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FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary

6/20/2014

2 Comments

 
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary
Tomorrow marks the first day of summer, which is also my 1-year Blogiversary (check out my first blog post ever)! Although my blogging has been a little sporadic lately, I thought I'd update you all on how things are going over here at FitYaf!  I first started this blog after running a "100 days till summer" Challenge Group.  There were so many great things that came out of the challenge - I wanted a place to share it beyond my group.

What has my fitness been like lately?

When 2014 rolled around, I set myself some fitness goals for the year.  I was very happy with everything I achieved in 2013, and was looking forward to what 2014 had in store.  I also had some personal (non fitness related goals), and if you follow be on Instagram or Twitter, you might already know that my husband and I are expecting our first child in October of this year! While I planned to be (and to this day still am) very active throughout my whole pregnancy, I quickly decided that maybe this year was not the year for these goals.  After talking to my doctor, I got the go ahead to continue exercising (and teaching fitness classes), but as far as pushing myself beyond my current fitness level - I just didn't feel comfortable doing that.  I did manage to hit one of those goals about a week before I got pregnant, so I can check off "run a 5k in under 25 minutes".
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary
Once I found out I was pregnant, I was a little scared to keep up with my workouts, specifically running.  My running workouts were typically completed in the early hours of the morning, and while I was very lucky in the "morning sickness" department, I still didn't feel great in the mornings.  At first I did try to keep up with my "1000 miles in 2014" goal, running 91 miles in January, 84 miles in February and 74 miles in March, but tracking the miles was putting a lot of pressure on me, so I decided to save this goal for 2015.  As it turns out, at around 14 weeks, I developed some pelvic pain that has pretty much stopped all running for the time being.  I was able to run the Philly Love Run in March, and although I didn't train to hit my "under 1 hour and 50 minutes" goal, I finished the race (came in at about 2 hours and 10 minutes) and felt AMAZING!
Not running has given me more time to try out other workouts, or spend more time doing the workouts I was already doing. I'm spending more time with Insanity (about 2 times/week) and Melissa Bender workouts (about once/week).  I've also been able to continue teaching 3 classes/week (boot camp, Bodypump and step aerobics).  Sometimes it takes a little extra creativity to motivate the class when my own energy is dragging, but I'm up for the challenge.  I'm also BEYOND excited to start Chalene Johnson's BRAND NEW AT HOME PiYo workout program.  I just ordered mine yesterday, and I think it's going to be a great way to add some variety to my fitness.  PiYo is an amazing workout that previously was only available in select gyms, but now you can order your own at a HUGE discount (while supplies last).  This program is a mix between Pilates and Yoga and helps build lean muscle!  Think - fast hot yoga but with the air conditioning on and awesome music playing!
 
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary - PiYo
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary




So for now, I'm still working out about 6 times/week and loving this whole pregnancy journey.  I'm taking it day by day without any expectations.  I'm trying my best not to worry about every workout or every pound gained, and I look forward to revisiting my 2014 goals next year!

What have I been blogging about?

Over the past year, my blog posts have covered topics from recipes to healthy habits to workouts and more!  Below are my top 5 blog posts:
  1. Confessions of a group exercise instructor
  2. Everything you need to know about P90x3
  3. Friends of FitYaf - How I Became a Fitness Blogger: Melissa Bender Fitness
  4. Working out with friends & 7 other habits of highly fit people
  5. FitYaf's Fitness Friday Low Impact HIIT Workout
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary
My readers come from all over the world, but here are the top 5 cities where people love FitYaf:


  1. Philadelphia
  2. New York
  3. Chicago
  4. Minneapolis
  5. Los Angeles
Picture
And finally, here are the top 5 blog posts that people find through searching on Google:
  1. Everything you need to know about P90x3
  2. Philadelphia Art Museum Workout
  3. FitYaf's Fitness Friday Low Impact HIIT Workout
  4. Life Fitness Synrgy360 Training @ Pottruck - training in all planes & asymmetric loading
  5. FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout

What is coming in the future?

