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I have good news and bad news for you Fitness Friday lovers. The bad news is that I don't have new workout for you today. The good news is that I want to give you more of what you want! My Fitness Friday workouts have ranged from little challenges that you can incorporate into your workouts to shorter high intensity interval training workouts to longer full body workouts. I want to know what you like best! Take a second to vote and let me know what you want to see! And don't forget, you can always access my Fitness Friday workouts by clicking HERE.
What is Tabata you ask? Just like HIIT, Tabata incorporates periods of work with periods of rest. During the period of work, you work at 100% intensity (maintaining proper form of course), then you partially recover during a short rest. The fact that you never "fully" recover is part of what makes this workout so effective. Typically the "work" period is 20 seconds and the "rest" period is only half of that or 10 seconds. This type of exercise was discovered by the Japanese researcher Izumi Tabata, who was known for his work with Olympic speedskaters. Tabata's research showed both aerobic and anaerobic benefits from this type of exercise. For HIIT workouts, you're typically doing high-impact moves that are more "cardio", but for a tabata workout, you can do strength exercises as well as cardio exercises. Due to the high intensity nature of the workout, tabata workouts are typically shorter than a traditional workout. You can use the Tabata protocol with almost any exercise, but lucky for you I put one together for you! The traditional tabata workout is designed to do the same exercise for the whole workout, but what is the fun in that? The first section is four cardio exercises, and the second section is four strength exercises, but don't worry - I squeezed some burpees in there too. Grab your stopwatch (or your favorite interval timer app) and let's go! Notes about this workout:
Tabata Cardio20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for each move, twice (total = 4 minutes) Burpee45 seconds of work, 15 seoncds of rest, one time through (total = 1 minute) Tabata Strength20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for each move, twice (total = 4 minutes) Have you ever done a Tabata workout?
When teaching a class, especially high-energy classes like my Body Blitz class, I often demonstrate low-impact options for people who may have injuries or are just beginning a workout program. While most exercises can be modified to be low impact, I recently got a request for a whole low impact workout from my friend Lauren's mom. So today, I bring you FitYaf's Fitness Friday LOW IMPACT HIIT Workout. Low impact exercise is a type of exercise where the amount of stress placed upon the joints of your knees, hips and ankles is relatively minimal. Often times this translates to never having more that one foot off the ground at a time. However, it can also refer to something like swimming, which is a great example of low impact exercise that is often chosen by athletes who have suffered a stress fracture. The athlete is still able to participate in cardiovascular exercise, without putting a large amount of weight on the injured body part. Last week I posted a high-intensity interval training or HIIT workout, and explained the benefits of combining high intensity intervals with short periods of rest for the benefit of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. The good news? Low-impact exercises can be part of a great HIIT workout too - and that's what I have for you today! This workout plan was designed to help you push yourself to your max without doing any jumps. You don’t need equipment or a lot of space. Low Impact Exercises *from Shape.com Begin by walking or doing the elliptical for 5 minutes. Then, go through the exercises 1-8, doing each one for 50 seconds, as fast as you can while maintaining proper form, and resting for 10 seconds before continuing on to the next move. For your rest, grab a drink if you need to or march in place (just don't sit down). The 5th exercise (lunges) is a 2-for-1, since you'll have to do it once on each side! Once you're finished the 8th exercise, repeat 1-8 again two more times. Including a stretch at the end, this whole workout should take about 35 minutes. 1. Squat2. Reach-through
3. No-jump burpee
4. Plank extension5. Lunge (once through on each side)
6. No-jump tuck
7. Skaters
8. Plank extension (repeat #4) Do you prefer low-impact workouts?
In early May, I decided to try Sean T’s Insanity 60 Day Program. Let me tell you, the program is aptly named. The only way I could describe the workouts were by using the word, “Insane.” However, I survived the 60 days and can now be officially be called “Insane” (though I’ve been called that unofficially for various other reasons long before). What were your goals before starting the program? I chose Insanity to get ready for summer and to challenge myself physically. Also, I was in one of those exercise ruts where I needed a change of routine. I learned that before officially starting the Insanity workout plan, Insanity has you complete a fit test and record your results. This test will be repeated 4 more times throughout the 60 day program. You are given a minute to complete as many reps of various cardio and strength moves as you possibly can. I recall being overconfident and considering skipping the fit test and diving in. I’m happy I took the fit test because it gave me quite the reality check. My goal then became to get through the fit test without slowing down or stopping during the minute intervals. Also, the competitor in my wanted to have more reps logged than Sean T’s "teacher’s pets" that were featured on the DVD. How did you enjoy the workouts? The workouts and I had a love-hate relationship, which for me is what I need and crave. I loved feeling accomplished when I completed the challenging workouts. Then I despised how out of shape they initially made me feel. Though Sean T reminded you to go at your own pace, I felt the need to keep up with him, which was not possible for me for some exercises. The workouts would repeat throughout the weeks and the exercises that I dreaded did become easier to complete as I became conditioned to the program and what it demanded from your body. The workouts all begin with a 10 minute cardio warm-up and are followed by a 7 minute stretch before starting the circuits. In the beginning of my Insanity journey the stretching segment felt too long for me as I just wanted to keep my heart rate up and power through the program. As the DVDs got progressively harder, I looked forward to those long stretches. I really enjoyed Sean T’s different ways to work your abs. Without any crunches, he gets the job done. All in all, I enjoyed the workouts. What was the most challenging part? The most challenging part of Insanity for me personally was the push-up component and the power jumps. The push-up sets were part of plank circuits, so your arms are already screaming before you get to the push-ups. Sean T’s push-up speed was also much faster than mine so I was really pushing myself to get faster. Additionally, the power jumps were tiring but also difficult for me because I had to really focus on my form. I tend to have lower back issues and had to really remember to tighten my core and land gently.
