Archive for category Exercise in Pictures

Moving Stink Bomb

Hey Hots and Fits!

Sorry for being so annoyingly MIA in these last few days, but I was taking it easy and getting back on track. Nothing too interesting happened, so here is a list of my highlights thus far!

 

MONDAY

Did INSANITY’s Plyometric Cardio Circuit and Tracy Anderson’s Upper Body Workout.

I also got two of her DVDs, The Tracy Anderson Method – Mat Workout and Dance Cardio Workout. I haven’t tried it yet so I cannot review. Looks very tranquil from what I’d seen thus far. Oh, and Gwyneth Paltrow appears at the end of the DVD. I can’t stand her.

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TUESDAY

Woke up for yet another INSANITY sesh, this time it was Cardio Power and Resistance. Warm up was okay, but once the actual workout started, and I got into those Power Jacks, something went wrong I believe because I was overcome by a huge pain in my lower back. I have always suffered from this pain. Used to be in immense pain when I did track and field in high school. I still managed to pull through, but canceled my Yoga sesh with Women’s Health because I did not want to push it.

 

 

WEDNESDAY

Went for Plyometric Cardio Circuit which is an awesome INSANITY workout, then headed to the grocery store and found some Pitted Prunes from San Jose, CA! Wow, all the way to the EU! it was the highlight of my day. Came home, and did The Fitnessista’s Winter Shape Up challenge.

I am doing it, guys. I did her Summer Shape Up and got amazing results, so I have faith in the woman. Go to her site to this the whole plan, you can start any time, but here is what I did:

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THURSDAY

Back pain not going away anywhere, I was determined to head out for a run. However, the reason I have not been running has been the snow. Well, snow slightly disappeared, but the temperatures went down by about 10 degrees centigrade that it was about -15C at night. Which means black ice.

I was however, in a true Hot and Fit fashion, determined to TRY. And to be honest, I did not think it would be that bad. Well, I started running, with my awesome running gear I was not feeling the cold at all. But my feet were feeling the ice. I was kind of skating occasionally. It was not longer amusing after 2 KM when I hit the floor. My right arm has been hurting quite a bit since. Irresponsible and careless, but I completed 4.5 KM.

In the afternoon I did INSANITY’s Cardio Recovery. Again, my assumptions were wrong. I honestly thought this was going to be a fairly easy workout. But when is INSANITY ever easy? Shaun T mentions its not cardio, its recovery. But he works your muscles really well. I could feel my quadriceps the day after like never before.

In the evening I found myself presented with three cakes:

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Semolina, poppy seeds and chocolate.

Lets just say that I had too much and it was not good. But my home dwellers will not stop putting junk every where. It is very hard to eat properly when you have an over variety of food and a lot of it is junk. The cakes are one thing. There is a whole crazier fiesta going on in the pantry.

I am very blessed, I know. But I do wish I could just keep my diet simple stupid.

FRIDAY

I have not done P90X in a while so decided I’d do that for recovery purposes. Kenpo X was on my list on preferences. Now, I do not know whether it is the effects of the Cardio Recovery or simply Kenpo X, but I felt my abs SO much during this workout, especially my obliques. I actually still feel it now.

After all the Friday afternoon errands I came home and did The Fitnessista’s circuit again. For the record, I repeated it three times cause my back is still hurting, and I am modifying the burpees and back extensions.

 

WEEKEND PLANS

So here I have it all. Now the plan for Saturday is to do nothing, then take my car to the service for the hundredth time, watch Avatar, and in between squeeze in a workout.

Oh and I am using

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To relieve my back pain. But it stinks. SO BAD! My home dwellers are considering kicking me out. Also, I cannot put it on at work because I know I will get fired for being a moving stink bomb. Besides, I do not feel it is that effective.

In some TWITTER news – you can follow Shaun T here. I am already following him! And if you wanna follow me then you can do so here. Come on, I am just as cool!

Anyhoo, hope you all have an amazing Saturday!! I might take today off working out but I have a lot to do around the casa so I will consider it a workout.

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Get Hot and Fit: Beachbody’s Insanity

How’s your weekend been, Hots and Fits?

