ZCut Workout #4 Pre and Post Race Recovery Workouts

Missing a couple weeks - sorry!! But trying to get back to blogging, it's been a tough few weeks since the race in Litchfield and I had my parents up to visit so I fell back on my HIIT interval workouts on 7/16 and 7/23 combining jump rope or other power moves with lifting. But the week before the race we did this killer workout!!

I took a rest day Monday and then on Tuesday did ZCut #4

I started the week with ZCut What you need: two sets of weight - I had 8's and 12's, bench and a mat

Warm Up - Jog, Jacks and Jump Rope, Wide Leg Pushups (3), Squats and Lunges  (about 20 of each) and stretching for the hip flexors, shoulders, calves, etc.

Cardio - 5 Rounds
10 180 Burpees
20 Jump Lunges
10 Pushup
10 Situps
20 Sump Squat Jumps

Stength Workout - 3 Rounds
10 Weighted Pistol Squats
10 Dive Bombers
20 Dragon Lunges - Reverse Lung to Curtsy Squat
10 Curl Press 

Abs
20 Curls
20 Bicycles
20 Curls
20 Bicycles
1 minute plank   

After the workout I went for a swim.  

Wednesday - Spin and Evening Run; Thursday - Evening Run;  Friday - Spin/Swimming;  Saturday off;  Sunday - Race   

Post Race Workouts
The next week was the week after the race.  I stayed at home to visit with my parents.  So I took Monday off and iced a sore glute.

Then Tuesday I did bootcamp HIIT intervals and at night I did the Party With Purpose 5K race in Hoboken.  I took it easy and really enjoyed it. I ran it with some good friends and it was a lot of fun and we got to have frozen yogurt afterwards

Super Hot 5k in Hoboken, but awesome views of NYC!!

Wed - Spin/Swim and Thursday - Outdoor Sports Barre with Local Barre (Such a disappointment NBC Weather was there filming and I was asked to be interviewed by the police made the truck move and ruined my chances).

I was shocked at how many calories I burned, normally it's about 200-250 but I guess with the heat and biking home I burned a ton.

Friday I did Spin and Swam and then drove up to the Catskills to visit the old better half.  I had quite a time getting up there, a train turned over so I had to subway, bus and train it to Poughkeepsie then get a ride to the Catskills.

Post spin smoothie, banana strawberry.

We rode 27 miles on Saturday and Sunday we did 10 miles. However, now I need to get back on a diet because we ate everything in the Catskills, they had delicious cream soda and root beer.

Delicious soda and food while we were up there. 

The B&B we stayed at the Catskill Maison, which had great food and absolutely gorgeous bedrooms. And great places to ride nearby.

ZCut Week #3: Knees Up

I had missed a week of posting the Zcut Cardio Workouts and wanted to make sure I got this one in. It was rough. It was the week after I had done the Fairfield marathon and the kickoff of NYC's heat wave.  That week I did not do much running.   I did some light running Thurs, Friday and then on Saturday we went for a longer (5 mile) run. 

This workout was AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)

What you need: two sets of weight - I had 8's and 12's, bench and a mat

Warm Up - Jog, Jacks and Jump Rope, Wide Leg Pushups (3), Squats and Lunges  (about 20 of each) and stretching for the hip flexors, shoulders, calves, etc.

Section 1 - 10 minutes
10 lateral burpees - jump over the step push up then jump back over, you could also jump over your mat or walk over the step.  I had to take breaks since my legs were screaming from the run.
20 crab toe touches
10 ab splitters
10 mt climbers, 10 jacks on the step
20 lunge jumps

Break - 4 minutes

Section 2 - 10 minutes
10 overhead squat
10 lunge twists
10 side burpees
10 pike press knee tuck

Break - 2 minutes

Repeat Section 1 

Break! - 2 minutes

Weights - 2x through
10 pistol squats each side
10 plie squat
10 dive bombers
10 curl press 


This one was HARD!!! I thought I was going to lose it afterwards.  I practically fell in the pool for my swim.  Wed was a spin day, and so was Friday and Sunday we went for a bike ride in the most humid weather I've ever seen up to the Cloisters, which were beautiful.  Then we rode down through Central Park and back down the West Side Highway, it was about 23 miles total. I wanted to do a little more but someone was starving!

View from the bikes. 

That weekend also happened to be pride so we had this great view.

Not our picture. I borrowed it from WIO but we could see this from our building. 

