Get Fit OUTSIDE This Summer

As you know from my recent Week Of Workouts, I have begun to take some of my workouts outside now that the warmer weather is here!

 

 

I think that it is so important to change up your routine every once in a while to keep yourself motivated and to make things interesting.

 

Usually I work out in the gym (or at home), almost always alone. The past week when my friend John invited me for sprints and other hellish cardio outside at a football field, I was so excited!

 

Seriously... just the smallest changes to your exercise schedule can make a HUGE difference. Besides the fact that your body becomes used to the same routine, switching things up is the only way to stay sane and to stay consistent with a fitness lifestyle.

 

Now that summer is rolling in for my American readers... it is the perfect time to get active outside! Go for some sprints at the track, walk your dog around the neighborhood, or meet up with some friends to swim!

 

Today I have a special guest post from DogVacay, bringing you a great workout idea for this summer.

 

Try out the workout and let me know in comments what you thought!

How do you stay fit in summer?

Natlalie

WOW Linkup 5/14/14

 

 

Hostess: 

Diatta Harris

Femme Fitale Fit Club

Blog:  http://femmefitalefitclub.com

Facebook:  http://facebook.com/femmefitalefitness

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/dstprl

Sheila Simmons

The Frugal Exerciser

Blog:  http://thefrugalexerciser.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheFrugalExerciser

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Laurend1985

Cohost:



Jenn

http://comebackmomma.com

http://facebook.com/comebackmomma

http://twitter.com/comebackmomma

http://instagram.com/comebackmomma

 

Sheila Simmons

The Frugal Exerciser

Blog:  http://thefrugalexerciser.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheFrugalExerciser

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Laurend1985

 

Amanda

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AmandaH_EatHardWorkHard Twitter:  http://twitter.com/eathardworkhard Instagram:  http://instagram.com/eathard_workhard

Videos and Posts Im Loving

Is Cardio Really That Bad? I adore Tara and this is such a truthful and insightful post!

This new banana bread recipe from Elise looks SUPER simple and great.

HEALTHY DONUTS? I always adore Gigi and her humor!

I love watching these videos! And Michael Kory is never disappointing. 

Don't forget to link up with us!

An InLinkz Link-up

My Week Of Workouts #15

Monday

BACK DAY!

Warmup

TRX rows:
3x8-10

Deadlift:
2x12 105#, 2x6 110#, 2x4-5 115# 2-3?x2-3 120#

T bar row
2x10-12 65#, 2x8 70# 2x5-6 75# 2-3x3-4? 80#

6-8 Single arm row ES 25#
8 Single arm cable row with pulse ES
x4

Back ext with 25# 2x12

Cable row 2x8-12 40-55#

End with woodchops, abs

Tuesday

25-30 minutes of HIIT battle ropes, mixed with burpees and kettlebell swings!

CHEST

Flat DB press 4x6 TOTAL 50#

Single arm incline press 4x6 20# DB
Single arm cable fly (2 rounds low, 2 rounds high)- 4x10-15 5#
10 pushups on knees or incline x4

Alt cable fly burnout

Wednesday
Pass jump lunge 20 w 20# DB
20 bw jump lunges 
20 feet elevated hip thrust 20# db
40 20# swings
x3

10 side chair step ups ES 10 back and side lunge ES 
10 plie squat 40#
10 plie jumps 20#
10 squat 40#
10 squat jump 20#
x5

4 rounds 35 each
2 way leg hop
side lunge and twist

Thursday
75 minutes power yoga

Friday
LEGS. OMG I AM SOOOO SORE. I CAN'T SIT DOWN AND PEE.