In the immediate future, I have two Challenge Groups starting soon: a Shaun T boot camp and a PiYo boot camp.  You can email me if you have any questions or if you're interested in joining on of these.
FitYaf's 1 Year Blogiversary
I do have some exciting product reviews, giveaways and recipes, coming your way this summer, and I'm going to be posting some more Fitness Friday Workouts.  I'm not signed up for any races, and I don't plan to race again until next year.  I look forward to the second half of my pregnancy and of course meeting my baby fitness guru in October!
What do you want to see more of on FitYaf.com?  Have you had experience working out through a pregnancy?
2 Comments

FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

12/2/2013

1 Comment

 
It's December, and the holiday season is upon us!  Some people are already done their holiday shopping - overachievers! For the rest of us, we're now frantically trying to get our lists together.  If you have a fitness lover on your list, I have some great suggestions for you.  Also, scroll down for some great Cyber Monday deals (I'll be updating these throughout the day, so be sure to check back).
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

Under $25

FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

1. Lululemon Headband

This headband stays in place while running - PROMISE!  And it will keep the sweat out of your eyes!
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

2. Beachbody Weighted Gloves

Increase the intensity of your cardio workouts and get lean, toned arms and shoulders!
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

3. CamelBak Water Bottle

Leak/spillproof - Perfect for carrying around!
 
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

4. Bulu Box Subscription

It's healthy at your doorstep, month after month. Subscriptions starting at only $5 for one month!  Use the coupon code BULUGAN547 for 50% off!
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

5. Under Armour Headbands

Great for holding your hair back at the gym!

Under $50

FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

6. Brookstone Power Charger for Smart Phones and iPods

You'll never have to run music free again (unless you want to)!
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

7. Lululemon Running Gloves

Reflective & warm, plus you can use them on your touch screen!
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

8. Under Armour ColdGear Compression Leggings

Keeps you warm when running in colder temperatures!  Can be a base layer for the REALLY cold too!
 
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

9. Beachbody Foam Roller

Specially designed for self-myofascial release, an intense form of sports massage.  It's the do-it-yourself massage!
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

10. Beachbody Stability Ball

This baby targets everything—your abs, back, chest, arms, thighs, legs, and buns. 
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

11. Beachbody Resistance Bands

Just as effective as free weights, resistance bands are much more portable and convenient, so you can work out anytime, anywhere.

Under $100

FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

12. Polar Heart Rate Monitor

Helps track fitness progress and the number of calories burned!
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

13. Bulu Box Gift Set

Gift sets from health and fitness companies at a discounted price!

Under $200

FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

14. Garmin Forerunner

Tracks distance, pace and calories!  It also identifies your personal records and provides motivation along the way.
FitYaf's Holiday Gift Guide for Fitness Lovers & Cyber Monday Links

15. TRX Rip Trainer

This small but mighty rip trainer can help improve core strength, flexibility, and endurance.

Cyber Monday Deals

Free shipping and tons of deals on The Clymb

40% off certain shoes and apparel at Altitude Running

Free Shipping on orders over $50 at Brooks Running

20% off Buzzy therapuetic messager at Buzzy

25% off and free shipping at Sports Authority

30% off and free shipping at ENDEVR

Lots of 20% off deals at Athleta

Free shipping at Nike with the code JUSTDOIT [also, you can get 25% off clearance items with the code MOVEMORE]

30% off at Old Navy with the code CYBER [lots of workout clothes!]

