Morning workout. Thanks again @fitvillains! #fitfluential instagr.am/p/LP3oVmGL8i/
— Tara Sabo (@ADailyDoseOfFit) May 30, 2012
Love this! Awesome Tara!
The circuit above is my Beast Unleashed 1000 Rep Challenge. It’s tough stuff, but ANYONE can do it! Just choose the right modification for your level: Unleash The BEAST 2: BEAST UNLEASHED! 1000 Reps Total Body Terror
WARNING: BRUTAL metabolic meltdown coming through!
This workout will leave you dripping with sweat and you’ll need to dig DEEP to finish all 4 rounds. It’s a SERIOUS challenge: make sure to modify for your level. It’s ALL bodyweight, no equipment required! You can kill this anywhere and with anyone.
I really LOVED this workout, and so did my bootcampers! Give it a try, but be prepared to SWEAT! Take breaks when you need to, and hydrate throughout.
9 exercises. 1000 reps. INTENSE. CRAZY. AMAZING.
How To Do It
Tricep Toner: Side Lying Tricep Lift
Michelle Obama: First Lady Of Fitness
Football drills, tennis, biking, running, cycling, dancing, running drills with the cast of The Biggest Loser, and rocking pushups with Ellen Degeneres AND Desmond Tutu…. Michelle Obama certainly walks the walk. And she keeps things fresh by trying new things and mixing up her workouts.
Getting outside, playing a sport, trying a new class, going for a hike etc.: try to vary your workouts from time to time. It helps stave off boredom, will improve your overall fitness and you might discover new favorites. When’s the last time you tried something new? :)
Click above for a short gallery of the First Lady getting her ‘fit’ on & mixing it up!
Spring has sprung and this girl is taking advantage! The bulk of my workouts are OUTSIDE during these months: playgrounds, parks, parking lots, the canal, the mountain - the city becomes my ‘gym’. I’m on my 5th ‘outsy’ in a week, and feeling oh, sooooo good. Just the thing I needed. :)
Working out outside has MANY perks: it’s free, fresh and you can do something different everyday. Unlike working out at home or at the gym, you’re free to explore the world and play without confinement or limitations. It can be a lot of fun (and a great mood booster), but despite all it’s awesomeness, there are a few drawbacks to getting sweaty on the go. If you’re smart, they are fairly easy to overcome with a wee bit of planning.
When it comes to getting sweaty outside, here are a few takeaways, tips, tricks and ideas that I’ve accumulated over the last few years!
9 SWEAT OUTSIDE Tips
1. Don’t ditch your old, dirty yoga mats! Old mats are the bomb. Your brand new, gorgeous, super expensive yoga mat WILL get dirty on the go. Save it for fancy yoga class, and bring old ratty-tat-mat with you to the park. (Towels & blankets work too, or you can buy a cheaper mat for your outdoor adventures for around $15-$25 bucks).
2. Not all parks are lean, clean havens. When doing work on the ground, take a quick look and make sure you’re not about to put your hands in glass, trash, dog poop, little rocks etc. I always have sanitizer & bandaids with me: you never know when you’ll need them and I don’t want to have to slow down if I can help it. I also like to wear gloves when working out outdoors: less mess, a little padding and yeah, they make me feel bad ass. You can opt for a fancy pair of workout lifting gloves, or inexpensive, plain cut off, cotton winter mini-gloves.
3. Bring water (duh) and a snack (double duh). Make sure to eat before, but have something ready to nosh on if you’re doing a long workout (if you have to stop for a snack when you’re already hungry, chances are it won’t be as good for you). I like bananas, carrots, protein bars, and even sometimes a small turkey/chicken wrap.
As women, we’re used to hearing about fitness in terms of inches and dress sizes. We may know better, but we’re up against near-constant reminders and pressures to look good and take shortcuts to get there.
The truth is, being a healthy woman isn’t about getting on a scale or measuring your waistline—and we can’t afford to think that way. Instead, we need to start focusing on what matters–on how we feel, and how we feel about ourselves.
