Workouts — Page 51

12-Minute Full-Body Slider Workout (+Giveaway!)

October 12, 2016 by Nicole 4 Comments

I have a challenging workout for you guys today (my legs were quivering by the end!) and a giveaway to reward you for your efforts. 🙂

I’ve teamed up with daniel glass on today’s post and one lucky winner will get one of their super cute glass water bottles. They come in a bunch of different fun colors and are BPA-free, which is so important. The colorful silicon sleeve that’s wrapped around the glass makes the bottle easy to grip during sweaty workouts.

So yes, there are lots of other BPA-free glass water bottles out there, but what got me excited to work with daniel glass is that the company donates 10% of its proceeds to ocean pollution clean-up charities. I love it when companies give back!

Enter to win. If you win you’ll get to pick out the water bottle color of your choice. You’ll notice they all have fun names–I had to go with Fuchsia AF because “AF” is my favorite unit of measurement. 😉 The below link will bring you to the entry page. You’ll just need to enter in an email address so that daniel glass can contact you (so to be clear, I’m not collecting your email address, DG is).

ENTER TO WIN

The winner will be chosen October 31st.

Alright now that we’ve covered hydration, it’s time to get your game face on for today’s workout …

12-Minute Full-Body Slider Workout

Equipment I Used

Sliders (dish towel works for hardwood floors and paper plates work on carpet)

This workout flows one move right into the next–it’s short, but it is continuous work with the exception of a 30-second breather in the middle. Think of the sequence as being broken up into three progressions. With the progressions, we add in moves every 30 seconds, building up a combo, and then take away moves in a similar fashion. Writing out the description makes it sound confusing so I’d highly recommend just following along with the video or at least watching it before doing the workout on your own–everything will make much more sense! That being said, here’s the general flow:

Lunge Slides –> Lunge Slides + Crunch –> Crunch
Lunge –> Lunge + Swan Dive –> Lunge + Swan Dive + Single Leg Bear –> Swan Dive + Single Leg Bear –> Single Leg Bear
Twisted Push Ups –> Twisted Push Ups + Thread the Needle Pike –> Thread the Needle Pike

This workout is no joke–I was trembling getting through the second side. That being said, if you need to take more breaks, just pause the video occasionally. Listen to your body–remember there’s a difference between hurts so good and hurts. As with any workout, make sure to warm up beforehand.

WEARING | Movement Intuition Leggings by Free People c/o Shopbop // Nike Sports bra (old but this bra top is similar) // Adidas neo sneakers (also love these similar all-white sneakers from Nike)

Let me know how it goes if you try this workout! Were your legs burning as much as mine were?? And good luck to everyone entering the giveaway!

This post was sponsored by daniel glass. All opinions–as always!–are my own. I appreciate your support of the brands that make this blog possible. 🙂

Filed Under: Bodyweight, Btone, Full Body, Giveaways & Discounts, Household Objects, Sliders, Video, Workouts

Lower Body Circuit Workout with HIIT Bursts

October 5, 2016 by Nicole 2 Comments

You have no idea how many technical difficulties I had making this post–every electronic device I own mutinied on me yesterday. So a day and a half later than planned, let’s just get right to it…

Consider THIS with Weighted Low-Body Exercises

Before getting to the workout, I want to talk a little about choosing weights for the exercises we’ll be doing in the circuit portion. With weighted lower body exercises, don’t just think to yourself “Ok, how much extra weight can I handle for these exercises?” Consider where that added weight will be. A squat with a 20-lb dumbbell held at your chest, for example, will feel different from a squat with two 10-lb dumbbells held at your shoulders. That added front weight is going to alter your center of gravity and will require your back to work a bit harder to stabilize. This is especially true for any exercise in which your torso is hinging forward rather than remaining perfectly upright.

