Time.for Tabata!!

Here's the skinny on Tabata...It is HARD. But Tabata makes me sore, and sore makes me feel productive. Necessary evil; )

So what is Tabata?? Tabata is when you do 8 sets of one movement--20 seconds on, and then 10 seconds rest. So each movement is 4 minutes total. Totally doable and exhausting and perfect for someone on a time budget!!

On the Right Foot!

I'm not sure about you, but this weekend requires that I start on the right foot. Between nursing a sinus infection, a bathroom reno and baseball, I have officially not worked out all weekend.

I feel like a sloth.

Tomorrow WILL start on point....with Spark;) Join me tomorrow in a good old fashioned sweat session:

A new movement--a Curtis P. I normally use a 65 lb. Olympic bar for these. They start with a power clean, then go to a weighted

alternating lunge, and end with a push press. We cover all the major muscle groups with this one!!

We will aim for a consistent 25 minute workout on this one. You can also do 3 rounds of 8 minutes each...with a minute rest in between. These are helpful to build your endurance!!

Grab a Partner!

This is a basic partner workout where you are both working at the same time. We'll do this for 25 minutes, as many reps as possible.

More medicine ball fun!

This is a good workout that adds some resistance to standard bodyweight movements. Think lunges..but with weight overhead. Planks, but with a little pizzazz. Sit ups, but with weight. Ground to overhead movements, but with more weight.

Don't be afraid to add a level of difficulty to keep making progress!!

Medicine Ball Love

My after-school ladies just purchased shiny, new 10 lb. medicine balls for out three-day a week sessions.  I.am.thrilled!!

Amazon had these babies for a treat at $20, and we will use them endlessly. Tomorrow, we'll take normal wall sits and add a twist from side to side...then we'll pile it on our shoulder and run the length of the gym...and then walls balls! They might curse me, but I am excited for the soreness they'll see!

Workin' for the Weekend

My pre-baseball workout is gonna be a good one! In my house, this helps work out the nerves of watching the organized sports of your only child;)

This one might be a little painful only because 5 round of most things seems like it take forever, but it's really a 30 minute workout.

Workouts that are endurance-based normally have me prepping my supplements more closely. An hour prior.to exercise, I'll reach for my o2 Gold, an AdvoCare product that I call my third lung and mix some Arginine Extreme with my morning Spark. It helps my body more efficiently utilize the oxygen in my blood...so hopefully I won't suck wind;)

And for those that need a visual, here is.my progression with the wall balls and power cleans. My wall ball is 16# and my power clean is 75# (15# plates and a 45# bar).

I am so excited for the weekend. My goal is to be comfy and spend all weekend in lycra. Hope that won't be offensive to anyone at church!!

How do I start?

Starting to get moving?? Maybe a home gym?? If you are reading these workout wondering what the heck you need, look no further!!

Here's what you'll find in my garage:
1. Jump ropes. Essential--best cardio ever!
2. 5 and 8 lb. Handweights
3. 35 and 53 # kettlebells--great investment because they are SO versatile. You can generally budget for $1 per pound.
4. Medicine ball--another wonderful investment because you can throw, squat, press, or twist them. Ladies weight is normally 14 pounds. I found mine at the local Academy, but Amazon has great deals!
5. Ab mat- this is not essential, but is sure does make sit ups easier. It also helps.you to do them correctly!
6. Carpet--this is glamorous, right? You can use foam padding, a yoga mat, or extra carpet in your basement. Who wants to burpee on the garage floor?? Not me!
7. My weightlifting equipment. I am a BIG believer in weight training for strength and leaning, so I invested in weight. I have a 45# barbell and a set of 10, 15, 25, and 45# bumper plates. We use these a LOT!! I shopped my heart out for these and found my best deal at www.fringesport.com. and shipping was free!!

**I will be honest, we alternate when we work out together, so I need another bar;)

My other search item now is a pull up bar where I can easily add pull ups and toes to bar. Still looking on the perfect fit that won't take up too much space!!

