Monday, June 24, 2024

Monday Workout: Christmas in June






It’s time for Christmas in June!  We do this workout twice a year, once in the summer and once in December.  Here’s how it works.  On the first “day” we do one push press.  Then we move on to the second “day” and do two goblet squats and one push press.  We continue on through the days until on the last round we do 12 plyojacks, 11 kettlebell swings, etc. all the way to that last push press.  I realize that this means we end up doing 42 burpees before we are done.  I am not sorry.  Try to keep the rests between the “days,” but, obviously, rest when needed.

 

1 push press

2 goblet squats

3 Overhead press

4 1 leg squats each leg

5 deadlifts

6 burpees

7 pushups

8 renegade rows

9 mountain climbers

10 jump lunges

11 kb swings

12 plyojacks

Thursday, June 20, 2024

The Amazing Stickie and Windshield Wiper






The Amazing Stickie loves working on control.  Winshield wipers definitely help her.

She begins lying on her back with her legs straight up in the air.  Keeping her shoulders on the ground, she swings her legs left and then right.  Ten reps should do it.

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Stuck






As we go along in our fitness journeys, we will have times when it seems like our progress has stalled completely.  We work and work and nothing changes.  We can get stuck for lots of reasons.  Here are a couple of things to think about to get unstuck.

It’s possible that we’re not doing as much as we think we are.  Sometimes our attention lags and we are just going through the motions of our workouts rather than digging in.  We might be lifting weights, but we’re actually thinking about the errands we have to do on the way home and what’s for dinner and what those people at work were talking about in the break room.  Tuning in to what we’re actually doing can clue us in.

 

Another way to check what we’re doing is to look at our records, if we’re people who keep them.  A glance at the food log might reveal that we’ve let our calories creep up or that we’ve been visiting the ice cream shop too often.  We might notice that what we’ve been doing for cardio has been exactly the same for the last five months and we might do well to pick up the pace or the difficulty or both.

 

Taking a look at things like our stress levels and our sleep also can indicate where the issue is.  Overstressing and undersleeping do not help us get fit.  (It might not be possible to change those things right now.  That’s all right.  Recognizing that they’re an issue is a really good start and can help us keep from putting more pressure on ourselves.)

 

Maybe we just need to be patient.  Sometimes reaching the next level is about failing over and over again until suddenly we don’t.

 

Finally, sometimes we just need a change.  Maybe we’ve been focusing on strength training and we’d do well to step up our cardio for a few weeks.  Maybe we’re in a yoga rut and need to pump iron.  Maybe we just need to take the workout outside for a while.

 

The one thing we don’t want to do is give up.  We can do this.

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Unfair






Fitness is not fair.  Some of us have bodies that love to move.  Some of us are naturally strong or naturally fast.  Some of us seem built to nap.  However, all of us get better with practice.

Here’s one more unfair thing:  those of us who thrive on consistent habits have an advantage when it comes to building fitness.  Doing a little bit every day really is the key to success.  It would be really nice if we could do fitness once and be done with it, but it doesn’t work that way.  We have to show up over and over to get and maintain our fitness levels.

 

Those of us who do not gravitate toward routine need to find a work-around.  On the expensive end, hiring a trainer (like me!) helps to ensure that we show up for our workouts.  On the cheap end, we can make plans with friends.  We’ll show up for others in ways we won’t show up for ourselves.

 

We want to train ourselves to be tortoises.  Tortoises win.

Monday, June 17, 2024

Monday Workout: Fun with Kettlebells!






We’re working on our compound exercises this week, so our metabolisms should get a good boost.  Three rounds.

 

plank jacks

30

prisoner squat

20

Arnold press

10

 

 

kb alt arm swing

30

kb hammer curl

20

kb halo

10

 

 

step ups

30

flies

20

Russian twist

10

 

Thursday, June 13, 2024

The Amazing Stickie and Up Down Plank






The Amazing Stickie loves planks.  Sometimes the hardest part is deciding whether to do regular plank or elbow plank.  Today, she is solving this problem by doing up down planks.

She begins in traditional plank position, hands directly under her shoulders and body a straight line from her heels to her head.  From there, she shifts one arm to elbow plank position and then the other.  Next, she shifts one arm back to the starting position and then the other.

 

Ten reps should do it.

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Couch Potato Math






Nothing in life is perfectly safe.  When we evaluate our workout choices, we have to consider the risks and the rewards.  Unfortunately, I can’t do the math for everyone—we all have to do our own—but I can help us all thing things through.

Imagine a couch potato.  That person, while considering possible workouts, has plenty to evaluate.  Their risks might include the normal discomfort of change, feeling sore, getting injured, disrupting their routines and maybe even relationships.  They might have to spend more money, or spend differently.  They might have to get up earlier or stay up later.  They might have to adjust their priorities.

 

On the other hand, that person could create positive health outcomes (reduced disease, improved cardio function, healthier body fat percentage, increased metabolism, etc.).  They could discover more energy.  They could develop more resilience, both physically and mentally.  They could make new friends and have more fun.

 

Our couch potato friend will want to choose a fitness activity that maximizes the benefits and minimizes the risks.  If Couch Potato has never exercised before, they might want to consult an expert about how to get started.  If they used to exercise and just got out of the habit, they might want to go back to a sport or activity they liked.  In general, Couch Potato would do well to start small and gentle.  Cardio exercise is a good place to start.

 

Go play.