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8 signs you're a gym rat

1/24/2014

When people you know see you outside of the gym, they don't recognize you

You schedule your day (and possibly life) around your favorite group exercise class, which sometimes includes stay up until midnight to sign up online.

You know your "friends" by their workout routine and favorite brand of sneakers, but you may not know their names

After a long and tiring day at work, you still go to the gym because you're afraid people might notice if you're not there

You shower more times at the gym than in your own shower at home - you even have a favorite shower stall at the gym

You have at least on one occasion scheduled a date that involved working out

You wouldn't consider booking a vacation at a hotel that doesn't have a gym

You keep extra gym clothes at your desk or in your car just in case the opportunity arises

Are you a gym rat? How do you know?

3 Comments

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:

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:

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

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)

Stretch

4 Comments

I heard Step Aerobics is for Grandmas!

6/23/2013

4 Comments

Do you have a soulmate workout? I do! My soulmate workout is step aerobics. I love so many forms of exercise, but nothing really compares to step aerobics for me. What do you think of when you hear step aerobics? Perhaps you're thinking back to 80's/90's style aerobics classes (below, left), or even the video that recent viral video of a man doing step aerobics in a speedo - he's missing the step, but boy is he having fun (below, right).

My class has often been described as "dancy" or a "workout for your mind AND body" - not only is my class fast-paced, but the choreography is more complicated than the average step class. All of these things are exactly what I love about it! So imagine my surprise when a new member introduced herself before class and said, "I heard Step Aerobics is for Grandmas!" To set the record straight, I've had women who are grandmothers take my class, and they not only keep up with the younger people in my class, but they sometimes outshine them and have WAY more energy! Check out Leeni in the photo below - an amazing stepper AND a grandma! It just goes to show that age is just a number and if you 'keep up with your fitness', you'll never get 'old'. But, that doesn't take away the impression people have about step aerobics. Yes, step aerobics has been around for a LONG time, dating back to the Jazzercise and Richard Simmons years of fitness world (did you know Richard Simmons, at age 64, is STILL teaching group fitness in CA?), but it has evolved SO much!

In the beginning, a lot of my choreography came from a class that I took before I became an instructor, taught by my personal step aerobics guru, Deanna (in the picture to the right). She is who got me hooked on step from day 1 - her choreography is FABULOUS (you can take her class at Club One in Pittsburgh)! I was determined to be as amazing as she is! I find choreography inspiration everywhere, but one of my favorite places is YouTube. My favorite step aerobic YouTube-er is Tony Cicala, or "sunshine Tony" in Italy. His choreography is so inspiring and I "borrow" his moves ALL the time! Check him out: