Workout of the Day

Bleh. I swear to God I’m trying, but dammit, it is hot!

BlogilatesTV: HIIT It Hard! (Bikini Blaster 1, 9 min)
BlogilatesTV: Sexy Legs Workout, Part I & Part II (Bikini Blaster 2, 20 min)
POP Pilates: Bikini Booty Workout (21 min)

4-min of Weighted Grasshopper

POP Pilates: Amazing Upper Back & Leg Stretches (11 min) 

WORKOUT BREAKDOWN 

I want to start by expressing my DEEP HATE for Split Squat Jumps. Split Squat Jumps, just in case you’re reading: I HATE YOU.

Haven gotten that out of my chest, I shall proceed.

I feel like I’ve been complaining a lot about the hot, humid weather of my dear Caribbean island… and I self-admittedly suck for perpetuating that…but working out reminds me of how much it sucks to workout under these conditions! The heat makes everything feel worse, my heart rate shoots up insanely fast, I have to stop and take breaks because it affects my endurance… argh! It only sucks because I’m not used to it yet. For those working out on similar conditions, make sure to keep it safe and to keep yourself well hydrated. 

Bikini Blaster 1 made me hate split-squat jumps and, surprisingly, it also made me hate planks. I’m not very fond of doing planks with my arms extended. For one, I feel like it shifts the focus of the plank to my arms and shoulders way too much… (I mean, most of the time I have to stop because my arms can’t take any more and not because my core can’t handle it. Meh.) For two, Cassey takes no breaks from planking because she “rests in plank”. And it kills. Because God knows she can go on forever and ever! I even had trouble doing the 10 (was it 10?) pushups after all that planking. Like, what is up with that!? In the end, my favorite move off Bikini Blaster 1 were the Burpees. Which is a crazy thought. Guess who’s crazy. 

I used 5-lb dumbbells all weighted exercises in Bikini Blaster 2 and Bikini Booty Workout. 

Bikini Blaster 2 was more bearable, though not necessarily easier. 

- For the Single Leg T-Squats, I kept my arms down and reaching the floor (mainly for the sake of balance). Whenever I lower into the squat, I tried to touch the ground as a way of ensuring I was going low enough. My hamstrings and quads felt that one more than my butt did.

- For the Hamstring Curls, I used paper plates. The friction from the sliding, paired with the butt hovering low in bridge position for the entire set of reps, made it felt very intense.

The workout kept my heart rate elevated throughout. When Cassey said things like “We gotta get our heart back up” after the Side Lunges, I was all like “My heart rate is already up, Cassey Ho!”. And then she goes like “Come on, kick with some intensity!” and I’m all like “THIS ALL I FREAKING GOT! SHUT UP!” (Sorry, Cassey! *smiles* I don’t know what you were talking about, though.)

For the triple Clam Shell combo, I was audibly whining on the floor. I dropped the weight by the time I got to the Elevated Clamshell. To even out the booty work, I did a 4-minute AMRAP of Grasshopper Pulses holding a 5-lb dumbbell between my feet. That translated into 131 reps. I did 4-min because, believe it or not, Cassey does around 4-min of Clam Shells per side per variation. That girl can talk! (Love you, Cassey! Much love. Forever and always.) And that was it!

What sucks about working out in this heat (sorry I’m getting back to that) is that feeling I’m left with, the feeling that maybe I could have totally kick ass under different conditions. Yeah, I had to stop and take breaks, but not because I was slacking. Still, I can’t shake off the feeling that maybe I DID slack a little bit…even if it didn’t feel like I was slacking as I was doing it… It’s a bit frustrating. I just need to adjust. And this post is a total rambling.

Workout of the Day

So my legs, butt and core felt the aftermath of ZWOW 19. My butt, in particular, is still incredibly sore. Like deep in the muscle sore. Like, if I touch my buttocks, I feel it. 

POP Pilates: Sexy Shoulders n’ Beautiful Back (6 min)
POP Pilates: Tricep Toner (13 min)
POP Pilates: Corset Workout (8 min) 
POP Pilates: Bikini Blaster Abs Abs Abs! (11 min) 
Tabatas for Abs
(8 rounds of 20-secs of work/10-secs of rest, 4 min each)

Tabata 1: Bicycle (4 rounds) + Butt Lifts (4 rounds) 
Tabata 2: Wiggle (4 rounds) + Double Leg Lifts (4 rounds)

WORKOUT BREAKDOWN

This was one of those routines where I completely underestimated the amount of time I was going to spend in plank position and end up totally killing my shoulders. I’m happy, though, because I feel like I improved my Tricep Toner performance. I felt like I did my best work yet on that video (though I still had to stop a few times, sue me).

