Workout Archives - Page 2 of 8

interval + full body workout

December 29, 2015 by Jenna

Who is in need of a good workout?

Uhhh… I am.

For sure.

After a weekend back home in Minnesota I indulged on quality time with the family, sleep, and also sugar. A lot of sugar (all the cookies!). It was all so wonderful, but I’m ready to fill the rest of 2015 with some awesome workouts and a lot of vegetables.

Join me.

Alternating between cardio intervals and strength training circuits is my favorite way to do a workout. Switching between the two activities not only makes the time fly by, but it also keeps your heart rate up for an overall amazing workout.

In this interval + full body workout we are going to do 3 rounds of intervals, each round alternates between sprinting and walking (3 times, 1 minute each). We are also going to do 3 circuits. Each circuit has 3 exercises that you will perform for 16 reps and 3 sets. The first is focused on lower body, the second on upper body, and the third on core. You will need a mat and a set of (5-10 lbs) dumbbells for the circuits.

The intense full body workout will take at least an hour. There will be sweat.

Sounds like fun, right? Here is the plan:

And here are some more details.

The Intervals:

Sprints: Run as fast as you can for a minute. You want your last sprint to be the same speed (or faster!) as the first. If you are unsure of your sprinting speed, start out slower then continue to increase as you go on. These sprint intervals can also be done on the bike, elliptical, or row machine.
Recovery: Walk at a slow or moderate pace. The goal is to bring your heart rate back down to a Zone 1 level. If you feel that it is still elevated after a minute, continue to walk until it decreases before starting your next sprint.

The Circuits:

Reverse Lunge with Twist: Stand with feet hip-width distance apart, toes pointing forward, a dumbbell in each hand, and arms extended out in front of you. Take a step back with your left foot and lower into a lunge, making sure that your right knee does not go past your right toe. Both knees should be just around a 90-degree angle. Using your core, twist towards the right so that your arms and torso are facing the right. Twist back to center and rise back up to standing. Repeat on the opposite side. This is one rep.
Sumo Squat to Shoulder Press: Holding a pair of dumbbells, stand with your feet slighty wider than hip distance apart, toes pointing out to the side. Put your dumbbells at shoulder level and lower into a squat. As your rise, press the dumbbells up overhead until your arms are fully extended, while focusing on contracting your inner thighs (adductors) and glutes. Lower back down to a squat while also lowering your arms to shoulder level. This is one rep.
Glute Bridges: Lie on a mat with your back on the floor, knees bent, hands by your side, and feet shoulder distance apart. Contract your core, push down through your heels, and lift your hips in the air. Hold for 1 second then lower back down to starting position. Place and hold a dumbbell above your pelvic bone for an additional challenge.
Bent Over Row with Triceps Kickbacks: With a dumbbell in your left hand, kneel over the side of a bench with your right hand and right knee on the bench and a straight back. This is starting position. Raise your left arm so that your upper arm brushes against your ribs and your elbow is bent at 90 degrees. Extend your elbow so that your forearm is in line with your back. Return to the 90-degree bend, then return to starting position. This is one rep. Perform all reps with your left arm before switching to the right.
Push Up to Side Plank: Start in a plank position with hands directly below your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Lower down into a push-up. As your raise your body back up, rotate your body to the right side so that you are in a side plank with your right arm extended in the air. Bring your right arm down, returning to plank position. Continue push ups, alternating between a right and left side plank.
Lateral Shoulder Raises: Stand holding dumbbells in each hand with palms facing the sides of thighs. Raise both arms up and out to the side until hands reach approximately shoulder level. Lower arms back to starting position.
Plank Hip Dips: Begin in forearm plank with your forearms on a mat, elbows directly below your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Keeping your core engaged and your thighs pressed tight together, twist your torso to the right so that your right hip dips towards the ground. Raise back to plank position, then twist your torso to the left. This is one rep.
Plank Knee-to-Elbow: Start in a plank position with hands directly below your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Keeping your core tight and your body steady, bring your right knee to the outside of your right elbow. Return to plank. Bring your left knee to your left elbow and return to plank. This is one rep.
Russian Twists: Sit on a mat with your knees bent, your torso at a 45-degree angle to the mat, and your fists in front of you holding a dumbbell in each hand. Twist your torso to one side, then twist to the other. This is one rep. Continue and make sure to keep from twisting your legs. Bring your feet up off of the ground for an added challenge.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions.