Yesterday was a crazy day here! Despite the fact that I do not celebrate Christmas, I totally get sucked in the festives! I was at the mall for about 5 hours yesterday! Phew, so exhausting!

The snow situation is still the same here. As a matter of fact, its not getting any better, and neither are my nerves. I am trying to convince one of my home dwellers to help me stick the screws in my shoes but he says he has a feeling they will end up penetrating my foot and that’s a nasty picture. Heck yea, it is.

So, I told you before how I did two of the P90X workouts in the last couple of days, and while reading Katie’s blog, I noticed she was doing the Insanity workouts.

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Never heard of them before, but I thought I would look into them and see whether I should give it a shot. Many of the DVDs had the word “cardio” written on them, and I am such a cardio whore, I had to give this a try.

It is supposed to be a 60-Day Total Body Conditioning Program which consists of 10 workouts.

Here is a list of the workouts included:

1. Dig Deeper & Fit Test
2. Plyometric Cardio Circuit
3. Cardio Power & Resistance
4. Cardio Recovery
5. Pure Cardio & Abs
6. Cardio Abs
7. Core Cardio & Balance
8. Max Interval Circuit
9. Max Interval Plyo
10. Max Cardio Conditioning & Abs

Basically, this is a 2-month program that is pretty hard core.

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The thing that bums me is that I know I would not be able to stick to it for 2 whole months. I suppose I could overcome the bordem factor but the crucial factor is the fact that I want to run.

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Shaun T, the instructor, is a really nice and very good looking in my opinion, I like him more than the Tony Horton from P90X.

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I just did the Fit Test today, which is the first part of the program. I briefly skimmed through it last night, and it looked hard. However, doing it was insanely hard!

Here are my results (this is a 25 minute workouts including warm up, 1 minute for each drill, 1 minute resting between drills, and finally a cool down:

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Again – this was hard. My HR sky-rocketed to about 196 BPM during some of these exercises. And I put myself in a high place whenever fitness endurance is considered (that’s actually a lie, I am not that tough…)

I am supposed to do this test again in two weeks. If I were to stick to the program, I should see some serious changes. Anyways, it does not look like the snow will melt in the next day or so, thus I shall probably do another one of these workouts tomorrow.

Peace out, I am off on a cleaning mission!

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Get Hot and Fit: Rodeo Grounds Full Body Workout

Since we reside within the European Union, the whole concept of Rodeo grounds for the purpose of working out seems completely awesome yet impossible. Okay, so we could head to Spain, but no working out would be allowed – its a tourist site!

This is why we were so fascinated by this article, and decided to bring it up here!

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So why is the Rodeo so special? Because it’s all there. No gym necessary, no equipment.

The steps make for a perfect obstacle.

The track around the rodeo arena is generally smooth and an easy jog

And sometimes you’ll be lucky enough to find some trails only yards away for a quick trail lap or short bike ride.

Here are two sweaty workouts for you to try! You should repeat each routine 2 to 4 times. Short on time? Aim to get 30 minutes in!

Workout #1

  • One lap around rodeo grounds, about half a mile
  • 50 step jumps on stairs – leap from the bottom of the stands to the first step and then either back down or continuing up.
  • 50 triceps dips
  • Slow and continuous lunge up to top of stairs, pulse for 10 counts – after reaching the top, “pulse” for 10 counts by doing 10 more lunges without actually taking any more steps.
  • 25 decline push-up
  • 50 one-legged squats on each side
  • Static squat, one minute – on a step or on the flat ground, pull into a squatting position, sticking the butt out at as far as you can for 60 seconds.
  • 50 crunches
  • Slow lunge up to the top with an oblique twist at each alternate step
  • 100 mountain climbers – from the base of the steps, hunch over and extend your arms to the front of the first step so your body is arched. Then, without moving your hands, leap and put one foot forward and the other back. Leap again and switch them. Two down, 98 to go.
  • Take a five-minute trail run lap around trails above rodeo stairs.

