Star Spangled Spin Class

I really love a theme for spin classes and there's nothing like a holiday to help determine a theme.  This week it was obviously the Star Spangled Fourth of July Spin.  If you have any playlist suggestions for independence, fourth of July, America and summer music, feel free to suggest.

Spin Playlist at Sky Club Fitness on July 2, 214
1. The Star Spangled Banner, Jim Hendrix
2. Independence Day, Mel C. (Spice Girl)
3. American Girl, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4. American Boy, Estelle feat. Kanye
5. Blister in the Sun, Violent Femmes
6. The Boys of Summer, the Ataris
7. I love New York, Madonna (a tour of the states)
8. Lubbock or Leave It, Dixie Chicks (NY to TX)
9. Lump, the Presidents of the United States of America (get it?)
10. American Pie, Madonna
11. Young Americans, David Bowie
12. Firework, Katy Perry
13. America, Simon & Garfunkel
14. Ice Cream, Sarah McLachlan

And let me tell you the class could have used some ice cream or fro yo after it was over, even though it was 6:45a.m. because this morning was H-O-T!  It was 80+ degrees and HUMID in New York City today.  To beat the heat, I did my brick workout inside today.  10 min on the treadmill before class and then spin class, back to the treadmill for 15 min and then a quick swim before work.  Gearing up for the triathlons we just signed up for July 19 Hopkins Vineyard Triathlon and Niantic Bay.

This Friday we'll be kicking off our 4th in style with a Firecracker 5k.  I started this week with a great Monday night run and yesterday had a kick ass bootcamp class (workout to follow).

Unfortunately the fireworks are no longer over the Hudson, but this was our amazing view last year. 

Tough Tuesday Workout (5/7/13): Shuttle Runs Plus Weekly Workouts & HOHA 5 miler

Last week ended up completely different from what I planned but great nonetheless. I've been pretty lousy about signing up for races.  Being somewhat low on cash and headed to Nashville on vacation, I've been waiting to sign up and see what I want to do.  I had thought about doing a Mother's Day duathlon this past weekend, but haven't been out on my bike enough.  I also thought about the Newport 10K but the rain put me off (I know it shouldn't but since my running buddy got sick, I wasn't eager to go alone).  Well I headed to the gym Saturday (shockingly) and turns out some friends were running so I headed to the HOHA Sunday and it was great and my Ipod and I finished in 52 minutes, which was great!


What you need: two sets of weight - I had 8's and 15's, mat, bench and a mat, Gymboss or other timer

Warm Up - Jog, Jacks and Jump Rope, Wide Leg Pushups (3), Squats and Lunges  (about 20 of each) and Stretching.with band 



We ran across the gym the short way, so it looked like little shuttle runs

heavy weights at one end
2x back and forth sprints
down curl press
Repeat for 3x 15, 10, 5 of each exercise

shuffle low back and forth
alternating lunge 15, 10, 5 (add one more shuffle at end)

frog jump burpee and back peddle
pushups 15, 10, 5 toes or knees

Rest

50 on and 10 off

1. jump lunge
2. side to side burpee
3. Dive Bomber
4. one legged deadlift
5. 3 d pushup
6. one legged deadlift
7. tap knees
8. side lift R
9. side lift L
10 Dead lift

Repeat

Rest

30 seconds - squat in and out on the bench
Repeat other side
Repeat Taps for 10
2 pushups - downward dog for 3 sets

Abs

one minute plank. 

cool down & stretching

This took about 50-55 minutes (4 Round x 10 plus about 1 minute break plus abs and the warmup and cool down)


Remember to always check with a doctor before doing any exercise and to always keep on tri'n!

Weekly Workout Summary
I started my week on Tuesday after taking Monday off after we had run 10 + miles Sunday I was TIRED. Tuesday I did my morning weekly boot camp and I did a light 20 min jog before heading to the Shelter meeting at night

I was pretty sore the next day (Wednesday) during spinning but still did some swimming to get ready for tri season.

Thursday night I went for a quick run with the my running buddy since I got home late (again - repeat the same as last week! 
 

 Friday I taught spinning and did some weights and swimming.  And that night I did yoga at Sky Club.