The latest Blogilates workout features paper plates. I put on my workout gloves and shoes for that one because I didn’t want to feel the friction-induced rug burn through the plates (lesson learned!). But, apparently, my paper plate skillz are not as advanced as Cassey’s. Go figure…I’m yet to fully master the art of paper plating. I stumbled a little bit with some of the moves, also because by then my arms had already taken quite a beating. In fact, the so-called Abs Abs Abs workout turned out to be a major total body workout! I definitely felt it in my arms, shoulders, core and my still semi-ailing legs. That workout that so awesome that power went out just as I was about to do the last move. Which was horrible. Not only did it felt like I was working in a sauna (humidity, workout sweat and not even a working fan tend to suffocate, you know), but I ended up having to improvise the last part of the routine.

Since the Abs Abs Abs workout took an unorthodox, paper plating approach to working the core muscles, I decided to end with two quick Tabata sessions centered around more typical ab moves. I did 4 consecutive 20-secs/10-sec interval rounds of each exercise before moving on to the next. I tried to do as many reps as I could within the 20-sec rounds, making sure I was going faster than I usually would go in abs exercises, but still watching my form. I aimed to get at least 10-15 reps per round, which was possible for all except for the Double Leg Lifts. I got in around 8 reps per round of that one. 

Workout of the Day

I encouraged myself to “punch laziness in the face” and, in return, Zuzana kicked my ass. (A well deserved kick, mind you. Last week, I only had two amazing workouts last week and that was not the plan. 3-4 is the magic number.)

Warm-Up: 5-minute AMJAP of jump rope
ZWOW #19 (5 rounds)

10 Cleans
10/10 Pistol Squats
10 Traveling Pushups
10/10 Russian Twists
10/10 Hip Twists
10 Hollow Rocks

Cardio Burst: 5-minute AMJAP of jump rope
POP Pilates: Amazing Upper Black & Leg Stretches (11 min) 

WORKOUT BREAKDOWN 

Modifications: ZWOW #19 has a water bottle theme which I really didn’t follow AND  I added weights. And holy crap, 5 rounds of THIS was very hard.

- Cleans: holding a 10-lb dumbbell on each hand as shown here. 

- Pistol Squats: can’t do one to save my life, so I did Baby Pistols. It works like a single leg squat (kinda as shown here and, if you can’t keep your leg straight out, here), seating down on my balancing leg as deeply as I could go while holding a 10-lb dumbbell on each hand by my sides.

- Russian Twists: holding a 10-lb dumbbell between both hands.

- Hip Twists: squeezing a mini-Ball between my knees.

I would feel crappy about having to modify Pistol Squats if not for the fact that, even with the modification, I SEE STARS. I feel it all over my butt and hamstrings. Deep in the muscle, ladies. I make sure to truly go as low as I could (however deep it is) and to get back up to starting position pushing through my heels and squeezing my butt. That’s what truly does the wonders! I switched to 5-lbs dumbbells (just for the Baby Pistols) for the 4th and 5th rounds because the feeling was that awesome. I completed the 5 rounds in 39:06 minutes, and I think that the only long breaks I took (like over 30-secs) happened from the 4th round on. Overall, I felt this workout all over, legs and core and even arms (thanks to the Pushups and the weights on the Cleans), and my heart rate was going at its max. I felt beaten up at the end. Like I wanted to throw myself on the mat and sleep. Right there.

I did 5-min AMJAPs of jump rope (Get it? AMJAP? As many jumps as possible? Ha! I’m so lame. *snickers*) both as a warm-up and a cardio burst at the end of the routine. My goal was to jump AT LEAST 120 jumps per minute on each. I got 127 jumps per minute for the warm-up and 124 jumps per minute for the cardio burst (for an estimated 87 calorie burn, from the jump roping alone!). This is great, you know, considering I also did a freaking ZWOW. Hopefully I’ll keep it up this week as planned! 

Workout of the Day

I have been away for a couple of days, I know, but look at that, THIS IS MY blog’s 200th POST! After Monday’s routine, I owed my upper body a routine like this one.

Tabata HIIT: High Knees/Pushup variation 
8 interval rounds of 20-sec of all out work/10-sec of rest

1: High Knees
2: Wide Pushups
3: High Knees
4: Uneven Pushups (alternating the uneven arm for every rep)
5: High Knees
6: Diamond Pushups
7: High Knees
8: Staggered Pushups (alternating the arm positions for every rep)

Upper Body & Core Interval Circuit 
13 interval rounds of 1-min of work/15-secs of rest

Tricep Dips and Knee Raise (alternating knees)
Side Plank Dips (on right forearm, weights optional)
Side Plank Dips (on left forearm weights optional)
Butt Ups with Toe Taps (alternating legs)
Half-cobra Pushups
Cobra Plank
Plank to Stand Up (standing on right leg)
Plank to Stand Up (standing on left leg)
Tricep Dips and Reach (alternating reach)
Side Bends (to the right side, weights optional)
Side Bends (to the left side, weights optional)
Squat, Plank and Pushup
Earthquake 

Upper Body Weight Training 
10 reps per exercise, 3 sets each. Active Recovery in between sets: 30-secs of Weighted Russian Twists and Press (set 1), Triangle Butt Lifts (set 2) and Weighted Crunch (set 3).

