Super Late Leg Challenge Exercises

WOW!!!
Whered September go?!?!
Here are some exercise ideas to throw extra Tabatas into your days!

9/26
Calf raises
Stand on the edge of a step/curb or flat on ground. Stand tall with your abdominals pulled in, the balls of your feet firmly planted on the step, and your heels hanging over the edge. Raise your heels a few inches above the edge of the step so that you’re on your tiptoes.

Reverse Plank
Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
Place your palms, with fingers spread wide, on the floor slightly behind and outside your hips. Press into your palms, and lift your hips and torso toward the ceiling. Look up to the ceiling, point your toes, and keep your arms and legs straight. Keep your entire body strong, and form a straight line from your head to your heels. Squeeze your core and try to pull your belly button back toward your spine. If your hips sag or drop, lower yourself back to the floor.

9/27
Walking lunge with twist
Stand with feet about shoulder width apart. Hold a medicine ball (optional) in front of you with elbows bent about 90 degrees. You may want to begin this exercise with no weight and build up your strength over time. Step forward with your left foot into a lunge position. Be sure to keep your knee over your left foot; don’t twist at the knee. From your torso, twist your upper body to the left. Then, reach across your left side with your arms out-stretched. (Think of pointing to the left from your belly button). Maintain a slow and controlled movement throughout the exercise. Slowly move your arms to center and step forward with the opposite foot and twist to the other side.

Straight leg glute lift
Start on the ground, on all fours and lift one leg up bent at the knee. Now extend that leg straight out and point toe. Raise leg up toward the ceiling and back down, but never releasing the leg extension.

9/28
Diamond Jumps
Begin in a comfortable standing position with your knees slightly bent. Hold your hands in front of you, palms down with your fingertips together at chest height. Rapidly dip down into a quarter squat and immediately explode upward. Drive the knees out so the balls of your feet touch, making a diamond shape. Reach arms above head and touch palms together, making diamond shape. Jump as high as you can, raising your knees up, and then ensure a good land be re-extending your legs, absorbing impact through be allowing the knees to rebend.
Plank
Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle.

9/29
Basketball jump shot
Stand feet shoulder width apart, knees bent. Jump straight up, arms moving like they are shooting a basketball. Land gently back in start position.

Deadlift
With feet flat beneath bar, squat down and grasp bar or dumbbell with shoulder width or slightly wider over hand or mixed grip. Lift weight by extending hips and knees to full extension. Pull shoulders back at top of lift if rounded. Return and repeat.

9/30
Calf Raise/Reverse Plank
Walking lunge w/ twist/Straight leg glute lift
Diamond Jump/Plank
Basketball jump shot/deadlift

Strong Leg Challenge

AH!!! Late late late😔
I let life get the best of me & ended up fairly “unplugged” from the social media world for the past couple days!
SO here are days 16-20…a little delayed.
Comment w any questions below!😃

9/16
Tabata 1: Squat Bicycle

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips. Squat, then stand and forcefully bring right leg across and in front of body, leading with heel, as if kicking a ball, left arm swinging in front, right arm behind. Return to start. Switch sides and repeat.

Tabata 2: Plank Tap Out & In

Start in plank position, hands under shoulders, core tight. Bring right leg out and to right of the body. Tap the floor with foot and return to plank position. Switch legs and repeat.
9/17

Tabata 1: Clock Lunge

Complete a traditional forward lunge, then take a big step to the right and lunge again. Finish off the semicircle with a backwards lunge, then return to standing.

Tabata 2: Prone walkout

Beginning on all fours with the core engaged, slowly walk the hands forward, staying on the toes but not moving them forward. Next, gradually walk the hands backwards to the starting position, maintain stability and balance.

9/18

Tabata 1: Jump Rope

Using a jump rope or imaginary rope, move feet as quick as you can off the ground.

Tabata 2: Wall Sit

Slowly slide your back down a wall until the thighs are parallel to the ground. Make sure the knees are directly above the ankles and keep the back straight.

9/19

Tabata 1: Curtsy Lunge

When lunging, step the left leg back behind the right, bending the knees and lowering the hips until the right thigh is almost parallel to the floor. Remember to keep the torso upright and the hips square.

Tabata 2: Inchworm

Stand up tall with the legs straight, and do like Lil’ Jon and let those fingertips hit the floor. Keeping the legs straight (but not locked!), slowly lower the torso toward the floor, and then walk the hands forward. Once in a push-up position, start taking tiny steps so the feet meet the hands.

