Cross Fit Butt Kick

I have been working out quite a bit at the cross fit gym.  Luckily I have a couple awesome friends who know their Cross Fit and they help the rest of us stay in line!  I modify all of the workouts so that they are more pregnancy friendly.  And even with modifications I am getting one heck of a workout!!

Here are a few of the workouts we've done there lately:

7 minutes.  Sets of 3-6-9-12-15...
Squat Thrust
Pull-ups

7 sets of:
9 dead lifts
12 push ups
15 box jumps

3 rounds of:
20 medicine ball cleans
15 knees to elbows

I do LIGHT weights {sometimes as light as a PVC pipe}.  I don't do deep squats or lunges.  I use lights medicine balls.  I do assisted pull ups and did those instead of the knees to elbows.  Its hard to be the slow wimpy one in the group!  The girls are ALL very encouraging though and help me keep perspective.  Oh my goodness I am going to miss these rock star women!!

This cross fit gym is AWESOME!  They are a lot more accommodating of our kids.  They let them play on the mats and the two ropes while we work out.  They are right close to where we are so we can keep an eye on them and keep them out of trouble.  There are rarely soldiers working out when we are there but I have to admit that I LOVE it when there is a group of them working out {usually combatives} while we are there.  Their energy is INFECTIOUS!!!  

Tractor Tire Toss

Remember all those posts ago that I talked about cross fit?  Well today I finally made it over to Cunningham, a cross fit gym, to workout with Xena Warrior Princess.  Luckily there were some other of the girls that showed up cause I couldn't have done this one on my own!!

Xena had a great workout for us.  I had just gone for a nice walk with Jeni {I am still waiting for a brilliant and adorable nickname for this dear friend of mine, I'm leaning to June Bug but I'm not sure if I love it enough}.  So anyway, I was nice and warmed up already.  But we went ahead and did some cool walking pushup warm up stretches and some squats with kettlebells {mine was WAY too heavy}.  Then we did some sit ups with medicine balls.  Those were great.  We tossed them back and forth with a partner and then we did some other variations; add a medicine ball and you will definitely get a killer workout!

After we did all that as our warm up we headed over to do our actual workout.  Tractor Tire Tossing.  We had 3 girls on our tire, two on another and K-Lo's brother had his own.  We would flip the tire over twice then do 10 box jumps up on to it.  Then we would toss it two more times and do 10 push ups {inclined or declined}.  That was repeated 4 times.

Goodness I was toasted after that!  Xena demonstrated cross fit pull ups and I actually had the drive to want to do pull ups... I haven't cared for pull ups for ages, though when I was a kid I was GREAT at them!  I think I might actually start incorporating those into my workouts more often!

So today I tried something new.  Something that I always thought was pretty cool.  What are YOU going to try today?!!

Pyramid Track Workout

Today we had a big group at the track!  It was an AWESOME workout!! We had a lot of girls there today and even a new face!!  I can not tell you how great these groups are!  I know I say it ALL the time but I'm serious!  We have a wide range of physical abilities in this group and we all help each other do our best and push us to do big things!  Some girls are recovering from surgery or from recently having a baby!  Others are super tough chicks that kick some butt!  And we all gain from these workouts!!  If I could get you all to do ONE thing, it would be to start talking to people and start a workout group like this!!! 

So.... Anyway.... Ü

Today we met at the track and K-Lo had a GREAT workout for us!  You can walk the 400's instead of running them if you need to.

400M warm up
25 each: Burpees, Spiderman Pushups, Crunchy Frogs, Lunges, Plank {25 sec}
400M jog
20 each of above 
400M jog
15 each of above
400M jog
10 each of above
400M jog
5 each of above
400M jog
1 each of above
400M jog
400M cool down
Stretch

Oh boy was it a good one!!!

Pain in the Butt

Yesterday Alyssa and I met at the track for a GREAT workout!  We tried to get it started but WB would have nothing of it!  He said he was "freezing" so we decided to head over to the gym and I hoped and prayed he would cooperate so we could get in a decent workout!!  We guesstimated on the distance and I'm pretty sure we undershot BUT we did get a good workout.  I don't know about her but my b-hind is KILLING me today!