That night I made this incredible pasta from Ina Garten, which was cheesey and delicious. It's called midnight spaghetti and included parsley from our local farmer's market, which we went to on Saturday and bought all sorts of veggies and fish.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/midnight-spaghetti-video/106544.html

Tough Tuesday Workout: ZWow'd Week 1 (6/11/13)

Tough Tuesday Workout - ZWow'd

 I have always been a big fan of Zuzka Light, the delightful online fitness personality, who now has her own website and DVD's, which I bought up immediately. Her DVD's ZCut Power Cardio and Zcut Power Strength have 12 10-20 minute workouts that are incredibly tiring and an incredible workout.  I thought they'd be a cool addition to our bootcamp class as we keep in shape this summer. 

What you need: two sets of weight - I had 8's and 12's, mat, bench and a mat

 Warm Up - Jog, Jacks and Jump Rope, Wide Leg Pushups (3), Squats and Lunges  (about 20 of each) and stretching for the hip flexors, shoulders, calves, etc. 

Section 1 - Cardio 
I used the ZCUT Power Cardio to lay out this workout making a few small edits for my class

10 burpees
10 squat jumps
20 lunge jumps or alternating legs
10 squat jumps
30 pendulums
10 squat jumps
40 side to side leg kicks

Repeat 5x so you have a total of 50 burpees by the end. It was killer and everyone thought so!

Section 2 -  Strength

3 Rounds
10 squats
10 dive bombers
10 pistol squats

Abs

Crunches - 20
Plank with knee tuck - 10
DoubleCrunch- 20 
Forearm Plank with knee  tap - 10
Hold Plank 30 seconds

Weekly Workout Summary - Week of 6/10

Monday - Nothing drove back from CT and after a weekend at the Oakley Mini and a brick workout and a 3 hour drive home I was done. 

Tuesday - Above workout and short run

Wednesday - Bike and Swim

Thursday - Running

Friday - Bike and Swim and Friday night YOGA!!

Saturday - 5.5 mile run up Patterson Plank Road (huge hill) and just about 20 miles on the bike in the afternoon (flat)

Sunday - late in the afternoon - 11+ mile run to Liberty State Park to get ready for Fairfield Half marathon next Sunday.

Post workout in my brand new compression socks ready to dunk my feet in an ice bucket. 

My other weekend activity - gardening!

 

Here is a better full view of the socks I was wearing - they are brand new - thanks to @skinnyrunner's promotion from procompression and I wore them Sat&Sun. 

Interval Challenge & Intermittment Illness

 This workout is from right before I left on vacation. So I never got around to posting it.  Then during vacation I came down with what I call - the "worst illness I've ever had."  There was a sore throat, horrific cough, runny nose, fever chills and more.  And we were in Nashville, supposed to be having a great time seeing live music, the Avett Brothers and more. Which we did.  But I was so sick. I was out of commission for a week and half, the longest I've taken off in years and it was a B*tch getting back into working out, especially when I ran a mile the Sunday of Memorial Day and nearly keeled over.

Me during my illness.

What you need: two sets of weight - I had 8's and 15's, mat, band, 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 and gymboss 50/10, 10 Rounds
 
Interval Challenge
50 on and 10 off
Jump Lunge
Squat Curl Press
Elevated Pushup
In and Out Jump
Scorpion Pushup
wood chopper R
wood chopper L
Side Planks R and L
Abs - in and out
one legged dead lift

(in second set, jump lunge become 3 jump lunge 2 knees then in last (third) set becomes 3 jump lunge and 3 mt climbers and in last set scorpion pushups becomes a dive bomber and one legged dead lift is 2 legged with a row)

4 min challenge
set up 2 weights about 3 feet apart
double step, high knees over weights, double step burpee, double step, high knees over weights, double step, go back (repeat for one minute)
Squat Kick Right
4 punches, 4 crosses (jumping jack with no arms)
Squat Kick Right

order
Interval Challenge 1
4 min Challenge
Interval Challenge 2
4 min Challenge
Interval Challenge 3
2 minute challenge
 2 minutes of 10 squats, 10 pushups, 5 plank with forearm to straight arm
1 minute plank hold

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) 

And then there was this...

If you look in the background you can see the bottle of Jack Daniels from when we visited the distillery in TN.

