Happy Friday! First, of all, thanks for all your comments and love on yesterday’s post. It seems many of you out there have dealt with similar issues or know family members that struggle with eating enough calories. It is great that we can spread the message of healthy eating and slow steady weight loss together! I LOVE THAT! YOU GUYS ROCK!
You know what else rocks? This stuffed pepper from Trader Joe’s. This has been in the back of my freezer for months, I forgot how delicious it is!
What about your plans for the weekend? Anything super fun? I want to take Nala running in my run group, we will see how that goes. Other than that just looking forward to spending the extra time with Mr. Hungry and squeezing the last few drops of summer out of the grill!
I’ll definitely be getting in this workout I did on Tuesday again, it was perfect! One of those sneaky ones where afterward I was like “that was comfortably hard”, then the next day my legs were super sore! Sneaky sneaky!
When trying to figure out what to name this workout I was distracted by Missy hissing and swatting at the dog. I was reprimanding the dog and encouraging her, telling her she isn’t a wussy, and so the name of this workout was born!
Exercise links and form cues:
Place your ankles on top of a stability ball and your hands below your shoulders in the top of a push-up. Make sure your hands are right below your shoulders and your palms are engaged pushing against the floor. Slowly bring your knees toward your chest using your core to keep yourself steady and then slowly bring your legs back out. When you return to the plank position make sure to engage your glutes before tucking your knees in again.
Step Up To Reverse Lunge– Weighted
We are only doing a few of these so you can go a little heavier. Holding dumbbells, stack your shoulder blades by pulling them down and back. Focus on not rounding your shoulder blades throughout the whole movement. Place one foot on the bench and step up driving through the heel of that same foot. Return to starting and then step back into a reverse lunge with the same leg you stepped up on. (So if your left leg steps up then it also steps back.) Aim to get your legs both at 90-degree angles during the lunge.
Go as slow as possible on the way down on this one to get all the benefits from eccentric training. Once your chest and hips are on the ground release your hands off the floor, then replace them and push back up. Remember to engage your glutes throughout the movement and keep one line from your head to your heels. Can be done on knees or toes.
Holding the dumbbells at your shoulders sink into a deep squat, do not let your knees come in front of your toes. As you rise out of the squat you will thrust your hands overhead. This is a power move so you want to be sure to use your legs to provide the momentum to thrust those dumbbells overhead. Beginners may want to stick with a front squat to overhead press with one or two dumbbells.
This movement should come through a hip hinge NOT A SQUAT. Start with the weight two feet in front of you. Get into your hip hinge, reach forward and swing the kettle bell between your legs. The movement should come from your hips driving forward, not from your arms. The link above is a GREAT tutorial.
Holding two dumbbells come to the top of a push-up. Make sure that there is a straight line from your head to heels. Engage your glutes so that your butt doesn’t drift into the air. The trickiest part of this movement is keeping your hips stable and square to the ground. One at a time you will perform a row by pulling the dumbbell straight up and back (aim for right about the top of your hip as the video shows.) Challenge yourself on these, you can probably do more than you think. If you have trouble keeping your hips stable widen your feet.
Stability Ball Hamstring Curls
Lying on your back place your feet and ankles on a stability ball. Straighten your legs and then lift your hips as high as you can off the ground, squeezing your glutes. Bending your knees, pull your feet in towards your body and then straighten them back out. You should feel it in your glutes and the back of your legs.
After I finished this workout I did two rounds of a metabolic finisher that looked like this:
The great thing about this workout is that you can change the tempo to make it harder if you want more work and less recovery (ex 40/20, 45/15 etc…) Happy sweating!
Exercise links and form cues:
Remember this exercise is about the power behind it, not the reps you put in. Come into a deep squat and then use all your power to propel you off the ground and straight into the air. Land softly in a deep squat and repeat.
Bring the medicine or slam ball overhead and with all your power throw it straight down using your legs to come into a squat. Then perform a squat jump landing in a deep squat. Pick up the medicine ball and finish the squat by standing up. Repeat the whole movement. I couldn’t find a video so I took one and put it on facebook, try to slam the ball straight in front of you so that you can just jump straight up instead of having to jump forward or back like I did.
Jump straight into the air and land. Then moving quickly place your hands on the ground and jump or step back to the top of a push-up or plank. Jump or step forward and return to standing upright. Repeat the whole movement.
Side to Side or Pivoting Slam Balls
Pivoting to the left slam the ball in front of you to your left, right outside of your left foot. Pick up the ball by coming into a lunge and repeat by pivoting to the other side.
Start at the top of a push-up, glutes engaged and a straight line from your head to your feet. Make sure your hands are directly under your shoulders. Alternate bring your knees to your chest.
Note- Please check with a doctor before beginning a new workout program. Even though I am a trainer, I’m not there to watch your form. Seek help on movements you need help with and modify as needed, I know I do! Happy sweating!
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