Here is our ORIGINAL workout.  {Since I'm not sure what our exact distances ended up being}

Warm up - .5 mile
Easy Stretch
Lunges - Walk - Lunges - Walk {100M each}
400M run
High Knees - Walk - High Knees - Walk {100M each}
400M run
Butt Kickers - Walk - Butt Kickers - Walk {100M each}
400M run
Iron Mikes - Walk - Iron Mikes - Walk {100M each}
400M run
Cool Down - .5 mile

Core:
Superman - Slow & Controlled 10x
Bridge - Slow & Controlled 6x - Fast for 30 seconds - Slow & Controlled - Fast for 30 seconds
Metronome - 10x each side
Plank Lift - lift one leg for 10 seconds & then switch - 3x - rest - repeat
Side Plank - 30 seconds each side - repeat
Pilates 100

Good Stretch

Let me know if you don't know specific moves and I will be sure to post the detailed instructions for you! 

Fartleks

Today I met with my girls at the track for a running workout that I put together!  I decided to go with some speed training via Fartleks.  It felt SO good to push myself hard like that.  It felt AMAZING to run outside {I'm tellin ya, this treadmill stuff is poopy}.  Though I jumped on the treadmill when I got home so I could log some miles.  I do have some races to train for afterall!  I feel so good right now!! 

Here's our workout from today:

Warm Up ~ 1 mile jog
easy stretch
Fartleks {repeated twice}
100m x 4 {jog, run, jog, run}
200m x 2 {jog, run}
400m x 2 {jog, run - sprinting the last 100m}
Bonus ~ Stairs x 10 {9 stairs for a total of 90... next time I think we'll do MORE}
Cool down ~ 400m
Really good stretch!!

Cross Fit

Today I tried something new!  We had our regular Army Wives Workout Group but a different friend led us in a Cross Fit workout.  Short.  Intense.  Awesome!

SO {I hope I get this right, someone help me out if I'm wrong... I am COMPLETELY new to this cross fit deal} the theory is to do the exercises quickly to add cardio to the workouts.  Typically they are done at a gym where you can use higher weights and equipment.  So we improvised today, sort of a beginner workout!

Here's what we did today, courtesy of HB:

3 rounds of
10 squats {w/o weights, LOW squat}
10 pushups
10 sit ups {full range}
10 thrusters {squat with a press above head when standing}
10 dumbbell 1 arm situps {hold weight in one hand above head in sit up position, sit up with arm pointing to ceiling}

The goal is to hit all three rounds with as little/no rest as possible.  Moving through as quickly as you can still maintaining good form. 

Try it out.  Tell me what you think.

Circuits

Today we had the most girls get together for our Army Wives exercise group! I didn't put this group together, I'm not in charge, but I love to see it grow and make new friends in the process! It's SO FUN! I'm telling you. Working out with friends is HUGE for me. I don't have to fight those horrible negative thoughts about not wanting to work out! It's something I REALLY look forward to every Wednesday and Friday!

New to the group, we're going to go walk a 2.5 mile trail every Monday! I am REALLY looking forward to this. I ran the trail yesterday with my man in camo for date night! It is gorgeous!! It's going to be extra tough pushing strollers up those hills but I am REALLY looking forward to it!

Here's our workout from today:

strength:
1 min pushups
1 min squats
repeat

cardio:
30 sec jumping jacks
30 sec football sprints {running in place with legs shoulder width}
repeat 2 more times

abs:
1 min bicycle crunches
1 min crunches

strength:
10 {per leg} walking lunges
10 {per leg} sumo squats {squat with legs shoulder width and then raise one leg up}
repeat

cardio:
45 sec mountain climbers
45 sec jump rope {w/ or w/o a rope}
repeat

abs:
1 min flutter kicks
1 min reverse crunch

strength:
1 min push ups
1 min push ups w/ hands facing toward each other {for triceps}

cardio
1 min high/lo punches left arm
1 min high/lo punches right arm
1 min squat with cross punches

abs:
2 min plank slaps

bonus:
1 minute high knees
1 minute butt kicks

Workout from K-Lo

Here's another kick butt workout from my friend K-Lo! Meeting up with her again tomorrow, pretty sure I'm in for another butt kickin!

