Tag: exercise

Barre, Pilates, Yoga, Spinning & Zumba – Oh My!

So I talk about kettlebells a lot. I’m well aware I have a bit of a problem. The Hubs may have thrown around the word “obsessed”, but this is simply not true. I am a measured lady, and obsession just isn’t me. (Binge watching 7 seasons of Parks & Recreation in less than 2 weeks totally doesn’t count, people!) So to prove this, I’m going to write about some other popular exercises you may have heard of, and may or may not be curious about. Some of these I’ve tried (at home, via DVD) and some I have not.

Barre

Barre classes are inspired by ballet and also utilize yoga and pilates. The barre (a waist-level horizontal bar used for support) is used to balance while performing exercises that focus on isometric strength training (holding still while focusing on one muscle set). Barre involves high reps with a small range of motion. A barre class may also involves light hand weights or mat work. Barre is great for busy women, because it’s a well-rounded exercise program in a short period of time. It’s also great for posture, and it’s low-impact, so it’s great for pregnant women. It combines strength training (mostly bodyweight) and cardio to burn fat and build lean muscle. Think dancer’s body. (I’ve done a Barre routine at home, and it’s no joke. It’s not a work-up-a-sweat workout, but I felt it the next day.)

Yoga

Said to be for the purpose of uniting the mind, body and spirit, practicing yoga involves meditation, stretching and building strength. Yoga also helps the participant develop increased flexibility through the performance of poses or postures that can be done quickly in succession to warm the body or slowly to perfect alignment of the pose and increase stamina. Yoga is great for people of all ages and fitness levels, as it can be very gentle. Types of yoga vary greatly, and some may delve more deeply into the spiritual side than others. Yoga can be added to a more intense workout routine for relaxation and to soothe tight muscles. (The Hubs does yoga moves on the Wii Fit. He seems to really like it.)

Pilates

The foundation of Pilates (named after inventor Joseph Pilates to rehabilitate prisoners of war) is core strength, and the core supports the spine. Pilates is great for helping people overcome back pain by stabilizing the spine and relieving pressure on the back. Centering, control, flow, breath, precision and concentration are the six Pilates principles and Pilates focuses on low repetitions, preferring quality of movement over quantity. Pilates is a great addition to other forms of exercise, helping improve other types of exercises and sports. Pilates exercises are usually done directly on the floor or on a mat, and occasionally special equipment involving springs and pulleys. (Pilates IS NO JOKE. It’s sneakily difficult, and you will feel it in your core the next day. I did Mari Winsor Pilates way back when, and I still have the DVDs around here somewhere.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW2eRv4kCag

Zumba

Do you love dancing? Zumba is based on combining high energy Latin and international music with fun dance moves. Purely aerobic, routines combine interval training and resistance training. Types of dance include hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo, and squats and lunges are also incorporated. There are different levels of Zumba classes, which special Zumba Gold classes aimed specifically at the elderly. If you like your workouts to feel like a huge dance party, then Zumba might just be for you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wZKFaKh4Og

Spinning

Spinning classes are a great way to keep your muscles in shape, especially if you love biking. Attendees sit on an exercise bike and an instructor guides them through the workout phases: warm-up, steady uptempo cadences, sprints, climbs, cool-downs, etc. The attendees control their own resistance to get the level of effort they like. Switching between sitting and standing while pedaling as well as varying speed keeps the workout varied and interesting, but it’s up to the individual to really put in the effort to sweat.

Classes for all of these workouts are available at many gyms, but as you can see, you can try them in the privacy of your own home, if you prefer to avoid the company of others while you’re panting and sweaty. If you know what I mean.

http://www.lolroflmao.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/I-see-what-you-did-there.jpg
From: http://www.lolroflmao.com/

Have you tried any of these? What was your experience like? Let me know in the comments!

