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Paleo Banana Bread
After starting the paleo diet, I started craving the exact foods I wasn’t allowed to eat. This is my first...
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Apologies for the terrible image quality - I’m lacking scanner access at the minute so I had to take these photos on my phone
I was...
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Extended Standing Leg Stretch Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
One of the biggest myths about...
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This is my favorite part of racing - all the supporters. And I always high five all the kids :)
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If you think that the nice guy ranting only happens on the internet, you’ve never had to deal with your thoroughly drunken friend shouting about how...
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How To Do A Crow Pose (via Tara Stiles)
Great tips here if you’re struggling! I went from just a few seconds last year to holding it for 45 seconds this week (I really don’t practice often, but this video helped loads).
Give it a try!
Maxed Out: 500 Rep Bodyweight Challenge
Loved this circuit! Intense, quick and dirty total body, no equipment required.
Find beginner & advanced modifications, photo demos and rep suggestions here.
I LOVE adding new things into my repertoire to combat boredom, and it’s been a minute since I’ve been this inspired!
LOADS of moves I’ve never seen or thought of in this one, so I wanted to share it with you. BUT they aren’t for everyone: I would have hurt myself trying some of these on my own a few years back. I’m not against trying new things nor am I the kind of person who will tell you to avoid it or you’ll get hurt (not your mama), but I will ask that you be careful and listen to your body. None of these moves make you more bad ass at life: they might just be fun if you’re at that level AND are into changing things up.
My only qualm is the label “for women”. Vaginas and breasts don’t come with their own set of workout rules or limits, lol. Neither do penises. That said, this is an AWESOME compilation video if you’re intermediate to advanced, need no help adjusting exercises on your own (no instruction given), and are a novelty freak like me. Boys too.
Spiderman Kick Throughs are my first thing to try as soon as my body is feeling better (skip to 2:48). Love the rhythm. :)
(P.S - Did I use the term “minute” right? I’m so hopelessly unhip, and I’ve been scared to “drop” it in case I mess it up, lol. All I have is google, friends. Be kind. :)
Enjoy!
Stretch Out Sundays: Yoga For Recovery (18 min)
Wicked Warmups: Crescent Lunge To Side Plank
Love this move! It’s great to throw into any circuit, and is especially awesome for your warm up: the dynamic motion pumps blood into your whole body, gets your heart rate up, and provides a gentle stretch all at the same time.
Modification: come to your knees for the side plank, or omit it all together. Instead, try adding two swivels: in plank, cross your knee to the opposite elbow.
Not flexible enough to step your foot through? Try this with your hands slightly elevated on a sandbag, dumbbells or a small bench. It makes it easier to step through to crescent pose, and when you get better you can lower down.
How To Do It
A. Start in plank: hands directly under your shoulders, butt is down and core is tight. Flex your quads and work to keep your hips from sinking (keep your eye line just between your hands and try to look forward a few feet).
B. Keep your butt down as you step one foot forward into a runners lunge. Some people MAY need to help their foot forward with their hands: totally okay. As you get more flexible, it will become easier to do it in one step. (see modifications for other suggestions)
C. Plant your foot firmly into the ground as you lift your hands into the sky. Keep hips facing forward. BEGINNERS: no need to lift your hands up if it’s too difficult. Place them by your hips; just get them off the floor into a high lunge.
D. Replace hands to the ground and step the front foot back to plank. Rotate your body open to one side, keeping your shoulder in line with the hand (my feet are staggered, with the top foot in front of the bottom foot). Hold for a moment, then come back to plank. That’s one rep. Repeat with the crescent lunge and side plank on the opposite side.
Try for 10-20 reps in your warm up on your next workout! :)
Try Something NEW! Buti Fitness FULL Class (47 minutes)
My new “best thing EVER”, lol. BUTI!
I’ve been secretly DYING to try a Buti class, but haven’t been able to (there are simply none here). Bizzie Gold has uploaded a few full BUTI classes online and I have to say, they’re INCREDIBLE. Right up my alley!
The class is like a fitness remix: yoga fused with dance, plyometrics, conditioning, booty shaking and set to a pretty hype soundtrack. Imagine yoga poses where you’re shaking your booty ALL THE TIME, jumping and moving fast to the beat.
It’s NOT for everyone, but if you like the class too… we would probably have a lot of fun hanging out. :)
Fire Drill! 16 Minute Dorm Room H.I.I.T Cardio BURN
Quick and dirty cardio for all levels! Dorm room friendly modifications and rep suggestions (if you don’t have a timer) available here.