I used the 5-4-3-2-1 set method on my squats after reading the latest post from Nia Shanks

54321 method LOW squats, 75# x4 rounds.
1x15 65#
1x15 45#
2x3-5 front squats 45#

10-20 weighted jump squats between sets

TRX pistols 3x10 ES
BSL 3x10 ES 50# DB
Feet up hip thrust 3x20 25#

Single leg deadlift 3x12 ES 25#
Single leg back lunge and kick 3x12 ES 25#

1x7 method leg ext
1xdropset leg curl max 90#


Saturday
Shoulders and short conditioning

Pushpress
2x1 55#, 3x3-4 50#, 3x4-5 45#

DB corkscrew press x10 (15#)
DB frot raises x10 15# DBS
AMRAP face pulls 35-30# (focused on feeling the move vs weight) x3 rounds

DB shrugs x10 (45#plates, then 35# weights)
DB should "L" raises (12#DBS)
AMRAP Shoulder pushups
x3 

KB high pulls x13 (30#KB)
DB leaning lateral raises x10 ES (#15)
AMRAP DB bent over reverse flys (#12)
x3 
*10 burpees with bicep curl 12# DBS between each grouping
Short conditioning included 7 min on kettlebell swings, snatches, presses, and ab work.

Sunday

Burned a ton of calories according to my Polar with my HIIT and some abs. And my workout was less than an hour!
It was really humid today in TX so maybe thats why.

What have you been doing to workout this week?

Natalie

WOW Link Up 4/16/14

 

 

Hostess:

Diatta Harris

Femme Fitale Fit Club

Blog:  http://femmefitalefitclub.com

Facebook:  http://facebook.com/femmefitalefitness

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/dstprl

Sheila Simmons

The Frugal Exerciser

Blog:  http://thefrugalexerciser.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheFrugalExerciser

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Laurend1985

Cohost:



Jenn

http://comebackmomma.com

http://facebook.com/comebackmomma

http://twitter.com/comebackmomma

http://instagram.com/comebackmomma

 

Sheila Simmons

The Frugal Exerciser

Blog:  http://thefrugalexerciser.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheFrugalExerciser

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Laurend1985

 

Amanda

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AmandaH_EatHardWorkHard Twitter:  http://twitter.com/eathardworkhard Instagram:  http://instagram.com/eathard_workhard

Hey there guys! I am thrilled to announce that I will be co-hosting the WOW Link Up on Wednesday's alongside the lovely hostess and cohosts above.

The WOW linkups are a popular post from Diatta with Femme Fitale Fit Club. (We are also partnering up to do our #FitTube Fitness Tag, so be sure to check that out!!) 

Check out some of my fitness scenes and interests from the week and dont forget to link up your post at the end!! Your post can be anything, as long as it is fitness/health related. 

Videos and Fitness Posts I'm Loving 

Michael Kory recently posted a new recipe video on his channel. I love his channel and think this guy really knows his stuff. Show Michael some love and check out his Youtube channel!

Do You Really Have a Damaged Metabolism? Sweat Like a Pig offers some great insight on how to tell if you might be suffering from this condition. I love Tara's blog and think she is very knowledgeable. The girl has competed in STRONGWOMAN competitions for heavens sake! 

How I View Food: Now vs Then I adore Heather and enjoy reading her blog posts, especially when they talk about her progress and success finding peace with healing her gut (just like I am!) and other food related issues. 

Cinnamon Sweet Potato "Dessert" Juice I admit, I'm not sure how great raw sweet potato would taste! But hey, worth a shot! 

600 Rep Home Crossfit WOD All you need is a kettlebell and some space. And holy cow! SO MANY PUSHUPS. I love it. 

 

 

Please feel free to link up with us... share your blog posts! 

An InLinkz Link-up
 

Natalie 

My Week of Workouts #11

Check out my last week of workouts here.

Monday
Back day! Scaled back on the deadlifts to get correct form. Had both the guy trainers at my gym spotting me... said as I lift for the first pull my lower back slightly arches and straightens out again. I need to focus on keeping my chest UP! So lighter weight it is.

Starter:
Each 30 secx3
Burpee
YTI
Jumping jacks
Mountain climbers

Reverse push up (aka assisted pull ups) 3x10

Deadlift:
3x8 @ 115, tried a few at 125#, scaled back to 105# for last 2 sets for AMRAP

T bar row:
1x15 55#, 2x7-8 65#, 2x4-5 #75, 1x AMRAP #65, 1x AMRAP #55

Back ext w weight plate 25# 4x12

Single arm row 4x10 20# DB
Cable pull, max at 4-5 reps 60-65#

Abs with TRX

Tuesday

Chest day! Hey hey heeeey!

