Scott's "I don't care how pregnant you are" 3rd Trimester Circuit Workout

Lately, I've been feeling overly...well...PREGNANT.

At 29 weeks, my belly is already huge (although it always gets huge - I'm a little person) and I have begun to get knowing looks from formerly pregnant women everywhere.

I'm met with, "How much longer?" comments almost everywhere I go and then enjoy watching their expressions change from shock to realization and finally to pity when they hear three more months.  Oh, especially if I have my two little helpers with me. 

Over the holidays, I took a week and a half off from the gym.  It wasn't voluntary, as we had days on end of sickness combined with company and topped off with days it was just plain closed.  The week before Christmas, I only did cardio, as I needed the mindless escape of the treadmill and HGTV for an hour.  So I thought today, Monday January 2, would be the perfect day to begin a new lifting routine.

I googled researched third trimester lifting ideas and, while there isn't a ton of information to find, I did come across evidence that I could still strengthen my core, in the form of planks and cable work, although most of the lifting seemed a little too elementary for what I was looking for.  

My husband to the rescue, Scott whipped up this circuit for me and, I have to tell you, I am disappointed that I didn't start something like this sooner.  My heart rate stayed elevated for the entire time and I broke a great sweat, but not in a "I think I might die or have this baby right here" sort of way.  I haven't been doing the stairmaster, as it's not the most comfortable piece of machinery for me right now, but he encouraged me that the picking up and down of my legs would help my hip flexors - and even at the lowest setting, he was right. 

Sometimes you need someone outside your self-pity bubble to put a challenge to you regardless of your situation...well, at least I do.  And I have to say that Scott  is not only my top supporter but my top challenger as well.  

I think even if you're not 29 weeks pregnant, this might be something worth looking into, if you want a full body workout.  This took me about an hour to complete and I didn't take any breaks once I started.  Feel free to increase the intensity from my mediocre weights!

Scott's "I don't care how pregnant you are" 3rd Trimester Circuit Workout

Stairmaster - 10 minutes (Ours is the large kind that the stairs actually move and you have to pick your feet up)

Kettlebell Swing - 2 x 50 reps (I used the lightest Kettlebell I could find - close to 8 lbs.  You stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart and, holding the weight in both hands, bend your knees slightly to swing it between your legs and then, keeping arms straight, straight up in front of you while straightening out your legs.)

First Round (go through 3 times)

DB Deadlift - 20 (I used 10 lbs)

Alt DB Shoulder Press - 20 (I did these standing with 5 lbs)

Bird dog Complex - 10 per limb  

Second Round (go through 3 times)   

DB Incline Bench - 20 (I used 10 lbs)

Seated Row - 20 (This machine was actually taken so I modified this to reverse pulldowns at 37.5 lbs.)

Split Squat - 20 (I did these without weight but placed my back foot on the bench.)
Plank - 30 seconds (First round to the front, second to the side and third to the other side)


Stairmaster - 10 minutes

Towards the end of my second round of kettlebell swings, a woman walked past me with a medicine ball and asked if I was using the reverse incline bench (since I was standing near it).  I told her no and continued to the end of my 50, as she set up to do some sit-ups with the weighted ball.  When I got done, I turned to her and said, "It was very sweet of you to ask if I was going to do crunches," pointing to my belly.  She took one look at me and busted out laughing.  She said, "I was in such a zone and you were working so hard that I didn't even notice!  I guess you won't be using this for a while, huh?"

For a second there, it was same joy as being carded at the grocery store after the age of 30...or am I the only one that considers that a complement??

Enjoy the workout!! 

Dog Sprints

With the weather warming up, I've started doing dog runs in the evenings again, after getting the kiddos down to bed.  I wrote this in August, 2011 and surprisingly, little has changed about our treks!

Looking back over the summer, we've had a pretty stressful couple months as a family.  The move was a big one.  Scott's job change was another.  We had to put our little SC house up for sale when our renter moved out on short notice and walk the tight-rope of paying two mortgages.  So I would have had just a couple excuses to see a higher number on the scales...

But, I am proud to say that I do not.  And I owe it all to my training partners...

No, not Scott.  Butch and Tina.

About every other night, I try to take them out after we get the girls to bed.  And because our dogs weren't able to leave the fence for the the two years that we lived in our rental house, they act as if they've won a million milk bones when they see the leashes appear.  

