Interval Circuit

I first saw this workout through a few other blogs, and it originally comes from the magazine Men’s Health. But that doesn’t mean only men can do it! Because I tried it.

It is called the Spartacus Workout and it is intense, but doable. The basis of the workout is to go through a series of 10 exercises for 1 minute each with 15 seconds of rest between each workout. Then after completing the 10 exercises, you get a 2 minute rest before starting again. You go through it 3 times.

I started out with a 10 minutes warm-up on the treadmill to get my body warm and ready to work, then moved on in. Through the magazine they give you the 10 workouts to do. However, you can TOTALLY make them your own and to fit your own needs. They can be completely body weight exercises too, so you can do them at home. My list looked like this:



In order to make this even easier for you so you don’t have to keep looking at the clock while exercising, there is a website where you can download a playlist to iTunes that goes through the whole workout, telling you when to work and when to rest.




It really is fantastic, and completely free! You can find the download here.
So when I head to the workout room, I just take my laptop and my note card and I am good to start working.



I used weights for several of the exercises, and also a treadmill to warm-up on. So I decided to re-vamp the program with a no equipment spin. That way, everyone can do it at their home or gym, any time!

Here are a few pictures of some of the exercises that might be a bit confusing. If you have other questions, feel free to contact me!

3 – lunge with rotation (without the weight)

5 – Russian Twists (without the ball if you don’t have one, and to make it easier keep your feet on the ground)

7 – Chair Dips

8 – Wide Squat
I can’t find a decent picture of this, but you do a normal squat but with your toes pointed out and a little further a part, and keep your hands on your waist as you squat and come up.

Let me know if you try it!

Pyramid Workout

Who's ready to burn some calories?! I think we all should be after a nice, and probably indulgent, holiday weekend.

Here's a quick but tough workout to try out:

1 push-up
1 push-up, 2 body weight squats
1 push-up, 2 body weight squats, 3 chair dips
1 push-up, 2 body weight squats, 3 chair dips, 4 min incline walk
1 push-up, 2 body weight squats, 3 chair dips, 4 min incline walk, 5 min jog
1 push-up, 2 body weight squats, 3 chair dips, 4 min incline walk, 5 min jog
1 push-up, 2 body weight squats, 3 chair dips, 4 min incline walk
1 push-up, 2 body weight squats, 3 chair dips
1 push-up, 2 body weight squats
1 push-up

Totals: 26 minutes of cardio
10 push-ups
16 squats
18 chair dips

To modify if you aren't near a treadmill for the walk and jog here are some replacements:
stair stepping or climbing, jumping rope, jumping jacks, plank jacks, high knee jumps, long jumps

You can repeat it multiple times to increase the difficulty, or add weights to the squats, increase the incline, or increase the jog to a run.

Let me know if you try it!

Plyometrics

Plyometrics…ever heard of it? It is a vigorous, high intensity form of exercise, sometimes known as jump training. It involves explosive high-impact movements that "load" or stretch muscles before rapidly contracting them.

According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, plyos refer to activities that enable a muscle to reach maximal force in the shortest possible time.

Sounds pretty great, right? They are!

They are a great alternative to “regular” workout days like running and exercise machines. Working different muscles, and definitely strengthening them, does the body lots of good. And, they are pretty easy to add to a workout program. Just tailor them to your level and you are good to go!

Start out with 10 to 15 minutes of warm-up, like a light jog or elliptical workout. Then, mix and match some sets of these exercises, repeating them at least 1 time, or more if you can.

Squat Jumps
Squat jumps are one of the lowest-intensity plyometric lower body exercises. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, back straight and torso angled forward slightly. Bend your elbows to approximately 90 degrees and keep them tucked near your sides. Lower your butt until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Immediately spring upwards, jump off the ground and lift your arms toward the ceiling. As you jump into the air, keep your legs extended and avoid tucking your feet near your buttocks. Land on the balls of your feet, rest for a second and then repeat the sequence.

Bounding
Although it might seem difficult to coordinate at first, bounding is simply an exaggerated version of running. Begin by simply jogging in a straight line. After a few feet, explode off your right leg forcefully as you push your left arm forward. Then, explode quickly off your left leg and bring your right arm forward. Continue bounding forward in the exaggerated motion without stopping between bounds.
(Bounding sort of reminds me of running like a deer…)


Plyometric Push-ups
For plyometric push-ups, you'll want to use the traditional push-up position (on knees or hands). Place your hands slightly wider than and just behind your shoulders. Keep your core muscles contracted and maintain a straight line from head to heels. Lower yourself to the ground as if you're doing a traditional push-up. Then, explosively push yourself up so that your hands lift off the ground. As you fall back onto your hands, immediately lower back into another push-up. Continue the explosive motions, allowing no pause between repetitions.

