Fitness Friday: Current Workout

Hello there!

Fitness recently has been a topic that I just haven't been able to get my head around.

I absolutely love it and still enjoy going to the gym and trying out new exercises, however with my training in work being seemingly endless and the copious amount of paperwork and appointments involved in buying a house it has definitely taken a back seat in reality and in my head.


The last two weeks though I have been getting back into it with all of the muscle ache to go with it!

Here's my latest program:


5 minute warm up on the cross trainer - a lot of people have a bit of an obsession or a loathing of the cross trainer, I have neither. I think it's useful for my 5 minute warm up as it loosens my legs and arms and gets my heart rate going!

Image from Technogym

After this I've been getting on the Wave Machine - it simulates speed skating which means your legs move on pedals in a similar way to a cross trainer, but instead they go out to the sides. You can stand in 4 different positions, leaning on the hand rail or standing freely for the intensity to be in different muscle groups, but essentially it targets your glutes, hamstrings, quads, lower back and if you manage to balance and stand up for whole time then you'll target abs as well!
I've been building this up as my lower back has a weakness but 10 minute blocks at a high level of 12 is how I've been doing it. The higher the level the wider the pedals move apart, therefore making it more difficult.

Once my 10 minutes on that are up (and I'm dripping in sweat, it really gets me working hard!) I head to the mats.

Image from Lifehack.org

At this point I've been working on my Bulgarian Split Squats. If you don't know what they are you can view this video on youtube of Erin Stern.
I've been varying my weights whilst I get comfortable with the balance and the motion of squatting essentially on one leg, but I definitely need to work harder and squat lower, I am nowhere near Erin's level of almost hitting the ground with my lower knee where I've dropped so low, I need to work harder!

I've also been twinning this into a superset with tricep dips, and using the bench for those putting my feet as far out in front of me as I can. My shoulders are starting to look better for it but I can't say my triceps look any smaller! The arms always take such a long time to get smaller and show muscle.

Image from Women's Health Mag

After doing two sets of each of the squats and tricep dips I've been using 2 4kg dumbells and doing another super set of 15 x lateral raises followed by 15 x shoulder press. My shoulders need so much work and they burn after doing almost anything, I need to vastly improve on this area too!

Once I've completed this I get back on the Wave machine for another 10 minutes, as long as I've got some decent music plugged in this second set can go faster that the first set!

Needless to say I come off it a bit of a sweaty mess, last night it actually almost ran off my nose, then you know that you're working hard!

Then I get back to the mats. I've been loving doing some glute bridges recently as they were something I'd never tried before, here is a video for you to see. I've been trying to do them with a 5kg or 8kg weight to make it a bit more difficult, but you can feel the burn in these and the bonus is its a lying down exercise too!

Recently I've been getting as much ab and core exercises in as possible, planks are always the best but I can't say I'm good at them.
I actually prefer side planks with dips so I do a couple of them too,

My lower stomach area is definitely my worst feature, so I've been working double hard on doing leg drops but have to be careful with my lower back. I either hold a weight and alternate left leg, right leg and then both together, or I go crazy and do a many together as I can and I'm definitely improving.
I've been trying to push my hips up at the last minute to do a reverse crunch too and it's a killer ab combo!

So this is what I've been doing recently, trying to rev up my metabolism again and get back into fitness with some completely new exercises.

What have you been trying out recently? Have you mastered Bulgarian split squats? Do you have any tips?

Are you a fan of the Wave machine for burning calories and getting you sweaty?

I'm aiming to lose some pounds that I've gained recently, hoping to lose half a stone over the next few weeks by getting back into exercise and reigning in my diet.

What are you fitness goals?

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Spring Shake Up

Hello!

The last few weeks I've been struggling to keep up the motivation and focus. The 'New Year' enthusiasm has definitely packed up and gone so I've been looking into new ways to get back into it.

Working long hours with training, sorting out house stuff for my mortgage and solicitors and travelling with work have all meant that my exercise regime has all but disappeared. Now things with the house is mostly sorted and my work trips are only 2 days long I've been trying to get back into it.

I've been catching up on my fitness magazines and finding new workouts to try out but noticed that there were a lot of new programs starting online soon or that are available on the internet for free.

Tone It Up: Bikini Series 2015 - the TIU girls are amazing, I have huge crushes on both of them and I would absolutely love to look like either of them! 

Look at their beautiful abs!

I signed up straight away for their latest Bikini Series, they do it every year and it's an 8 week challenge. You get a new timetable every week with exercises and they regularly post recipes too - worth signing up for to give you motivation into your inbox regularly!

Muscle and Fitness 6 Week Fat Blast Program - another program this time for 6 weeks. This program consists of 3 full body workouts a week with 2 days dedicated to cardio and 2 for resting. This allegedly maximises fat burning and muscle growth and the workouts are detailed on the website, 2 full body workouts that you alternate and also 2 cardio routines. 

For someone that needs everything given to them at once so they can get their head around it and plan, this is perfect!

Shape's No Fail Fat Loss Plan is also another 6 week program. This program is also given to you in advance, it contains 11 different programs detailed in separate pages with videos and demonstrations so you know exactly what you need to do. The good part about this program is that there is a good range of exercises to keep you entertained including tabata, cardio, stretches, HIIT and metabolism boosters. 