9/20

Tabata 1: Squat Bicycle

Tabata 2: Plank Tap Out & In

Tabata 3: Clock Lunge

Tabata 4: Prone walkout

Tabata 5: Jump Rope

Tabata 6: Wall Sit

Tabata 7: Curtsy Lunge

Tabata 8: Inchworm

Strong Legs in Sept Days 6-10

Are YOU participating in the Strong Leg Challenge for September?!
Here are the exercises for 9/6-9/10 as developed by the fantastic “1funfitmama,” find her on Facebook!!!😉💃👍 (she also was kind enough to make the picture seen above, as well!)

9/6
Tabata 1: Plyo Jack
Begin with feet together and lower into a squat, bringing the arms in front of you. Jump the feet out, landing in a squat and circling the arms up and over the head. Jump up once again; bringing the feet together and circling the arms back down.

Tabata 2: Back to Front Lunge
Stand with your feet together. Step right leg back, bending knees to lower into a back lunge, keeping left knee over ankle and coming onto the ball of your right foot. Raise your right leg back to starting position, then forward, lowering into a front lunge, right knee bent over ankle. Be sure to alternate legs every 20 second set.

9/7
Tabata 1: 180 Jump Squats
From a squat position, jump up and twist 180 degrees in the air so you land (in a squat) facing the opposite direction. Keep knees over ankles and hold belly button to core.

Tabata 2: Glute Kickback
Kneel on the floor or an exercise mat and bend at the waist with your arms extended in front of you (perpendicular to the torso) in order to get into a kneeling push-up position but with the arms spaced at shoulder width. Your head should be looking forward and the bend of the knees should create a 90-degree angle between the hamstrings and the calves. As you exhale, lift up your right leg until the hamstrings are in line with the back while maintaining the 90-degree angle bend. Contract the glutes throughout this movement and hold the contraction at the top for a second. Go back to the initial position as you inhale and now repeat with the left leg.

9/8
Tabata 1: Tuck Jumps
Begin in a comfortable standing position with your knees slightly bent. Hold your hands in front of you, palms down with your fingertips together at chest height. Rapidly dip down into a quarter squat and immediately explode upward. Drive the knees towards the chest, attempting to touch them to the palms of the hands. Jump as high as you can, raising your knees up, and then ensure a good land by re-extending your legs, absorbing impact through, allowing the knees to rebend.

Tabata 2: Plank jumps in & out
Start in a push-up position, hands under shoulders, navel to spine, toes on the ground, body in a plank. Jump feet between your hands, keeping your hands in the plank position the entire time. Jump feet back to starting position.

9/9
Tabata 1: Plié Jump Squat
Stand with your legs a little wider than shoulder width apart, toes turned out, knees over the ankle and hands on your hips. Rise onto your toes, bend your knees, and sit back, lowering yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Jump off the ground, bringing your feet to hip-width apart and landing softly on your toes.

Tabata 2: Squat Hold Low
Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Bend knees and lower yourself into a low squat. Pushing your glutes back, like your sitting in a chair. Keep your knees in line with your ankles and hold, engaging your core throughout the hold.

9/10
Tabata 1: Plyo Jack & Front to Back Lunges

Tabata 2: 180 Jump Squats & Glute Kickbacks

Tabata 3: Tuck Jumps & Plank Jumps In and Out

Tabata 4: Plié Jump Squat & Squat Hold Low

How are you liking this challenge?
Any requests for future Tabatas???? Comment below👇

Strong Legs in September

Welcome September!!!

Heres a new challenge for the month of Sept. focusing on lower body! Let’s get some legs😉

Each first-fourth day of the month, two tabatas per day, one w a cardio focus, other with a strength focus. Each exercise is to be done 8 times for 20 seconds as hard as you can go, with 10 seconds of active rest in between 20 sec segments.
And the fifth days are Super Strong Challenge Days! So those take each of the four days prior’s exercises, combined together for 4 diff Tabata sets.
Any questions? Just ASK😃

Full Desriptions of each Exercise:
Plyo Lunges: Begin standing in a lunge, inhale and sink down as low as works for your body, on your exhale explode jumping up, and switch your legs into the opposite lunge. And continue repeating, jumping from side to side between lunges. Pull your navel in towards your spine the entire time, keeping yourself nice & tall from the hips up, sink the back knee down as low as you can go, and keep your weight in your front foot’s heel.

Shoulder Bridge with Inner Thigh Squeeze: Lay on back, feet about hip distance apart, heels pressed into the ground. Inhale down, and on your exhale, beginning at the tailbone, lift up into a shoulder bridge. Hold hips up, squeezing the glutes, still pulling bellybutton to spine, and with hips staying lifted, squeeze thighs together on your exhale, and inhale open the legs. Repeat for 20 secs…for 10 sec rest, you choose either release hips down to the floor, or for an added challenge try just holding hips up (w/o the thigh squeeze for your 10 secs of rest between 20 secs of work).