Twisting Dumbbell Curl
Monkey Arms
Chest Fly
Reverse Fly
Alternating Arm Raise
Overhead Tricep Extension
Bicep Curl

Class FitSugar: Bikini-ready Abs with Teddy Bass (10 min)

WORKOUT BREAKDOWN

I asked my Blogilates Ambassadors friends what were their favorite core and arms moves and, after making a sense of their long list of ideas, this is what I came up with. Hopefully torturing enough for anyone. My arms feel tight as I type, so that’s good. As I’ve said before, arms and abs workouts CAN lack on the heart pumping/calorie burning department. I wanted to get as much as I could out of the routine as I could, hence the Tabata “warm-up” and the interval circuit. 

Friendly reminders:

- For the Tabata, go at your hardest intensity for the 20-sec intervals. NO SLEEP TILL BROOKLYN. (I’m a dork.)

- For the interval circuit, complete as many reps as possible within that minute of work. Push yourself, but remember the circuit is not necessarily meant as cardio, so take care of your reps. You’ll feel it 10x more if you don’t screw up your form for the sake of speed. (10x, of course, is a number I just made up. *snickers* You get the point, though.)

- Try to not get distracted during your rest periods or to be deterred into taking longer breaks in between circuits. Keep the routine flowing all the way through. YOU CAN DO THIS.

- Keep track of your reps per interval round.

Tabata: I did 4 rounds of High Knees and 4 rounds of different pushups variations. (Online Tabata timer). My total count was 129 High Knees (left + right = 1 rep) and 35 pushups, all on my toes. I used a Yoga Block for the Uneven part of the Uneven Pushups. Actually, I’ll give you the specific numbers: 14 Wide Pushups, 6 Uneven Pushups, 8 Diamond Pushups and 7 Staggered Pushups. It has come to my attention that I rock the Wide Pushup more than any other kind of pushup. (Yes, seem like now I have a favorite kind of pushup. I’m also aware that this is only slightly less bizarre than a doctor having a favorite kind of tumor.) But anyway, see how much you can get out of 4 freaking minutes? Bless Tabata.

Interval Circuit: 13 rounds with lots of planks and triceps work. There’s a lot of movement involved, so it might even get your heart rate going a little bit. I used a 5-lbs dumbbell for the Side Plank Dips and 20-lbs of free weight for the Side Bends. (And, for the record, I did 16 Squat, Plank, Pushups. Pushup count goes up to 51.) I only did one round of the interval circuit because I also wanted to do some weight training in this routine. Otherwise, I would have. I’m sure my triceps would have hated me for it, though.

Weight Training: I switched around my weights a lot in order to use a heavy enough weight to do be able to do only 10 reps per exercise.

10-lbs DB: Twisting Hammer Curl, Chest Fly and Standing Bicep Curl

8-lbs DB: Reverse Fly, Arm Raises and Overhead Tricep Extensions

5-lbs DB: Monkey Arms (Monkey Arms are no joke!)

Between sets, I worked the abs: weighted russian twists (with a 10-lbs dumbbell), triangle butt lift and a weighted crunch (with a 10-lbs dumbbell). This translated into tons of reps. TRUST ME.

I finished with a Class FitSugar for the abs ONLY BECAUSE (1) I had not done anything substantial for the past two days AND (2) it was scheduled in my original plan and I stuck to it. I don’t think it was necessary. I thought about skipping it.  Plank were hard! I was trembling like a leaf, which is not normal for my plank-loving self. I used 2-lbs DB (honestly, it was all I could handle by then) for the last section of the video and, I’m glad to say, THAT WAS IT FOR THE DAY.

Workout of the Day

I started off the week with one of my lower body interval circuits. Those get me going once I start them, so interval training it was!

Warm-Up: POP Pilates: Call Me Maybe Squat Challenge (3 min)
Lower Body Circuits

• Circuit 1 (1-minute of work/10 secs of rest intervals)

Around the World Lunge (right leg)
Curtsy Lunge (right leg)
Single Leg Squat to Jump (right leg)
Stiff Leg Deadlifts
Cleans
Around the World Lunge (left leg)
Curtsy Lunge (left leg)
Single Leg Squat to Jump (left leg)
Stiff Leg Deadlifts
Cleans 

• Circuit 2 
  (FitSugar: Standing Yoga Sequence for Strong Sexy Legs, 30-sec hold per pose)

Down Dog
Three-Legged Dog
Warrior 1
Rotated Side Angle with Prayer Hands 
Warrior 2
Extended Side Angle 
Crescent Moon
Open Triangle
Half Moon
*Repeat the sequence from the top on the other side. 