Have you ever tried the Insanity workout program?
While I fully recommend the entire Insanity program, I've put together an "Insane" workout for you to try at home - no equipment necessary! Just turn up your music, set your interval timer & GO! Notes about this workout:
Do each exercise for 30 seconds, then without stopping, move on to the next exercise. This will take 2 minutes to do all 4 exercises in each set. When you've completed one set, take a 30 second break and repeat the same set so that you do each set a total of three times. When you've completed a set 3 times, move onto the next set. This whole workout should take about 30 minutes start to finish, including stretching at the end.
Stretch This workout has a lot of plyometrics that is going to work your legs! Be sure to give them a good stretch when you're done, making sure to target your quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes and IT band. Don't forget your upper body too! What did you think? Can you feel the afterburn? P90x 3 (coming soon)
Shakeology Combo BoxShakeology Taste Sampler
Notes about this workout:
Warmup Do each for for one minute, as fast as you can:
Resistance Training, SET 1
Cardio, SET 1
Resistance Training, SET 2
Cardio, SET 2
Challenge Burpee pushup challenge - 8 push-up burpees, increasing the number of push-ups with every rep Core
Stretch What did you think of the workout? Hey there Yaffies! I've got some good and bad news for you guys. Well, really it's good news for me and bad news for you, but hopefully you'll forgive me. Tomorrow, I'm leeeeea-ving, on a jet plane! That's right, tomorrow I'm beginning a 2-week long adventure with my family. We'll be touring in Austria, where my father's parents were born! I can't wait to trade in my lab coat and gloves for some sunglasses and a camera! While I'll be away from my normal fitness routine, I hope to be able to squeeze in some workouts while I'm there. So, instead of a workout for today's Fitness Friday, I thought this would be a great time to share with you some of my tips for 'keeping up with your fitness' while traveling. Depending on your travel circumstances, you can't always do all of these, but even if you adopt just one of these tips the next time you travel, you might find the whole 'getting back to your regular schedule' part a little more enjoyable when you return. You might also find that these tips might help make your travel more enjoyable as well! Just don't forget your workout clothes! While I'm away, I may or may not be able to post - I've got some great guest blog posts ready to go, but I'm relying wifi for internet access, so I can't guarantee anything. I'll miss you guys while I'm gone, but I also have some exciting things in store for you when I get back. If you're itching for a workout - all of the Fitness Friday workouts are listed on my site! If you're doing a FitYaf workout - be sure to post on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #FitYafFitnessFriday - I'll be looking! 1. Use your feet as your mode of transportation whenever you can2. If you're a runner, go for a run!
3. Rent a bike4. Bring workout DVDs
5. Pack some resistance bands
6. Find a gym
7. Bring a water bottle
8. Ditch the idea of breakfast, lunch & dinner
What do you do to keep up with your fitness while traveling? Over the years, I have tried many things in the fitness world - I'd like to say I've done it all, but can you believe I've never taken a Zumba class? I know I'd love it - it just hasn't happened yet. There are many other things on my fitness bucket list, but only so many hours in the day. When given the choice, I prefer the group exercise setting. The energy in the room always pushes me to work harder and give 100% to the workout, but I know group fitness is not for everyone. Lately, I've notice the rise in what I like to call "boutique" gyms - studios offering one type of group fitness class, such as spinning, yoga or even pole dancing! It got me thinking - if people are going to these boutique gyms, are they not joining a "regular" or soon to be "old-fashioned" gym anymore? You know, the gym with the treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, weight lifting machines, free weights, group fitness studios and, if you're lucky, an indoor basketball court and a pool. I recently took classes at Row Zone and Body Cycle in Philadelphia, and I had to sign up for these classes ahead of time (in some cases DAYS before the class). While I generally stick to the same gym schedule each week, I know there are people that tend to fit in a workout when they have the time. For those people, what good is a class that is full by the time you decide you have the time to go? I'm wondering - how & where do people prefer to workout? Full Gym - "one stop shopping"
Boutique (specialty) gym
Limited-time class
Home exercise videos
Home gym
Outside
We all have different lifestyles, schedules, family circumstances and personalities, which all contribute to how we make time to get in our workouts, but I'm curious - how do you prefer to get your sweat on? What influences your decision? |
Jillian [FitYaf]fitness enthusiast. Archives
February 2015
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To my readers, please note this website and blog is for educational and informational purposes only. For medical advice, dietary restrictions, and/or medical diagnosis, and before beginning any diet and/or exercise program, please consult a doctor or healthcare professional.
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