I haven't tried any of these programs myself but having had a quick browse they look pretty good to me, a good range of exercises and catering to those who need time to prepare and those who need regular contact via email to keep their motivation up.

I will be reading through more closely and choosing some routines to try out myself, changing things up will boost my metabolism and keep my body guessing, both of which will help the fat burn faster!

Which of these do you think would be best for you? Will you be signing up for TIU as well as downloading the other programs?

It's 2 months before 'bikini season' arrives, it might not be bikini season in the UK strictly, but holidays are definitely looming and baring my body isn't going to be a pretty sight at the moment!

Hopefully this will keep me interested!

L xxx

Fitness Update

Afternoon folks!

I haven't written a fitness update in a little while nor any recipe posts, things have just been so busy with a new job that I haven't really had chance. My hours have changed (again!) with the new job so now I've had to change up my schedule again too. This isn't really a problem just more difficult to get into a new plan and make it a habit again.

I've been trying to get to at least one Body Pump class in the week as well as my normal Saturday morning class as it is definitely the most beneficial for me. My progress in it is slow but every week I push myself to go heavier in something different and squat lower, hold my plank longer and try not to have sneaky breaks in shoulder track! I hate working shoulders as it's such a weakness for me and the burn can sometimes end up being real pain. I'm working on it.......but it's hard.

That said I've been making up my own routines as well as using my latest program from my trainer.

My latest program uses a ladder formation with a 15 minute recovery period on the cross trainer in between. She's got me doing squat jumps and burpees all the way from one each to ten of each, then all the way back down to one. I'm not going to lie, it's a killer but really good for an all over work out. I've felt a difference since doing them but in all honesty I've only ever made it up to 10 of each and haven't ever got as far as doing back down to one......yet. I think it's mostly an issue with time as it would take me so long to do and my evenings are limited but i also get quite dizzy sometimes too.

After the recovery period I then have to do press ups followed by an oblique crunch (bringing round one knee to your elbow at a time whilst still in press up position). These have also been good but the same problem still exists and I'm yet to make it back down from 10!

Aside from that here's my routine that I've been doing by myself, taken from instagram videos and other programs I've had in the past:

It's an absolute killer and i repeat it twice with a bit of active recovery in between. It's a full body workout with almost everything I could think of thrown in to keep my body guessing and my abs and shoulders were definitely still feeling it a few days later. It was exactly what i needed and I'm going to do it a few more times and then switch it up and make a new one.

If you have any suggestions for things to add to my next workout leave them in the comments! If you try this workout let me know :)

Do you have a personal trainer? Do you follow any particular programs or get inspiration from any online sources? I'd love to know!

L xxx

Fitness Update

Hello!

I thought I'd start today's Fitness Friday off with my own personal fitness review. A few weeks ago i attended a session with my trainer and I'd been working so hard to get a few pounds off. 

If you've never read a fitness post of mine before then let me fill you in. I'm 5ft 9 so quite tall for a female and a few years ago I weighed a little more than I do now. A few years of uni binge drinking and late night take aways meant I'd piled on about 14-20 lbs (I'm unsure exactly as I've never been someone who weighed herself).

Due to stress i found myself feeling ill after every meal and kept getting stomach cramps so I ended up changing my diet completely cutting out crap food, dairy and bread, and citrus fruits as they were too acidic for me. I lost 17lbs and ever since have been OBSESSED with food in a good way and I absolutely love going to the gym, planning my meals, and generally eating as who doesn't love that?

Obviously i love a binge like everyone else but I've totally changed my lifestyle over time and now i don't crave bad food unless I'm hungover, I combat stress with exercise and I'm generally enthusiastic about the whole thing, reading and researching new foods, recipes and workout routines.

However as with all stories that go along this line, even with my relatively healthy diet and regular exercise, usually 4/5 times a week I've been finding it hard to shift some pounds. I'm not overweight by any means, my BMI is 22 and I regularly do weights so probably have more muscle than others but I'm really conscious of trying to get my fat % down. 

I actually can't remember my specific percentage as my trainer keeps it all recorded for me, but i was OVER THE MOON when I had lost 3lbs of fat the last time I was weighed. It was a huge confidence booster and I was so unbelievable happy.

I've got a long way to go to getting where I want to be as I'd like to lose a further 10lbs of fat before the summer but I'm clearly doing something right this time.

Moving on from that my trainer also gave me my new program which is AMAZING! I'm so into it at the moment that I could scrap all my classes and running just to do it, but I need to keep up my stamina in the others too.

This routine incorporates box step ups with weights, mountain climbers, lunges and lat raises with weights, and squat and press with weights.

In total I use the cross trainer, bike, rower and treadmill for short bursts of cardio and i also have a circuit of exercises to do using TRX which I repeat three times.

It's an all over body blast and although i love it it does take a considerable amount of time. Sometimes i have to cut out the third circuit of TRX exercises because there just isn't enough time during the week.

How have your fitness routines been going lately? Have you got any new programs you'd like to share?

Do you have any running tips for increasing distance to 10 miles plus?

I'd love to hear any of them!

L xxx