See more here: Chest Opening Stretches
1000 Pushup Challenge! 1 Week, 1000 Pushups, ALL modifications count!
Last year was a HUGE success. This year is no different! Hundreds have already started. If you don’t want to suck at pushups NEXT week, get them in this week! 10 will never feel as easy as it will by April 1st.
Get IN on it! We start today! Details & tips here.
Facebook peeps: make sure you’re posting your progress! We’re already close to 2000 group pushups and only a few hours in!
Elevated Pushups: Basic, Single Leg, Spiderman
Time to level up? :)
When I first started doing full pushups, it was awesome, but after awhile I wasn’t progressing/getting better at them. I still had a hard time doing more than 20-25 in a row, and I stayed there for a long time.
Once you mastered a move for the first time, you have a few options to get better at it: do more (high volume, like our pushup challenges), do harder modifications, add resistance/weight or plyometrics and be consistent about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Elevating my pushups was much harder ( I could do dozens and dozens from the floor, but less than 10 elevated), but within a few workouts, I was already feeling stronger. My burpees got better, my plank time improved, and yes, pushups from the floor felt like recovery.
START SLOW: If you’re used to doing a certain number of reps from the floor, know that your reps will be slightly less. That’s okay! Add in short intervals until you get stronger. If you’re still struggling with pushups from the feet, this may be too advanced.
TIPS
1. Make sure your hands are lined up with your shoulders and take your hands wide. Your eye line should fall in front of your hands (when you look down). You should be able to see a few feet in front of you without straining your neck.
2. Keep your hips lifted (don’t sag) and engage your core and legs (quads). Keep hips facing the floor at all times (especially for single leg or spiderman modifications).
3. Place chair on a secure surface like a mat or against a wall. The first few times, take a peeksie to make sure your feet are in the middle of the chair seat.
4. Push the floor away from you instead of lifting from it.
Beginners: Flip these around to make them easier! Place your hands on the seat of the chair and feet on the ground. The higher the surface, the easier it is. (Easiest: against a wall on an incline).
Give these a try this week in a few of your workouts!
More options here: Working Your Way to Perfect Pushups…
Power Up! Sandbag Circuit
I promise, this is FUN & you’ll like it! This workout gets a lot tougher as you go, but hang in there. Try to keep breaks to a minimum and time yourself so you have a score to beat (each time you do it, try to beat your old time! Start wherever you are).
Equipment: sandbag or dumbbells (optional), a jump rope (optional) and a timer.
‘No sandbag’ modifications are given below. Click here for more sandbag info if you’re interested or confused! :)
Ultimate Sandbag Website (All Models)
Circuit (repeat 5 times)
- 2 minutes of jumping rope (pretend if you don’t have one, or swap in jacks, high knees, a jog in place or an actual run if you’re outside or have a treadmill)
- 10 Bag Drag Pushups
- 20 Single Leg Goodmornings
EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS AND MODIFICATIONS
A. Bag Drag Pushups (10 alternating)
NO SANDBAG Version: use a pillow/towel and place dumbbell on top of it. When sliding dumbbell over, grasp it around the handle, and press it into the floor (don’t lift it). The towel/pillow will help it glide, but if you lift the dumbbell it will fall off midway. Press it gently into the floor and really engage your core throughout the drag.
This move is CRAZY for your core & back. Use as much power as you can to drag the sandbag or go heavy with your dumbbells. Beginners can do regular or modified pushups instead.
A. Come into pushup position, from the toes or knees. Place sandbag or weight on your right side, next to and in line with your hand. Keep hands in line with your shoulders and eyes forward.
B. Do one pushup.
C. With your left hand reach over to the right & grasp the bag or dumbbell. Pull hard and drag it to the other side: don’t be afraid to use power. Try not to sway and keep your hips facing the floor and butt down. Engage your core.
D. Adjust the bag/dumbbell if needed and repeat with the pushup. Switch sides each rep.
B. Single Leg Good Mornings (10 per side)
NO SANDBAG Version: You can use anything weighted behind the back (schoolbag, barbell, plate), try this with NO weights with hands behind the head, or bring the weights in front and perform a single leg deadlift instead.
(At home tip: I used to add instability to my broomstick by placing two small weights in plastic bags and attaching them to the ends of it. They would swing a little, which made the stick MUCH harder to control, even with small weights.
