Cardio

Bodyweight Circuit with Running Pyramid Workout

August 13, 2014 by Nicole 16 Comments

This is a great workout for both outdoors and the gym. No equipment is required for the strength-training circuits, so you can stop at given points in an outdoor running route to complete them in the grass/sand/etc. On the flipside, if you’re gym bound, just snag one of the treadmills and a small area of floor space.

Bodyweight Circuit with Running Pyramid Workout

You’ll alternate between running (the distance decreases each round in a pyramid fashion) and completing three rounds of the following bodyweight circuit. In total, you run 2.5 miles and complete 9 rounds of the strength circuit. Here’s the breakdown:

Run 1 mile
3 rounds of strength training circuit
Run .75 miles
3 rounds of strength training circuit
Run .5 miles
3 rounds of strength training circuit
Run .25 miles

You should try to run each leg as fast as you can without stopping. And if you don’t have a treadmill or just hate running, feel free to replace it with another type of cardio (the elliptical, biking, etc.).

Strength Training Circuit Breakdown

Complete three rounds of the following in between each running leg:

10 Reptile Push Ups: Start in push up position (a plank with hands aligned under shoulders). As you lower down, crunch your right knee forward, in towards the right shoulder, squeezing those obliques. Return the foot back to the ground as you press back up into high plank position. Repeat, this time on the left.
20 Hindu Squats: A Hindu Squat can best be described as a fluid, deep squat in which you roll onto the balls of your feet as you come up. This is one squat variation where it’s okay for your knees to stick out farther than your toes—but only when you’re on the balls of your feet. Keep feet shoulder-width apart and start by squatting down, hands behind you, torso leaning forward. Move your arms in a circular motion so that your fingertips brush the ground when you’re at your lowest squat, shifting weight onto the balls of your feet and sweeping the arms forward as you come up.
10 (each side) Side Plank Crossbody Crunches: Start in a side plank position, top arm bent, hand behind your head, and bottom leg hovering a couple inches off the ground. From there, tuck your bottom knee forward as you crunch the opposite elbow towards it, twisting your torso towards the ground.
10 (each side) Forward/Backward Pivoting Lunges:This is essentially a front-to-back lunge with one foot planted on the ground. Start in a split-stance lunge, one foot forward, and on the ball of the back foot. Both knees should be bent to 90 degrees, back knee hovering a couple inches off the ground and front knee aligned over the ankle. Using the front foot as your anchor leg, step the back foot forward, landing back in the starting position only with the opposite leg forward, and then quickly pushing off that foot and returning it back behind the anchor foot to where it started.

Yeah yeah, ok, workout shmorkout—these leggings! So. Stinking. Comfy. I had seen the lucy brand floating around the internet for a while, and then spotted one of their stores while in San Francisco a couple months ago. I remember thinking how cute everything in the window display looked, and then as if reading my mind, the awesome people over at lucy reached out to me about rocking some of their apparel on P&I. Yes, please! I’m wearing the I Run This Capri (retail at $89), and love them. They’re soft and comfortable with a wide, flattering waistband, thick enough material to keep everything where it’s supposed to be, and cute color options.

Now per usual, I’ll leave you with a couple questions to get the ol’ comments section going…

Outdoor running or the treadmill—who ya got? (I think treadmills are torture—I’m Team Outdoors all the way!)

Have you tried out lucy workout apparel before? Thoughts?

Happy Humpday, friends!

Filed Under: Bodyweight, Cardio, Full Body, Running, Treadmill Workouts, Workouts

Kettlebell Cardio Workout

June 26, 2014 by Nicole 14 Comments

You guys are going to have to try this workout and let me know if it really is ridiculously hard or I just made the fatal mistake of doing it outdoors in 80-degree, humid weather. I’m guessing it’s a mix of both…

Kettlebell Cardio Workout

Equipment I Used:

25-lb kettlebell
15-lb kettlebell
Jump rope
Exercise mat
Gymboss Interval Timer

This workout is made up of four mini circuits. You’ll do three rounds of the first circuit, moving right from one move to the next without breaks. After the three rounds (6 minutes), you get a minute break before moving onto the next mini circuit. In total, this workout will take you just under half an hour to finish.

I used an interval timer and just set it up for 78 rounds of 30 seconds and made a mental note of when to do an exercise for two intervals (1 minute) and when to switch it up after 30. If that’s confusing, just time it in a way that works for you.

CIRCUIT 1 | Complete 3 rounds of the following…

(30 seconds) High Pull Swings with the Right Arm: I used a 15-lb bell for these because it was my first time with the exercise. I think I might be able to up that to a 20-lb bell now that I’ve got the hang of it. This is a normal one arm swing, except at the top of the swing you’ll pull your elbow up and back then thrust the kettlebell forward again in sort of a punching motion, going right back down into your swing.
(30 seconds) High Pull Swings with the Left Arm
(60 seconds) Jump Rope

1 minute break

CIRCUIT 2 | Complete 3 rounds of the following…

(60 seconds) 2 Lateral Jumps over KB into Figure 8 Squat: Start with feet a little wider than hip-width apart, standing to the left of a heavy kettlebell (I used 25-lb because it’s the heaviest I have—35-lb would have been ideal for me). Squat down, grabbing the kettlebell with your right hand. Power up to stand. Squat back down, passing the kettlebell through your legs to the left hand, using a figure-eight motion. Once it’s in your left hand, stand back up (careful not to lock the knees). Squat back down a final time, placing the kettlebell to the ground so that you’re now standing to the right of it. From here, do two lateral jumps, jumping over the kettlebell to the left then back over to the right. Go right into the next figure 8 squat series, this time in the opposite direction.
(60 seconds) Jump Rope