Enjoy this interval + full body workout and finish 2015 strong!

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Full Body Strength and Cardio Workout

December 1, 2015 by Jenna

Happy December!! How was your Thanksgiving?? Was it filled with family and friends and turkey and pie and wine and laughter?

I hope so!

But maybe too much turkey and pie and wine? I totally hear ya. This full body strength and cardio workout will get your heart rate up while working a variety of muscle groups, helping to burn off those second helpings of pecan pie.

This workout consists of four supersets where you will perform two exercises back-to-back three times before moving to the next superset. Each superset contains one full body strength training exercise for 15 reps and one plyometric exercise for 30 seconds.

It’s hard, but you’ll love it when you’re done.

You will notice that a lot of the exercises here incorporate three-dimensional movements. This is on purpose.

Many common strength training exercises primarily work in the sagittal plane (moving forward and backward) – biceps curls, walking lunges, squats, cable rows, etc. This is just fine, but we want to make sure to incorporate the frontal (side-to-side) and transverse (rotational) planes as well in order to develop the muscles to function in all different directions.

For example, the side lunge with biceps curl. You are lunging out to the side (frontal plane), but your arms are moving forward for the biceps curl (sagittal plant) – that’s 3D movement! Also, you are working both your upper and lower body. Basically, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck in this one exercise. Awesome.

And don’t forget to really push it during those plyos. I want that heart to be pumping!

Here are the exercise cues:

Squat with Medicine Ball Overhead Raise: Stand with feet hip-width distance apart, toes pointing forward holding a medicine ball in your hands. Squat down by bending your knees and flexing your hips, keeping your back straight and your knees behind your toes. Lower until your knees reach a 90-degree angle and touch the medicine ball to the floor. Engage your glutes and rise back up to standing, raising the medicine ball up over your head.
Jump Squat: Stand with feet hip-width distance apart, toes pointing forward. Lower down until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Thrust your hips forward and jump into the air, landing softly back down in a squat position.
Knee Lifts with Lateral Raise: Stand with feet hip-width distance apart, toes pointing forward, and a dumbbell in each hand. Raise your right knee while raising your arms out to the side, palms down, until they reach shoulder height. Lower arms and leg back down to starting position. Continue this pattern with aternating legs.
BOSU Ball Shuffle: Stand with your right foot on a BOSU ball and the left foot on the ground, toes pointing forward. Lower down into a squat, then jump up towards the right, landing in a squat position with your left foot on the BOSU ball and your right foot on the floor on the opposite end. Continue to shuffle back and forth.
Reverse Lunge with Twist: Stand with feet hip-width distance apart, toes pointing forward, a dumbbell in each hand, and arms extended out in front of you. Take a step back with your left foot and lower into a lunge, making sure that your right knee does not go past your right toe. Both knees should be just around a 90-degree angle. Using your core, twist towards the right so that your arms and torso are facing the right. Twist back to center and rise back up to standing. Alternate legs.
Mountain Climbers: Start in a plank position. Bring your right knee forward towards your right elbow. Explosively draw your left knee forward as your right leg moves back, like you are running. Continue this motion.
Side Lunge with Biceps Curl: With a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet facing forward. Step with your left foot out to the side, lowering into a side lunge. Make sure that your left knee stays behind your toes and in line with the outside of your foot. As your lower into the lunge, curl the dumbbells up to shoulder level keeping your elbows at your sides. Rise back up to a standing position, pushing down through your heels, while lowering the dumbbells back down to your sides. Alternate legs.
Plank Jacks: Start in plank position. Jump your legs out to the side, then bring them back to center. Continue in this in-out-in-out pattern.

