May 4, 2015

15 – 50 CORE BLAST {BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT}

Here we go Monday!

I’m pumped to get this week going! We’ve just come out of a gorgeous weekend full of lots of sunshine and warmth. I finally left my house for the first time in a tank top since last October(…?) and it feels great! Bring on the warm weather and sunshine because that makes me a happy girl. And when I’m happy, I have awesome workouts and amazing motivation to get things done. 

This workout is a total core blast, using reps of 15 and 50. There aren’t any weights included just you and your motivation to push through the reps. Be prepared to suffer through a few of these exercises, because some of the 50 reps are difficult to get through…but you can and YOU WILL!

This workout took me about 10 minutes to get through. The butt ups and spiderman planks were the hardest for me. Getting through 50 reps of those two exercises is some serious stuff! I may sound weak but that’s just it. My core needs to be strengthened and it is something that I will be focusing on in the upcoming weeks.

Remember to engage your core, suck the belly to the floor and engage those lower abs especially when working the knee tucks and knee hugs. 

THE WORKOUT

Complete the following reps for each exercise without any rest between exercises.

15 RIGHT SIDE V CRUNCHES
50 SPIDERMAN PLANKS
15 LEFT SIDE V CRUNCHES
50 ELBOW PLANK BUTT UPS 
15 LYING KNEE TUCKS
50 WINDSHIELD WIPERS
15 KNEE HUGS
50 SCISSORS

Work Your Entire Body With This Supercharged TRX Workout

1. Squat — do 10-12 reps

Works glutes, legs

Set straps at midlength. Stand facing the anchor with your feet shoulder-width apart, a handle in each hand at your chest with your elbows bent. Straighten your arms slightly as you lower into a squat, then stand for 1 rep.

2. Low Row — do 10-12 reps

Works arms, shoulders, abs, back

Set straps at midlength. Stand facing the anchor with your feet hip-width apart, a handle in each hand. Lean back until your arms are straight, body aligned from head to feet. Bend your elbows as you bring your chest to handles. Pause; lower for 1 rep.

3. Back-It-Up Lunge — do 10-12 reps

Works core, glutes, legs

Set straps at midlength. Stand facing the anchor with your feet shoulder-width apart, a handle in each hand, elbows bent. Straighten arms as you step your right foot back into a lunge. Bend your elbows to come up, lifting your right knee to hip height in front of you, for 1 rep. Do reps; switch sides and repeat

4. Chest Press — do 10-12 reps

Works arms, shoulders, chest

Set straps at full length. Stand with your back to the anchor, your feet hip-width apart, and one handle in each hand. Step back and lean forward with your arms straight, body aligned from head to feet. Bend your elbows to lower chest to handles, then push back up for 1 rep.

5. Plank — do 10-12 reps

Works arms, core, glutes

Set straps at full length. Kneel with your back to the anchor and place the tops of your feet in the foot cradles. Walk your hands out to get into high plank, body aligned from head to feet. Hold 10 seconds, then lower knees to floor to rest five seconds for 1 rep.

6. Hamstring Curl — do 10-12 reps

Works core, glutes, legs

Set straps at full length. Lie faceup facing the anchor with your heels in the foot cradles and palms flat on the floor. Lift your body in a straight line off floor. Engage your abs as you pull your knees toward chest. Straighten legs for 1 rep.

7. Pike — do 10-12 reps

Fitness Magazine The 30-Day Push-Up Challenge

Whether you can drop and give us nine or nada, we have the plan to take your reps (and form!) to the next level. Holly Rilinger, Nike Master Trainer, Flywheel Master Instructor, and creator of the BeachFiIT exercise program put together the ultimate 30-day push-up challenge that slowly increases reps and provides complementary moves to build your triceps and core strength. Just give us one month, and we'll give you the tools you need to master the mat and reveal your most sculpted upper body yet.

Follow along with Holly as she demos each exercise in the slides that follow, and don't forget to add some "pull" exercises (like rows and pull-ups) throughout the month. "Any balanced full body workout should work opposing muscle groups," she says. If any of the push-ups are too hard, feel free to take to your knees for an easier modification. 

The Simple Tool That Can Help You Master a Headstand

The following post was originally featured on Fit Bottomed Girls and written by Jenn Walters, who is part of POPSUGAR Select Fitness.

Yoga is a funny beast.

Some poses are so welcoming to beginners — Child's Pose! Warrior I! — while others . . . well, it takes a little more practice and a whole lot of confidence before you're ready to attempt them in a class setting. (I'm looking at you, Half Moon Pose.)

And that's where it is incredibly handy to have a TRX suspension trainer available. It can make some of those tricky yoga poses a little easier to do, especially if you know the right steps to take!

To learn more about each of these moves and this workout, check out Fit Bottomed Girls.

Watching more:

Youtube: http://goo.gl/LCQfQZ

Facebook: http://goo.gl/8CIZKh

Instagram: http://goo.gl/Pdqev4

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/Kie_john/

3 Amazing Benefits Of Strength Training for Women

All modalities of exercise will help you burn calories and lose weight.

But strength training will help to promote the growth and maintenance of lean muscle mass. 

In other words, making you toned and lean is the job of strength training. 

According to Dr. Caroline Apovian, MD, Endocrinology Diabetes & Metabolism, "as we age, our metabolism changes— this process begins around the age of 30 and by age 45, you're burning about 200 calories fewer per day than you did when you were 25." 

This often translates to weight gain of up to 12 pounds per year, she added. 

As we age and our hormonal levels fluctuate, muscle loss further lowers your body's metabolism, replacing your lean muscle tissue with fat, which generally settles in around your midsections, hips and thighs.