On Saturday I went to Combat class at Sky Club and followed that up with a short run (about 25 minutes) and then went to Local Barre over the weekend and did the Sports Barre Class. 

On Sunday, I ran the HOHA with the Sky Club crew and kept a pretty good pace for me.  I was excited.  

I put together my weekly workout schedule for the spring/summer a few weeks ago to get ready for tri season and to finish up training for the half we planned to do and it's working out well. BUT

Then this week I found out the Half Marathon we'd planned to do was CANCELLED - super bummer.  We hadn't signed up since I was waiting for Uncle Sam to send over his contributions to race season but it was disappointing nononetheless, looking at a half in CT and then today I found out they cancelled my usual first race of the season in CT for tri season (Westport TargetTraining race). DISAPPOINTMENT AGAIN. I've looked into other options.  Fortunately the Hartford Marathon races for the summer are still a go. 

Cinco de Mayo Spinning Playlist

Once again tiring of the same old playlists, I put together this one for Cinco de Mayo, one of my favorite holidays when I was in college.  While I found out from Wikipedia this is a day of Mexican heritage and pride, the playlist is Latin-inspired as I had some trouble coming up with strictly Mexican-American pop music appropriate for Spin and the Internet was no help.  It also includes 2 tracks by Mike Doughty who will be appearing at the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival this weekend at 4:30pm.  Mike Doughty was also the lead singer of Soul Coughing (Circles, Super Bon Bon) I discovered Mike Doughty through Veronica Mars one of my all-time favorite shows.  See the tribute to Veronica *hearts* Logan and the song, I Hear the Bells here. But he has some pretty kick ass tunes including 27 Jennifers (a favorite of Dave Matthews). More on the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival here.

Cinco de Mayo/Hoboken Playlist

Oye Come Va (Love Assassins Remix) - Tito Puente Jr
Waiting for Tonight (Remix) - J. Lo
I like it - Enrique Igesias (feat. Pitbull)
Maneater - Nelly Furtado
Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
Rabiosa - Shakira (feat. Pitbull)
I Hear the Bells- Mike Doughty
Shake Your Bon-Bon (Remix) - Ricky Martin
Super Bon Bon - Soul Coughing
Tonight I'm Lovin You - Enrique Igesias
I'll Stand by You - Shakira

Spin-a-thon 2013 Playlist at Sky Club in Hoboken

One February 2, 2013 Sky Club Fitness and Spa in Hoboken, NJ held a Spin-a-thon and Zumba-thon to benefit the Hoboken Shelter.  Last week I presented them with cash and checks for $525 and some in-kind donations. 

My playlist

Don't Stop the Party - Pitbull
What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - Kelly
Good Feeling - Flo Rida
Spectrum (Say My Name) - Florence and the Machine
Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj
Crazy in Love - Bey and Jay-Z
Closer - Tegan and Sara
Glad you came - The Wanted.

Valentine's Day Playlist

Valentine's Day Playlist

Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benetar
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
When Love Takes Over - David Guetta
If you're wondering if I want to i want you to - Weezer
My life would suck without you - Kelly Clarkson
We found love - Rihanna
Love is Gone - David Guetta
That's not my name - Ting Tings
Blow Me (one last kiss) - P!nk
I love you - Remix - Sarah McLachlan
Kandi- One Eskimo

Songs 3 - 6 are part of rolling hills (1 minute seated flat, 1 min seated climb, 1 min standing climb, 30 sec standing run) 7 is recovery for a min and run and then uphills to the finish.  Love is a Battlefield and you battle uphill! :)

Grammy Spin Playlist

Grammy Spin Playlist

We are Young - fun.
Somebody that I used to Know (Tiesto Remix) - Gotye
What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - Kelly Clarkson
Set Fire to the Rain (Remix Workout Team) - Adele
Lonely Boy - Black Keys
I Will Wait - Mumford and Sons
Suit and Tie (Feat. Jay-Z)- Justin Timberlake
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
Some Nights - fun.
Shake It Out - Florence and the Machine
Try - P!nk
Ho Hey - Lumineers

Tuff Wkend & Tuff Tuesday Bootylicious Workout (2/5/13)