Cardio Burst:Tabata-style HIIT (2x, 8 min)

Alternating between Box Lateral Shuffles and Calf-Raises on a Box 

WORKOUT BREAKDOWN 

This was my second time doing this particular combination of Lower Body Circuits (1 and 2). The first time I thought I was dying. That familiar feeling presented itself  today as well.

Circuit 1: I set my timer for ten 1-min of work/10-seconds of rest intervals, and used 10-lbs dumbbells for all of the moves (on my shoulders for the lunges and by my sides for single leg squat to jump). I completed as many reps as possible per interval round and I kept track of my reps on a piece of paper.

Circuit 2: I set my timer for eighteen 35 second intervals and held each Yoga pose, back-to-back for 30-secs. (I added those extra 5 seconds per round to set up the position.)

Water breaks: I took 60 second breaks after completing 1 round of each circuit, and then did both circuits again. The rest time in between circuit 1 and circuit 2 was fairly short, though: just the time it took to have a sip of water and program my Gymboss timer.

By the time I get to the Circuit 1 rounds on which I work my left leg, my heart rate is waaaay up. There. That’s the spot where the “dying” feelings surface and the mantras start.Holding a Yoga position for 30-seconds is also deceivingly challenging. I think I struggled with the Yoga sequence more than I did the first time I tried it. I was audibly breathing in and out as if I was in labor, trying not to focus on the pain burn. *awkward silence* 

To finished the workout on a high-note, I did a two Tabata-style HIIT (8 interval rounds of 20-secs of ALL OUT work/ 10-secs of rest, twice, with a 45 second rest in between) alternating two different exercises: the lateral shuffle and calf-raises. I used a step stool (or an exercise step…or a box…whatever you have). Meaning, I did 4 rounds of each exercise. The key, as with any Tabata, is to go as fast as possible using your maximal intensity during those 20-secs of work.

As a personal modification on the Lateral Shuffles, I like to squat down in an uneven squat (one leg on the step stool and one leg on the ground), before shuffling to the opposite side. This adjustment intensifies the burn and adds a little bit more explosiveness to the movement. For the Calf Raises, I brought my toes near the edge of the stool and held to my bookcase for balance. 45 seconds after finishing the Tabata, I decided to do another one. In total, I completed 105 Lateral Shuffles + Uneven Squats (that’s ~52 per leg), around 228 Calf Raises, and my heart rate was through the roof again. In 8 minutes. How insane is that?

Workout of the Day

I totally didn’t work out yesterday because it was too hot. And guess what? It wasn’t as hot today. It was mostly an overcast Saturday…until the sun decided to come out before I did my workout. (Dang it! )

ZWOW #18 (5 rounds)

10 Burpee Step-Up 
15/15 Crescent Kick Lunge 
20 Plank Leg Lift to Side Crunch
30 Tricep Dips with Leg Lift 

Isometric Plank Circuit (1-min hold, 1-min rest in between planks) 

Standard Plank
Feet Elevated Plank
Long-lever Plank

POP Pilates: Amazing Upper Back and Leg Stretches (11 min)

WORKOUT BREAKDOWN

Um. This 5 round ZWOW felt like an eternity. I completely underestimated how this one was going to feel in my arms, and every time I got to the Tricep Dips I was cursing the stars above. My initial goal was to complete the workout in under 30 minutes, but then that turned out to be Zuzana’s goal…and I’m so not on Zuzana’s level… I reassessed what time I was going to shoot for and settled for 35 minutes. I ended up finishing all 5 rounds in 38:31 minutes…which isn’t that bad (or so I tell myself). The workout felt very taxing, my heart rate was up, my arms and shoulders were burning as hell, I didn’t half-ass my reps AND I did all my Pushups (from the Burpees) on my toes. I’m cool with all that.

Given that the workout beat me up took me longer than expected, I cut out some things from my routine (ahem!) and moved into a mini plank circuit with longer breaks in between plank variations. EVERYTHING WAS SHAKING. From just holding the position. For the Elevated Feet Plank, I used the very same chair I used for the ZWOW. Long-Lever Plank? JESUS. I couldn’t hold that one for more than 30-seconds. I took a break and did it twice.

The thing I cut out from my routine was the new Blogilates video: HIIT It Hard. That was the last thing I needed after this ZWOW. After the plank circuit, I really tried to follow along, but I had very little energy to do it justice. I just did what I could handle. I butchered around 80% of the entire thing so I won’t even count it. I’ll give it a fair try sometime next week.