In the middle of trying to organise a series of Beginner Workouts, I got so frustrated with my apparent inability to KEEP IT SHORT, that I have decided to try again another day! I annoy myself so much sometimes when I talk on camera, because I am useless at being to-the-point and end up going on and on FOREVER!
Anyway, I was thinking I better post something to keep you going since I have been so distracted this week so far and too busy to blog properly. So, here is a Very Quick Body Weight Conditioning Workout you can try.
NOTE: You can substitute the Pull Ups with a Rowing exercise if you prefer.
If you are just wanting a very quick blast of a workout, then this will do it 🙂
The Workout
Set your Gymboss Interval Timer for 15 cycles of 20 seconds rest and 1 min effort. Complete 3 rounds of the following 5 exercises:
Evil Jumps (13, 12, 12)
Burpees (17, 15, 16) – knee was a bit sore!
Pull Ups (I aimed for 1 rep every 10 seconds) (6, 5, 5)
Side to Side Step Ups (63, 62, 64) – totally speedy 😀
Elevated Plank Climbers (24, 22, 21)
This workout would be great to add as a finisher to one of your strength routines, or on a day you just felt like getting sweaty!
I will be back soon with the Beginner’s series; I just need to make sure I cover all the bases and make it as informative as possible 🙂
Have fun with this one 😀
Cheers
Marianne
I’ll leave you with a picture I saw on Facebook that “cracked” me up 😉
Next time I help one of my elderly patients up and their whole body creeks, should I say “Don’t worry, I don’t think your old, you’re just a bit crispy” LOL?? I know my Granny on my mother’s side would have LOVED this humour!
Sometimes after a tough shift at work it’s good to de-stress with a workout. However depending on how tired you are, you need to be careful with how you use your energy. There are times I come home from a shift full of beans and ready to shift some serious weights. Others like today, I need to think of something more appropriate so as I do not over-stress my body. These are the times I enjoy cardio the most. Cardio doesn’t have to be boring, it can include many different types of exercises, times and even a little craziness!
Today’s workout is about blowing off some steam and lifting the mood. Before I started this workout I was tired, cold and contemplating just going to lie in bed. I designed the workout to involve very few technical exercises but ones I know are cardiovascularly challenging. After the workout I felt great; revived, warm and happy! SUCCESS!!
The Workout
Interval Training today, lasting 21 minutes. Mixing mostly Body Weight exercises with a couple of Kettlebell exercises – set your Gymboss Interval Timer for 21 cycles of 15 seconds recovery and 45 seconds effort. Complete 3 continuous rounds of the following classic 7 exercises:
My reps per exercise are in brackets as always!
Side to Side Step Ups (45, 47, 43)
Kettlebell Vertical Swing Burpee (20kg) (10.5, 10.5, 10) – Sub this with Burpee (no push up)
Jump Rope (variable) (115, 111, 120)
Two-Handed Kettlebell Swing (20kg) ( 31, 31, 31)
Burpee with push-up (11.5, 12, 11)
Diagonal Touch Dynamic Squats (33, 31, 29)
Bench Jump-Overs (98, 90, 97)
Sweat Bath! Loved it!
Have fun everyone and I’ll be back soon with a new one 😀
For a change I have added new activities to my weekly training. Some of it is for fun and relaxation, but also to work on my flexibility, co-ordination and agility.
Last Tuesday night I began Salsa lessons for example. Dancing is something I have always wanted to do and I was impressed with how much I enjoyed it. I always thought I had two left feet, but I was a little better that expected. However that was just after the basics, so we will see how I get on with more complicated moves LOL! Then, on Saturday I went to a Capoeira class. I was very nervous about this class because I knew it would challenge my balance, co-ordination, flexibility and agility. I found that this type of training was both challenging and very fun! For the last 2 days, my quads and upper back muscles have been rather sore with DOMS lol, just from the bodyweight Capoeira. This shows how much bodyweight exercises can challenge you in a totally different way.
Because of my DOMS, and because I wish to train heavy tomorrow, today I decided to design a workout with mostly body weight exercises. For the Tabata at the end, I used a Kettlebell for swings. However you can always swap this exercise with another body weight one if you prefer.
The Workout
Today’s workout is comprised mostly of body weight exercises, mixing set reps and set times. Complete 3 rounds of the 6 exercises in the first section and then finish with the Tabata below. For the timed exercises, I set my Gymboss Interval Timer for one interval of 45 seconds. Feel free to adjust this time according to your fitness/energy levels. I have suggested a rep range for the other exercises. My reps per exercises are in brackets were I was able to keep track:
Burpees x 45 secs (16, 15, 15 )
Single-Leg Hip Thrusts (left) x 12 – 15 reps
Single-Leg Hip Thrusts (right) x 12 – 15 reps
Jump Rope x 45 secs
Pull Ups x 5
Side to Side Step Ups x 45 secs (47, 45, 46)
For the Tabata below, set you Gymboss Interval Timer for 8 cycles of 10 seconds rest and 20 seconds MAX effort. I used 20kg for my Swings.