Tough Tuesday Workout: Fantastic Four Round (4.30.13)

What you need: two sets of weight - I had 8's and 15's, mat, band, 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 and gymboss 50/10, 10 Rounds

Round 1 w. the band

1. Uppercuts

2. Squat

3. Overhead press

4. Wood Chop R

5. Overhead press

6. Wood Chop L

7. Squat Curl

8. Front Raise

9. Squat Side Curl

10. Wide Leg Squat

Round 2. w/ bench, weights and mat (same intervals)

1. frog jump burpee

2. high knees

3. burpee step jump

4. high knees

5. one legged burpee

6. high knees

7. one legged burpee

8. high knees

9. pushup jumpover

10. high knees

Round 3. w band

1. Squat

2. Front Raise

3. Squat

3. Overhead Press

4. Right leg side leg lift

5. Left leg side lift

6. Two steps R and L

7. Wood chop alt sides halfway

8. Squat Curl

9. Chest Press

10 Row

Round 4. with step and w. heavy weights

1. lunge twist

2. star jump

3. lunge twist

4. pulse squat with heavy weights

5. wall sit overhead lift

6. Single Leg row R

7. Single Leg Row L

8. Pushups

9. Lunge side and back alternating

10. side Plank alternate halfway

Abs

one minute crunches
one minute bicyles

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. This Tuesday workout was really tough, especially with all the burpees!  

I was pretty sore the next day (Wednesday) during spinning but still did some swimming to get ready for tri season and then that night when I went to Local Barre class with Meghan in Hoboken.

Thursday night I went for a quick run with the my running buddy since I got home late and then  
 Friday did the Cinco de Mayo Spin, some weights and swimming.  

Over the weekend we did 5 miles with some 400s and 15 miles on the bike on Saturday and on Sunday we did 10.3 miles to get ready for a half marathon at the end of May. 

Tough Tuesday Workout: Lotsa Lunges (4.23.13)

I decided to change things up today and use the full space offered in Sky Club's studio room last Tuesday.  I am not sure if this is for me but I might use it again at the beginning of class and then have us find our spot! Speaking of spots in the room, while I do not teach Zumba and fortunately none of my students are this crazy, I thought this cartoon was hilarious.  Because they do always go to the same spot. And usually I get used to seeing them there and get thrown off when they aren't in the right spot. :)

I think this happens in every class, Zumba, boot camp, SPINNING!

What you need: two sets of weight - I had 8's and 15's, mat, plates 5 or 10 lb

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

Find a spot on the wall
Walking lunges across the room with plate held overhead- 4 rounds with 25 squats in between

Walking Side lunges with plate held out in front, curls, repeat

Find a spot in the room
Sculpt
one legged squat 10 each
dead lift - 15
superman pushup - 10
alternating lunges - 20
one legged dead lift - 10 each
overhead press - 10
one legged row - 10 each

Abs
crunches - 25
in and out with plate - 15
alternating legs - 20
twist - 10

Back to the wall 
Burpee frog hop - pushup across the room and back
side step across the room with plate - 3 sets

Find a spot in the room
one legged squat 10 each
dead lift - 15
superman pushup - 10
alternating lunges - 20
one legged dead lift - 10 each
overhead press - 10
one legged row - 10 each

Abs
crunches - 25
in and out with plate - 15
alternating legs - 20
twist - 10

Plank one minute

This took about 50-55 minutes without the stetching.

cool down & stretching

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

Tough Tuesday Workout: 100 Burpee Blast Workout (4.16.13)

100 Burpee Blast Workout

After the success of last week's 500 squats I thought, "what could be better than that?"  The answer: 100 burpees.  Who doesn't love a good challenge and despite a hatred for burpees, it was a tossup as to which was tougher - the burpees or the squats.  Some quads were on fire!

What you need: two sets of weight - I had 8's and 15's, mat, step and ball. Workout is not timed is #'s of reps inside the hour we have

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

Round 1
10 burpees in between
one arm rows - 15 each
10 burpees
squat curl press - 15
10 burpees
front and side raise - 10
10 side burpees - side to side no pushup
20 alternating lunges
10 side burpees- side to side
15 squats

Abs
20 crunches feet up on ball
side to side twist - 10
20 crunches feet up on ball
pushups and knees in and out - 10 each
20 crunches feet up on ball
v-ups - 10
20 crunches feet up on ball
bridge
hamstring

Round 2
10 burpees with a jump on step
alternating lunges - 20
10 burpees with upright row alternating
one legged dead lift with heavy weights- 15 each side
10 burpees - step up with weight in left hand
left row, bench press - 10 each
10 burpees step with weight right
right row, bench fly - 10 each
10 burpees
squat curl press - 15

Bis & Tris
curl press - 15
curls - 10
halfway up - 10
halfway down - 10
all the way up and down - 5
tricep dips - 10

Abs
crunch - 20
hover and tap knees - 10
repeat 2x

cool down stretching

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

My favorite burpee pic! From Ireland! With love!

