Fit Villains: Selfish, Shameless, Sassy, Fitness.

We had an awesome, sweaty time at bootcamp yesterday! The girls brought their A-game, and we got down to some oldies (oh god, I can’t believe these are oldies).

Promised to post them here, and wanted to share them with you in case you need a little ditty update! Music is an awesome motivator, and switching it up from week to week can help you get the most of your workout.

(P.S - Anyone else remember the Spice Girls ‘Stop’ choreography? Apparently ALL of us did last night, lol).

Ahhh, bootcamp. The highlight of my week. :)

I love teaching bootcamp: it gives me the freedom to run my class MY way, and try out a variety of exercises and combos with students of all levels. It’s amazing what people can do when they just have a little push, and I’m over-the-moon excited to see them grow and get better!

A few days ago, I posted my bootcamp playlist and some bootcamp tips (Crazy Bitch Bootcamp Songs & Tips To Make Your Workout Playlist WORK.). The post started a chit chat with Gwen from Fit Friends about our all time favorite bootcamp moves (she’s an instructor too) and we talked about sharing our top 5. I’ll admit: coming up with only 5 was a challenge. I like to mix things up a TON, and every class is different. But it’s almost a guarantee that one of these five (or more) will make their way into my Crazy Bitch Bootcamp.

I like combining different exercises to make them more challenging (also to help them “fit” my music). Working more than one muscle group at a time also torches more calories, and allows my students to build strength in different areas, without thinking about it too much. Most of my students don’t realize how tough the workout was… until the next day!

May need to do a part 2 sometime soon, but for now, here are 5 moves & combos that I just freaking LOVE.

CHICHI KIX’S TOP 5 BOOTCAMP MOVES

1.    Quick Feet to Plank. 

This one’s great for beginners & advanced students alike. It’s not complicated, SHOOTS the heart rate WAY up & is easy to adjust with tempo, speed and rhythm to suit your class. Core & Cardio! I like to keep my students guessing as to when I’ll call ‘plank’, but the shorter the time between the intervals, the higher the heart rate. Encourage students to move quickly between moves (transitions are a fun place to dawdle, but dawdling’s not for bootcamp).

A. From a standing position, take the feet wider than hips width apart bend slightly at the knee. Shift the weight from one foot to another quickly (like a fast tip toe run). Keep your core tight and minimize wobbling from side to side - try to keep the weight balanced between your feet as you move. Pump your arms with your legs for a bigger boost, and think speed.

B. Quick feet it out for 5-10 seconds, then drop down to a plank position. Hold it in plank for a few beats, then pop back up again for quick feet.

2.    Modified Burpee With Pushup & Plank Crunches.

This move works really well on two 8 counts, and although I’ll challenge advanced students to do the full version (hopping back instead of stepping back), I usually keep the BPM low enough that even beginners can catch the beat. The pushup part can be modified or skipped (or you can swap it for 2 extra plank crunches, or plank rows).

A. From standing, drop your hands to the ground (beats 1 & 2), and step back one foot at a time (beats 3 & 4). Lower down to a pushup, (beats 5 & 6), then back up again (beats 7 & 8).

B. Bringing your right knee to your right elbow, do a side crunch (beats 1 & 2), then the other side (beats 3 & 4). Then step your feet forward (beats 5 & 6) and stand up for the last 2 counts (jump optional).

Altogether: Down, Step To Plank, Pushup, 2 Knee Crunches, Stand.

3.    Lunge Matrix With Squats.

Booty WORK that goes so well with hip hop it’s scary! We do one side at a time, with or without weights.

Starting with the RIGHT side: lunge forward with the right leg (beats 1 & 2), then come back to a squat (beats 3 & 4). Lunge to the side, then back to a squat. Lunge to the back (reverse lunge), then yup, a squat. Then do a curtsy lunge (step back and to the left with the right foot), then squat. 4 lunges, 4 squats on the same side. I usually repeat 4-6 times, then switch to the left. (The song Booty Werk by T-Pain is GREAT with this combo).

4.    High Knees To Mountain Climbers.

HIGH Intensity cardio KILLER, so we don’t do it for long. Sometimes I’ll have them repeat the combo for a minute, switch to something lower intensity, then bring it back up again. Like Quick Feet To Plank, I can play with the tempo & speed, and I like to keep them guessing: high BPM’s are a must.

From standing, run in place bringing your knees up as high as you can. Pump your arms as you run: this should be a sprint. After 5-10 seconds, drop down to plank position for mountain climbers. Go as fast as you can, same time interval, then pop back up for high knees. Usually doing the combo 3 times is enough to get heart rates sky high, but you can gauge as you go!

