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Snow and Charming know what’s up…
Love this.
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The final Stefon sketch from Saturday Night Live.
The Stefon bit was one of my favorites. I’m gonna miss him
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Me for the past three days!
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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...
Oh man, this workout hurt SOOOO good, lol,
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted regular weekend workouts, but we’re back baby! Kicking off the summer with a BANG with a brand new Beast! All you’ll need is a chair for this one, dumbbells are optional. :)
For those of you who are new to the blog, the Unleash The Beast workouts are some of my most popular, and BRUTAL workouts. Each is a 9 exercise, 1000 rep workout that’ll kick your ass from head to toe.
Beginners can modify each workout to suit their level (easier modifications, less reps, less rounds, taking more time etc), while advanced exercisers can use harder modifications or work on speed. (Instructors: these are also FAB workouts for bootcamp classes!). They’re also a faboosh way to track your progress: simply time yourself each workout and try to beat your own score. Some of my bootcampers shaved up to 20 minutes off their time in just a few months!
Getting the photos ready for you guys today and tomorrow, and will post the new Beast this Saturday! Clear about 30 minutes of your time to get it done, or call a friend to tackle it with you!
Unleash The Beast Series: 1000 Rep Challenges (Volume 1, 2 & 3)
If you’re new to the Beasts, try any of the first 3 before tackling this weekend’s challenge!
These are tough, high volume workouts that are SICK to try on your own or with friends. They get harder as they go (and this weekend’s will be TOUGH), so it’s important to choose your level. As always, modifications are given, and beginners can opt to do 2-3 rounds instead of 4.
See modifications and descriptions here: “Unleash The BEAST” 1000 Rep Weekend Workout Challenge Volume 1
See modifications and descriptions here:Unleash The BEAST 2: BEAST UNLEASHED! 1000 Reps Of Total Body Terror
See modifications and descriptions here:Unleash The Beast 3: Sweat Revenge! Intense 1000 Rep Total Body Challenge
Kill it and check back this weekend (and every weekend) for a new challenge!
Bulgarian Squat To Rotation
This modification will give you a little stretch as you work your core and balance. The lower the surface, the easier it will be. :)
Nail The Form
- Keep weight in the heel of your planted foot. Your back foot should feel more like a balance aid: keep the weight in the front heel. (wiggling your toes is a good sign the weight is in the right place)
- Your front knee will likely stay on top of, and not past, your toes. If you’re taller, it might edge forward naturally, and that’s ok! As long as your weight is in the heel, it’s fine. :)
- I like to keep my back knee right under my hip, but you may find it more comfortable to create more distance. That’s cool. Depending on your hip flexibility, play around with the angles. :)
- As you twist, use your core to stabilize yourself and focus on keeping the weight in the heel. (notice a HEEL theme here?).
Beginners: if this it too tough, try a back lunge to rotation instead.
Happy Cinco De PLYO! It
Single Leg Deadlift, with Curl ‘N’ Row
I’m obsessed with single leg deadlifts (though my bum leg won’t let me do them at the moment). Because I work out at home primarily, I am always looking for ways to add intensity/difficulty using the equipment I have. My sandbag goes up to roughly 40lbs (Pink Power Package) but it’s an unstable weight, making it very difficult to perform balance moves (and my water bag makes this move SO much harder, even though the weight is lighter! The water moves from side to side, making it uber tough to balance).
Single leg deadlifts are wicked to work your glutes, hamstrings, core and inner thighs (plus they help with balance and coordination). The modification above also targets your biceps and upper back while making it tougher to keep your balance. Tap down ANYTIME. :)
Ways To Do This With No Sandbag
- Just bodyweight: form is VERY important and comes before adding resistance. Squeeze the muscles in your hamstrings, back and biceps, pretending you have weight in your hands. Go slowly and make sure your form is on point before adding weight.
- Dumbbells. Either in both hands or just one hand (one hand makes it more challenging to balance. Try switching up which hand has the weight to feel the difference.
- Use what you have! Soup cans, laundry bottles, water bottles etc. The more wiggly and unstable the object, the harder this will be, even without heavy weight.