Tough Tuesday Workout (4.9.13): 500 Squat Warrior Workout

500 Squat Warrior Workout 

These past few weeks the gym has been very crowded and it creates an incredible energy.  It definitely makes teaching more inspiring. Challenging at times, like this morning when equipment goes awry and there's feedback on the mic but it's great. Many of my students are training for a spring season or to see their own personal strength grow.  I myself did my first 5k (of the season) on April 6th and was happy to see a time improvement and am planning a season full of races and a few triathlons. So many of the people in bootcamp have gotten so much stronger since they first started coming and many of my spinners are training for the spring season.

With the post coming just a few days after the Boston Marathon bombing, those of us who can grasp the idea of throwing yourself out of bed at ungodly hours and pushing ourselves to the max, were particularly affected by a tragedy taking place at this type of sporting event. Whether you're at your first 2.62 or that awe-inspiring 26.2, you can comprehend the amazing feeling of accomplishment waiting at the finish line.  To have that taken away and replaced with worry, fear and pain, is unfathomable. My thoughts are with all those and like many others donned a race t-shirt Tuesday morning - Disney 13.1 Half Marathon.

This workout is the last week - I got the idea for this workout from a Facebook post from a high school buddy who posted info about the  April Squat Challenge. 

What you need: two sets of weight - I had 8's and 15's, mat, step and ball. Workout is not timed is #'s of reps inside the hour we have

Warm Up - Jog, Jacks and Jump Rope, Wide Leg Pushups (3), Squats and Lunges  (about 20 of each) and Stretching.
 
10 prisoner get ups
50 squats
20 wide leg squat jumps
50 suqats
30 side to side jumps
50 squats
40 skaters
50 squats
50 mt climbers
50 squats
60 high knees w/ plank every 10 - hold plank one minute
50 squats
70 plyo jumps
50 squats
50 squats with one weight

10 step ups each side
dead lifts - 15
10 step ups each side
bridge on step 10 center - 5 each leg
10 step ups
alternating lunges - 10 each leg

50 squats

bicep curl on one leg
overhead press
bicep curl
overhead press
 25 squats

pushup - 10
plank row - 5 on each side
25 squats
repeat plank row

abs
crunches
reverse crunch
bicycles

Tough Tuesday Workout: Back for More (4.2.13)

I called this one "back for more" because you keep coming back to one base move and alternating that with the other exercises. I definitely got reports back that this one was a killer and everyone thought the kettlebells would be so easy - WRONG! 

What you need: two sets of weight - I had 8's and 15's, mat, step and kettlebell
 I used by Gymboss to give us 10 rounds of 50 sec on and 10 sec off for 10 rounds.

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

Round 1 
With Alternating Lunges

One Leg Row R
One Leg Row L
Burpees
bicep curl - light weight
overhead press - light weight

Abs with the ball (20 of each)
taps - legs straight up, ball in hands, reach to toes which are up
reverse curl w/ ball
crunch legs over ball
side to side - tap ball on each side
bridge on the ball  - 10 of these
crunch legs over
hamstrings roll in and out with the ball - 10 of these
roll ups

Round 2
with kettlebell swing
pushups cross R leg
pushups cross L leg
mt climbers
one leg squat curl press L - light weight
one leg squat curl press R

Abs - no ball
crunch
reverse crunch
plank - knee taps
shrimps - for the obliques - twist and lift the body in a circle
plank with twist knees side to side

Round 3
with heavy weight squat
one leg dead lift R
one leg dead lift L
half burpee up right row alternate - use kettlebell
alternating side lunges with reverse fly - light weight
bicycles

cool down

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

Tough Tuesday Workout March 19: Feeling Lucky?

Right after St. Patrick's Day after a weekend of running around, eating bar food and contending with the surprise March snow, I needed a workout.  Fortunately, 2 brave souls ventured out despite the weather, which was awful to get in a workout.