Some other ideas –

• for legs, try some box jumps, jump rope, tuck jumps or jumping lunges
• chest and back, try lateral jumps. They help strengthen upper body stabilization muscles
• for your mid section, try the ball to the wall workout. Stand near a wall with a medicine ball in your hands at one hip. Throw it against the wall, using your torso muscles, and catch it on the other side.

~What are your favorite plyo moves?

Off Balance

Years ago my family was at a family reunion and my sister and I were talking to my cousin’s husband, who is a physical therapist. My sister had rolled her ankle playing tennis recently but she felt like it was getting stronger and she was ready to play. He decided to see just how strong it is and asked her to do some balance tests on both feet. To say the least, her non-injured side was much stronger than her injured! She pretty much fell over herself when trying to balance on her bad ankle.

Runners World recently came out with an article about making sure your body is balanced and equally strong. This prevents injury and improves performance.

Every physically active person has a dominant side. The key is to figure out which side it is. A simple balance test (below) will tell you if you have a weak side. What's the value of knowing which side is stronger? When you favor one side, the resulting weakness on the opposite side can leave you more vulnerable to injury.

Your body uses two strategies to balance on one foot. First, it tweaks ankle and foot muscles. The second is a "hip strategy"—you twist your torso to steady yourself. But when you run, you're not using the ankle strategy at all, putting the strain of compensating for your weaker side entirely in the hips. "Leg dominance won't cause injury," he says, "but strengthening the hip and working on balance will help you avoid it."

THE BALANCE TEST
Stand on one leg, eyes closed. Time how long you can hold without toppling or putting down your foot. Switch legs. If both sides are close (30 seconds on each side, or 30 on one and 25 on the other), you've got good equilibrium. But if the difference is wide—five or 10 seconds on one leg, up to 30 on the other—you're out of balance, and may have hip-muscle issues.

Here are a few exercises to do after workouts for 3 weeks. Then try the balance test again and see some improvement!

HIP-ABDUCTOR STRENGTHENER
HOW: Loop an exercise band around the ankle on your strong leg. Keeping your outside knee straight, raise the outside leg to the side. Lift for two seconds, return for two seconds, controlling the movement. Do three sets of 10 reps.
WHY: By training only the weak side you build symmetry. There is twice as much muscle activity for the support leg, so your inside leg is the one reaping the balance-improvement benefits.

CORE STABILIZER
HOW: Stand with your weak leg on a pillow. Balance for 30 seconds (you can use a light touch on a wall). Repeat three times. Tip: When you can balance relatively easily for 30 seconds, increase the intensity by closing your eyes, which makes it harder to balance.
WHY: Supporting yourself on your weaker leg while standing on an unstable surface forces you to employ an ankle and a hip strategy to balance, and helps your weak leg catch up to your strong one.

Are you off balance?

Park Workout

Last week I taught a conditioning class for some athletes as a break from their normal coaching workouts. We did it all outside at a park with nothing but our shoes and some grass. So basically, anyone can do it! Now if only Utah would decide to bring summer, then we could really go do it outside without getting wet. I thought I’d share it with you:

Warm-Up: Started with a jog, then we rotated stretching certain muscles with a spurt of cardio to keep our muscles warm and heart rate up

• jog laps for 10 minutes
• stretch
• jump rope in place
• stretch
• jumping jacks
• stretch
• high knees
• stretch

Set #1: We did this set 2 times

• forward and back lunges, 15 each leg
• mountain climbers for 1 minute
• 15 push-ups
• 15 plie squats
• REPEAT!

Set #2: do this set 2 times

• 15 body weight squats
• 10 standing long jumps
• plank jacks for 1 minute
• tricep dips (we did these on a park bench)

Set #3: again, this set 2 times!

• 15 bridges
• 15 squat jumps
• 15 push-ups
• 15 single leg calf raises (each leg)

Then we did one lap to cool down with some stretching. Give it a try!

Also, check out this cool interview with running legend Dean Karnazes. My favorite thing he said was “My message is that you don’t have to run three-thousand miles across the country. Just be the best you that you can be and live up to your own expectations–it’s fulfilling.”