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GYM TIME: Leg & Abs Workout
First up: My leg workout I did this week.
Second: I share one of my favorite workouts Steve has put together.
If you are like me, you get tired of your same workouts and like to try new things, so occasionally I post my workouts for you guys to try out – or mix a new move in. Here was my quad & ab workout this week – as well as a workout by Steve that you can do at home!
Leg Workout: Do 3-4 sets of 18-20
Begin with a Warm Up
(I normally just do leg press with no weight)
- Heavy Leg Press
- Single Leg Leg Press (LOVE THESE!)
- Walking Lunges with 20lb dumbbells
- Leg Extensions (Toes pointed out)
- Leg Extensions (toes pointed in)
Ab Circuit
The thing I dislike just a little more than legs (which I reallllly don’t like) is abs. I seriously dread it – so much so, that I made “doing more abs” one of my New Year’s Resolutions. My workout wasn’t anything special or unique this particular day, but I got it done!
- Plate Crunch 3 sets of x 25 with 25lb Plate
- Ab Machine Crunch 3 sets of x 25
- Incline Sit Ups with Twist 3 sets of x 25
After my workout, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical. YUMMY!
Butt, Leg & Abs Workout
Don’t have access to gym equipment? Try this workout at home!
The Workout:
- 15 Skaters
- 5 5-Second Crescent Pose/5-Second Warrior 3 Combo on one leg only
(Repeat above & do other leg)
- 15 Slam Ball (or Plyo Jump Squats)
- 15 Slam Twist Abs
- 15 Double High Knees
- 15 Stomps (one side)
(Repeat the above couplet and do the other side)
Repeat 3-5 times for a complete workout.
30 Days of Motivation: No Gym, No Problem
Since I have many new followers, I wanted to pull out one of my favorite workouts to share with you. Many people tell me they either workout at home, or they travel a lot and have to workout on the road. Well, if you thought not being a member to a gym was a good excuse, it’s not! Although a gym can definitely boost results and give you more tools to help you reach your goal, you most definitely can do some serious damage at home – just with your body weight. Here is a workout that demonstrates how 4 simple exercises can kick your butt. Enjoy!!
Click on the workout below to view the matching video with Steve.
Get more of these workouts at http://www.DoBCx.com. View this workout at http://goo.gl/j26k8.
“Real Women Do Burpees” T-Shirt
If you have done any of our our BCx workouts, you have had your share of burpees. Well, be proud, because burpees ain’t no joke. They are tough – which means YOU are tough. So, we thought we’d make a fun tee for you hardcore chicks who burpee their way through BCx, CrossFit, Boot Camps & other functional training: Real Women Do Burpees
#GetAfterIt Giveaway: Reebok Plank Challenge
WIN A REEBOK TEE! We have 2 Reebok Challenges for a chance to WIN today: One was LIVE at Max Fitness Club today and the other one is right here, at the end of this blog. Check it out!
At LoseIt Boot Camp kickoff today, we ended class with a Reebok Plank Contest. After holding up the #GetAfterIt shirt, Michelle Ward says, “I WANT that SHIRT!” – and she was serious. A year and a half ago, she wouldn’t even been able to fit in the little fitted shirt we were holding up. But if she wanted it, she had to earn it.
The room was packed with bodies face down, on their hands and knees ready to plank their guts out. “Ready, Set, GO!” shouts Paula Feil, BCx Boot Camp Trainer – and it’s ON! The trainers, Steve Pfiester, Cristina McDaniel, Paula Feil and myself begin our motivational chatter.
To hold plank longer than one or two minutes is already challenging enough – much less the length of time these people ended up planking for. Plus, you have to remember, this is AFTER an intense 1-hour boot camp class. Now, I should also mention that this was not a room of athletes. This was a eclectic group of individuals – from people who haven’t worked out at ALL, to people who have done multiple boot camps. Either way, it had been a few weeks since we’ve held boot camp so it was a new beginning for most. You can see just how challenging it really was for even people like our multi-boot camp goer, Robin Sullivan (as you can see by the look on her face).
One minute went by, then two, then three, four and five. Five minutes of plank is super challenging. After five minutes of planking, half the group was still hanging in there and really giving this all they had. Before we knew it, we were reaching 10 minutes of non-stop planking. Just look at Troy Wilson here, who is POURING sweat after 15 minutes of planking, and he wasn’t even moving. That just shows how hard your body has to work to suspend your body off the ground.
Finally, after 15 minutes of planking we were down to the final few: David Summerfield, Heidi Birchmeyer, Michelle Ward, Shelley Guilford and Ryan Capone.