Needed: Step or Chair, 2 sets of Weights and a Mat (option to use a kettlebell at the end)

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

This workout has 3 rounds

20 Lunge Twists with a heavy weight side to side
10 pushup on one leg
20 squats with a bicep curl
10 pushups on opposite side
15 lunge kick (no weights) on each side
10 4 pt jab (down, down, up, up)
20 Skaters Side to Side
10 Jump up on Step 
x3 rounds

Abs with light weight
Twists side to side 20
Feet up press weight up
Repeat 3x

Option for Kettlebell or use a weight.
10 Squat Swing
10 Pushup right knee into chest
10 Swing
10 Pushup left knee into chest
10 Swing
10 Side  Plank w/ leg lift
10 Swing
10 Side plank w/ leg lift
10 Swing
10 Prisoner Get ups - see image of Zuzka Light doing them - your arms stay behind your head as you try to stand up using your core and legs from a prone position on the mat

cool down

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

Tough Tuesday Workout: March 12, 2013

Today's workout was super tough.  I took some ideas from the dailyhiit.com so I could use my super awesome new gymboss that I had ordered on Amazon.This workout combined a super tough cardio interval (that had pushups to help with no weight toning) with some sculpt moves with weights to really tone the arms and legs. You'll be burning calories long after the workout is over. Below is the breakdown. You'll need a a bar with heavy weights on either end, a stretchy band, and a mat.

Super Fun for Making Sure You Hiit Those Intervals!

We started with our regular warmup - jog, jack and jump rope (The 3 J's) and then walk out pushups (5) and stretches and some light (no weights) lunges and squats. Then we took the intensity up a lot . This class must have been tough because the members I had in the class were telling me in spin the next morning how tired they were and how there shoulders were burning.  

Burpee circuit - included 5 exercises that we did for 50 sec on/10 off for 2 rounds

Me Burpeeing in Ireland

Burpee No pushup big jump
High knees
Burpee upright row
Low jacks
Diamond pushups
Repeat





Sculpt Set - 10 of each with weighted bar
Squat curl press
Squat
One leg dead lift - L
Row
Switch one leg dead lift on R
Squat with curl
Lunges


Band circuit - we used an exercise band with 2 handles on each end for this circuit
Squat swing
Burpees
Squat curl with band
Lean back pull back band - works soldiers (sitting on the floor wrap band around feet, lean back 45 degrees and pull elbows back)
Diamond pushups
Repeat

Repeat sculpt moves

Abs - stolen from original BodyRocker Zuzka-#59!! - zuzkalight.com/workouts
Lunge twist on L& R (10 each side)
Circle around world on knees (circle heavy weight around from L hip over head to R and reverse)
Pushups step up one leg next to hands rotate to one side and switch, 10
Mt climbers, 20
Side skips, 10
Plank - 30 seconds


Cool Down and Done!

Despite the dismal weather - it' time to start getting in running shape again and some good cardio helps get there!

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

Tough Tuesday Workout Mar 5: 3 Workouts in 1

Back from vacation, well rested and eager to continue working out after spending a week doing early morning yoga, running and jumping in the ocean as well as surfing, paddle boarding and hiking. And also resting by the pool!

When I came back, I found some great packages waiting with my new gymboss timer and the ZCUT DVDs.  I put them as well as the ZWOW 57 I did while on vacation to use in this class so you could do this as one long workout or as 3 smaller workouts.

Warm Up
Light Cardio (Walk, Run, Jump Rope, Jacks), Squats and Lunges, Walk Out Pushups (3x) and stretching.

Workout #1
I took this from ZWOW 57 - Zuzka did it as a timed workout with specific numbers of reps - I used the interval approach with AMRAP since everyone in the class is at different levels. We did 2 sets of 10 intervals, 50 sec on 10 off.

Burpees
Jump Lunges
Push Ups
Mt Climbers
Air Squats

Workout #2
This was a dedicated # of reps style, 15, 9 and 6 reps of each exercise.

Lunge with back foot elevated on step weight in one hand and overhead press
Squat Front Raise
Switch Legs for Lunge
Plank Row
Tricep Press
Plank Row on other side
3x with 15, 9 and 6 reps in each set.

Workout # 3
We were running out of time but you could turn this into a bigger workout by repeating this through 2 or 3 times.

2 burpees
10 Air Squats
2 burpees
10 jump lunges
2 burpees
10 Air Squats or Tuck Jumps
2 burpees
10 jump lunges
2 burpees

 

Abs
Repeat 2x

10 in and out
Plank - drop knees for 10
10 bicycles
Side Plank - thread arm through 10 each side.