The old neighborhood had quite a few stray dogs and it was just too much for me to take them out, especially with the girls.  So we laxed on the walks...and so did my dogs' walking manners. 

No longer do they sit and quietly get their leashes attached.  I swear, I work up a sweat just trying to get Butch to let me get his harness on.  Ceasar, I am not, people.

So, as we go out the door and into the evening, we walk like civilized beings down to the end of the driveway.  Like any normal woman walking her two dogs, smelling the night air, surveying the neighborhood...

And then all hell breaks loose.

They take off at a break-neck speed, leading me into an all out sprint down the first hill, during which time I just pray that my shoe doesn't come untied and that my neighbors don't look out their windows.  I told Scott that if we ever don't make it back, to come out looking for them dragging my unconscious body along our route, because I'm fairly certain that if I tripped and fell, they wouldn't stop. 

They ease up about the end of the first hill and we stay in a pretty good jog around the first loop of our trek.  After that, we take intermittent walk breaks, mostly for Tina and myself...well, and to irritate Butch who could run the whole thing several times if we let him.  All in all, it might be a mile and a half...or a little over (I haven't measured it).  But it has a couple nice hills thrown in and we normally get done in about 20 minutes.

A little background here.  Our dogs were both pound puppies.  The year before we got married, we had an injured puppy wander into our garage and I cried so hard taking him to the pound that Scott promised that we could get a dog.  We had no business getting a puppy, as both of us were traveling all the time as coaches and we were so poor we could barely afford to feed ourselves.  But acquire Tina, we did.  She was cute and little and wanted absolutely nothing to do with us when we pulled her out of the cage.  She was much more interested in chasing after a little red ball and we were merely a means to get it and throw it for her.  The pound listed her as a German Shepherd / Rottweiler mix so we thought we were getting a strong, good sized dog in her.

Tina, about a year old,  I think.

The older she got, the more it was apparent that she was not anywhere near a large dog, but more along the lines of an annoying, self-righteous terrier.  However, she was our first and we love her.

Butch, on the other hand, did nothing but care for us from the start.  Loppy and much-obliged to follow Tina's every whim, he is the biggest wanna-be lap dog and once you start petting him, he won't let you stop.  He is now about 90 lbs and has a scary bark, but wouldn't hurt a fly. 

Butch as a puppy.

Well, I take that back...he would.  He CAN catch flies and that's one of the things I love about him.  But I digress.

So you can picture it now, me out sprinting in the dark with my big 90 lb scary looking dog and my little, fat 35 lb terrier.  We wait to go at night mainly because it has been so hot and muggy during the day that you can practically chew the air and also because they are social idiots.  They snarl at any bunny, squirrel, ant, small child or UPS truck like it is an axe murderer.  Therefore, we go after dark because they can see less.  Also because less people can witness me being hauled around the neighborhood...especially at the end, when Tina refuses to go any further and I have one dog pulling my front arm straight ahead and the other yanking my other arm straight behind me.

Oh, it is attractive.  Don't you wish I was your neighbor?

In fact, one day we were walking out of the garage and around the corner came two high school girls, out for an evening stroll.  Suddenly, I panicked.  Would it be better (and less humiliating) to take off and sprint ahead of them or let them cross the driveway and then pass them with my two panting buffoons?  I decided to go ahead of them so I could avoid hearing any comments.  I'm sure they were complementing my stunning sprint form.

Now, there are benefits.  The dogs are so tired after our runs that they are far less annoying and basically lay claim to the middle of the living room floor, after sloshing water all over the kitchen.  Tina has lost about 5 lbs since moving in June and no longer has a neck roll over her collar.  As for me?  I determined long ago that it is impossible for me to get skinny legs without running sprints so the breakneck pace down the hill has actually done wonders for my quads - as well as provided a nice little second cardio when I probably wouldn't have ordinarily done any.  

Well, and it gives daddy a little alone time in the house as well.  And don't we all need that?

Have a great day!

My husband is trying to kill me - the Thursday workout

My husband's a morning person.  At least, he plays the part well.

He tip-toes out of bed at 4:30 a.m., goes downstairs, drinks coffee and watches Sportscenter, then heads to the gym.  He gets back around 6:30 a.m., just in time to great his girls bouncing their way down the stairs and kiss his lovely wife (and by lovely, I mean hair everywhere, one eye still closed, groping for the coffee pot, with one baby wrapped around her leg wanting a sippy and the other asking what's for breakfast...LOVELY.)