The last 2 minutes seemed like the second hand was in slow motion. Over 16 minutes and it finally got down to 2 people: Michelle Ward (pictured right) and Heidi Birchmeyer. BAM! Heidi’s body finally gave way at 17 minutes, making Michelle Ward the Planking Super Star. Both girls were, but only one won the shirt! I guess she REALLY wanted that #GetAfterIt shirt BAD!!
The Old Michelle
This is a pic I snagged off Michelle’s facebook of when she was heavier, just to give you an idea of just how victorious days like today really are to someone like Michelle. At first glance, it would be easy to discount her efforts, seeing how tiny she is now. Although 17 minutes of plank is hard for anyone (specially after an hour of kick-butt boot camp). I bet she would have never guessed, back when she was heavy, that she’d beat a class full of people in a Plank Contest.
Here’s Michelle right after her body dropped to the ground in relief and exhaustion. Along with the photo of her barely holding her shirt up with her tired arms. Congrats Michelle!!
SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!
I have more shirts to give away!! So, I’m going to give YOU a chance to join the plank contest.
3 WAYS TO WIN: (ENDS SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18TH!)
FIRST, Share and Like this blog. Thanks! Now, let’s get to planking!!
1.) POST A COMMENT: Hold plank as long as you can and post your time in the comments below. I will do a random drawing from everyone who at least tries it. I don’t care how long you hold it – remember, some people can’t even hold it for 60 seconds at first – but if it’s the first time you have every done it, that’s freakin’ awesome! (Click on the link to see how to do the exercise if it’s new to you.)
2.) POST A YOUTUBE VIDEO. Tape yourself doing plank for as long as you can – and add #getafterit in your youtube name and I will give the first 2 people to post a video a Reebok #getafterit t-shirt.
3.) LONGEST PLANK VIDEO: I decided to add one more way to WIN! If you can beat someone’s time, post your youtube video. The person with the longest plank on video will get a BCx Boot Camp tee!
GUIDELINES: Of course we are going on the honor system for #1, but to be fair, our rules are simple. You can shift your weight around, as LONG as you stay on your hands and toes only. No knees, no rest, no cheating.
FOLLOW US:
BCx Boot Camp: http://www.twitter.com/dobcx
Max Fitness Club: http://www.twitter.com/maxfitnessclub
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
More Obstacles, Less Jogging
Mud Runs = More Fun. Why America is so willing to get dirty.
Running five plus miles may seem plenty challenging to most people, but add over 25 obstacles, like mud pits, barbed wire, tires, 30-foot stacks of hay, water, 8-foot walls, 45˚ hills, 30-foot inclining and declining monkey bars, and rows of fire, and you’ve got yourself a Savage Race.
Savage Race, with the motto “more obstacles, less jogging”, is just one of many popular mud runs popping up across the country – and people are flocking to them like bears to honey. Why? Maybe it’s because many of us are still kids at heart and enjoying jumping in puddles. However, I think there is so much more to these insane challenges that keep people coming back to get dirty – and if you go, I think it will be love at first site.
With the rising popularity of more challenging workouts comes the desire to put it to the test. Over the last few years, people are trading running on flat boring pavement for muddy windy paths that make burning calories seem more like game than a workout.
Mud runs do more than just test physical strength and stamina, but they test the mind as well. Obstacles like diving in Shriveled Richard ice bath can be scarier than the highest climbing wall. And, I doubt very seriously anyone is tallying calories burned while army crawling under barbed wire.
Just a few of the Savage Obstacles
- Back Scratcher - series of wooden walls, hay bales, and barbed wire crawls
- Rubbers – uphill sea of tires
- Thor’s Grundle – ducking under walls through muddy water
- Nutt Smasher – long wobbly balance beam course
- 96″ Stiffie – 8 foot wall that requires a teamwork to clear
- Swamp Trail – thick shoe sucking mud (tie shoes tight!)
- Lumberjack Lane – heavy carry
- Big A** Cargo Net – need I say more?
- Davy Jone’s Locker – high jump into deep weather
- Mach 7 – huge fast water slide
- Barn Doors – climbing slat wall
- Hay Stacks – 30-foot piles of hay
- Evil Bars – long steep monkey bars on steroids
- Colon Blow 5,000 – long dark muddy pipes
- Incline Wall – challenging slippery 45˚ wall
- Tire Pendulum – run through over 200 tires swinging around us
- Flaming Savages – leap over rows of fire
- Mud & Guts – army crawl under barbed wire
Although Sam Abbitt, Vice President of Savage Race, said anyone can skip an obstacle if they choose. He also explained that the Savage Race encourages teamwork. Some obstacles, like the 96” Stiffie 8-foot climbing wall, require someone to give you a boost. That’s one of the many reasons Sam loves their race so much. People who don’t even know each other help each other through the course and cheer each other on.