Up to $40 off and free shipping at Adidas with the code CYBER

30% off your entire purchase at Reebok

25% off and free shipping at Dick's Sporting Goods


What's the best Cyber Monday deal you've purchased?
Follow @FitYaf
1 Comment

FitYaf's Fitness Friday Workout - Body Blitz Style

10/25/2013

4 Comments

 
We all know that Step Aerobics is my "soulmate" workout, but my Body Blitz class gives me energy in a much different way. For a full hour, we sweat together, we grunt together, we sometimes even laugh together.  Each week I try to come up with new and challenging moves, and each week, my participants destroy the workout.  Today's Fitness Friday workout is another Body Blitz style workout, guaranteed to get your heart rate up and your energy blazing!
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Workout - Body Blitz Style
Here are some other Body Blitz style workouts:
  • No equipment necessary
  • BOSU
  • Dumbbell
Notes about this workout:
  • Some of the moves in this workout are high-impact.  Please feel free to modify the workout to make them low-impact if necessary.
  • If you're unsure about any of the movements, check out the videos linked to the name of the exercise or google them before you start the workout.  You don't want to lose momentum, stopping after every exercise to look up how to do them.
  • The warmup and cardio sections of this workout are designed to do in a set amount of time.  This means that you'll work at your maximum level (as hard and as fast as you can) during this part of the workout.  Sometimes this might mean that you'll slow down, but as long as you're still feeling challenged, you'll benefit from the workout!
  • The resistance training sections of this workout are designed to complete a set amount of reps.  Be sure not to rush these movements and perform them in a controlled manner.  Choose your weights so that you can complete the workout, but it is still challenging for you!
  • Rest in between sets if needed, but no more than 1 minute!
  • Be sure to stretch at the end of the workout.  Check out some post-workout stretches from Health.com.

Warmup

Do each for for one minute, as fast as you can:
  • Jumping jacks
  • Squat jumps (jump out into a squat, about halfway down, then jump back up to standing)
  • High knees
  • Jump rope side to side (use an imaginary rope, moving both feet together, jumping side to side about 1-2 feet)
  • Out & in (jump both feet out, then back in, knees slightly bent)

Resistance Training, SET 1

  • Uneven squats - keep your weight evenly distributed between both heels (25 each side)
  • Side raise with rotation - brace your abs to keep your torso still (20)
  • Abductors with weight behind knee - On your back, put one dumbbell behind each knee.  Position your knees over your hips and keep the insides of your feet touching.  Open your knees, keeping the insides of your feet touching, then close them, (30) 
  • Upright row to overhead press (20) 

Cardio, SET 1

Do each for for one minute, as fast as you can:
  • High knees
  • Box jumps
  • Alternating spider lunges
  • Forward and back frog jumps
  • Side to side floor hops 
 
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Workout - Body Blitz Style

Resistance Training, SET 2

  • Squats with heel lift (30) 
  • Overhead tricep extension - keep your biceps by your ears and elbows pointing forward (25) 
  • Standing abductors with weight behind knee - try holding the dumbbell behind your knee  (25 each side) 
  • Bicep circles - With your dumbbells in your hands, bring them up to a half-bicep curl so that your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.  Keeping one arm stationary, make small circles with the other hand.  Do four circles before moving to the other hand. (15 sets of 4, each side) 

Cardio, SET 2

Do each for for one minute, as fast as you can:

  • Sprint in place 
  • Basketball jumps (180 turn), 30 seconds each direction
  • Mountain climbers 
  • Ice skaters 
  • Tuck jumps 
 
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Workout - Body Blitz Style

Body Blitz Burpee Challenge

Core

  • V-sit extensions (20)
  • Low plank knee tap - Hold low plank so that your shoulders are over your elbows (neck in line with spine).  Gently tap your knees to the floor and return to plank position. (90 seconds) 
  • Cheek to cheek plank - @ 40 seconds in the video (90 seconds) 
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Workout - Body Blitz Style

Stretch

FitYaf's Fitness Friday Workout - Body Blitz Style
4 Comments

FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout

10/18/2013

2 Comments

 
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:
  • Some of the moves in this workout are high-impact.  Please feel free to modify the workout to make them low-impact if necessary.
  • This workout is designed in an ON/OFF format.  When you are ON, you want to give the exercise EVERYTHING you've got.  When you're OFF, walk around and keep your feet moving.
  • The whole workout once through is 9 minutes (4 minutes cardio, 1 minute burpees and 4 minutes strength).  Start with a little warm-up (walking/jogging) to get your muscles warm.  Challenge yourself and try and go for a second round!
  • Be sure to stretch at the end of the workout.  Check out some post-workout stretches from Health.com.