I think I used to be a morning person...and then I had kids and I lost it somewhere along the way.  

But anyway, this morning, Scott was able to stay and have breakfast with us - which is one of our favorite things about living this close to work.  Plus, we get to have actual adult conversation while the girls are engrossed in Mickey Mouse and eggs and toast.

This morning, he told me about how he did the 300 workout this morning and about his plans for the day.  And then came the moment of truth...

"What are you going to do for your workout today?"

Now, I just wrote my plan out yesterday, which I knew he had read but at that particular time in the morning, I had a touch of soreness from lifting legs yesterday and the new Martha Stewart magazine came in the mail and I was honestly thinking about just doing the elliptical for an hour while I flipped pages and watched the morning talk shows.

"Mmmm...hadn't really thought about it,"  I answered, wiping my crazy hair out of my face and starting on my second cup of coffee.

"Well your blog said that you were going to do cardio and abs today..."  My loving husband with the stupidly good memory mentioned.

I cringed.  I hate abs and I did them Monday and was really thinking that that might be enough for the week...but then my thoughts were interrupted with,

"You know what you could do..."

And so this was my husband's "off the top of his head" cardio and abs workout for me today.  Perhaps you are in the mood for punishment as well...although it ended up being better than my bad morning attitude had expected and I was done in 45 minutes and got to spend an hour in the pool with the girls afterwards.

http://www.versaclimber.com

 
Here is a picture of the VersaClimber, just so you can get the full picture here.

Perform the following circuit 5 times with no rest in between exercises.

2 minutes VersaClimber followed by an immediate
1 minute plank (the third and fourth time around, I did side planks here and died just a little bit)
2 minutes jump rope
1 minute Kettlebell swing with sumo squats
1 minute rest / get a drink / swear someone keeps messing with the wall clock to make my work minutes go slower and my rest minutes go faster

You.are.welcome.

Need a little jump rope variety?

If you've taken up jump rope and added it into your daily or weekly workout routine, then you may be bored out of your gourd by now with just jumping....and jumping...and jumping...

Elizabeth, however, is never bored with just jumping and stole Mommy's new Buddy Lee jump rope to show off her skills.  As you can hear, Rachel is unimpressed.

Perhaps YOU are looking to add some variety?  Check out the following  jumping options (making sure that you are jumping one time for each rotation - not adding a little double jump in between).

In-outs (jump your feet like the bottom of a jumping jack - in, out, in, out)

Front-backs (switch your feet front and back - meet them up in the middle)

Twists (keep your feet together and twist to one side - back to middle - then to the other side)

Two jumps on each foot (jump twice one foot, holding the other in the air, then switch)

Runner - or Speed (single feet jumps each time the rope turns, so it feels like you're running)

So if you need a cardio workout today, try the following (remembering that I always count every other jump...so my 100 is actually 200.  5 sets are a lot easier than 10...plus, they are easier to count!)

1,000 straight jumps.  You can rest/walk around after every set if you need to.

1 set In-Outs

1 set Front-backs

1 set Straight jumps

1 set two jumps each foot

1 set twists

Finish with 100 crunches

Good luck!

Intervals - the hill edition

Last week, my sinuses had me down for the count.  I still went to the gym, but it was pathetic.  Basically, I sat in the steam room to try to get a sweat going and then rode the bike or jogged a little bit to see if that would make me feel better.

It didn't.

So this week, I'm a new woman.  Back to the grind.  Excited to run.  So I get on my good ol' trusty treadmill, plug in my headphones and get to work on my favorite, standard interval speed workout.  You know, the one I've been doing forever.  

My body hated me.  My lungs burned, my legs ached and I was dying from the word go.

Now, a long time ago, Coach O (my high school softball coach who, to this day, I look up to) told us that a woman can lose her physical conditioning after two days.  It was the excuse she gave us for why we wouldn't be getting the entire weekend off.  (ha!)  I believed her then... But holy moly, I really believe her now!

Therefore, I just couldn't face sprints today.  But my stupid schedule said, "run."  Fine.

So run I did - with hill intervals.  If you've tried the speed intervals and liked them, give the incline-first cousin a shot.  Here's how it goes:

Pick a standard speed - this should be an easy jog (5.5 ish) for a runner or a strong pace (4.0 ish) for a walker.  Begin your warm up and get up to your set speed by minute two.  You're going to stay at this pace the entire time.  At minute two, increase your incline to 2.0.

