n!

I made sure to tell the classes about a great event going on in Hoboken - the Get in the Spirit 5K Launch Party!  On Wed, October 3, 2012 at the Hoboken Melting Pot from 6:30 to 9:30.

Tough Tuesday Workout #9 (Tabata Inspired...again)

I wanted to get this one out before I forgot it because it really was a great workout and I can feel it slipping from my mind already.  Obviously my impending 32nd birthday does mean my mind is slowing down.

Tabata is a high-energy interval workout designed to get your heart rate up and accomplish a hard workout in 8 minutes working hard for 20 seconds and 10 seconds rest. I typically combine an tabata-inspired style into my workout when I do it. 

Warm-up
Same as usual.  Run, jump rope and jacks to get the heart rate up followed by stretching and some squats and lunges to warm up the big muscle groups.

Round 1 - Tabata Inspired
4 minutes - 20 seconds on 10 off alternating high knees and hot feet/football run.
4 minutes - 20 seconds on 10 off alternating jump lunges and mt climbers

Total of 8 minutes

Water. 

Round 2 - no weights
20 James =Bond style lunges (step forward on right, hands clasped in front of chest pointer figure out in 'gun' and twist to right).
10 power squat jumps
20 James Bond style lunges on left
10 power squat jumps
10 push ups
10 roll ups for the abs.

Repeat all.


Round 3
4 min 20 seconds on and 10 off  alt burpees sans push ups and side to side jump.
Total 4 minutes

 Water. 

Round  4. 
Side lunge to the right step center, power jump up.
10 squats with heavy weights
Side lunge to Left
10 squats with heavy weights
10 overhead press heavy weights
10 chest press on step
10 reverse crunch on step
Repeat

Round 5. 
4 min 20 seconds on and 10 off alt hot feet/ftball run and butt kicks
Total 4 minutes

Water.

Round 6
10 lunges r and l
repeat
sit on step concentration curl 10 on each side
10 skull crushers for triceps (lay on step bend arms 90 degrees).
10 bridges


Round 7 Abs
Crunches - 20
Bicycles - 20
Hold up for 1 minute
Repeat
Plank for 1 minute

Cool down. 
:)

Awesome job!  Check with a doctor before starting any workout and Keep on Tri'n!

Tough Tuesday Workout #8: Heating Things Up! (Tread and Shred Wrkout)

Tuesday the studio was experiencing some serious heat after being closed up since 2 p.m. the previous day in observance of labor day. Classes were also looking slim as was the club - no one likes to say good bye to summer.

After doing my usual warm up of jacks, running, jump rope and stretching, I was drenched.  I did not think I could anyone's heart rates up without worrying about the impact the heat would have.  I encouraged them to drink water and decided we needed a new location to drive the heart rates up.

I had just done a treadmill workout prior to coming in to the room and thought it might be a good way to get them out get hear rates up without having anyone keel over. 

I had tucked a copy of Fitness Mag's recent article on a tread and shred workout designed by a professional and had gone through it that morning. When forced to work out on the treadmill I need a game plan and like to do intervals to burn max calories and get off. I hate the treadmill everyday. Great spinning tune! (side note).

So I did an abridged version for the class with a one minute jog, one minute butt kicks, 30 seconds side step one way, then the other for 30 secs and then back to butt kicks for one minute and one round of intervals 1 minute speed and 30 secs walking x3 sets. And one minute walk or light run cool down. About 10 minutes total.

Back in the studio we used heavy weights and no weights, keeping the head above the heart.

Heavy weights
10 squats
5 curl and press
Repeat 5 times

No weights - 25 reverse lunge and knee and 15 elevated pushups x 2. w/ the heavy weights row with one foot up on the step 10 each side.

Heavy Weights again
Dead lift x 10
Overhead press x 5
Repeat set 5 times
Chest press 15 reps x 2 one set fast, one set slow 

No weights
Curtsy squat and lift leg out to side x 20
Tricep dip x 10
x 2 sets for each.

Abs
Crunches - front, side L&R x 20
Reverse Crunch x20
Bicycles x 20
1 minute hold hallowing out abs and crunching up
release and stretch
Arms and legs up and head and chest and lower arms and legs out to side and lift up x 20
Bicycles x 20
1 minute hold hallowing out abs and crunching up
release and stretch
turn over and hold plank
release and stretch
hold plank and lift right leg up as high as you can then out to side, in and back down. repeat 10 x and then switch to left. *

I used some of the moves again when I taught abs on Wednesday. I also brought in some of my fav Krav moves like one leg burpees - making one leg squat, curl, press harder :), resting on your stomach with your arms out to the side and lifting chest up and then pressing up into plank, and also prisoner get ups (getting up w/out using your hands and crossing one leg over the other - see photo of Zuzana).  We also grabbed the ball and put it at our shins and pulled our knees in or lifted up to a plank.  We also used the ball to do hamstring curls, which I hate but are so good for you.  (Pressing heels into the ball and curling in the hammies - ouch!) Because the class was pretty quiet (2) and they are both in good shape, I was able to play around with more challenging exercises. We started off simply like I had in the previous class with the crunches and bicycles. We did the plank exercises which is no joke.  The 20 minutes we had went by quickly. Sometimes it's fun to mess around with challenging moves.

*If you wanted to do this on your own you could insert the run/walk intervals between each section of weights/no weights and cut back on the abs and have a workout that's just over an hour and gets in some great cardio. 

Before working out make sure you get clearance from a doctor.  Have fun and keep on tri'n!