I started thinking about exercise as an investment in myself instead of a chore, and I started focusing on the example I wanted to set for my girls. My schedule was dominated by career and kids–not to mention a very busy husband–but thinking about exercise this way made it a priority, even if I had to get up earlier to do it.
That’s what being fit meant to me: feeling good inside and out, and taking control of my health.
Stretch Out Sundays: Yoga With Sadie
This is one of my FAVORITE fast yoga routines to do at home or on the road. It’ll revitalize, stretch and invigorate you in less than 20 minutes (you might feel it in your legs & core the next day). It’s designed to help with weight loss: which means a little more movement and a faster speed than slower paced yoga.
Flexibility & balance are often overlooked when it comes to fitness, but are a key component of a well rounded routine. Incorporating stretching after every workout is important, but taking at least one day a week to recover and enjoy a longer stretch can REALLY improve your performance overtime.
Take 20 minutes and follow along with this routine today!
Workout Challenge: ZWOW #17
This one’s a KILLER, but it’s short (12 minutes AMRAP - As Many Reps As Possible). It’s all body weight, but you’ll need to be close to a wall. Keep going until the time runs out, take short breaks when you need to and push yourself hard to keep up with Zuz!
ZWOW #17
- 5 Wall Walks
- 10 Wall Lunges
- 15 Plank Wall Touches
- 20 Wall Sits With March
Beginner Alternative
If the moves above are too difficult, try this less complicated circuit.
- 5 Inchworm To Lie Down
- 10 Reverse Lunges
- 15 Opposite Arm Leg Extensions
- 20 Squats
5 Inchworms To Lie Down
Bend at the waist and place your hands on the floor. Keeping your legs as straight as possible, walk your hands forward until you are in plank position. Come down to the ground (chest to floor) and rest one moment. Return to plank, and walk your feet towards your hands, bringing your hips up in the air (like an inverted V). Repeat, walking your hands forward.
10 Reverse Lunges
Instead of stepping forward, step back into a lunge. Lower your torso down and try not to lean forward. Your weight should be in the heel of your front foot and your knee should be in line with your ankle.
15 Opposite Arm Leg Extentions (left + right = 1 rep)
Come into a tabletop position on your hands and knees. Keeping your hips facing the floor and back flat (eyes between your hands), extend your right arm forward while lifting your leg leg backwards. Try to form a straight line between your arm, back and leg. Hold 1-2 beats, then return & switch sides.
Tip: fold your mat in half to have more cushioning for your knees.
20 Squats
Feet wider than hips apart, sit down and back into a squat. Keep your knee in line with your ankle and think about pushing your booty back. Your chest should be open, keep good posture, eyes forward.
Alternative: Try a minute in the wall sit without the marching.
A cutting-edge prescription for exercise by the New York Times “Phys Ed” columnist
At one point or another, nearly every person who works out wonders: Am I doing this right? Which class is best? Do I work out enough? Answering those questions and more, The First 20 Minutes helps both weekend warriors dedicated to their performance and readers who simply want to get and stay fit gain the most from any workout.
With personal stories from scientists and laypeople alike, as well as researched-based prescriptions for readers, Gretchen Reynolds shows what kind of exercise—and how much—is necessary to stay healthy, get fit, or attain a smaller jeans size.
Examples of quick and easy snacks are: yogurt, mini bagels, banana, smoothie, pretzels, and apple juice.
http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=4360&mid=8712
Booty Blaster: Bulgarian Single Leg Squats
Equipment: a bench, chair or other elevated surface. Dumbbells or a barbell are optional if you can handle more resistance than just your body weight: keep your hands by your sides or by your shoulders.
Take It To Go! Swings and park benches are fab tools if you want to throw in a set during a jog or outdoor circuit.
How To Do It
A. Stand tall in front of a bench, chair or sofa, facing away from it. Take one big step forward, then lift one leg onto the bench so that your toes touch the surface. You may need to adjust your other leg: that’s okay. The higher the elevated leg, the harder this will be: you have the option to choose a lower level surface (like a curb or a stack of books) instead.
B. Lower DOWN (not forward) into a squat. Try to keep your torso tall as you lower down & keep your weight in the heel of your standing leg (you should be able to wiggle your toes). Look down and make sure your knees stay over (and not past) the top of your toes.