This weekend I went back and forth between super fitness and super unhealthy, which is not good at all for my upcoming Costa Rica trip in 3 weeks. I got back on track today after eating the remainder of the ice cream from our football Sunday. Whoops! Saturday we were all about being healthy, working out frequently, leading off with a 4.5 mile run in the morning, then participating in a Spinning segment of our Successful Sky Club Spin-a-thon and Zumba-thon!!  We raised $525 for the Shelter. I also tried Zumba, which did not seem like my kind of work-out at all but my friends certainly got into it. I noticed when I went to spin all the soreness from my run 3 hours before kicked in and my legs felt like lead but we made it! I will post the playlist soon!

On Sunday my diet fell apart, and Monday I took a rest day, but today we were back to healthy eats and working out.  I took part of the workout from a Zuzka Light workout and when I did it Sunday but legs and butt were killing me so I thought in honor of Beyonce's epic performance at the Superbowl we would work our legs and butt extra hard with lots of squats and lunges.

For this workout you will need: one step with 4 risers, light weights (5lbs) and heavy weights (10-12lbs) and a ball.  

Warmup - Run/Skip/Jacks, squats, lunges, stretches, marching it out.

Section 1 50 sec on 10 sec off
Rope Skip
Jump Lunge w/light weights, curl, press arms out
Skip
5 pushups, 5 rows R, 5 pushups, 5 rows L, repeat
Skip
Jump up on Step 5x, step over, 5 leg lifts sitting on step (lean back on sit bones pull legs up and knees in), run around step repeat
Skip
Jump Squat
Skip
Arnold Press

Abs
30 Pulses (10 slow, 20 quick)
Froggie Crunch - legs at 45 degrees in diamond, pulls knees in when you push out lift head & shoulders x 15
Scissors x 15
Reverse Crunch x15
Regular Crunch x 15
on the Step sit on sit bones same as for leg lifts except bicycle legs for 20
Using the ball dig in your heels and lift your hips, 15x
Legs over the ball crunches 20x
Plank leg lifts for 20 (in your plank, lift with legs straight R & L alternating)
Forearm plank mt climbers
With feet on the step tap side to side in a plank for 10


Section 2 (50 sec on, 10 off)
Skips
with R foot on step and no weights reach down tap the floor and then reach up like you are putting a box away in a high closet shelf for 40 seconds for last 10 jump up springing up off left leg
Skips
Same thing with left foot on step
Skips
Squat Curl Press w/ heavy weight
Skips
One legged squat foot on step 30 Seconds/One Legged Dead lift 20 sec (R leg on step)
Skips
Repeat with left leg on step
Skips
With one heavy weight squats with legs wide and alternate upright rows

Legs
Squats 20x w/heavy weights
Screamer Lunge (in front of step, step back right then step up with right, drive left knee up) 10x w/ light weights
Dead lift 20x w/ heavy weights
Other side for Screamer Lunge 10x
Plie Squat 10x

Repeat Abs Section

This workout took about an hour and I burned about 500 calories so it was a darn good high energy workout. Before the workout I went for a 15 minute interval run on the treadmill. I did not use 1lb weights for skipping this week since I will be doing kickboxing later, and last week I thought my arms would fall off with all the weight lifting I did earlier in the day.  Hope that you soon start to notice some bootylicious results with your workout!

Remember to always consult with a physician before beginning a workout and Keep on tri'n!

Winter Cold Means Hot Soup! (and News About a Spinathon)

I have been delinquent in posting workouts lately despite my aforementioned New Year's resolution. Unfortunately, work has picked up, attendance in bootcamp is down and the winter cold has spread the flu to my house again.  So I've been slacking. I plan to post last Tuesday's workout later today and will also post the workouts I've done on my own. Yes, the winter cold also meant numbers were DOWN at the gym.  This may mean no more bootcamp in the winter!! Insert Sad Face. :( I will continue to post workouts I do on my own and this may mean more time to devote to Zuzka Light workouts.  I've been doing pretty well eating wise, we did head out to dinner Sunday night at The Brass Rail in Hoboken but by Tuesday I was back to healthy eating, lots of fruits, veggies, greek yogurt, lean proteins and a few whole grains for fuel. As for spin, numbers have been through the roof but this week with the New York cold no one wanted to get out of bed and I only had 5 people in class.  Thanks for coming guys!