Happy shopping!!

It's so much nicer with 2!!

Partner WOD just make me happy!! It's sure not easier with all that active rest, but there I just something motivating about moving your booty faster so that you aren't inconveniencing your partner. 'Cause we have manners in the south;)

If you are working out at home, do a 200 m run instead of the suicide run. That is about 60 seconds of running.

I found a GREAT deal on medicine balls on Amazon for my teacher gals. I will post the link as well as a great medicine ball workout later this weekend. Get excited for wall balls!

Battle on the driveway!

Tomorrow, there will be an epic driveway battle about 5am at the Dillard house. Beware;)

Brandon and I often do different workouts at the same time for logistics (so we aren't using the same equipment) and, probably for marital sanity. 'Cause men are like that.

This entire workout came from Chris Haynes at Crossfit Rutherford. Chris and his wife Jennifer got me started on Crossfit three years ago, and I often go back to visit when time permits to have him kick my hooty. And he and Jenn totally excel at that. So, boys and girls tomorrow are both working on endurance, but in different ways. I am tackling my arch-rival, the wall ball, and Brandon will be sautéing his heart out. He doesn't quite have the same affinity for squats, so he will live me about 6pm tomorrow.

As I tell him, please, please please check your proper positioning for a squat. your knees should NEVER move in front if your shoelaces, and your booty should be back. Way, way back.

Do your knees and me a favor and make them count. Bad squatters make me crazy!! And your knees will sound like Rice Crispies.

So, I'm early!!

This never happens. Let's just bask in the fact that I am ahead of the game OR that I am just wiped out of all effectiveness and now only accomplishing things with my thumbs because the squat cleans of yesterday and the circuit today. Mama is tired. On Monday. For the love.

But here is Wednesday group workout. It is FUN;) Here is my plan: we are gonna warm up with some inch worms across the gym floor. Think walking your hands to a plank, then walking your feet up to meet your hands. Yay, core! Then, we'll do this workout, but we will do it as many reps as possible in 20 minutes. My favorite!

If you need a push, grab a plate or some weights and hold them overhead for those lunges. You can also use weights for the sit ups. And those push ups can be modified, but if you haven't pushed yourself, see if you can do 10 without modification. You have to start somewhere!!

Monday Madness

Here is a great start to your Monday!! We'll be completing four rounds of 5 movements...and a minute rest in-between. So, you'll be invested in a 25 minute workout.

And you can make this as effective as you'd like. If you're not out of breath after one roud, you're cheating yourself;)

Squat day Saturday!

My goal tomorrow??

Before the first baseball game of the season (well, or EVER if you are Max), before the reality sets in that my child is no longer 6 (sniff, sniff), and before 16 little men come celebrating my now new 7-year old in my backyard, I must make myself sweat profusely. So squats it is!!

So this little gem is gonna do the trick. I'Ve got about 30 minutes that I can squeeze this in between the crazy. And to avoid the cupcakes.

Finding a Partner

This week has been...well, blech. School is crazed, birthays are coming with lots of people (ready or not), and I have tried really hard to come up with excuses to be lazy. 

I ran home from school long enough tonight to lose the wedges, get Max's baseball gear on, and head to my class picnic at the park. Three hours later, I drive home thankful to have planned a post-kiddo bedtime walk with a neighborhood love of mine, Jen. This week, Thursday just has to be a rest day.  

If you're gonna keep with an exercise regimen, you gotta give yourself some grace time!!

So I needed a partner tonight and I am hoping for a fun partner workout tomorrow. 

Grab dumbells, Kettlebells, plates or a bar for those thrusters....whatever pushes you! 

So grab your hubby or neighbor!!

It's a Ladder!!

     Love me a ladder;)

I have always said, the shorter the workout in the board, the harder it is going to be. Since I have had a weekend of lots of weights, we're planning on lots of body weight movements.