Cool Down

Enjoy and remember to keep on tri'n! Always consult a doctor before starting any exercise program.

Picture of us paddle boarding

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!

Tough Tuesday Workouts Bootcamp (I hate Mt Climbers)

What you need: 2 sets of weights, mat and a step

Warmup: Run, Jack, Jump Rope, Squats, Lunges and stretch.

I am not sure where I came up with this workout but it was sweat producing and tough!

The Workout:
50 Side to Side Jumps on Step
50 Mt Climbers
10 in and out Abs
10 screamer lunges on L&R (lunge back step up on step with same leg)
10 burpees
10 in and out abs
10 screamer lunges each leg
10 burpees
10 lunges L&R with weights
toe taps on the step all the way around the step
4 punches, burpee
25 power squats
10 dive bomber push ups
20 squats
10 pushups, elbow to knee as you lower down
20 scissors - abs

repeat for a total of 3 rounds (I think we had to cut back the last round to fit in 50 minutes so go through as many rounds in the time you have.)

Sports Barre Review
I am not a huge fan of mt climbers - I think they are so tough!!! I recently did the Sports Barre Workout at Local Bar in Hoboken and they did a ton of mt climbers - my abs and legs were screaming. I loved the workout but those mt climbers - it was so HARD.  The instructor Corrine was incredibly motivating as I was pouring sweat out on my mat and I loved the added kicks and upper body work - I will definitely alternate between the 2 workouts of Open Barre and Sports Barre.  The Sports Barre workout was definitely sporty - pushups, kicks, squats - a great full body workout.  By the walk home I had burned over 400 calories which is pretty impressive.

Tough Tuesday Workout January 28, 2013

Well, the news is in and I'll get to teach Boot Camp for another month!! And, it seems like the members must've known they should show up because I had 5 people turn up to class. I was elated since I had a big workout planned.  We took cues from Bodyrock.tv and Zuzka Light.

Need:  step with 2 risers, heavy weights, 1 lb dumbells (optional), mat, ball

Warm Up
Walk, Run, Jacks, Jump Rope, squats lunges and stretches for the legs and arms and overhead reach to warm up.

HIIT Section - based on workout from BodyRocktv's HIITmax. At the top of the clock we did 50 seconds on, 10 seconds rest (Standard for BodyRock) for 11 moves alternated with jump rope.  We did not have jump ropes so we fake jump roped and they had the option to use 1 lb dumbells for added resistance.

Jump Rope
Oblique chop - (Jump Lunge holding ball, then oblique twist)
Jump Rope
Squat and Alternating Arm Raise with Heavy Weights (I had 12-15 lbs)
Jump Rope
Half burpee deadl lift with heavy weights
Jump Rope
Squat Jumps with the ball held out in front
Jump Rope
Squat Curl Press with heavy Weights
Jump Rope
Elevated Pushups (feet on step or chair)
Jump Rope
Plank on hands - tap opposite shoulder 4x and then in and out for 8
Jump Rope
Squat Upright Row
Jump Rope
Scissors (for abs - opposite shoulder/opposite leg lifts)
Jump Rope
Half burpee Jump on Step
Jump Rope
Squat Curl Press

Abs
Ball between knees, lift and squeeze knees together x 20
upper body on floor legs in and out with ball between knees x 10
repeat twice

Hamstrings - feet on ball, lift hips, roll feet in and out x 10
Roll ups x 8
repeat twice

Diamonds in and out - legs at 45 degrees, heels together in a diamond, press feet in and out x10
Reverse crunch x 10
repeat twice

Legs and Arms - from Zuzka Light
I changed this workout slightly to add more weights

10 Squats with heavy weighs
10 Pushups (5 on each side) left leg stacked on right, then right on left
Wood Choppers - 10 each side

repeat for total of 3 rounds

cool down and stretch. 

This workout was INTENSE!! So as always check with a doctor before starting any workout and keep on tri'n!

Week Back Workouts: Tough Tuesday & Thursday 11/27&29

This was my first week back to teaching Group Fitness classes in a long time.  With Superstorm Sandy hitting New York and my trip to Disney to run the RunDisney Wine and Dine Half, I barely had time to be at the gym. However, this week I picked up 2 classes plus my 2 regular spins.

For both we used a step, 2 sets of weights and a mat. Both of these are to the best of my memory.