Let me know if you have any questions and if your try the workout (do it!!) let me know how you liked/hated it. I would love to hear your feedback!

Again, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now that we are in December, make sure to keep fitness as a regular part of your routine, because there are cookies and holiday treats around every corner. Enjoy yourself, but work hard to stay balanced and healthy!

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A Quick Post Run In The Park Circuit Workout + Stretching

September 8, 2015 by Jenna

I’m doing something I haven’t done in a ridiculously longgggg time: posting a workout.

With my move to Denver, my fitness routine has been (and still is) all thrown off. Reason #1 = the altitude. Reason #2 = my broken wrist.

First of all, the altitude is real. I thought the adjustment to being a mile above sea level would maybe take a week or two (three, tops!) and then I’d be back to my normal pace and my normal distances. I was wrong. I ran Grandma’s Marathon a short 2.5 months ago, but now I get excited when I can run 3 miles without feeling like death. I did get up to 6 miles on Monday, which I was way excited about. #smallwins

It is slow and steady progress. I’m trying to stay motivated and positive.

Of course, breaking my wrist after living here for a whole 2 days didn’t help the situation either. I took a weeklong break from running (partly because the doctor told me not to run and partly because I was traumatized by Denver’s dangerous sidewalks) and haven’t done much strength training or cross training since. Without the ability to do downward dogs, pushups, and essentially any exercise that requires me to flex and/or put weight on my wrists, I am pretty limited.

Luckily, limited isn’t hopeless. I am slowly starting to get back into the groove of things. I haven’t found a gym yet, so I’ve been doing a lot of at-home and in-the-park bodyweight workouts. These are great.

One of my go-to workouts right now is to go for a run around Washington Park, then end near a picnic table to do some strength training and stretching. At first I felt a little silly doing squats in the park by myself, but I got over it. I don’t know about you, but every time I see other people doing yoga and workouts in the park all I think is, “Man, that person is awesome. I need to do that too.” So I am.

Plus, I am much more apt to do it right after my run outside in the breezy air, rather than waiting until I get back home to my hot, non air-conditioned, garden level duplex.

Are you with me?

The next time you go out for a little jog, whether it be 1 mile or 10 miles, try to tack on this little strength training and stretching routine at the end. I really, really don’t think you’d regret it.

Exercise Cues:

Elevated Push Ups – Begin in an elevated push-up (plank) position with your hands on a bench and your toes on the ground behind you. Keeping your body in a straight line with your core engaged, slowly lower your body while bending your elbows to a 90-degree angle. Push your body back up to starting position.
Squats – Stand with feet hip-width distance apart, toes pointing forward. Squat down by bending your knees and flexing your hips, keeping your back straight and your knees behind your toes. Lower until you reach a 90-degree angle. Engage your glutes and rise back up to starting position.
Bench Dips – Sit on a bench with your legs straight out in front of you, your heels on the ground, and your hands gripping the edge of the bench on each side of your body. Straighten your arms and lift your body off the bench (starting position). Lower yourself in front of the bench until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle. Raise yourself back up to starting position.
Elevated Plank Hip Dips – Begin in an elevated forearm plank position with your forearms on a bench and your toes on the ground behind you. Keeping your core engaged and your thighs pressed tight together, twist your torso to the right so that your right hip dips towards the ground. Raise back to plank position, then twist your torso to the left. This is one rep.
Standing Lateral Leg Lifts – Stand with feet hip-width distance apart. Raise your right leg out to the side as high as your can go without sacrificing your posture, keeping your toes and knee facing forward. Make sure that your core is engaged and your left leg is straight and strong. Complete all reps on your right leg, then switch to your left.