Tabata Cardio

20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for each move, twice (total = 4 minutes)
high knees
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout - high knees
gymbodylife.com
mountain climbers
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout - mountain climbers
oprah.com
switch
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout - switch kick
kicks
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout - switch kick
duniafitness.com
jump squats
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout - jump squat
womenshealthmag.com

Burpee

45 seconds of work, 15 seoncds of rest, one time through (total = 1 minute)
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout - burpee
dailymovesandgrooves.wordpress.com

Tabata Strength

20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for each move, twice (total = 4 minutes)
push-ups
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout - pushup
womenshealthmag.com
sit-ups
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout - situp
fitstudio.com
squats
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout - squat
running.competitor.com
plank
 
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout - plank
womenshealthmag.com
FitYaf's Fitness Friday Tabata Workout
Have you ever done a Tabata workout?
2 Comments

Friends of FitYaf - Ellen stays healthy with Crohn's disease and gluten & lactose intolerances

9/30/2013

3 Comments

 
I met Ellen in grad school, where we both did some pretty awesome regenerative medicine research.  With a lot more time on my hands (many moons ago), Ellen and I enjoyed sharing home-baked goods with the lab.  She is also the friend who took my to me very first group fitness class, which I talk about in "How I Became a Group Fitness Instructor", so in some ways, I have her to thank for my love of group fitness!!  Ellen has struggled with some dietary restrictions recently, but is happy and healthy and now a mom to a beautiful baby girl!  Read below to hear her story.
Friends of FitYaf - Ellen stays healthy with Crohn's disease and gluten & lactose intolerances
Ellen and I at a Biomaterials conference in Amsterdam (2008)
I’d been vegetarian for a long time and vegan for a few years when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disease which in my case affects the intestines. Sometimes the disease can be managed by dietary adjustments, so I kept a food diary and learned that in addition to being lactose intolerant (a non-issue with a vegan diet), I was also gluten intolerant. It was tough to come to terms with this new dietary restriction since I love my cupcakes and cookies, but I’ve been pleased to find that there are companies out there catering to diets like mine (shout out to BabyCakes and Liz Lovely for their yummy vegan gluten-free sweets!), and my husband and I work wonders in our own kitchen. Even with a very restricted diet, it’s not that hard to eat healthy and keep your diet interesting, too!

The Celiac Disease Foundation is a great resource about gluten-free diets. I now do a lot of label reading when we go grocery shopping, because gluten shows up in many unexpected places, such as soy sauce and Twizzlers! I’m also on the look-out for animal-derived ingredients like chicken fat that sneak into soups and seasoned rice, and gelatin in marshmallows and Skittles. Milk ingredients even creep into otherwise “safe” foods like flavored rice cakes. Luckily, since gluten and dairy are such common problem foods, they are usually listed in bold on food labels. I’ve also loosened up on the veganism, since sometimes it’s really nice to be able to eat convenience foods that might contain some egg (like gluten-free bread, bagels, and yes, cookies). Enough about the cookies though, the main things I focus on to stay healthy are probably similar to anyone else’s, with or without dietary restrictions: eating a variety of protein sources, veggies, fruits, and making sure I get enough calcium, iron, omega 3s, and vitamin B12. Since vitamin B12 is only found in animal sources, I take a supplement for that one, and a daily multivitamin.

Friends of FitYaf - Ellen stays healthy with Crohn's disease and gluten & lactose intolerances
Ellen and her baby girl

I recently had a delightful baby girl, and while I was pregnant I needed to add an iron supplement to my routine as well. Other than that, my usual eating habits (with an effort to get a little more protein and calcium, often via chocolate soymilk and fortified orange juice) were fine for pregnancy and breastfeeding! One interesting thing I learned from a nutritionist during my pregnancy, while trying to maximize my iron and calcium intake, is that these two minerals compete for absorbance in your body! So it was important for me to allow at least an hour between eating iron-rich foods and calcium-rich foods.
So what do I eat? At the grocery store, our staples include all sorts of vegetables (I usually eat them cooked since that keeps my Crohn’s happier), avocados, tomatoes, bananas, cherries, hummus, beans (chickpeas, black beans, refried beans, and lentils are my favorites), salsa, barbeque sauce, nutritional yeast, tofu, tempeh, veggie burgers, soy yogurt, peanut butter, rice, quinoa, gluten-free pasta, gluten-free pizza dough, almond cheese, almond milk, chocolate soymilk, cereal, and oatmeal. With these ingredients and an extensive spice collection, we cook a lot of great stuff, like pizza, tempeh tacos, cauliflower poppers, Indian and Thai curries, sweet potato roasties, rice and beans, burritos, roasted Brussels sprouts, soup… even macaroni and cheese is possible (and delicious) if you get creative! Going out to eat can be tricky. I usually need to check the menu beforehand, but rice-based cultures (Indian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese) are usually a good bet, as are natural foods-type restaurants and other hip places. While I can eat at lots of restaurants without incident, keep in mind that your friends with Celiac Disease can be so sensitive to gluten that they can’t even eat at restaurants that have gluten present in the kitchen!

