Category: strength training

January 6, 2013

Supreme 90Day Overview

Say hello to my newest secret workout weapon: Supreme90Day

I ordered it right after my favorite magazine touted it as comparable to P90X, something I’ve always wanted to try but was reluctant to spend so much cash on. Lo and behold, Supreme90Day is super inexpensive. In fact, you can sometimes find it at some Big Lots stores for like $4. People, that’s $4 for 10 workout DVDs. That’s 40 cents each! Oh yeah, baby!!! For the value of this system, that is one heckuva price.

Let’s get one thing straight. This system will bust your butt! In fact, if you don’t have a strength training base to build upon, you might not want to start this until you do. I am a serious exerciser, and this still caught me off guard. This is not for beginners.

From a person who thrives upon change when it comes to working out, this 90-day workout system is ideal because you’re doing something different every single day. This not only prevents me from getting bored but it keeps every one of my muscles guessing. I can already feel a change in my body. Carrying my son around doesn’t feel as hard but my abs definitely feel harder! Push ups get a little easier, dashing up the stairs isn’t as hard, and now some of my other workouts feel like child’s play.

I’m currently on Day 15 of the system, working on this in conjunction with the Tone It Up Love Your Body series. Whoa! I started at Day 1 (again!) toward the end of December because I had a looong Christmas vacation to get a strong start. In fact, a friend and I just decided to head to the gym on our lunch breaks and we do some of the S90D circuits there. I started jotting the workouts down as I was working through the DVDs, so I can do them anywhere and I won’t get off-track. Here’s a glimpse at the breakdown (most videos pack major power into just 30-40 minutes):

Chest and Back: lots of push up and plank-style variation exercises, presses and flyes.
Ultimate Ball: prepare to work your entire body on the fitness ball.
Tabata Inferno: prepare to sweat profusely! Each circuit is performed 8 times for 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest. Some of the moves are strength-based (thrusters, lunges, etc), but you use lighter weights so you can power through them fast.
Shoulders and Arms: you’ll be shaking when you’re done and won’t want to lift your arms. Lots of traditional and functional bicep, tricep and shoulder exercises.
Cardio Challenge: Another sweat-buster. And you won’t do the same exercises twice in this powerful workout. Mountain climbers, plank jacks and burpees, oh my!
Legs: All different variations of lunges and squats abound in this leg circuit.
Core Dynamics: Sure, you’ll work your core, but you’ll also work your entire body. Don’t plan on doing crunches, though. You’ll be put through lots of plank variations and other powerful core exercises.
Total Body: Uses some exercises from the other videos and some new exercises to hit every major and minor muscle group.
Back and Bis: Many variations of what you’d expect with bicep curls, rows, and such. Some of the variations you probably haven’t tried before. Also hits the lower back.
Chest, Shoulders and Tris: Again, many variations on exercises you know like kickbacks, push ups, flyes and such.

Every workout incorporates major core work. In fact, many of them feature a core circuit before getting into the regular workout. The pace is pretty fast though, which is good in a way because you’re burning extra calories along with your strength training. But it can be difficult to keep up with.

You *could* do all of the workouts without a ball, but not without hand weights. And as you progress, you’ll need heavier and heavier weights. Most of the time, Tom Holland shows you how to do the moves without the ball, but there are a few instances where he doesn’t. I would highly recommend a ball. You can get one pretty cheap at Walmart.

In addition to the workouts, the system comes with a complete 90-day nutrition plan written by Tosca Reno. Be prepared for tons of lean protein like eggs and grilled chicken and eating every few hours. I am actually following the Tone It Up nutrition plan right now, but in some ways the eating plans are similar. Both emphasize lean, clean and green foods and eating every few hours. For those of you that don’t know, Tosca Reno is the biggest public personality behind eating clean. If she wrote this plan, I put my trust in it. To me, it seems similar to a bodybuilding diet, which makes sense since Tosca Reno is a fitness competitor.

As long as I keep at it–and I plan to–I will continue to update you on my progress. If you’re interested in learning more, please feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer.

*Disclaimer: I have no affiliation whatsoever with anyone or any system mentioned in this post. Nor am I a fitness or health professional (yet!). This post reflects my own thoughts and observations.

January 3, 2013

Tone It Up Plan and Love Your Body Update

I finally did it! After all the time I’ve known about Tone It Up and wondered about the Nutrition Plan, I finally bought it. It took the Cyber Monday deal they were offering (and some nicely-timed bonus money) to finally push me over the edge. I got a TIU hat, water bottle, journal, Beach Babe workout DVD, packet of PerfectFit and a TIU decal for ordering that day. You know me, I’m always searching for a good deal! But really, I’m so glad I finally did it. I didn’t quite know what I would be getting, but it’s well worth it.