High Knee Run: Standing up tall, bellybutton in towards the spine, begin running in place (or if you have the space, feel free to move around), lifting the knees up high, trying to get the thighs lifting up higher than hip height. If needed, take it into a light jog and return to high knees when your body allows (just make sure you’re challenging yourself the whole time😉).

Plie Squat Holding Low: Standing with feet wider than hip distance apart, toes pointing towards opposite corners, bellybutton in, tailbone tucked under, lower your body down, keeping glutes tucked under (pretend you’re between two walls, this isnt a squat where you pop your booty back😉) and HOLD at the lowest point. For the 10 sec rest, either come to standing and march, OR try added challenge of doing plie squats up & down during your break between 20 sec holds!

Lateral Leaps: Start in a low one-legged squat on right leg, right hand reaching toward floor (as shown). Push off with right foot, leaping 3–5 feet to the left. Land softly on left foot, sinking back into a low one-legged squat (keep knee over ankle) with left hand reaching toward the floor. Push off with left foot, and leap 3–5 feet to the right. Keep repeating.

Walking Lunges: Step forward with one leg. Land on heel then forefoot. Lower body by flexing knee and hip of front leg until knee of back leg is almost in contact with floor (or as low as your body allows). Stand on forward leg with assistance of rear leg. Lunge forward with opposite leg. Repeat by alternating lunge with opposite legs.

Squat Jumps: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Start by doing a regular squat, weight in your heels, chest lifted, engage your core and jump up.
When you land, lower your body back into the squat position, and repeat.

Double Leg Lower: Keeping legs extended to the sky, working right into this exercise from the pulses, slowly and controlled lower the legs down towards the floor (as low as you can go without the lower back arching off the ground), and lift back up until the legs are back over the hips.
Modification: Bend at the knees, or place hands under the tailbone to help protect the lower back.

Tabata Routines

After yesterday’s post about Tabata training and the background and benefits of it, I was asked some more questions, so I thought to myself, “Go make another post providing sample Tabata workouts!”
Here they are!

Remember, the Tabata method consists of 20 seconds of work done as hard as you can, 10 seconds of rest, and then you repeat this 8 times, for a total of 4 minutes all together for one Tabata round.
I often combine multiple rounds of Tabatas (with an active 60 seconds of rest between rounds) to make a killer workout, or part of a workout.
Here’s my promise: These workouts will FLY by…But be warned, they aren’t for the faint of heart. You WILL be out of breath, you WILL be excited for those 10 seconds of rest, and you WILL feel extreme accomplishment when you’re on the 8th time of an exercise! 😉

**Disclaimer: I’m better at physically doing the exercises than writing descriptions lol, so if you want a video of any of the following exercises, I’m thinking of starting a YouTube Channel that I’ll really update and share workouts and recipes…Would you watch it?!**

Cardio Tabata Workouts
Go ahead and mix and match any of the following exercises, either to combine multiple rounds of Tabatas or to alternate two different exercises 4 times each to create one FUN round of Tabatas.

Plyometric Lunges (See description in my Tabata post from 7/29/13)
Burpees (Also see description in the 7/29/13 post)
Switch Kicks
Jump Squats
High Knee Runs
Shuffle Side to Side (tapping ground as you alternate direction)
Jumping Jacks (Or Star Jacks)
Mountain Climbers
Plank Jacks
Tuck Jumps
A variation of Tuck Jumps: 2 crisscross jacks + 1 tuck jump
A variation of Mountain Climbers: Hold lunge with right foot forward and pulse down for 3, bring hands to the ground, send legs back into a mountain climber for 8 counts, stand back up in lunge, and repeat from the pulse
Another variation: Single Leg Mountain Climbers (See photo above)
Roundhouse Kicks, either alternating sides throughout the 20 seconds, or one side for 20 seconds then the other side for the next 20 seconds, repeating until you’ve worked for 4 minutes
Lunge Back w one leg, and kick forward with same leg (Then complete a round on the other side, or alternate sides throughout one Tabata round, in this case you would be only completing each side 4 times, but still working for 4 minutes total. Make sense? Comment below if that doesn’t make sense)
X Punches: Punch with right arm towards right top corner, punch across with left arm down low on the right side; Punch with left arm towards top left corner, punch across with right arm down low on the left side (Your arms are kind of making an “X” and once you really get into it, you can add a little leap when going from side to side)
Jab and Jack: Jab one arm straight in front with power, jumping jack, jab other arm out in front, jumping jack (could also do a star jack between jabs to pump up the heartrate even more)
Chair Jacks: Jump down into chair pose, staying low jump legs out wide to a squat, jump legs back into chair, and jump up tall-tuck or just jump tall (landing back in chair pose to repeat again and again for your 20 seconds)
SOOO Many More, but I don’t want to BORE you! 😉