Some HIIT with battle ropes and tire flips to start me out...

Chest press: 4x6 25# DBS (50# total)

Double Arm Cable fly (I did a few single flies at the end): 4x8-12 5# EACH SIDE
Single arm DB Press: 4x5-6 20# DB
Pushups till failure 4 sets(some elevated, some on knees)

Ended with cable fly burnout !

Wednesday
A bit of a mashup of some Loving Fit Workouts!

20 pass under jump lunges 20# DB
20 no weight jump lunge
40 DB swings 20#
20 hip thrusts 20#
x3

12 plie hops 20#
12 plie squats 20#
x3

12 squat hops 20#
12 DB squats 40#
x3

35 sec 2 way squat hop each leg
35 sec side luge twist each leg
x 7 rounds

Thursday
I knew I was going to do a boxing class Friday so I did a 20 minute HIIT workout, and then 45 minutes of power yoga focused on stretching to hips.

Friday

I enjoyed a free boxing class at Title Boxing near my house! Ive mentioned before that my first time doing the class was a great experience... It was also one of the hardest workouts I had done! 

This time I felt much stronger than last (Ive gained weight and muscle) and it wasn't as hard. I still worked hard and was sore! 

Saturday

I was at my grandmothers house for her birthday. I had an AWESOME leg day at the Anytime Fitness by her house. My wonderful cousin Bailey tagged along (lol she didnt workout!) and graciously videoed me.

10 Single leg burpees ES

Back squats 3x10 75#

Zurcher squats 3x10 75#

Back squats 2x10 80# 

Front squats 2x5 45#

SS with 12 jump squats 25# DB 

Bulgerian Split Squat 3x10 ES 50# TOTAL DB

Single leg assisted squat 3x10 ES

Side lunge 2x12-10 ES 25# DB

Back lunge 2x12-10 es 25# DB

Single leg leg press: 3 sets AMRAP 30#

Sunday

YIKES. SHOULDER DAY! I was still sore from bboxing in my shoulders. But I know the difference between needing rest and just being sore. 

This gym had bars with permanent weights on them, 30#-70#. So I used them for my push press instead of DBs.

Bar push press 4x9-10 40# 

DB frontal raises x10 (15# DBS)
DB corkscrew press x10 (15#)
AMRAP face pulls 30-35#
x3 rounds

BB behind the back shrugs x10 (40#DBS)
DB should "L" raises (12#DBS)
AMRAP Shoulder pushups
x3 

KB high pulls x10 (35#KB)
DB leaning lateral raises x12 ES (#12)
AMRAP DB bent over reverse flys (#12)
x3 
*10 burpees with shoulder press/pushup between each grouping

What have you been doing to workout?

Natalie

My Week of Workouts #9

Check out last week's workouts here.

Monday
BACK

Like last week, I looked up some tips on proper form. Today, it was for deadlift. I corrected myself and got up to my PR, which I have been trying to hit since I last reached it!!

I also deadlifted BAREFOOT today.

 Starter:
30 sec each x3

Burpees
YTI
Jumping Jacks
Mountain Climbers

 Deadlift:
 2x10 105#, 2x8 115#, 2x5-6 125# (My PR weight!), 1x10 115#

 T bar row:
2x15 @ 50#
2x 12 @ add 2.5
2x10 @ add 2.5
AMRAP go down back to 45#

Back ext w 25# plate 4x12

Single arm row 4x#20
Cable pullback 4x8-12 #40 #45 #50 #50

Tuesday
Battle Ropes + Chest

I've been LOVING battle ropes!! I used a format similar to the workout I just published.

Chest:
DB Chest Press, 3 reps @ 25# DBS (This was a previous PR I have been working on getting to again!!)
Chest Press w 45# plate 4x8

Bosu pushup on knees 4x15
Flat chest fly 4x12

Incline single arm DB press 4x10 15#
Single arm cable cross 4x10 10#


Wednesday

Yes for another Loving Fit WORKOUT!!

I did workout a few weeks ago. I improved my times and even added an extra round!