Time     Incline     Speed

0-2       0             warming up

2-3       2             5.5 for run, 4.0 for walk

3-4       3

4-5       4

5-6       5

6-7       6

7-8       7

8-9       8

9-10     9

10-11  10

11-12   9

(Continue all the way until your incline is at zero)  

Once you are at 20 minutes, begin your cool down.  If you are running outside, you can still do these, but you have to find a good hill.  Look around your house or around a school (normally bleachers are built on a hillside and you can find a good one there) - just make sure you're wearing good shoes.   Run up the hill and walk down.  Take a 15 second break and head back up again.  If you're in good shape, aim for 10 of these.  Then jog the rest of your time on your normal path.

You are welcome, my friend.

Good luck!  Let me know what you think!

Interval Training: Made for those of us with no time!!

I used to run distance.

Back when I was single, dogless and childless, it would be nothing for me to tie up my shoes and put in my headphones and go.  I loved running in neighborhoods.  Sometimes, I'd stop and walk a little and look at the houses and plan what my dream house would look like one day.  By the time I'd get home, an hour may have passed and I'd have gone several miles.

I wasn't that versed in how to get fit - but I knew that I wanted to be fit.  And I knew how to run (no matter how ugly my gate was) and I knew that it would help me be skinny.  So run I did.  

And when my normal route began to get easy, I would just extend it a little bit further or add another neighborhood into my trek.

My...how life has changed!

Today, my time is very rarely my own and, when it is, I certainly don't feel like lacing up my shoes and taking off anymore.  I have a very specific time set to workout and I need to stay within those parameters.

Yet, I still want to be skinny.

So what's a girl to do?  INTERVALS, my friends!  Intervals!!  These are by far the best way to get the most bang for your workout time.  The great thing is that you can do them on any piece of equipment or even at home.

The idea behind them is similar to your car burning gas.  When I was younger and driving "everybody's-favorite-little-white-Chevy" (my white, two door Cavalier coupe), I would come off a stop and completely gun the engine.  Now, she was a stick and this was a ton of fun.  My mom didn't think it was so great and would lecture me about the amount of gas I was burning during my fun and "if I would just gradually increase my speed, I would save gas." 

Well, the same idea applies to our bodies and the fuel (calories) we would like to burn during a given time.  If you have 30 minutes and you choose to scoot along on the elliptical or jog at a 5.0 for the entire time, you will be just like my mother driving (ha!)...putzing along, trying to conserve your gas.  However, if you alternate your levels (this could be speed, intensity or incline) then you're going to burn more calories in the same amount of time.

If you have a piece of equipment, get on and plan to go 20 minutes.  Now, you need to either have a running time showing on the equipment or a clock on the wall with the second hand. 

So say, you've chosen a stationary bike.  Get settled and get your Walking on Sunshine going (or whatever music inspires YOU) and take the first two minutes to get warmed up.  Get a steady rhythm going...adjust your seat, pick  your seat...do what you need to do now.  As soon as minute two is over, you are going to sprint (i.e. peddle as hard as you can) for a minute.  

Now here's where you have to be honest with yourself.  This sprint should have you watching the clock and thanking God when the minute is over.  You shouldn't be able to talk, look around, read your Kindle or do anything but peddle during this minute.  You are in full intensity mode.  After the minute, you're back to slow, turtle pace.  This is your recovery...for a full minute.  

The first time you try this, just aim to go intervals for ten minutes - with a minute on, a minute off.  It will go like this...

1 - 2:00 Warm-up

2 - 3:00 Sprint

3 - 4:00 Recover

4 - 5:00 Sprint

5 - 6:00 Recover

6 - 7:00 Sprint

7 - 8:00 Recover

8 - 9:00 Sprint

10 - 12:00 Recover

12 - 20:00 Moderate

This will give you four total sprints and then eight minutes of your normal pace at the end.  If you have a 30 minutes block, you even have time for some abs at the end.  The beautiful thing is that you're going to be burning more calories in less time as long as you're honestly sprinting.

I would recommend these for a bike or treadmill or the rowing machine. I just can't seem to get an adequate sprint on a standard elliptical.

If you are walking or running on the street, my favorite way to incorporate these are with mailboxes.  Use your landmarks..."I'm going to jog to the red mailbox and then sprint to the house with the yippy dogs barking and then walk to the stop sign."  ...for 30 minutes.

Try these and let me know what you think!  Good luck!