For this, you'll need: a set of dumbells or a kettlebell. Swings should be difficult enough that you have to use your legs and hips--if you are only using your arms, it is time to go up in weights!

Between sets of three, take a one minutes rest. If you want a bit more of a challenge, add another round!

LABOR DAY!

No work on Labor Day, right??

I always try to amp up the weekend workouts just because I am not so.pressed for time. And it's fun when the neighbors and the kids join in, too;) Well, the kids were really only spectators!

We did two different WOD today...for boys and for girls. Sometimes that's just easier when we're using lots of equipment.  I will be brutally honest--as if I am not always--but this one kicked my booty. I Advocare'd myself up with extra protein and O2 Gold to keep me moving, but these allergies have got me in slow motion. If it doesn't rain soon, I am gonna have to pull out a mask...or put myself in a bubble.

So I am nursing my ego with a great breakfast, and high fiving the hubby for dominating the boys' WOD.

Have I mentioned how good it feels to watch someone make daily progress?? We're just gonna chalk that up to "things your wife told you so." Ha.

Transformation Tuesday!

     Who doesn't love a good transformation story?

That's just the thing. In order to transform, you've gotta change some thing. If your stationary, you've gotta move. If your food is junky, then all the sweat in the world isn't going to make a vast difference.

You can't out train a bad diet!!

So, here's a great at home workout to get you moving...2 minutes or less, and it should get your heart pumping. Use handweights, plates, or whatever you have to amp up your weight on those overhead lunges.

Need a little more push?? Make those push ups, chest to ground or add your handweights to your sit ups!! You never know until you try!!

LABOR Day!

     Labor day had new meaning for my hubby and two neighbors this morning...

We started off with a "spicy" version of a WOD called Fight Gone Bad. I added a little run and some burpees to the fun!! Loved having a bigger crowd this morning and getting the weekend off to a good start!

Fun FRIDAY!

     Labor Day Kick-Off!

When I started our after-school teacher sweat session workouts, they were two days a week...now, my ladies get SERIOUS for about 30 minutes with me!  We try new move each week, they tame the rolling of the eyes for a bit, hold their tongues and push through...and they always do awesome!  This one is just a good, all-over, cardio-boosting, bottom burning WOD.  Our suicide jogs go from the sideline to half-court, back to sideline, across to the other sideline, and back.  If you're at home, get a good one minute jog in...that should be about 200 meters! 

Grab a pair of hand weights for your thrusters or a medicine ball!



Should be a fun one!

My Accountability Partner...

 

      See this guy? 

He is MY accountability partner!  Is he convincing? This is the hubby--and he works out with me because he loves me so....not really because he loves working out with me just yet:)  But, I pleaded and begged and guilted him relentlessly until he agreed to become my garage box buddy...The first few workouts were a bit challenging for our relationship (see the aforementioned Instagram shaming photo), but now we enjoy it!!  I think he has seen the change in his body, energy, and abilities and has figured out that I actually know what I'm talking about.  Amazing how that works, huh?

So, here's what you need to get started:  a little bit of space, a whiteboard, a great Pandora playlist, and a finite amount of time to get busy.  Yes, I swear the busier you are, the more motivated you are to get in and get.it.done.  My after-school teacher buddies know exactly what I'm talking about:)

 

 Here was a great Monday workout:  my new favorite go-to is a bear crawl.  Holy shoulders. We bear crawled to half court (yes, we were in our school gymnasium), but try to go at least 100 meters.  I always tell people that the goal is to keep moving, so if you need to modify movements....ALWAYS modify them so that you can keep moving.  If jumping squats get to be too much, modify them to air squats! I built in a 1 minute rest between each 7 minute set, and it's do-able, challenging, and done in 21 minutes.  Sign me up!!

 

For this workout, we did sets of 9.15.21.15.9 for time:  for weighted swings, you can use a kettlebell or dumbells of your choice.  This was our first day of incorporating burpees and bleacher step up--you can modify to a jump if you're ready!

 

Have fun starting your first sweat session!!