Stretch Cues:

Standing Quad Stretch – Stand with feet hip-width distance apart. Reach behind you to grab your right ankle and pull it up until you feel a stretch in your front thigh and hip flexor. Make sure your back is straight and your core engaged. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides.
Standing Hamstring Stretch – Stand with feet hip-width distance apart. Step your right foot forward and rest your heel on the ground with your toes pointing up. With your hands on your hips, lean into the stretch by hinging at the waist and slightly bending your left leg. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides. Sometimes you can feel this down to your calves as well.
Standing Figure-4 Glute Stretch – Stand with feel hip-width distance apart. Place your right ankle over your left knee and bend down to a squatting position. Use a bench or tree for balance. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides.
Standing Chest Stretch – Stand with feet hip-width distance apart. Lace your fingers together behind your back. Making sure to stand straight and engage your core, raise your arms up behind you focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together and opening your chest. Hold for 30 seconds.

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope you enjoy it! Happy running

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The Fit 5: Back

June 9, 2015 by Jenna

It’s time for another Fit 5 post! This time we’re going to focus on our back muscles.

Many exercises are forward moving and front facing, so it can be easy to forget about the back. We shouldn’t – for every push there should be a pull.

And for every The Fit 5 post there should be some facts.

I definitely needed to triple check the spelling on some of those muscles. The Transversospinalis muscles rarely come up in my writing or everyday conversations – surprising? But it’s always great to know these things. You never know when it could pop up in trivia.

Basically, the back is made up of a few larger muscles and a lot of little ones. All of these are important, so we should pay attention to them, treat them with respect, and make them stronger.

Here are some exercises that will help with that!

These are just a few to get you started. I love a good row or pulldown, but after incorporating a lot more yoga into my life the last few months, I’ve noticed the benefits of doing isometric holds – like the Superman. They are always a little bit more difficult than you think they’ll be, but are extremely beneficial.

I recommend incorporating at least one back exercise into your strength training routine. That’s totally doable, right?!

Check out the other Fit 5 posts for some good exercises you can pair these with: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Chest, and Balance Training.

With The Fit 5 Back thrown into the mix we almost hit all the major muscle groups! Woo Hoo. Stay tuned for more.

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Full Body Dumbbell Workout With Cardio Blasts

May 26, 2015 by Jenna

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend! I was hanging out in northern Minnesota at the cabin with my family having an awesome time.

We did all the typical cabin-y things: grill, sit on the pontoon, have a bonfire, fish, drink coffee/wine/beer, watch movies, read, go for walks/runs, and relax.

Just the best.

Following a great weekend, let’s have a great workout.

This is a full body dumbbell workout that has two cardio blasts built in. The only thing you’ll need to do this workout is one set of dumbbells. I recommend using 8- or 10-pounds, but if you have access to more you can increase or decrease the weight depending on the exercise and muscle group. For example, I usually need to use a lighter set of dumbbells when I do shoulder exercises compared to when I do biceps or chest exercises. However, if you do only have one set of dumbbells (which is totally fine!!) you could adjust the amount of repetitions (do 20 chest presses and 8 lateral raises instead of 15 reps for both). You’ll want to challenge yourself, but make sure to keep proper form.

Mixed in between the 7 different strength exercises are 2 30-second cardio bursts. The first is a set of mountain climbers and the second is a set of burpees – you can totally do these for 30 seconds!

Here’s what the full workout looks like:

Here are the exercise cues:

Plank Hammer Curls: Assume plank (pushup) position with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other. Keeping upper arm stationary and body in plank position, raise the right dumbbell toward right shoulder. Lower to starting position. Repeat with left arm.
Standing Triceps Extensions: Stand holding dumbbells in each hand. Raise them to be directly above your head (starting position). Keeping your elbows still at either side of your temples, slowly lower your forearms and flex your elbows until the dumbbell is at the back of your head. Raise dumbbell back to starting position
Lateral Raises: Stand holding dumbbells in each hand with palms facing the sides of thighs. Raise both arms up and out to the side until hands reach approximately shoulder level. Lower arms back to starting position.
Mountain Climbers: Start in a plank position. Bring your right knee forward towards your right elbow. Explosively draw your left knee forward as your right leg moves back, like you are running. Continue this motion.
Russian Twists: Sit on a mat with your knees bent, your torso at a 45-degree angle to the mat, and your fists in front of you holding a dumbbell in each hand. Twist your torso to one side, then twist to the other. This is one rep. Continue and make sure to keep from twisting your legs.
Bent-Over Rows: With a dumbbell in your left hand, kneel over the side of a bench with your right arm and right knee on the bench and a straight back. Raise the dumbbell up to your side until it reaches your ribs. Lower back down until arm is fully extended. Complete all reps then switch to the opposite side.
Dumbbell Bench Press: Lie on a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand positioned at each side of your chest with your elbows bent under the dumbbells (starting position). While contracting your chest, press the dumbbells up until they are fully extended. Lower back to starting position.
Lunge with bicep curl: Stand with your feet hip distance apart holding dumbbells in each hand. Step your left foot forward. As you lower down into a lunge, also curl the dumbbells up. At the bottom up the lunge both knees should be at a 90-degree angle and the dumbbells should be at about shoulder height with your elbows at your side. Raise back up to standing while lowering the dumbbells. Complete all reps then switch to the opposite side.
Burpees: Lower down into a squat position and place your hands on the ground in front of you. Kick your feet back into the push up position and lower your body to the floor. Raise your body back up and return your feet back to the squat position as quickly as possible. Immediately jump up as high as you can.

This full body dumbbell workout is great on its own, especially if you cycle through it 2 or 3 times. It would also be great to tack 1 or 2 rounds on at the end of a cardio session. Reach out in the comments if you have any questions about it. Also, let me know if you try it out. I would love to hear about it!

Let’s have a fun and fit summer!

PS – what did you do over Memorial Day? Did you fit in any good workouts?

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45-Minute Variety Speed Treadmill Workout

May 12, 2015 by Jenna

It’s spring. As much as that means skirts and patios and sunshine it also means sweatpants and umbrellas and lightning. The fluctuation in weather just comes with the season so we have to be prepared.

Therefore, a sweater in your purse for when it gets chilly. An umbrella in your car for when it suddenly starts to downpour. A treadmill workout in your pocket for when there is lightning outside, because FYI, it’s not safe to run outside when there is lightning.

And of course by “pocket” I am referring to however you file away potential workouts these days – write it down in a notebook, take a screen shot of the image below to save to your smart phone, pin it on Pinterest (PS- lots of good workouts on this board), print it out and put it in a binder, etc. These are all valid methods.

With whatever method you prefer, make sure to save this 45-minute variety speed treadmill workout for days when it’s lightning or too hot or, gosh darnit, for days when you just prefer the treadmill to the outdoors.

This workout features 6 rounds of interval running in a pyramid fashion. The interval duration fluctuates between 3-5 minutes and the speed varies between 6.7-7.1 mph (9:00-8:30 min/mile). In between each interval is a recovery period for half the amount of time of the interval (e.g.: interval = 3 minutes, recovery = 1.5 minutes) at a brisk walk.

Here’s the plan, Stan:

I plugged in the speeds for an advanced beginner, but feel free to adjust these up or down according to your abilities. The running intervals should be hard, but not an all-out sprint. If someone was talking to you during the run, you should be able to carry on a very choppy conversation with them. Take the recovery periods at a brisk walk or an easy jog. I usually start out with a walk for about 30 seconds to drop my heart rate quicker, then jog for the remaining time.

Do what works for you and your body.

This is meant to be a challenging workout, but there is beauty in the variety of speeds and intervals – you won’t get bored and time will fly by. Plus, it’s way better than getting struck by lightning outside. I hope you enjoy it!

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Exercise Cues:

Stretch Cues:

PS – what did you do over Memorial Day? Did you fit in any good workouts?

jenna.faye.ivey