I mention this because you can really use any weight (dumbbell/s, kettlebell, medicine ball, etc.) for this circuit (or just body weight!), and if you go with a singular weight, you’d be holding it at your chest. If your form is on point and you know these exercises like the back of your hand, challenge yourself–go heavy! But if you’re newer to working out or have any history of back issues, I’d definitely encourage you to go lighter than you think you can handle. And that goes for everyone, regardless of where you’ll be holding your weight (shoulders, chest, down to your sides).

Lower Body Circuit Workout with HIIT Bursts

Equipment:

Set of dumbbells (or just one held at chest) — I’m using 8-lb weights because they’re the heaviest available at the studio where I filmed the workout. Normally I would have gone with 12-lbs. (No complaints haha).
Exercise mat — I didn’t have one when I filmed and my knees were angry during the surrenders. Use a mat!
Interval timer — I used this tabata iPhone app for the HIIT bursts and a regular stopwatch for the circuit.

For this workout, you’ll be alternating between a circuit of low-body exercises and a quick 2-minute bodyweight HIIT. The HIIT is all about speed and doing as many reps as you can in the given work interval. The circuit is about control and challenging yourself with weight load (keeping the above info in mind!). Each time you go through the circuit, you’ll stay on it for a shorter period of time.

Breakdown of the Workout:

Exercises and descriptions can be found below the pictorial. You’ll get 15 seconds of rest in between sides and before/after the HIIT.

Weighted Circuit on the Right (45 sec each exercise)
Weighted Circuit on the Left (45 sec each exercise)
2-Min HIIT Blast
Weighted Circuit on the Right (30 sec each exercise)
Weighted Circuit on the Left (30 sec each exercise)
2-Min HIIT Blast
Weighted Circuit on the Right (15 sec each exercise)
Weighted Circuit on the Left (15 sec each exercise)
2-Min HIIT Blast

Make sure to warm up before starting this workout (here’s a 5-minute warm up you can do at home). Always listen to your body and modify as needed!

Weighted Circuit

Complete 45/30/15 seconds of each exercise on the right then repeat on the left. Try to go from one exercise to the next without rest. If it gets to be too much, just slow down the pace. You can rest for 15 seconds in between the right and left legs.

Side Lunge to Knee Raise | Start standing with one weight at each shoulder. Step your right foot out wide to the side, bending that knee and sinking your hips back and down into a deep side lunge. Press off that right foot to push yourself back up to standing, but instead of bringing your right foot to the floor, drive the knee up and into your chest and then lunge right back down to the side.

Make it easier: No knee raise; come back up to standing with both feet on the floor instead.
Make it harder: Add a hop off the left foot as you drive your right knee into the chest at the top.

Curtsy Lunge to Side Kick | Start standing with feet hip-width apart. From here, sink down into your curtsey lunge: right foot stays planted on the ground and as you bend that right knee, reach your left foot behind it as far to the right as you can, planting the ball of the foot down. As you come back up to standing, swing that back leg up and out to the left side in a wide kick. As if sweeps back down, lower into your next curtsy lunge.

Squat to Surrender | Start standing with weights at shoulders, feet a little wider than hip’s width apart. Squat down, sliding your hips back and down, keeping your chest open. From here, come to a kneeling position, stepping your right foot back behind you, planting the ball of the foot and knee on the floor and then doing the same with the left. Continuing to lead with the right, return to a low squat position, stepping the right foot forward onto the floor and then the left. From this low squat position, straighten the legs as you drive the hips forward to your starting position.

HIIT Blast

Set a timer for 4 rounds of 20 second work and 10 seconds rest. You’ll go through the following four exercises (20 sec on each with 10 sec rest in between).

Squat Jacks | Start in a low squat position with feet wide. Staying low in a squat, jump your feet in close together and then jump your feet out wide again to the starting position. When your feet are wide, one hand should come to the ground in front. Continue jacking your feet in and out, staying low in the squat and alternating which hands touches the floor (this ensures you’re staying low through the legs!).