Tough Tuesday Workout - 50 minutes

Warm Up
Run/Jump Rope/Jacks
Squats/Lunges
Stretching

Workout (3 sets of each of 50 sec on 10 sec off, 1 minute rest in between)
Power Squats
Squat/Curl/Overhead press with heavy weights

Mt Climbers w/bench
Pushups

Hot Feet (30sec) 20 seconds lunge jumps
Reverse lunge with heavy weights

High Knees (30sec) 20 seconds butt kicks
One legged row with weights (left then right then switch and do regular rows)

Squat Thrust
1st set Left Leg Step Up 2nd set Right Leg 3rd set Alternate w/ bench

Hot Feet with one Light Weight (curl and press overhead)
Side Raise to Front Raise with Light Weights

Abs for 10 minutes - I made it up as went and I would do sets of crunches, planks and hit all the target areas.
Cool Down and done!


Thursday Sculpt Throwdown - one hour
Warmup the same as Tuesday

Workout

1. Starting on Right
10 squat curl press
on the bench 20 reverse lunge on the right halfway add a curl, curl press for 10 reps (I used 8lbs)
20 curtsy squats, side raise for 10
20 side steps, alternate front raise for 10
10 pushups with hands on step, right leg stacked on left

2. Start with Squat Curl Press for 10 again and go through all the way to pushups on the left.

3. Squat Curl Press for 10, alternate lunge with curl for 20, 10 regular pushups

4. one leg on bench, heavy weight in opposite arm single arm rows on right for 20, double arm tricep press, sitting on bench do one arm curl on the right, tricep dips,

5. switch sides and go through whole set on other side

6. 20 double arm row with deadlift.

7. no weights single leg squat on right after 20, hold and pulse for 8, repeat OR jumps on single leg for 8.  20 squats with heavy weight and repeat on other side, 20 squats with heavy weight

8. Single leg down curl press, 10 on each side, 20 plie squats.

9. Chest press for 15 w/ heavy weights, sitting on step and leaning back on sit bones legs in and out for 10, repeat 3 times except in 3rd set instead of chest press lower weights and do chest flye.

10 Abs - 20 crunches, 20 crunches legs right and 20 left, 20 reverse crunches, Plank hold for 30 seconds, side plank hold for 10 and 5 reach arm under, switch sides.

Cool Down and done!


These workouts were both really hard and I totally felt them in my legs while going up and down my stairs to the 5th and during spin class on Wed and Friday.  I added in a bit on the elliptical both T/Th and did a bit of running on Wed on the treadmill (awful!).  I went old school in spin classes since I did not have time to prepare music but we had some old school tunes.

Finally - Post Sandy Stress Reliever Workout

Due to Hurricane Sandy - the gym in Hoboken had been closed for a week and upon reopening had no early AM classes, meaning no workouts for me, especially with the commute taking forever.  I had been meaning to venture over there since we opened over the weekend but the sunny weather drew me outside to run, especially in prep for our RUN DISNEY experience this weekend.  But our storm blowing in for today and dropping temps meant I wanted to take my workout inside.

So with the help of FB and Twitter, this morning a fellow instructor and I met with a member to FINALLY get in a little bit of cardio and weights in the gym.  It was a nice break from running and my quads and calves were on fire, especially with all the extra stair climbing post Sandy.  5 flights up and down plus lots of subway stairs.  Goodness!

We also got in a good pre workout trekking up the 7 flights to Sky Club in Hoboken.  We alternated instructors for 2-3 minutes for about 45 minutes, getting in a good workout and burning 400-500 calories. YES! I am hoping I remembered everything we did - hopefully if I missed something trying to remember between this morning and work - it can be added in the comments. Thanks!

Post Sandy Stress Reliever Workout
Need: Step with one riser, mat, heavy and light weights

WarmUp
3 laps around the Studio
Side Step (L&R Lead) 2 laps
1 lap of High Knees
1 minute run
1 minute jacks (holy calves)
1 minute jump rope (again!)
Stretch!

2 minutes up and over on a low step
1 minute of burpees

Break

2 minutes - Off the skinny edge of step mt climbers (try to get your feet to the outside of the step)
4 cts and 4 cts jump lunge.

1 minute of squats with heavier weights

Break

1 minute per side - leg lift and row (L leg extends up as you reach down with right hand and row up with weight in left hand - my compliments to Kerry) Alt L&R side.
1 minute holding boat pose from Pilates (hard!!)