On a positive fitness note, on February 2nd 2013, we'll be holding the 2nd Annual Spin-a-thon at Sky Club and a newly added Zumbathon!  Last year, we raised $700 and collected many canned goods for the Shelter. I am hoping with the addition of Zumba to raise over $1,000 and collect more donations.  We have 4 great instructors lined up for each 2 hour event and I am working on getting some awesome prizes. I have a list of places to call and am securing donations.  I've posted/sent the event to various websites and blogs across Hoboken and details can be found here.

As mentioned, the past few days in New York have been freezing.  I wore light grey tights to walk to the Path the other day and my legs turned purple through them it was so cold.  I decided it was time for soup after seeing Ina Garten's twitter post about how she made her hearty winter minestrone soup.  See her blog about it here. On Tuesday I went out and bought all the ingredients (sorta).  Then someone in the house got the flu and I got a late start Wednesday. I decided to modify the recipe to a crock pot.  She cooks it in a dutch oven, which normally I am a  big fan of but it seemed to long for post work and especially since someone would be home all day the soup could simmer away. It tasted great with a lil parm on top last night and I had leftovers for us both today. 

What I did
A little drizzle of olive oil
A layer of carrots
A layer of celery
A layer of butternut squash
Sprinkle of salt, pepper and thyme
As for the sorta, Ina's recipe calls for canned tomatoes, which I thought I had but no they were pureed but oh well, in they went!
Container of low salt organic, chicken broth
Cup of Water
Bay Leaf
Rinsed and Drained can of white beans and half-3/4 a can of garbanzo beans - rest of the can went in my salad for work.
Set to Low for 6-7 hours or until person at home answers the phone to turn it to warm. I am not sure who out there works for 5-6 hours or just 8 but call me if you do and tell me how you use the crockpot. I find I am gone from usually 9-7 or later, having worked from 10-6. So that's more like 10 hours a day.
When I got home, I cranked it up to high and added orzo, 2 tablespoons of pesto, a dash of white wine and lots 2 cups or more of spinach and let it sit for 40 minutes until the orzo cooked and the spinach wilted. I did have to stir it a few times.
Serve HOT with parmesan cheese.

We each ate a big bowl full and a little bit more.

Super Green Smoothie and Super Playlist

Today was a ROUGH day.  I would've loved to have slept in until noon but unfortunately Spinning duty called EARLY.  So I decided to start the day with my new favorite playlist! Not driving to work I don't get updated on the latest top 40 hits but with the Rush Cycle class the other day and some research I put together a pretty super playlist.

Super WED/FRI Playlist
Mumford and Sons - I Will Wait - Warm Up
In My Mind (Axwell Mix - 6min) - Ivan Gough - Moderate Hill - Run in 2 and Jumps (8cts, 4cts, 2cts)
Try - P!nk - Hill climb - saddle - up to 3 on the chorus
The Time (Dirty Bit) - Black Eyed Peas - Flush and then 40-20 temp and sprint 4x
Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj - Run in 2 at the chorus pick up the pace then at pound the alarm 2 ct jumps
Push and Shove - No Doubt - Hill Climb - all saddle on the chorus when it slows up add A LOT of road and really climb up
Mountain Sound - Of Monsters and Men - Recovery 90 seconds and then a run in 2, ending in a light climb
One More Night - Maroon 5 - Hill Climb in 3
Catch My Breath - Kelly Clarkson - seated sprint - double time at the chorus
White Ladder - David Gray - Cool Down

Super Smoothie
I came home and had an awesome green smoothie. Mixing together the following in the Bullet:

Ice
1/2 cup Silk Light Soymilk
4 strawberries
6-8 pieces of pineapple - precubed from store
Big tablespoon full of chiobani vanilla yogurt
Handful of spinach

It turns a nice shade of pinky green - I enjoyed it while taking a look at my flowers and then heading to yoga at Sky Club for early lunch yoga!

Remember to ask your doctor before doing any exercise and to enjoy and keep on tri'n! For more information on spinning check spinning.com