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Workout #2

  • One lap around rodeo grounds
  • 50 step jumps
  • 50 jumping jacks
  • Plank 1 minute – hold pushup position
  • 50 squats
  • 50 calf raises on stairs
  • Sprint up to top of the stairs and run down in the middle twice
  • Lunge to top of steps, pulse for 10 at top, run down in middle
  • 100 bunny hop side to side
  • 50 crunches
  • Run a five-minute trail lap

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Source: Steamboat Pilot & Today

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Get Hot and Fit: Brook Shields’ Guns

Here is another celebrity who credits YOGA to be doing miracles with their body tone: Brooke Shields says her yoga moves help her maintain her gorgeous guns!

Although the actual moves are not provided (ha, no surprise there!) here are some recommendations:

Yoga

Self recommends doing the chattaranga pose which tones the triceps

yc For detailed instructions, head over to the FitSugar site.

Tracy Anderson

Oh, you know we love her. She should totally be our BFF!

Anyways, either head over here to see our Exercise in Pictures of Tracy Anderson’s arm workout or check out this video!

 

 

 

[Source: Self]

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Gabrielle Reece: The Best Abs and Core Moves Part 2

So here is the continuation of our Part 1 (from yesterday, head over there now if you missed it!)

Oh, and we should mention that Gabby does not specify how many reps and sets should be performed. So since we have tried these, we will indicate how many we have done.

Good Old-Fashioned Sit-up

Lie on ground, and slide feet flat on the floor until your knees are bent. Place palms of hands under your head for support. Contract stomach and gently lift head and torso up, pause, and lower back down slowly.

 
Tip: Do not pull your head up (strains the neck), and only go up as safely as your tummy can bring you. To make it easier, straighten out your legs.

Get Hot and Fit: 1 set of 50 reps
Leg Raises

(or Supported Leg Raises)
Lie flat on the ground, place hands out to your sides, tighten your stomach and raise legs up to vertical. Hold for 1 second then lower back down using your stomach muscles to control the speed. To support your back, slide your hands under your glutes.

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Tip: Control your tempo and if you can only do 3 the first day, great. Good form and safety are key. These are wonderful for your lower belly.

Get Hot and Fit: 3 sets of 25 reps

On-side Oblique Crunch

Lay on your side with knees bent, arm closest to the floor straight out in front of you and your other arm behind your head. Curl your upper body up toward your feet while raising legs. Lower to start and repeat. Activate the move with the idea that you are trying to squeeze your ribs to your hips.

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Tip: After the other moves this will feel like a gift. Make sure to squeeze your oblique (side tummy area) and DO NOT jerk your neck or head.

Get Hot and Fit: 1 set of 50 reps per side
Straight Arm Overhead Bend

Stand with arms straight over your head, slowly lean to one side contracting your abs. Hold for a few seconds. Stretch up to the start, and then bend toward the other side. Repeat.

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Tip: This move is about keeping the length in the body. Take your time, and breath through this exercise. Think about lengthening your waist from both sides as you bend over.

Get Hot and Fit: 1 set of 50 reps (25 per side)
1 Leg Touch Crunch

Lie on ground, raise one leg straight up towards ceiling. Clasp hands together and reach up, pulsing up towards feet. Lower back down slowly and repeat.

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Tip: Fight the urge to pull your head and neck. Concentrate on great form and just reach towards your feet, using your stomach muscles, as high as you can.

Get Hot and Fit: 3 sets of 25 reps per leg
Open Leg Pulse

Lie on ground, bring legs in so feet touch each other flat, knees out to the side. Clasp hands together straight over your stomach, lift head slightly and pulse hands towards feet. Try to make your head, neck and belly all move as one towards the wall.

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Tip: Give your abs nice, controlled squeezes and and lower yourself under control. This way you will be working the muscle from top to bottom of the move and strengthening your neck as well.

Get Hot and Fit: 3 set of 25 reps
Swivel Heel Touch

Lie on ground, feet flat on the floor. Lift head and torso off the ground and swivel side to side with straight arms touching each heel. As you touch your heals from side to side think about being as long in your body as you can and then folding over to reach. Squeeze those oblique’s and continue to be diligent about your neck. 

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Tip: Our heads are heavy so by the time you get here you neck will be a little fatigued. A great trick someone showed me was to push your tongue to the roof of your mouth before beginning the exercise and it will activate your neck muscles to help support your head.

Get Hot and Fit: 1 set of 50 reps
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