Beginners: No need to start on one leg. Tap the back foot down for balance, but keep your weight in the front leg. Keep a slight bend in the knee, and use a wall or chair for balance if needed. (CONTRACT THE CORE! Protects the low back: you should feel this in the hamstrings, glutes and core.)
How To Do It:
A. Starts with a one leg bicep curl (curl the weight up & down while balancing on one foot). Keeping your leg lifted, bend/hinge at the hips to bring your chest parallel to the floor. Keep a slight bend in the standing leg.
B. Perform a row, scraping your elbows up past your back. Keep them close to your body and squeeze your shoulder blades. Focus on a spot 6 feet in front of you to help with balance.
C. Using your glutes and keeping core tight, come back to standing, balancing on one leg. Avoid using your back to do the lifting: keep it flat and focus on your hips/glutes. Repeat, starting with the bicep curl.
Try to work up to 10-15 consecutive per leg, then go a little heavier! Repeat for 3 to 5 sets. (throw in some cardio to recover. Jump rope, deadlift, jump rope, deadlift etc).
Get sandbag details below if you’re interested! You know how much I freaking love mine. They’re awesome to travel with too if you’re going on vacation this summer (just bring the shell and fillers: fill up on the beach!).
This image didn’t always piss me off. And others like it didn’t always piss me off. I was used to seeing them, hearing the rhetoric, and was deeply subscribed to the belief that it was normal & appropriate to motivate women this way.
In an industry where it’s often hard to get women to hop on the resistance train, encouraging them with reminders that it’ll turn them into ridiculously hot amazon women seems to work. Women respond to it and if it gets them squatting, the ends justify the means, right? (No. Not right, but we’ll get to that).
Clearly, I don’t feel the same way now. Body love epiphanies and tipping points will do that to you. But if you’re still where I was, and think these images are harmless, here’s some reasons you might want to rethink them.
First, let’s explore “The Making Of A Pro-Squat Fitspo Image For Women”.
A. Find pictures of bootylicious booties, usually headless. If said images aren’t already headless, cut the heads off. Zoom in on booty.
B. Place the words “squat” or “deadlift” all over them. If possible, accompany by a statement (implied or explicit) that those two exercises will make your booty RIDIC HOT, just like the headless girls in the image. Make said booty as sexually explicit as possible by showcasing it in underwear or booty shorts.
C. To really drive the point home, give the comparison treatment: showcase another smaller, flatter booty, (also headless) and dub said booty the ‘BAD non-squatty, non-deadlifty” booty Just another visual, to make sure you know the difference between a good butt and a bad butt.
D. If true fear or shame is what you’re after, apply a hefty dose of “men prefer women who squat, because of course” and duh, you want a hot booty to impress the fellas. The more implications that your ability to be attractive to men depends on squats, the better.
hey! i just wanted to share. I read a lot of your stuff and its finally inspired a change for me. I have been constantly trying to slim down and always seemed to plateau and get sad and give up. But after following you it has helped me change my view on things. Instead i am no longer focuses on the inches and instead focusing on my fitness and health. I am officially training for a Spartan Race! super excited! Finally focusing on just getting fit for a bigger cause than just my image and not starving myself. I am eating healthier, but if im hungry i eat, just smart options (; So i just wanted to thank you for that!
- Awesome. :) Made my day!
What I’m Reading: Becoming A Supple Leopard by Dr. Kelly Starrett
Been excited to get my hands on this! Love MobilityWod. :)
For those who think regular burpees are ‘too easy’.
Yeah. Have fun with this one, lol. #cantdressherself #sore
Tips: keep legs wide to help with stability (both in plank and in your squat), and keep hand directly under your shoulder (plant it first). Use your core to shoot back into plank, and step your feet back if that’s too difficult. Omit the jump and one hand pushup until you’re ready! Baby steps. :)
Challenge: try for 50, spread out however you like in your workout (25 per side). I prefer 5 sets of 10 (5 per side each set), followed by a light jog or recovery move. :)
Sandbag Get Up Challenge: 10 Minute AMRAP!
Challenge: As many reps of this move as you can manage in 10 minutes! Take breaks when needed, but don’t stop the timer! Make sure your form is spot on: you’d rather do less but have perfect form than do more half-assed. :)
My score (don’t compare): 52 with the sandbag. My first score? 30 with no sandbag. Come a long way!