Lunge Hop RIGHT | Start in a split-stance lunge position: both knees bent to 90 degrees, right foot flat in front; left foot in back, ball of the foot planted on the ground. Keeping the same foot in front/back, you hop a few inches into the air and land softly back into your starting position. Your legs are never fully straightening during this; it’s a small upward hop, pushing off the balls of the feet. To modify, take out the jump and just pulse at the bottom.

Lunge Hop LEFT

Hot Feet | You probably know these best as a basketball or football drill. You essentially run in place as fast as you can while in a wide-leg squat position. With your feet a bit wider than hip-width apart, squat down. Staying low, you’ll quickly run your feet up and down, staying on the balls of your feet and barely picking them off the floor (an inch or two) so that you can maintain the speed.

WEARING | Terez SU2C Mantra leggings (5% of sales are donated to Stand Up To Cancer) // GAP tank // adidas neo sneakers (also love them in black with the marbled sole!) // Athleta bra (sold out in orange but much cuter colors available)

Just to highlight what’s mentioned above in the outfit details, the leggings I’m wearing in today’s post give back! Terez (also the makers of these skull leggings everyone loves) will donate a portion of the proceeds to Stand Up To Cancer.

Outfit detail links are affiliate (except the charitable one). I appreciate your support!

Filed Under: Hand Weights/Dumbbells, Interval Training, Lower Body, Video, Workouts

5-Min Warm Up for At-Home Workouts

September 27, 2016 by Nicole 4 Comments

5-Minute Warm Up for At-Home Workouts - do this warm up video before working out at home (or the gym)! #warmup #exercise #athomeworkout #workout #fitness

Let’s talk about warm ups. Before any workout—and especially a high intensity one!—it’s important to prepare your body. Depending on the type of workout you’re about to do and any muscle imbalances or recovering injuries you have, a proper warm up will vary. But today’s is a great generalized one.

If you’re just starting out on your fitness journey or are looking to keep things as low-impact as possible, I also have a gentle version of this warm up.

Warming Up for Your Workout 101

In general, the components of a solid warm up are:

Light Cardio

5-10 minutes on your favorite cardio machine at the gym will do. Gradually increase the pace (think brisk walk, ending with a brisk jog). If you’re at home, you could walk/jog around the block. If you’re short on time and have no equipment, well, that’s why I made this 5-minute warm up video! Bodyweight exercises work, too.

Dynamic (Active) Stretching

When most people think of stretching, they think of holding a position in stillness for a prolonged period of time. I’m not talking about that. Personally, I save static stretching for post-workout. Before a workout, focus on functional movements that are going to facilitate the range of motion needed to complete the exercises you’re about to do: actively stretch. We’ll do a series of movements to open up the hip flexors, lower body, shoulders, core and arms.

Self-mayofascial release (SMR) techniques like foam rolling or trigger point are optional before a workout. If you’re super tight in a certain area to the point that it’d severely hinder a normal range of motion, I’d recommend foam rolling the problem area before the dynamic stretching and cardio portions of your warm up. Otherwise, I think it’s fine to omit.

Personally, I prefer to foam roll at the end of a long day or on rest days and spend a solid 20-30 minutes sprawled out on my floor with my roller while watching TV (and most likely making odd moaning noises). One example of a time I would foam roll before a workout is with long distance runs. My calves are super tight so while I was training for the Boston marathon, I always did some SMR on them before running. Helped a lot!

5-Minute Warm Up for At-Home Workouts

This warm up was made with the workouts I post to the blog in mind. We’ll start with 2 minutes of cardio exercises (4 moves, 15 seconds each, twice through) to gradually increase the heart rate. We’ll then do 3 minutes of dynamic stretches to open up the body and prepare it for intense movement.

It’s worth it to take the extra five minutes and warm up before HIIT workouts. It makes a world of difference when it comes to injury prevention! Could you spend more time warming up? Definitely. And in some cases you should. I’m just being realistic with this sequence: If you’re doing a 15-minute interval workout from my blog do you really want to spend that same amount of time preparing for the workout? My guess is no. Always listen to your body: If you need more time to ease into your workout, do just that.