First, with the wealth of health information and recipes out on the web, I didn’t think I really needed to spend a significant amount of cash on this plan. However, once I got the plan, it was much more helpful and organized than I could have probably mustered on my own. You are given plenty of recipes and meal options for all six “meals” of the day. Plus, the girls have certain food groups timed throughout the day for optimal metabolism-boosting and sports performance. Every new season brings along new updates to the plan–all included for free! It’s super exciting whenever a new update comes out.

The emphasis of the plan is on Lean, Green and Clean foods. In other words, “real” foods or the closest to nature-made foods as possible. So far, I’ve noticed that when I eat on this plan for a week and then indulge in “unreal” foods for one meal (i.e. taco or burger + cookie), I get a stomachache. I guess that could be a good incentive to keep eating as healthy as possible. This is how we should be eating all the time anyhow, so I don’t consider it a “diet” per se.

You can tell that Karena and Katrina put a ton of work and manpower in putting the plan together. Plus, once you’re part of the team, you’re really part of the team. There are so many special “members-only” perks and challenges that once you sign up, you finally feel like part of the TIU “in crowd.” I didn’t quite realize what I was missing until I went all-in.

This week kicks off the Love Your Body series and I’ve been doing everything they tell me to and then some. Here’s a breakdown of what we were supposed to do to prepare.

List 5 Things I Love About My Body

*I should’ve added: “Strong pain tolerance.” I am so thankful for that. This was a tough exercise to do. It was hard to come up with five things and it felt vain, but really, it’s good to be thankful for what our bodies can do. I guess I’m also thankful for strong lungs, powerful abs (my baby doctor almost didn’t make it in time), and a kick-a$$ immune system.

Fitness Goals for 2013

Whoa whoa, what’s that you see? Become a personal trainer? Yep, it’s on my list of things to do before I turn a certain age (ahem) in June. NASM it is! I’ll keep you posted. I guess since I’ve finally written it now, it must happen right? Good incentive.

Workouts so Far

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: 40 minute Tabata Inferno on the Supreme90Day system + 20 minute barefoot treadmill run (we’ll talk more about this later).

Wednesday:

AM: 35 minute shoulders and arms on Supreme90Day
Lunch: 30 min brisk walk w/ friend
PM: 45 Cupid’s Cardio interval run on treadmill w/ friend.

Thursday:

AM: 40 minute Cardio on Supreme90Day + 1 mile walk to work (in 20-degree weather)
Lunch: 30 min brisk walk with mom and sis
PM: 1 mile walk home + TBD

I already have plans to go with another friend to the gym tomorrow (Friday) at lunch for strength training along with cardio in the morning.
Pre-planning + Recruiting Friends = Success.

How are you doing so far this year? What are you Fit Goals for 2013?

August 25, 2012

Some Healthy Living Obsessions Lately

Lately, I’ve stumbled over some minefields of health and fitness information in my always-insatiable hunger for knowledge. I really will be a student for life, no doubt. Let me share some fun resources for all you other folks who love to learn baby learn:

1. OpenCourseware: The Psychology, Biology and Politics of Food course will have to have a whole dedicated blog post, but I’ve been fascinatingly listening in to Professor Brownell’s class about food. It’s really interesting to see how we’re influenced by keen marketing strategies and social constructs. I mean, we already know we are, but it’s interesting to hear about it more in depth and pinpoint it. This knowledge is really an invaluable tool. If we know when we’re being influenced, we have the capacity to disregard it.

2. Eat-Clean Diet®: Now I know this is no new thing, but I think that this “diet” really has lasting power. This is the only diet that intuitively makes the most sense to me, healthwise. It’s not even a “diet” per se, but more of a healthy way of approaching food in its most undiluted, unprocessed form. Sure, you could manage to eat your daily allotment of calories in sugary cereals and Hamburger Helper, but you won’t be doing your body any favors and you probably won’t even lose weight as easily. I feel like feeding your body the most nutrient-dense food is like feeding it a universal anti-any-illness pill. I think science would agree. Might I add: Tosca Reno is a role model worth emanating!

I’ve been eating as clean as I can lately, and man can I tell the difference! I ate a small McD’s fry one day and it actually made me ill after eating so healthfully. If that isn’t motivation enough…

Source: indg.ca via Krista on Pinterest

3. Healthiest Foods on Earth and Healthiest Meals on Earth: Keeping in the healthy eating vein (the area I admittedly need the most education in), I checked these two books out at the library. These books are just brim-full of food education. I will never look at a piece of broccoli the same again. When you know a food is actively fighting potential cancer cells, you sigh and rejoice a little when you eat it. And hey, whey protein is listed as one of the healthiest foods on Earth. See, it all came around full circle.

Just check out this one snipped from the book: “Recent human studies have indicated that as little as one carrot a day could possibly cut the rate of lung cancer in half” (p. 30). Just reading the section on mushrooms blew me away because of their effects on cancer. Shiitakes could lower blood cholesterol by as much as 45%!!!! Greens have a pharmacy of nutrients. Onions vs. Cancer. I’m all over that!!