Swap the sandbag for a dumbbell or plate if that’s all you have: grab it in both hands! You can also do this with just your body weight (beginners can use their hands to help them up and for balance).
If you are using light weight or no weight, but want a more intense challenge, add a jump at the end.
This is total body and CRAZY for your core. Add this to the end of your cardio workout, or use it as a workout in and of itself. :)
Ultimate Sandbag 20% Off Sale!
Passing along the deal! 20% your order when you enter the code “taxes” at checkout. :)
I love my bag, but it was an investment. A good way to save up s by putting $1-2 in a jar for every workout you complete! 4 workouts a week from now until June, will get you most of the way there! Great motivation too.
xo
This is for all the women out there who feel victorious for being hungry all day. I get it. I was there too. Things have changed. And today, I’m sharing my story. Maybe you’ll recognize some similarities with your own. My hope is that it gets your wheels turning.
Let’s start with a comparison. BEFORE & NOW: My views on feeling hungry…
BEFORE:
“I’m starving, but if I make it until 7pm I “win”. Gotta get this weight off. I’m in charge of this body, not the other way around. Don’t eat, don’t eat: as long as you’re under 1000 calories for the day, you’re cool. Have some more coffee. (reality: after 7pm, eat everything in sight and feel like an awful person)
NOW:
“If you need me, I’ll be eating the food. I might be able to lose a few pounds, but it’s not a priority. Feeding the bod is. Feeling awesome, but excuse me…nom nom nom.”
It’s been YEARS since I was hungry on purpose, and the thought of spending the day feeling victorious for not eating seems foreign to me. I was an under-the-radar yo-yo dieter and my behaviors were linked entirely to my weight. Up, don’t eat. Down, eat everything. If I’d gained weight, the punishment was not eating or eating very little. The triumph was overcoming my body’s physiological needs and ‘winning’ at not eating for a day. It was pretty addictive.
AND… I didn’t know it was messed up. Really, no idea. Every woman I met was on some kind of diet, saying very similar things and feeling very hungry too. Seemed normal. It had no basis in health: I hadn’t learned that veggies were awesome, to eat to fuel my body or to reduce my sugar. I was drinking 3-5 diet cokes a day and thought they were bad ass because they were zero calories. The perfect “victory” food.
Thank fuck that’s over, lol. High five lady. I love the food.
It’s a show and tell, nothin’ to hide, body pride kind of a day, so posting this pic for a reader who messaged me about how ‘abnormal’, ‘gross’ and ‘ugly’ her stretch marks were.
She said she didn’t know anyone who had them on their thighs, butt or boobs like she did. I thought I’d put an end to that.
Hi. I’m Chichi. Nice to meet you. These are my thighs/hips. And some of my stretch marks. I’d show you my boobs, but FB gets weird about that. I pinky swear, their stretch marks look similar. I also have scars, cellulite, a big birthmark on my belly and a horrible, ill advised playboy bunny tattoo on my low back. I was 16 and thought it was ‘cool’. These all used to be things I hated about myself. I decided that didn’t work for me anymore and now I’m pretty cool with ‘em. No shame.
My body doesn’t need me to apologize for it. It’s wicked.
I have no story behind these marks. They aren’t tiger stripes, or battle wounds. At my biggest, I was a size 12-14. My boobs are smaller now, but I had the marks pretty much out of puberty. This is just my bod. I didn’t do anything to earn it. But I’m down with it.
I don’t know what your body looks like, but I can guarantee ‘most’ of us here have stretch marks or cellulite. Or will one day. You might have more marks, less marks, lighter marks, darker marks or none at all. But no matter what your body’s own brand of quirky brings, know that there are millions of beautiful women in the same boat. It’s normal. It’s beautiful. It’s not gross.
So here. Check my legs out. I’m not everybody, just somebody. And I have awesome legs and stretch marks. Bam.
(PS- Fit Mama Training started an avalanche of awesome earlier. Click on the link for the most amazing post ever.)
ZCUT Power Yoga Volume 1- $8.99
It’s out people! Shipping to the US only, but international shipping will be available soon. (I use Reship.com for Canada usually, but think I’ll wait to see how long it’ll take to ship directly from Amazon).
Very excited. :)
Watch the trailer below, and get DVD deets here.