5.    Bear Crawl Run Backs.

This combo is better if you have a ton of space, or are working outside (it’s great as a race/game too if you want to split your class up into teams).

Starting from one end of the room/field, have participants drop down to a crawl position, keeping knees off the floor. They bear crawl for 5-20 feet, as fast as they can, then pop up and sprint back to the start. This can be done relay style if you put them in teams, and you can have them do squats/jacks ANYTHING while they wait for their next crawl. Bear crawls are tough, so you should shorten the distance if your students are still getting used to it. 3-5 crawls per person is ideal, more if they can handle it.

There are lots of ways to do the bear crawl, but some ways are safer than others. Check out a demo here.

My favorite stretch after all this bootcampery? Happy baby.  Literally, not a frown to be found when everyone’s in this position after a tough workout.

Follow Fit Friends on Facebook and show some lovin’! They post great tips daily, and are a fab, FRIENDLY resource if you need a boost! (and don’t forget me! The Fit Villains page is rockin’ too and it’s easier to connect with my Tumblr friends there as well).

Have you ever been to a bootcamp class? What were your favorite moves?

I teach A Crazy Bitch Bootcamp on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and we had SOOOO much fun with this playlist. Wanted to post it for my girls, but thought you might like it too!

I’ve always preferred working out with music. It motivates me through the harder exercises, pushes my intensity through the roof, and makse the time fly by if I plan it accordingly. I design most of my own workouts these days, so I’ve become better at identifying which songs may work with which movements, and what speed I should be aiming for to keep myself challenged. But anyone can plan & manage their own workout, with a few quick tips.

Some tips/ideas for how to make your playlist work for your workout…

• Choose carefully and listen to the songs first, to get an idea of how fast they are. Faster songs (like Rockafella Skank) are great for cardio:running in place, jump rope, jumping jacks, and burpees. Slower songs (not that slow, but slower) are better for strength moves like squats, lunges and pushups. Feel free to mix it up!
• It’s fun to mimic words in the song. If a certain song mentions “dropping”, “getting low”, “jumping” or “throw your hands up in the air”, plan on using those movements - it can make a big difference in your intensity.
• Typically, I choose 2-4 different exercises per song, alternating between them or doing them in a row. If a song is about 4 minutes long, doing 4 moves for 30 seconds a piece (and repeating) will cover you. If it’s longer (like 6-7 minutes), I’ll usually opt to do each move for 45-60 seconds instead. (note: usually I use the music AS a timer: 1st verse, bridge, chorus etc).
• You can repeat a combination for more than one song, but break it up with a different combo in between. I did the same moves for ‘On The Dancefloor’ & ‘Where Dem Girls At’ because they were similar lengths and tempos, but added some booty work for ‘Cozza Frenzy’ in between.
• It’s easier to alternate between strength and high intensity cardio (also allows you to actively recover). Focus on cardio for one song, then strength for the next.
• Don’t forget to include a song to warm up to, and a song to cool down to. Stretching is important: find soothing, less intense music for the end of your workout (in this playlist, we did Sun Salutations for M.I.A’s $20 and ab work for Nelly Furtado’s Maneater remix).
• Group certain muscle groups well together: you can separate the songs by which muscle groups you want to work. Maybe booty & Cardio for one song. Abs & Upper Body for the next. Thighs & Triceps for one song. Back and Core for another. It’s up to you, but you should spread them out to give some groups a wee break while working others.
• Listen to your body and write down what works. If a certain combo REALLY works with a song, write it down for next time.
• Songs (most of them anyways, not all) work on an 8 count. As such, I usually plan my reps in the 8, 16, 24 & 32 count zone. Some moves are complex (like burpees with a pushup) so those moves can take 8-16 counts on their own. Some moves like squats or jumping jacks can be done on every count, or every two counts.
• I like to use the first 32 counts (the intro) as a quick water break, but you can take breaks whenever you need to.
• It’s YOUR workout. You don’t have to be perfect, and if you feel like busting out in dance, GO for it.

Have fun & explore your options!

Who loves bootcamps? I LOVE bootcamps! You too? Sweet. :)

While bootcamps hit their peak last year (or even the year before that), they remain popular especially during the summer months. But if you’re not able to get yourself to camp, you can always bring the camp to you!

Do this workout solo, or in a group of friends! It’s set to a timer, and each person simply goes at their own pace & level. Remember, the more you put in, the better your results.

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