Strength Tabata Workouts-I prefer doing bodyweight strength with Tabata training because I get nervous going all out with weights, if you do (and you can!) please be careful to think quality and form over quantity.
Pushups
Squats
Lunges
Plank (Or any variation of Plank-Try one arm lifted, one leg lifted, an arm and leg lifted 🙂 )
Downdog to Plank (flow through from one to the other)
Stability Ball Crunches (the only crunches I really do-Great range of motion makes them more effective than standard)
And while you’ve got that stability ball, how about some Knee Pulls-In a plank position with ball under feet, pull knees in towards chest and send back out, or Pikes
Or Back Extensions on the Ball
Banana! 😉 Laying supine, extend legs out long and arms overhead, lift up head, neck, shoulders, and arms and legs and HOLD for 20 secs (your body will be in a banana shape!)
Crisscross (like in Pilates, laying supine again, pull one knee in, opposite armpit reaches towards the knee, and switch-Crossing at the waist, hips stay controlled)
V-Sits
Bridge-Pulse those hips up and squeeze the glutes!

Want more ideas for a specific goal you have or body part you want to work that I missed?
Comment below and ask!
And be sure to Stay Strong, friends!

Taba-WHAT?!

TABATA!!!!
What in the world is a Tabata?!
If you don’t know, or if you want to know more about Tabata training, read on my friend, read on… 🙂

A Tabata workout consists of 20 seconds of an exercise (done as hard as you can work! Give it 110% is what I tell my classes 😉 ) and 10 seconds of active rest (don’t just stop moving, march, step side to side, bob and weave, whatever you need) done 8 times without break, for a total of 4 minutes.

This training originated in Japan, where it was used by the Japanese Olympic speed skating team, and studied by (then named after) Dr. Tabata.
Dr. Tabata conducted his study on male college students who were already physically fit, many of which played on sports teams and were PE students. One group completed a Tabata workout 5 days per week, and the other group completed 60 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio at a steady rate 5 days per week. The groups did this for 6 weeks, both of which completed their workouts on cycling machines, and the results are astounding!
The group working out for 60 minutes increased their aerobic fitness by 10%, but the group who did the Tabata method increased their aerobic fitness level by 14%! AND the Tabata group resulted in a 28% increase in their anaerobic capacities (how long they could workout at their maximum intensity), the other group-No improvement!

Because this workout method is SO quick it is absolutely do-able for many different fitness levels. You just listen to your own body and its needs, but be sure to really push it and make sure you’re challenging yourself, no matter the level you’re working at!
Because each interval only lasts 20 seconds and you know there is a rest after those 20 seconds, that can motivate you to keep going and reacrush that workout!

But don’t just listen to what I have to say, try it out yourself!
Seen above I did a Tabata of Plyometric Lunges (lunge one leg out in front, jump up and switch legs so the opposite is out in front, and repeat from side to side-I added in a little row for extra oblique action when landing), alternated with Burpees (jump up, bring hands to ground in front of you, jump feet back into plank, jump feet back in to hands, and jump up straight in the air-Or you could tuck jump it up, doesn’t matter as long as you’re workin’ hard).
TIP: Alternate two exercises for the Tabata round, like I did here. This means you are still working hard all 8 intervals, but you only do 4 of each exercise. (20 seconds Plyo Lunges, 20 seconds Burpees, 20 seconds Plyo Lunges, 20 seconds Burpees, etc. alternating 4 more times)
This helps me for multiple reasons.

1. If I’m really struggling or not liking an exercise, (Yes, I love fitness, but yes, there are some exercises that I force myself to do, because chances are if I’m struggling with them, they are the ones I need to be doing to get my body stronger) I know I will get a “break” from it for the next interval, and only have to do it 4 times total, instead of 8.
2. I find that it keeps my endurance up even more because I don’t get bored doing the same thing over and over 8 times through.
3. Keeps things interesting! I love starting a Tabata, and not telling my class what the second exercise will be haha, sounds mean maybe, but it keeps everyone on their toes, and the suspense makes the first interval fly by 😉
4. Keeps things fresh. By constantly mixing up exercises, it keeps you from always resorting to the same exercises. Your body gets used to things, its smart and adapts fairly well to change. Always switch it up and give your muscles a little confusion-It will help with your results!

And can I only do this for cardio, you may ask?
Absolutely not! Although I prefer Tabata training for cardio because I believe there is less risk of injury. However, if you are a smart exerciser, you can do this with strength workouts, as well, just be careful to keep proper form and not worry about just going through the exercise fast. I like doing strength slowly sometimes, I feel I get a better pump and my muscles really get that burn and fatigue necessary for change. BUT if you are safe, and remember quality over quantity, Tabatas can be great for strength, as well.

Have an exercise you love doing in the Tabata format? Comment below and let me know, who knows I may even use your suggestion in one of my HIIT classes 🙂
Stay strong, friends!