C. Lift up and squeeze your glutes, keeping the standing leg slightly bent. You’ll feel it. Repeat :)
Modifiers: You can do this move with no weight & reduce your range of motion. If you have trouble balancing, place a hand on a wall or another chair or choose a shorter surface.
Featured in Dirty Dozen 3 - Bad ‘Ass’ Bootcamp.
While it doesn’t apply to everything, when it comes to exercise mats, sometimes the old saying is true: bigger IS better. :)
At 5ft 2in, you wouldn’t think I’d need a larger mat than the standard 6-footer. But when you like to move as much as I do, the more room you have, the better your workout. At times, I feel confined by my regular mats and larger mats give me more options for bad ass fitness at home.
For a long time, I used to set up my mats side by side, which was both awesome and a little dangerous. While staying on one mat is fairly easy, if you’re moving laterally between two, things tend to slip. I have other floor mats which were ‘okay’, but weren’t as comfortable or user friendly as yoga mats (they tended to roll up into themselves: I’d have to keep dumbbells on each corner to keep it from curling up while I moved). Until recently, there weren’t many floor mat options that had the same texture & cushioning as my yoga mats. But there are now! :)
Namaste-yay!
WHY Big Yoga Mats Rock So Much
They allow for full movement without feeling confined to a smaller space. While smaller mats maximize space in the studio, they don’t always allow you to maximize your workout.- They save your floors from your heavier equipment (dumbbells, barbells etc).
- They allow for greater range of motion (moves like floor rolls into mountain climbers, walking pushups, etc).
- They create a sound barrier. Cushioning is GLORIOUS if you’re trying to be discreet. At home workouts like INSANITY, P90X
and Rip 60
are easy to fit entirely on a larger mat.
- Taller folks often have trouble on regular sized mats. Larger mats may feel more comfortable.
- There’s room for two! Buddy workouts!
Large mats are popping up everywhere (probably NOT in your overcrowded class, but everywhere else), so there are more options available than ever before. The one pictured above is Square36 - The Oversize Yoga Mat
Another option, though it’s not as large, is the round yoga mat. It offers many of the same benefits in terms of range of motion and is ideal for yoga, pilates & stretching. Round Yoga Pilates Mat.
The round mat is also slightly less expensive than other models (even less expensive than some regular mats). Plus, the design is really unique. Great way to stand out during outdoor yoga!
Sometimes, size does matter!
Do you have a large mat at home? How do you like it?
Stretch Out Sundays! 30 Minute Intermediate Vinyasa Flow Yoga Practice
Sundays are my active rest days, which usually means a big old breakfast and some yoga in the afternoon.
Flexibility was a fitness component that I ignored for a long time, but since including a few yoga sessions a week, foam rolling and longer cool downs, I’ve only seen my performance improve. Squats, lunges, burpees and box jumps are MUCH more manageable when you have a decent level of flexibility. I can sink deeper into my movements, move with greater agility & speed and recover faster than before. Many problems that people have regarding form are due to a limited range of motion: incorporating flexibility focused routines each week can help you improve every aspect of your fitness.
Note: this is intermediate yoga: it may be too intense for some of you. If you’re still working up to some of the poses, try this 20 minute Gentle Yoga class instead.
May the 4th be with you!
Celebrating International Star Wars Day with a little Yoga/Yoda action. (I’m not usually a Star Wars kinda girl, but thought some of the poses below were fun!)
Top 10 Yoda Quotes via Yoganonymous
- “Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.”
- “Blind we are, if creation of this clone army we could not see.”
- “Powerful you have become, the dark side I sense in you.”
- “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
- “No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”
Try it! One Arm Lift
Lay on your belly with your legs wide apart. Put one hand under your shoulder and the other hand on your butt. Squeeze the muscles in your arm and the muscles surrounding your arm (in chest, armpit, back).
Press with your arm to get your upper body up and than lift your hips up towards the sky. Keep your back straight and your abs contracted. Reverse the movement and get back to the starting position.
Do 5 reps on each arm.
Source: BodyRock.tv