Break

2 minutes burpee with a pushup in front of the step step forward and knee up on the step (alternate sides)
1 legged squat, curl and press (L&R)

Break

1 minute of upper body work (side raise, press front with straight arms, pull back, lift up and release to sides - another killer Kerry combo)
1 minute row and tricep press.

Break

1 minute Low Jack on the Step 
1 minute power squat (stay low and jump, land softly) with hands interlaced behind your head

Break

30 seconds for obliques - side plank (fully extended or knee down) reach hand that's in the air under your side
30 seconds hold
Switch sides

Stretch!

Tough Tuesday Workout #15: Burpee Bonanza Bootcamp, 8 Mile & RushRyde

Over the weekend, I was looking at workouts and determining what to do this week and I came across a burpee ladders workout. I thought I could incorporate it into the class and do circuits, which seems to be a good format for the class. Scroll down for workout...about halfway.

If you are unsure how to do a burpee (also known as squat thrust) or what it is, check out this video from Crossfit on youtube to see how it is done.  They include a modification to the knees which you may need.

This exercise fires up the whole body, I could feel the burn in my legs after a weekend of working out.  This weekend, in preparation for the half marathon in Disney, we ran 8 miles along the Hoboken Waterfront in the evening - we spent the morning cleaning, shopping and running errands and somehow the day flew by and it was 5 pm.  It was a long, slow run since I had eaten oddly all day and upon setting out on the run, immediately got stomach sick.  Great....  But, we finished.  Below is a view of the waterfront from stockphoto.  We were wishing we had a camera because the twilight and trees framing the Empire State Building as we ran down 15th Street was amazing.

 Then on Sunday I tried Real Ryder from Spinning at Rush Cycling in Hoboken. Under the first link you can see a review of the Real Ryder which is 100% accurate.  I felt fine on the bike and was prepared to take it easy until I stood up and was astounded at how hard the bike rocked back and forth and how hard it was to control.  And, I did feel my abs engage as soon as I started turning right and left. I will say the instructor, Gary, was great and had amazing music.  I left the class feeling inspired to create a new playlist and to try this again. I was curious about certification and will definitely speak to him again in the Winter months. Standing is definitely the most difficult position to grasp, as the seated lean and look feels odd but understandable. That afternoon we went down to the D&R Canal near Rutgers for our annual Halloween Ride. This picture is old from 2 years ago, this year was MUCH warmer. I was wearing shorts, a tank top and compression arm sleeves (which B. thought were insane.) Pics from this year are on Billy's camera which probably means we'll never see them. We did about 16-20 miles, not sure since I was using the mt bike on the trail.

Tough Tuesday Workout #15
 So needless to say for the Burpee Bonanza I was exhausted.  We also put in a decent 3.1 miles last night before it got too dark.

(We are in a decent sized studio room for group fitness classes)
Warm Up

Same as usual - March, Run, Jump Rope, Jacks
Warm Up the Legs, Arms with light squats, lunges and stretches.

Burpees
Do 10 burpees run to one side of the room and back 8 burpees, run again, 6, run, 4, run, 2 and done.

Water

Circuit  - heavy weights
10 Overhead Press with half squat
10 Power Squat Jumps
10 Bicep Curls
10 Lunge Jumps (land softly)
10 Curl and Press
20 Squats
Stretch
20 one legged rows L&R (20 each)
10 one legged squats L&R (10 each side)

Repeat that Set

Abs - Sitting up tall with legs slightly bent and toes up, roll back halfway, repeat 10x and 10 hold for 4 (grabbing under knees if you need to). Repeat 3x. Roll all the way back tap behind and roll up for 10.  Roll onto back, legs up, bent to 90 degrees, 10 tiny crunches, turnover hold plank 30 seconds.

Back to Burpees
Repeat in reverse so start with 2, run and so on adding 2 each time up to 10.

Water

Circuit
Repeat 1 round of our circuit subbing in split stance lunge with weights for the lunge jumps. 

Abs 
20 crunches
Turn legs to right at 90 degrees - 10 crunches and repeat on left.
20 reverse crunches
Side plank, thread arm under stomach 5x, repeat on opposite side.

Stretch!!!!! 

Remember to check with your doctor before doing any workout and to always Keep on Tri'n.  Enjoy the burpees and you can always modify them. By the end I was doing a few pushups on my knees and had to step back for numbers 5,6,7 out of 10 on the very last set. My quads were burning with the squat thrust after the running and biking. This is a pic of me in Ireland doing a burpee at Mt. Slemish near Belfast.