I’m a believer that different diets work for different people – we all have different sensitivities. But I’ve made the most of what works for my body, and have felt great the last few years. Despite taking immune suppressants to help manage my Crohn’s, I haven’t had a cold in at least five years, so I must be doing something right!

Do you have any dietary restrictions? Are there any foods that have strong effects (positive or negative) on your health?

Although Ellen has taken a backseat to blogging since becoming a mom, you can check out some of her great recipes on her blog With a Little Luck.
3 Comments

FitYaf's Fitness Friday treadmill workout: How far can you run in 30 minutes?

9/20/2013

1 Comment

 
After the Pittsburgh marathon and a well deserved week or so off from running, I was ready to get back in the game, yet I was lost without a training schedule.  I didn't want to start yet another training program, but I wanted to be able to keep running and progress with my speed.  While I value speed workouts, I don't like to do more than one/week, so I invented a little game for myself called HOW FAR CAN YOU RUN IN 30 MINUTES?  My weekday morning runs are typically on a treadmill, where it's very easy to control my speed.  Below is a breakdown of my workout, which I do 2-3 times/week.  I go up in total distance 0.01 miles almost every time I do the workout.  That might not sound like a lot, but that's about 0.1 miles/month and a whole quarter of a mile in less than three months!
Notes about this workout:
  • It's suggested that you start at a comfortable speed.  This doesn't mean it can't be challenging, just something you know you can do.  If you'd like, try out your comfortable 30-minute run a few times before getting started.
  • The breakdown for the workout is a semi-aggressive way to approach this.  If you need to, break each mile down in 0.2 miles (or even 0.1 miles), that is okay!  You'll still progress and get faster!  You may also want to start out with the breakdown below, but as you get faster, make smaller changes.
  • Feel free to repeat any of these before moving on to the next.
  • Warm-up with about 5 minutes of walking or light jogging before starting the workout.
  • Don't forget to stretch when you're done!  Check out active.com for some great post-run stretches.
FitYaf's Fitness Friday treadmill workout: How far can you run in 30 minutes?
In 4 months, I went from 3.30 miles to 3.60 miles.  Even better, I'm noticing progress in my longer run speeds too!  Post below with YOUR progress!
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Fitness Friday - Gym Rat workout

9/6/2013

0 Comments

 
I love great workouts that you can do with no equipment - running outside and body-weight exercises are great examples. No matter where you are, you can do these workouts, leaving you with very few excuses for not working out.  I was able to do some outside running and hotel-room exercises while I was in Austria and Germany for two weeks, but by the time I got back I realized I REALLY missed working out with other people.  As you know, I'm a group-fitness fanatic, but sometimes even being in the gym with other people is enough interaction to motivate me to work harder and get STRONGER!  For this reason, I bring you today's 'Gym Rat workout' for Fitness Friday!  If you have this equipment in your basement, well then - you beat the system...  Otherwise, get to the gym and SWEAT!
Notes about this workout:
  • This workout alternates cardio with resistance training. You can make the cardio section as high or low impact as you want.
  • The resistance training portion of the workout involves using a barbell - this doesn't have to be a lot of weight, just something you're comfortable lifting, but is still challenging.  You can even use body bars.
  • Be sure to stretch at the end of the workout.  Check out some post-workout stretches from Health.com.
  • The workout as written should take about 10 minutes to do - you can repeat it as many times as you want to match you fitness ability (suggested repetitions below)
  • If you're unsure about any of the movements, check out the videos linked to the name of the exercise or google them before you start the workout.  You want to be able to do this workout all the way through without stopping to look something up.