Walk the Plank: My Ab Workout

Abs. Why do we think we have to spend hours doing a thousand different types of crunches in order to get ab definition? That sounds like some sort of crazy self-induced torture to me. If I haven’t mentioned it before, I’m LAZY. Many people I know would argue with me on this: I’ve dedicated the last several years of my life to getting healthy while spending as little as possible to do so. I work full time, do bookkeeping on the side, write this blog, volunteer at a local animal shelter, cook 6-7 days a week, and still don’t feel like I’m busy enough! Even so, spending more than 15 minutes focusing solely on ab work just sounds like a colossal waste of time to me. Worse yet: it sounds BORING.

Kettlebells and planks, my friends.
Kettlebells and planks, my friends.

Granted, my kettlebell workouts involve a lot of core work, so if you’re doing only cardio and hand weights, you might need to adjust the time spent on ab work. I, personally, do about 15 minutes worth of abs twice a week on Mondays and Wednesday. Fridays my kettlebell workout video involves more core work, so I skip abs that day. The most important exercise I do? Planks. Planks SUCK. And by that I mean they WORK but they are HARD.

I started out struggling heartily through a 30-second push-up plank. I graduated to 1-minute push-up planks until a discussion about the difference between a push-up plank and an elbow plank (push-up planks put more stress on your shoulders while the classic elbow plank allows more of the focus to hit your core) led me to switch to the classic elbow plank. A friendly taunting challenged me to extend my planks to 90 seconds, and now I manage a full 2 minute elbow plank.For even more plank variations, check out this fantastic article from Lifting Revolution.

I do my ab workouts in three sets: a two-minute elbow plank, 20 Russian twists with my 30-lb kettlebell, and 20 oblique crunches per side. Then I take a 2-3 minute break, and repeat twice more, for a total of three sets.

1. Elbow Plank

2. Kettlebell Russian Twists (I keep my heels touching the floor.)

3. Oblique Crunch

http://www.phillips-fit.co.uk/pfiles/images/Oblique%20Crunch.gif

 

 

 

 

 

 

What ab exercises do you find give you the best bang for your buck?

Monday’s Kettlebell Workout – The Ladder

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Mommy, you need to get off the couch and do your workout!

This past December, I was e-mailed a new workout by the same SparkFriend who had sent me my original timed workout. At the time, he described it as “The Twelve Bells of Christmas”. I was supposed to do this workout only from about mid-December through the New Year. Unlike the previous workout, it’s untimed, and is in a ladder format.

A ladder workout is a method of strength and sports training where you perform one or more exercises with an ascending and descending repetition pattern. Ladders are muscular endurance and conditioning workouts designed to help you increase your overall training volumes while maintaining proper form and technique. The number of exercises per workout and the number of reps between sets depends on your muscular strength and endurance. In general, beginner ladders involve one exercise, while advanced ladders involve two or three. (Source: http://livehealthy.chron.com/ladder-workouts-4564.html)

Basically, you pretend you’re singing the Twelve Days of Christmas, and begin the first round by doing only the first move. Then, the second round is the second move, done twice, followed by the first move done once. Third round is the third move, done three times, followed by the second move, done twice, followed by the first move, done once, et cetera, et cetera and so forth until you’ve done all twelve rounds. Take a short break in between rounds, but only as needed (and you’ll need it towards the end, I assure you).

Without further ado, here is the workout:

  1. Goblet Squat
  2. Sumo Dead Lifts
  3. Clean and Press (switch sides each round)
  4. High Pulls (switch sides each round)
  5. Toe Touches/Windmills (switch sides each round)
  6. Squat Press
  7. Around the World (switch directions each round)
  8. 2-Handed Swing
  9. Bent Over Row (switch sides each round)
  10. Figure 8s
  11. Around the Body Stalls (switch directions each round)
  12. 1-Arm Swings (per side, 24 total)*

This workout is serious business, but, with it not being timed, you can focus on form. I workout in front of a full length mirror so I can watch my form and make sure I’m not going to injure myself.