A. Stand with your legs slightly apart and hold a broomstick or sandbag across your upper back and shoulders. Palms should face forward (overhand grip) if possible.B. Transfer your weight to one foot and lift your back foot off the floor. Bend the standing leg slightly at the knee for balance.C. Maintain your balance on your standing foot and, keeping your back straight, bend your torso forward. HINGE AT THE HIPS. Try to keep them facing the floor.D. Contract your hamstrings and booty to return to the standing position, then swing your knee forward keeping yourself standing tall. Hold the knee up at hip level for 1-2 beats, then repeat from the beginning.
Like A Boss Booty: 16 Minute AMRAP
It’s hump day! A good day for some booty work! This is a dorm room friendly circuit you can do at home in case you can’t get to the gym. Try for 3 rounds of each section!
Advanced: Add weights where you can, do each section 3 times before moving on or double the reps to make it harder. :)
Want more cardio? Add 1-2 minutes of jumping rope or a jog after each section.
See more here.
MAXED OUT CIRCUIT: 500 REPS OF BODYWEIGHT BRUTALITY
This was my workout today! It’s a simple, 4 move, circuit that will get your heart rate up and challenge your entire body. No equipment required, but you need to dig deep to finish all 5 rounds. I was DRIPPING with sweat and was dying by round 3!
If you’re doing this with me today, here’s a tip: Slow down and make each rep count. It’s easy to rush through workouts, trying to get the fastest time possible, but I want you to focus more on form than speed. It’s great to whip through a tough section quickly, but you’ll get more bang for your buck by using a full range of motion (getting low, going deep, extending your arms) than from blasting through. With each rep, try to make it as ‘perfect’ as you can: if you need a mini-break halfway through, take one! Keep going when you’ve caught your breath and don’t stop until you’re done.
Maxed Out Circuit: 5 Rounds of…
- 40 Sprinter Lunge Hop Ups
- 30 Side Plank Oblique Rotations
- 20 Drop Squat & Tuck
- 10 Single Leg Pushups
Novice/Beginner (low impact, no jumping)
- 20 Step Back Lunges
- 20 Modified Side Plank Rotations (keep bottom leg bent and on the floor as you rotate OR come on all fours as you alternate arms. You can also try this with a straight body, but elevated: your hand rests on a couch or chair instead of the floor).
- 20 Squat & Kick (sink down into a squat, and kick forward as you stand. Repeat switching sides).
- 10 Pushups (any modification: from the knees, against a wall, etc).
Advanced
- 40 Weighted Lunge Hop Ups (keep dumbbells by your sides as you perform the lunge and hop up).
- 30 Side Plank Flys (see description & pic here)
- 20 Drop Squat & Tuck
- 10 Elevated Single Leg Pushups (elevate feet on a chair, bench, medicine ball or stability ball to make it harder)
Give it a try and let me know how you did! xo
Drop Squat Chops
Works: Glutes, inner thighs, and core.
Modifiers: Static Squat & Chop (no jump). Stand with hands overhead and interlaced. Squat down and back, while rotating hands over to one side (arms straight). Engage the core as you chop.
How To Do It
- Stand tall and bring your arms overhead. Interlace hands together into a fist (or with fingers pointed).
- Jump your feet into a deep wide squat, while rotating your hands to one side. Keep back flat and twist through the shoulders, not the arms, to rotate. Concentrate on engaging your core & keep your chest up.
- Swing your hands back overhead as you jump your feet into standing position. Repeat switching sides and move as quick as you can.
Tips: Keep arms as straight as you can throughout the move, bending only slightly at the elbow for comfort. Bring elbows in close to the body as you chop down to the side, and crunch through the obliques on the chopping side. Land softly in the jumps, and move as quickly as you can with good form.
Need a workout? Try these in Unleash The Beast 3: Sweat Revenge! Intense 1000 Rep Total Body Challenge
Deadman Burpees
This is my ALL time favorite burpee modification (and it’s a lot of fun too)! While it’s essentially the same as a regular burpee, lowering fully to the ground and extending your arms helps target the muscles in your back as well. If you’ve become bored with regular burpees, this is a great way to mix things up. :)
How To Do It
A. Lower yourself to the floor, extending arms and legs out (like an X). Think ‘dead’, lol.
B. Draw your hands into your chest very close, and keep arms tight to the body as you press up into plank.
C. Hop or step your feet into a deep squat. Chest up and eyes forward!
D. Stand. Add a jump if you can! Repeat and reverse the motion.
These are hard, but beginners may enjoy the mini-break on the floor! Go your own pace, and add speed when you can.
Advanced peeps can add a ‘superman lift’ at the bottom: lift both arms and legs off the floor while your belly’s on the ground.
Turn it into a workout! Try any of the 3 challenges posted here, depending on your level. Deadman Burpee Challenge
Kill it!