CARDIO

5 minutes cardio (choose one)
  • Treadmill
  • Stationary bike
  • Elliptical
  • Rowing

RESISTANCE

20 upright rows with barbell
5 push-up burpees
1 minute plank
20 side hip-ups (on each side)
20 back squats with barbell
20 tricep dips with barbell on lap
20 bicep curls with barbell
40 lunges (alternating) with barbell on back
Repeat the cardio section followed by the resistance section:
  • Beginner - 2x
  • Internediate - 3x
  • Advanced - 4x
FitYaf's gym-rat workout
How did you like this workout?  How many rounds did you do?
0 Comments

Summer Fling HIIT Fitness Friday Workout

8/9/2013

0 Comments

 
A summer fling doesn't last that long, and neither does this Fitness Friday workout.  In today's society, we pack our schedules full and barely have the time to fit it all in, but that doesn't mean you have to skip your workout.  Check out this full body high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout that you can do in just 30 minutes!
Picture
Notes about this workout:
  • This workout alternates high energy cardio with some resistance training.  If you are working out indoors and don't have access to a treadmill, substitute high knees for the sprint.
  • Some of the moves in this workout are high-impact.  Please feel free to modify the workout to make them low-impact if necessary.
  • This workout is designed in a '2 minutes ON/30 seconds OFF' format.  When you are ON, you want to give the exercise EVERYTHING you've got.  When you're OFF, grab a drink, wipe your sweat, but walk around and keep your feet moving.  The OFF section of the workout comes after each 2 minute block of work.
  • Be sure to stretch at the end of the workout.  Check out some post-workout stretches from Health.com.
  • The first part of each set is 2 minutes of pure cardio.  The second part of each set is broken up into 4 exercises - do them for 30 seconds each, as fast as you can (with proper form), with no break in between.
  • If you're unsure about any of the movements, check out the videos linked to the name of the exercise or google them before you start the workout.  You want to be able to do this workout all the way through without stopping to look something up.

Summer Fling SET 1

2 minutes
  • SPRINT (or substitute high knees)
30 seconds each (no break)
  • Push-ups
  • Body weight squats
  • Tricep dips
  • Calf raises
Summer Fling Fitness Friday Workout

Summer Fling SET 2

2 minutes
  • SPRINT (or substitute high knees)
30 seconds each (no break)
  • Shoulder tap plank - hold yourself in plank position and tap your left shoulder with your right hand, then switch
  • Alternating forward lunge
  • Crab reach (alternating)
  • Wide sumo squat
Summer Fling Fitness Friday Workout
gritbybrit.com

Summer Fling SET 3

2 minutes
  • SPRINT (or substitute high knees)
30 seconds each (no break)
  • Burpees (with or without a push-up
  • Body weight squats
  • Push-ups
  • Narrow squat
Summer Fling Fitness Friday Workout
womenshealthmag.com

Summer Fling SET 4

2 minutes
  • SPRINT (or substitute high knees)
30 seconds each (no break)
  • Shoulder tap plank
  • Tuck jumps
  • Knee tap plank - stant in plank position and lower your knees to tap the floor, then bring them back up to plank
  • Jump squats
Summer Fling Fitness Friday Workout
enjoyyourhealthylife.com

Stretch

Summer Fling Fitness Friday Workout
What did you think of this workout?
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You can now visit my Facebook page - come on over!

8/4/2013

0 Comments

 

Hey FitYaf blog readers - GUESS WHAT?!  You can now connect with me through Facebook, so come on over, click the "like" button and stay connected, leave comments and share with your friends!  See you there!
FitYaf Facebook Page
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FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout

8/2/2013

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We've all seen it at the gym - it looks like a stability ball that was cut in half. What is it and what do you do with it?  It's called the BOSU Balance Trainer, or the BOSU ball.  What is BOSU?  It's an acroym for BOth Sides Up.  Pretty creative, huh?  According to Wikipedia, the BOSU ball was invented by David Weck in 1999.  The great thing about a BOSU ball is that you can use it to do exercises that you're already doing to make them more challenging.  Even better is that the side that is up determines the level of difficulty of the exercise.  Putting the flat part of the BOSU ball on the floor makes an exercise a little more challenging, but putting the rounded side of the BOSU ball on the floor makes an exercise A LOT more challenging.  Today's Fitness Friday workout is another 'Body Blitz'-style workout, where you'll alternate between cardio and strength training.  I can't wait to hear what you think!
 
FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout
Notes about this workout:
  • This workout can be done at three levels:
BEGINNER:  NO BOSU ball - perform all exercises on the floor
INTERMEDIATE:  BOSU ball is flat side down
ADVANCED:  BOSU ball is round side down
  • Some of the moves in this workout are high-impact.  Please feel free to modify the workout to make them low-impact if necessary.
  • If you're unsure about any of the movements, check out the videos linked to the name of the exercise or google them before you start the workout.  You don't want to lose momentum, stopping after every exercise to look up how to do them.
  • The warmup and cardio sections of this workout are designed to do in a set amount of time.  This means that you'll work at your maximum level (as hard and as fast as you can) during this part of the workout.
  • The resistance training sections of this workout are designed to complete a set amount of reps.  Be sure not to rush these movements and perform them in a controlled manner.
  • Rest in between sets if needed, but no more than 1 minute!
  • There are some great explanations of some of these moves in this article by Real Simple: 6 Quick BOSU-ball Exercises
  • Not every move uses the BOSU ball, regardless of the level you choose (the warm-up does not use the ball at all). Each description will specify when to use the ball.

Warmup

Do each for for one minute, as fast as you can:
  • Jumping jacks
  • Squat jumps (jump out into a squat, about halfway down, then jump back up to standing)
  • High knees
  • Jump rope side to side (use an imaginary rope, moving both feet together, jumping side to side about 1-2 feet)
  • Out & in (jump both feet out, then back in, knees slightly bent)

Resistance Training, SET 1

  • Body weight squats on the BOSU - 40 reps at a comfortable pace, then 10 more as fast as you can
  • Bicep curls, standing on the BOSU - 30 reps
  • One-legged bridge on BOSU - 20 reps each side
  • Chest press on BOSU - 30 reps

Cardio, SET 1

Do each for for one minute, as fast as you can:
  • Switch kicks
  • High knees
  • Mountain climbers on BOSU
  • Up, up, down, down on BOSU
  • Burpee with jump on BOSU
FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout
www.realsimple.com
FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout
www.realsimple.com

Resistance Training, SET 2

  • Lunges with back leg on the BOSU - 25 reps each side
  • Side arm plank on BOSU - 1 minute each side
  • Hamstring tilt on BOSU (this one has to be done with the BOSU round side down, do double leg hip bridges as an alternate) - 30 reps
  • Shoulder tap planks (hold yourself in plank position, either feet or hands on BOSU ball and tap your left shoulder with your right hand, then switch) - 40 reps total (20 on each side)
FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout
www.realsimple.com

Cardio, SET 2

Do each for for one minute, as fast as you can (these are VERY challenging to do on the BOSU - only recommended to do flat side down):
  • Sprint in place
  • Tuck jumps on BOSU
  • Plank jack on BOSU
  • Hop side to side on & off BOSU
  • Step ups onto BOSU with a knee lift
FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout
www.beautylish.com

Challenge

Burpee push-up challenge - 8 push-up burpees, increasing the number of push-ups with every rep (try putting your hands on the BOSU for the push-up)

Core

  • Superman back extensions - 25 reps
  • Side plank hip drop & twist on BOSU - 25 on each side
  • Walking plank on & off BOSU - 15 total (down, down, up, up = 1 rep)
Superman back extensions
FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout
abigailmeeksblogspot.com
Side plank hip drop & twist
FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout
befitandwell.blogspot.com
Walking plank
FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout
womenshealthmag.com

Stretch

FitYaf's Fitness Friday BOSU workout
What did you think of the BOSU ball?  What was your favorite move? 
1 Comment
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    Jillian [FitYaf]

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