 Round 1 
• 15 Pick-up Squats
•
• 15 Balance Ball Thrusts
•
• 2 Sets of 15 Bag Swings
My time: 2:48

Round 2
• 20 Pick-up Squats
•
• 20 Balance Ball Thrusts
•
• 3 sets of 15 Bag Swings
My Time: 3:36

Round 3
• 25 Pick-ups Squats
•
• 25 Balance ball Thrusts
•
• 4 sets of 15 Bag Swings
My Time: 5:05

Round 4
• 30 Pick-up Squats
•
• 30 Balance Ball Thrusts
•
• 5 Sets of 15 Bag Swings
My Time: 6:35

Now you will do 1 bodyweight exercise prior to reversing the workout back up:

• Jump Lunges – 80 reps, half with 10# DBS @ 2:17

Round5

I added another round of "30" before reversing!! 6:40

Round 6
• 25 Pick-up Squats
•
• 25 Balance Ball Thrusts
•
• 4 Sets of 15 Bag Swings
My Time: 5:24

Round 7 
• 20 Pick-up Squats
•
• 20 Balance Ball Thrusts ( 20 lbs )
•
• 3 sets of 15 Bag Swing
My Time: 4:23

Round 8 
• 15 Pick-up Squats
•
• 15 Balance Ball Thrusts ( 20 lbs )
•
• 2 Sets of 15 Bag Swing
My Time: 2:54

I ended with 80 more lunge jumps, half with 10# DBS @2:55

Read more at http://www.lovingfit.com/exercises-workouts/wow-booty-training-pyramid-workout/#eMgziWsffcWAWDwQ.99

Thursday


Hour of PowerYoga, ended with abs and foam rolling 

Friday
Leg day. Not as great as I would like, I felt like my form was faltering on my squats today as I varied my weights. No worries though! It was still a good workout, and I know what to work on in the future.

Single leg burpee 10 ES

Front Squats: 5x 10 (50#), 9 (55#), 8 (55#), 6-8 (60#), 6-8 (60#)
12 jump squats between sets 25# DB

Back Squat: 5x 6-8 (85#), 6-8 (85#), 8 (75#), 8 (75#), 8 (75#)
12 jump squat between set 25# DB

Foot elevated split lunge 3x10 ES 25#DBS (total 50#)
Single Leg TRX Squat: 3x10 ES

Back Lunge: 2x10 ES 25# 
Side Lunge : 2X10 ES 25#
Leg kickback, circle, hydrant: 2X20 EACH ES

Leg curl dropsetx2 max 80# 

Saturday

Very nice shoulder day! I got two sets of one rep on those 25# DBS for push press again!

Warm up with Burpees, jumping jacks

Push press: 2x1 rep at 25#!! 4x10 #20

DB frontal raises x10 (15# DBS)
DB corkscrew press x10 (15#)
AMRAP face pulls (20-35#) New record!
x3 rounds

BB behind the back shrugs x10 (40#DBS)
DB should "L" raises (12#DBS)
AMRAP Shoulder pushups
x3 

KB high pulls x10 (30#KB)
DB leaning lateral raises x10 ES (#12)
AMRAP DB bent over reverse flys (#12)
x3 
*10 burpees with shoulder press/pushup between each grouping
Sunday

I did each of these movements for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of butt kicks, to total 30 minutes of HIIT.

I ended with some yoga!


How have you been working out lately?

Natalie

My Week of Workouts #8

Check out last week's workouts here.

Monday
15 minutes HIIT+50 minutes Power Yoga+15 minutes abs

HIIT:
25 on,5 off x30
Burpee
KB swing and jump
Pike hops
High knees
Plank jacks
Skaters

THIS Yoga Video

Ab was the same time pattern as HIIT and included moves like:
Side bicycle, side plank dips, elevated knee tucks, KB side to side, roll ups, leg drops, ext

This is a BEFORE AND AFTER picture I posted on Facebook.
Left: Feb 2014
Right: Nov 2013

Tuesday
Back day! I was pretty happy today. I have not been able to lift my PR weight again but at least today I felt much stronger in my deadlifts and added another #10 to what I have been working with.