Complete 4 rounds of the following:
Two-Handed Swing
Dynamic Squats
That’s it for today. I know it’s a little lighter paced than usual, but every so often we need to deload and take things a little slower. I really enjoyed the change of pace, but I am ready to up my game again for the next workout. I hope you all enjoy this one too 🙂
Thank you all for your lovely messages and birthday wishes over the last few days. I am having a great time away. Even if the weather has been very poor, I have still enjoyed the change of scene and pace. The day after I arrived here, I did this workout and since, I have only managed to train once. I miss my Kettlebells!
My Aunt took me to her work gym yesterday and I was amazed at how good it was. It had a squat rack, proper plates, loads of free weights, a back extension “machine”, a pull up bar :), a dip station 😀 and plenty of benches. I was like a kid in a sweety shop! AND we had it all to ourselves 😀 😀 😀
I took my mum around and showed her some exercises, I taught my Aunt the Bulgarian Squat and a Sumo DL using a Dumbell. I was in my element.
I actually realised how much I now take my strength for granted. For example I was doing my pull ups and my Aunt was wanting to try them. She pulled herself up half way and then burst out laughing when she realised how hard it was. My mum even tried but her grip was not even strong enough to hang from the bar! That was once me. I don’t mean to use them as an example to make myself feel better but I want to highlight that it gets easier and we all start somewhere.
Any exercise that may seem to hold power over you now, can be tamed!
Right, now I need to get on with this post, because the weather today is amazing and I want to get an “Irish Sun Tan” LOL ie burnt 😉 Just joking LOL
Obviously being without my KBs did provide me with a challenge to get a good enough workout with my Body Weight and I overcame this challenge by choosing single-leg exercises, increasing reps, time intervals and rounds to make workout more intense. The major issue was finding a way of performing some sort of pulling exercise as I had no weights or pull up bar. You will see in the video what I did.
The Workout
There are 3 sections containing a combo of 3 exercises. Complete 3 rounds of each combo before moving on to the Bridging Exercise in between. If you have the weight available to you, then add resistance to the Bulgarian Squats. I would have done Pistols here but I fear they do not agree with my SI Joint, so I am avoiding them. Set your Gymboss Interval Timer for a set interval of 45 – 60 seconds.
Bulgarian Squat (right) x 20 reps
Bulgarian Squat (left) x 20 reps
Burpees x 1 min ( 17, 15, 14 )
Pull Ups x 2 – 3 reps (because of the vertical bars, these were super challenging for my grip, plus I kept sticking to them LOL)
Shoulder Elevated Single-Leg Hip Thrust (right) x 20 reps
Shoulder Elevated Single-Leg Hip Thrust (left) x 20 reps
Squat Jumps x 1 min ( lost count )
Pull Ups x 2 – 3 reps
Dive Bombers x 12 reps
Diagonal Knee Tucks x 1 min
Lunge Jumps x 1 min (didn’t count)
Pull Ups x 2 – 3 reps
Given what I had available, I had a good workout. It goes to show – there simply are no excuses!
Hope you all have a great day and will let me know what you think, as always. I hope to be back soon with a new post but, right now…
Today I am revisiting the wish-list of workouts designed to challenge me and everyone else here! Mickela’s insane cardio workout was right at the top of the list for me as I fancied something to get the heart and lungs goin.
Seeing as Mickela guessed I might add a little somethin to the workout, I thought there was no way I could disappoint, so EVIL JUMPS sneaked their way into the exercise list 😉
This workout focuses all the effort on the lower body and the Cardiovascular system and is great for overall fitness, conditioning and, fat loss. Additionally this would be a great way to finish an upper body strength session or an “in between” training day. I think Mickela dedicated a day a week to her Crazy Cardio.
Workout Breakdown
First, set your Gymboss Interval Timer for 27 cycles of 15 seconds rest and 45 seconds effort. Complete 3 rounds of the following 9 exercises. My reps per exercise are in brackets:
Jump Rope (High Knees) (110, 117, 121)
Prisoner Squats (28, 25, 24)
Jump Rope (Feet Together) (84, 80, 85)
High Deficit Reverse Lunge (right) (31, 25, 23)
High Deficit Reverse Lunge (left) (29,, 26, 22)
Jump Rope (High Knees) (98, 95, 101)
Single-Leg Hip Thrust (right) (14, 15, 12)
Single-Leg Hip Thrust (left) (15, 13, 11)
Evil Jumps (15, 13, 13)
Now, I did change a few little things about the workout, but it was only to fit in with my own preferences and had nothing to do with Mickela’s design. Either way would be fine 🙂
I hope you all enjoy this workout and have a great weekend 😀