4. I’ve mentioned my quest for an ExerciseTV replacement and I’m really happy to have found some exceptional resources. Livestrong Woman and Tone It Up make the transition oh-so-easy and fulfilling. Even though I miss the full-length workouts and variety on E-TV, these resources more than suffice. I will gladly follow the cues of Karena and Katrina and all the trainers on Livestrong.

Also, if you haven’t stumbled upon it yet, BodyRock is super-amazing when you’re feeling hardcore. The workouts are only around 12 minutes long (super do-able) and I imagine they feel a little bit like P90X routines. But they’re missing that $100+ price tag. They’re completely free! And of course, I’ve mentioned Cassey’s POPilates too. Big fan! Now, I’m all set.

Source: bodyrock.tv via Laura on Pinterest

Source: toneitup.com via Samara on Pinterest

Source: livestrong.com via Roo Epic on Pinterest

April 18, 2011

Working Every Muscle

When I started working out, I stuck to a strict plan of running 30 minutes straight and then working out each major muscle group. If a workout plan ripped from a magazine didn’t incorporate every muscle group, I’d either ditch it or supplement it with additional moves. I had to hit biceps, triceps, abs, legs, calves and butt. That was that. No compromise. Even if I got bored, I didn’t stray from this plan.

Then, I got smarter. Working out the same muscles in the same way with each workout spells “plateau.” I am not that strict with myself anymore. I still love running and enjoy hitting the treadmill or pavement for around 35 minutes every other day. I don’t analyze it down to a science though. Sometimes I incorporate fartleks or intervals at random. Sometimes I juice up the incline to make sure I keep getting results. Sometimes I pick a cardio plan at random from the archives and go with it. When I’m training for a run, I’ll print a plan and use that. Running at the same pace straight through doesn’t do a thing for improving endurance.

My strength training is also very unpredictable. It’s pretty go-with-the-flow. On days I’m feeling super-pumped, I do tougher strength training. On days I’m feeling wiped and not much like working out, I’ll do some easier Yoga and stretching. Over the course of the week, I know I’ve hit all sorts of different muscle groups. I like to do different magazine workouts or online/on-demand videos so my body never gets used to anything. And I don’t worry too much about what I’m doing as long as I’m doing something and I can FEEL it.

For me, the only rules are that I need both cardio and strength. And I need to feel it when I’m done. Here’s my schedule:

Cardio: 35 min running/3x per week
Strength Training: 20 min/3x per week.
Other: I walk to and from work whenever I can and sometimes do an extra weekend run with a friend or bike ride with my family. Lunch breaks are broken up by a 1/2-hour of laps, and summer will find me taking walks whenever I can with my toddler.

May 12, 2010

Tracey Anderson Method

So, I’ve been reading a lot about celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson lately. Just like other things I’ve written about, it seems once I hear about something, I’ll hear about it a few times. Tracy Anderson popped up in my inbox twice in one day, so I thought it would be worth checking out.

There are devout followers and extreme skeptics of the Tracy Anderson Method. Tracy emphasizes the itsy bitsy dancer body, which of course isn’t for everybody or every body. The claims made are that she has over a decade of research under her belt, but I’m very curious as to what and how trustworthy this research actually is. And some of the nutrition plans of hers that I’ve come across sound sketchy. And who on this Earth, besides Madonna, has two hours six days a week to work out? Just sayin’.

Anyhow, Tracy places a wonderful emphasis on improving strength and sculting a sexy body without worrying about adding bulk. It’s a wonderful high rep/low weight method to try on alternate days from your low rep/high strength training days. Don’t mistake the low weights as a workout for pansies, because some of them can be very hardcore. The method also has some similarities to Pilates, but with a much more diverse set of exercises. For one, Pilates puts focus on the core, while Tracy Anderson chisels out arm and leg muscles as well.

Althought I don’t think the complete plan is sustainable, I am a proponent of variety. So, I have incorporated a few of Tracey’s methods into my workouts this week.

Here are a few places where you can find a few free workouts from Tracy:

1. Daily Candy recently posted four workout videos with Tracy. This is a link to the “Tracy Anderson” search results. There are four different targeted workouts from which to pick and choose. Tracy guides you, but you have to pause the video to eke out the indicated reps by yourself.

2. Just type Tracy Anderson in YouTube to bring up several free 10-minute-ish workouts.

3. The home page of the Tracy Anderson Method Website offers a free workout video if you enter your email address. No gimmicks or hassle, or I wouldn’t have signed up myself.

4. Self Magazine published a wonderful arm workout by Tracy several months ago. Print the slide show and do in your living room.

Check out Tracy’s website and studio images. People are paying $900 a month to work out with her on funky pully systems and cube-shaped frames. She also made a series of workout DVDs you can get on her website or Amazon. For now, I’ll just take advantage of the free online workouts, thanks.