*3 miles @ 10:20 pace 1% incline

Core 2 minutes each 20-25 second work w/ 5-10 second recovery
*crunch machine
*oblique twist machine
*plank
*ball twists
*crunches on ball

Weights
*side lunges w/ 10lbs. dumbbells
10 left leg
*squat w/ shoulder press 10lbs. dumbbells
10 times
*side lunges w/ 10lbs. dumbbells
10 right leg
*squat w/ shoulder press 10lbs. dumbbells
10 times
Repeat 3x

*Lateral shoulder raise 10lbs. dumbbells
(sitting on the bench leaning forwards)
*chest press w/ 15 lbs. dumbbells
Super Set 4x10

*Tricep kick back 10 lbs.
*Lawn mower 20 lbs.
Super Set 3x10 (each side)
*bicep curls 10 lbs. dumbells
3x10

Circuits

SO excited!!  K-Lo {super hero nickname for the oh so hot Army wife who is now my very own "personal" trainer} said that I could post our workouts on here to share with ya'll!! SO you BETTER use them!!!  If you aren't sure what something is, let me know and I'll fill you in.  This is our workout from Wednesday.  I'll get Friday's and post it soon too!  Grab a friend and do these together!!  It will help you push yourself harder Ü

reverse lunge with a kick (15 ea. leg)

push-ups (10)

mountain climbers (10)

recover  45 seconds

jumping squats (30)

bicycle(20)

recover 45 seconds

log jumps (20)

high knees (20)

pike push-ups (10)

recover 45 seconds

duck-under squats w/punch (20)

plank (1 min)

down hill skiing (3 sets)

squat jump foreword and than 10 squats

recover 45 seconds

sumo squats (20)

tri-dips (15)

wall sit (1 minute)

recover 1 minute

repeat all of the above one more time!

bonus! 50 (fast) squats & 20 burpees

Core

ab roller

ball between feet twist

plank

super girl plank

plank high 5's

crunch

butt lifts

we did each for 2 minutes with 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds recovery.

My Schedule

I don't have much of a routine at the moment.  I'm not training for a race {such a strange concept to me}, I'm just working on overall health.  So my current goal is to work out 5 days a week.  This is what a week in the life of Leslie looks like:

Sunday:  Rest.  I never work out on Sunday.

Monday: Yoga.  Preference is 1 hour+ but sometimes I'm in a pinch and only get in 30 minutes.  I get my yoga routines from three places. #1: Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown.  Two 30 minute workouts.  I like to do them back to back.  #2. P90X Yoga X.  90 minutes of pure HELL yoga awesomeness!  #3. www.yogajournal.com.  Customizable. Variety.  Genious!

Tuesday: Run.  3 miles minimum.  30 minutes minimum.

Wednesday: Army Wives Workout.  Not sure this group really has a NAME yet.  I better come up with something AWESOME!  Workouts vary.  Circuit training mostly.

Thursday: Same as Tuesday

Friday: Same as Wednesday

Saturday: Wild Card.  Could be yoga.  Could be hiking.  Most likely something outdoors with the family though.  May be nothing at all too.

So.  There you have it.  My "routine" for the next little while.  I'm hoping to get to some classes at the gym.  I'd also like to get my bike tuned up and get riding.  And swimming.  Definitely want to get in to swimming.  That's what's awesome about the journey though!  Trying new things!  It's just about being active and enjoying the process!

What routine are YOU sticking to?

Hot Bod

Here is the "ad" for her Ultimatum. Maybe Santa will stick it in my stocking this year?


I like to change things up; constantly getting in to new workouts and exercise. It helps me stay motivated and avoid boredom. So this winter I plan on keeping up my running {as much as I can stand running on the dreaded treadmill}, and alternating that with clogging, Jillian's DVD and the Wii Fit {I hope to get the Plus soon}. The overall goal is to stay active and continue to eat well {as in healthy, not quantity}.

Running Schedule

I found this AWESOME little help for running.