I also found out my gym's barbell weighs #45 and not #35, so I actually have been lifting more than I had previously thought! Here are the weights, including the adjustment with the barbell.

Starter:
30 sec eachx3 
Burpee
YTI
Mountain Climber
Jumping jacks

Deadlifts: 10x#105, 10x#105, 8x#115, 8x#115, 10x#105, 10x#95

T bar row: 15x#2.5 weight platex2, 12x#5 weight platex2, 10x#7.5 platex2, reverse back down x1 time each

Back ext with #25 plate 4x12

Single arm row 3x10 ES #20 
Cable pulls 3x12 #35

Ended with ab work  

Wednesday
I did the same leg workout from Loving Fit as I did last week! I ended with a round of lunge sliders, squats, and leg kickback, hyrdrants, and circles.

"Beware of Burning Monster" 

Part 1

Set your timer for 2 intervals of 35 seconds each, for the total of 14 rounds. Or you can set your timer for 1 interval of 35 seconds and 28 round it’s up to you.

There is 2 exercises in part one, you will switch sides after completing both exercises on one side, so you will end up doing 7 rounds per side. First exercise is max effort, second exercise is recovery. This is how the workout out will go:

• Two Way Jump-Up – Right Leg
• Twisted Side Lunge – Right Leg
• Two Way Jump-Up – Left Leg
• Twisted Side Lunge – Left Leg

Part 2

Set your timer for 2 intervals of 35 seconds each, for the total of 7 rounds. Or one interval of 35 seconds and 14 rounds.

There is two exercises and absolutely no break, so push at your max. I had 35 lbs in my sandbag. ( you can also use a kettlebell, dumbbell, or your own bodyweight, or you can also substitute the second exercise for a Bridge ).

You will go through both exercises for the total of 7 rounds.

• Three Pulses Squat & Two Side Bends
• Sandbag Swing

Part 3

Set your timer as a stopwatch. Complete 50 reps of the following combo:

• Three Jump Lunges & Kick Up & Side Lunge Kick-Up ( that whole thing counts as one rep )

My time was 13:08 min

Thursday

Heck yeah!! Battle ropes AGAIN. Love this. I did 20 minutes of battle ropes and then some chest work.

Chest press flat #45 plate : 4x8

Bosu pushup on knees: 4x15
DB flat fly : 4x12 #15 DBS

Single arm incline DB press 4x10 ES #15 DB
Single arm cable pull ES 4x10 #10

Friday
LEG DAY!!

I spent the night before looking up some more information on proper squat form, as I have been having difficulty with the move. Turns out, I wasn't quite doing it right. I was bending to far back at the hips, and my stance was all off.

Luckily, I fixed this, and leg day was better than ever! I also tried out front squats!!

Single leg burpee: 2x10 ES

Front Squat: 5x10 @ 45#-50#

Regular back squat: 5x10 @ 85#

Foot elevated split squat: 3x10 ES #25 DBS
Single leg TRX squat 3x10 ES

Slide forward and back lunges 3x10 ES
Donkey kick, leg circle combo 3x20 each ES

Dropset leg curl x3
Drop set leg ext x3

Saturday
Shoulders
GUYS.
I PUSH PRESSED THE 25# DBS TODAY. I have been working on this for weeks!

Warm up with Burpees, jumping jacks

Push press: 1 rep at 25#!! 4x10 #20

DB frontal raises x10 (15# DBS)
DB corkscrew press x10 (15#)
AMRAP face pulls (25-30#)
x3 rounds

BB behind the back shrugs x10 (40#DBS)
DB should "L" raises (12#DBS)
AMRAP Shoulder pushups
x3 

KB high pulls x10 (30#KB)
DB leaning lateral raises x10 ES (#12)
AMRAP DB bent over reverse flys (#12)
x3 
*10 burpees with shoulder press between each grouping

Sunday


HIIT and power yoga!

For above, it is 30 sec of each movement. Do the whole circuit x3, totaling 30 minutes.

How have you been working out?
Have you had to correct your form in anything?

Natalie