1 minute break

CIRCUIT 3 | Complete 3 rounds of the following…

(30 seconds) Russian Twist: Sit with legs elevated, leaning slightly backwards, and twist from right to left, bringing kettlebell from one side of your body to the other. I used a 15-lb bell.
(30 seconds) Boat Pose Leg Scissors: Holding the bell at your chest, lean torso back, keeping abs engaged (think about squeezing your belly button and spine in towards each other). Lift feet off the ground and straighten legs out in front of you. Alternate lifting one foot up while you lightly tap the other heel to the ground. Switch, scissoring back and forth. The heel should just barely kiss the ground before lifting back up—don’t rest your legs on the floor!
(60 seconds) Jump Rope

1 minute break

CIRCUIT 4 | Complete 3 rounds of the following…

(30 seconds) Kettlebell Swings: I use a 25-lb for swings, but probably need to raise that to 30 since I’ve been doing this a while now. Start with kettlebell down between your legs and, using your arms as a pendulum, swing the bell to slightly above eye level by thrusting with your hips while keeping your core tight as you stand up straight. Swing back down and repeat.
(30 seconds) Kettlebell Swing Punches: Don’t pause in between the swings and swing punches, just move seamlessly into these on your next swing after the timer goes off. This is just like a regular swing except for at the top, bend your elbows wide, bringing the kettle bell in towards your face, and punch it back out.
(60 seconds) Jump Rope

No seriously, don’t do this outside on a hot day unless you want to cry…

And it wouldn’t be a P&I post if I ended this without talking about what I’m wearing, now would it?? Sweaty Betty sent me this fun, optic print leggings and I’m in love. The quality is excellent—comfortable, soft, supportive, wide waistband—and I’ve gotten compliments every time I’ve worn them to a class. It’s perfect timing to wear them on the blog because Sweaty Betty is having a summer sale through 7/30: up to 50% plus free shipping on purchases over $200. Shwing! Check it out HERE.

WEARING | leggings: c/o Sweaty Betty // tank: Under Armour // sneakers: Nike

Filed Under: Cardio, Full Body, Interval Training, Kettlebell, Workouts

Stair/Stadium Bodyweight Bootcamp Workout

June 17, 2014 by Nicole 15 Comments

Good morning, party people! I’ve got a lot more to share from my Stitch Fix & LUNA vacay in San Francisco, but I figured I’d break it up with a good ol’ workout post. You can take this one outside or stay indoors, all you need is a staircase/stadium/stairmaster and your bodyweight. Enjoy!

Stair/Stadium Bodyweight Workout

This workout is made up of four mini circuits. You’ll complete three rounds of each circuit before moving onto the next. This workout can be done outdoors or inside—wherever there’s a set of stairs—think stadiums, parks, even your gym’s stairmaster.

Circuit 1 (complete 3 rounds)

Run Up & Down Stairs
10 Push-Up Burpees: Regular burpee, but do a push up at the bottom. The sequence will go: squat down, hands on mat, jump back into plank position, push up, jump feet back up to hands, stand up into squat position, jump up with arms overhead.
10 Plank Jump Jacks: Start in a plank position. Jump both feet up towards your hands. Jump them back into plank position. Jump feet apart (like a horizontal jumping jack) and then jump them back together into your starting plank position.

Circuit 2 (complete 3 rounds)

Run Up & Down Stairs
10 Walking Lunges: Step forward into a lunge, bringing both knees to 90 degrees. Walk forward, bringing back foot in front, sinking right back into a deep lunge.
5 Two-Footed Long Jumps: Once you’ve traveled forward with your lunges, turn around and do 5 long jumps back. Squat down, leap forward as far as you can, pushing off both feet. Land two-footed, softly into a squat position. Cock your arms back and go right into your next jump. The goal is to travel forward in the air as far as possible with each jump. Don’t hold back!

Circuit 3 (complete 3 rounds)

Run Up & Down Stairs
5 One-Arm Down Dog Push Ups (each side): Start laying on your stomach, feet a little more than shoulder-width apart, left hand behind your back, and right palm flat on the ground. Push yourself into an up-dog position with your right hand. Lift the rest of your body off the ground as you raise your hips and pull them back and up into a down dog position. Reverse the movement back to starting.
10 Triceps Push Ups: This is a normal push up, just keeping your elbows glued in tight to your body. Hands should be stacked directly under shoulders instead of a wide stance, targeting the triceps rather than chest.

Circuit 4 (complete 3 rounds)

Run Up & Down Stairs
10 Side Plank Lifts with Knee Crunch (each side): Start in a side plank position. Lower your hips towards the ground, and then lift upwards into plank position. From there, crunch the top knee into the top elbow. Extend back out, lower hips, repeat.
10 Full-Body Knee Hug Crunches: Start laying on your back, legs extended and hovering, arms outstretched overhead (shoulders lifted off ground, core engaged). Do a full body crunch, lifting your torso and crunching in your knees so that you can hug them. Extend back out, lowering onto back.

WEARING | tank: LF // bra: c/o Forever 21 // leggings: Ellie (use code nicoleperr20 to get 20% off your first order!) // sneakers: Nike