So I went looking for a FREE online running log. There are A LOT of choices but I really liked Log Your Run. Check it out... it has ALL KINDS of bells and whistles that are pretty stinkin cool in my opinion!! You can enter your SHOES!!! You track how many miles you've put on them! PS. It's not just for running either; you can log other workouts too!!! It's AWESOME!! I'm LOVIN IT!!!

Ab/Core Workout videos

Here are a couple videos to show you some of the ab workouts I do. First we have the plank. It was actually kinda hard to find a good video of the plank. I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with this exercise. I LOVE it because it really works those muscles but I HATE it; well not really, it's just REALLY HARD!!


Then there is the jackknife; which was even harder to find a good video of! But this at least shows you what it is. I really have to remind myself to breathe during this one. That and be careful to use my abs and not my back!

Don't forget to FOCUS on the muscle group you want to work!!!

I also do torso twists. I couldn't find the ones that I do with the wii fit but I did find some that I think will be better! I don't have a medicine ball but it would really make this exercise more productive. Finally a GOOD video for the day!

Shoveling Snow

We have AWESOME winters here; with plenty of the white stuff!! And we LOVE the white stuff! And since we're close to the mountains we really get to take advantage of the PLAY that snow provides: snowboarding, sledding, snowmachining... as well as playing in it in general!

But there's also WORK that comes with snow. SHOVELING! I LOVE to shovel snow. It's a big job to keep the driveway clear but I love every minute of it. Today I counted my shoveling as my workout; and believe me, it's a good workout! I calculated that I probably burned close to 400 calories! {You can click HERE to calculate how many calories you've burned doing various activities.}

Another reason I LOVE to shovel snow is that it's something I do to clear my head. So it's DUALLY-AWESOME!! Needless to say I get pretty giddy when it's snowing outside!

Forward & Reverse Lunges

Since it's leg day I thought I'd post a couple more leg workouts. I think I like this Kyle guy! Make sure that your knees don't go past your toes {something I need to remember}. First we have the FORWARD LUNGE:

And then we have the REVERSE LUNGE:

Steam Engine

I'll have to give these ones a try.

Mountain Climbers

Oh Boy!! Definately give these a try!

Legs Routine

My legs always are sore for a couple days after a workout, just in time to do another one!! It feels great though! Especially when a big running day and the legs land on the SAME day!! OH BOY!!

STRENGTH TRAINING

SINGLE LEG EXTENSION. I think if I move more slowly and deliberately my balance is better. I think I'm doing 20 reps per leg.

LUNGE WOW! This one is a killer! I really works all your muscles in your legs too, they're great! Again, I think I'm doing 20 reps.

ROWING SQUAT. I do a lot of reps, well about 30 I think. Feels good!

ARM & LEG LIFT. This one falls under Arms AND Legs so I do it often. It works your glutes too.

SINGLE ARM STAND. Okay, I admit it. I HATE this one. But it's one of those ones that I know is working the right muscles. I still hate it though!

SIDEWAYS LEG LIFT. By the time I get here my legs feel like rubber! But I can't stop here! I've got Yoga to do still!!

YOGA

DANCE. This one is so hard to do. I look NOTHING like the guy on my Wii Fit. I just keep telling myself that SOMEDAY I will!!

STANDING KNEE This one feels good. Stretches out those leg muscles after working them so hard!

WARRIOR. This is one of my favorite poses. It really works the legs.

CHAIR. This one can be really hard if your legs are already tired! It reminds me of squatting against the wall during basketball season. Oh the BURN!!

SHOULDER STAND. Here's that one again. I do it often; I'm getting better at it too!

TREE. This one can be tricky, especially with a tired leg to balance on. But it too is one of my favorites.

SUN SALUTATION. I love ending with this one. I always feel nice and refreshed.

The leg workout is a heavy duty one. And afterwards I feel pretty proud of myself. I've had to push myself and it feels good to know I'm doing something!!! During the summer I'll go hiking now and then for my leg days! I'm looking forward to it!

Scissor Kick

I think the important thing to remember is to focus on the muscle group you want to work. Focus on your ABS for this one!!!

Rock Hard Abs

Great!! Four sets of 20-25 seems like a lot but I love that you can do this ANYWHERE!!