While mud runs often have live bands and venders, some of the best entertainment is off the stage and in the crowd. Since many participants make their experience even more fun by dressing up for the race, creating team themes, participants can enjoy some of the most entertaining people watching – so don’t forget your camera.
In order to help people prepare for the race, Max Fitness will be leading a 5-week Savage Training Camp starting September 17th. Even though you don’t have to do the race to participate, this training will definitely help people who let the fear of the unknown prevent them from giving this mud run a try. Savage Training Camp is also perfect for people that don’t like traditional boring exercise. Physical tasks and obstacle training makes burning calories a lot more fun – and when fitness is fun, you’re more likely to stick with it.
Don’t be left “Behind”
Savage Race will be held at Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City on October 20th. Visit http://www.maxfitnessclub.com for more on Max Fitness’ Savage Training Camp and the Savage Race.
Savage Training Camp at the Max:
Savage Training Camp Kick Off & Orientation:
Saturday, September 15th 9:00am
Camp Cost: $299
Registration: $50 deposit due by Sept. 13th
Training: Less weights, more obstacles & fun!
Savage Training Camp:
September 17th – October 20th
5:30am, 8:00am & 5:30pm Mon – Thu at the Max
9am Saturdays off location
Fun Pics from Max Members
Photos by Photography by Angie, the folks at Savage Race, various Vero peeps and Max members including Vivian Walter, Kristen Schmidt, Holly Kramer, Eva Savage, Kathleen Morgan, Jason Morgan, Melissa Wolfe, Sam Lecher, Jeff Langlois, Jaimee Hartnett, Calise Munne, Susy Bryan, Wendy Gardiner, Charity Gruwell and Jason Tull.
LET’S GO SAVAGE!
More Fun Details!
CLICK HERE to sign up for Savage Race and join the Max Fitness Team.
Join our Savage Team & get $5.00 with this code: DoBCx
The more people that join the team, the bigger our rebate. Savage will credit your card $5, $10 or more the bigger our team gets.
10 Travel-Friendly Workouts
Working out while vacationing can be difficult. Whether it’s finding a gym or tracking a route to run, it’s just not always easy. However, if you bring your iPhone, iPad or laptop, you can whip out endless free workouts that require little to no fitness tools -and if you really want to burn some serious calories, they will have a lot of plyometric exercises in them.
Here are a few of our best BCx plyometric circuits that require little to no equipment and can be done in any hotel room. Click on the link, follow the directions, and watch the FitStudio video demonstrations and give each workout a try! Each workout will take anywhere from 3 minutes to 15 minutes. Do just one, or choose a few! Do them alone, or incorporate them with your weight routine.
1. Boot Camp Warmup - Cardio & Full Body Warm Up
2. Ten-four - Cardio/Full Body
3. Mountain Climber / Burpee Suicides - Cardio/Full
4. Old School - Cardio/Full Body
5. Dead Legs - Cardio/Lower Body
6. Bear Crawl Suicides - Cardio/Upper Body
7. SSS – Skater/squat/shuffle - Cardio/Glutes
8. Burnt 3 - Cardio/Upper Body (pull up bar required)
9. The Fire - Cardio/Full Body (pull up bar required)
10. The Bomb - Cardio/Full Body
Steve’s #FitFluential HIIT Workout For Road Warriors
#1 45 Seconds – Air Squats
#2 45 Seconds - Push Ups with Knees to Elbows
#3 45 Seconds - Burpees
#4 45 Seconds – Alternating Oblique Sit Ups
#5 1 Minute Rest
Repeat 4 Rounds for a fast and effective 20 minute workout!
Shape Up & Win: 60 Day Fitness Challenge Begins!
One of the best ways to get, and stay, motivated is to do something fresh and new. Another way to stay motivated is to be rewarded for your work. Sure, working out is rewarding, but when actual prizes are at stake, sometimes it’s just what you need to really get you (and keep you) going.
I am sooo proud to announce a project Steve and I have been working on: Designer Whey’s Summer Shape Up Challenge. It’s not just another workout program, it’s a 60 day fitness challenge led by some of the best trainers in the county with chances to win killer prizes. The more you check in and do the workouts, the more chances you get to improve your fitness and win a ton of prizes throughout the whole challenge. Check out the promo!
Over 30 Workouts to Try
Each weekday features a different trainer so you never get tired of the trainer, or the workouts. Our trainers have been on ABC, Fox, VH1, NBC, Spike & countless other major networks, sites and publications. You’ll do lower body with Steve Pfiester from BCx Boot Camp, upper body with Blake Kassel from LiveExercise.com, core & cardio with Coach Mike VanArsdale from Team Jaco MMA training camp (home of UFC champs), yoga and toning with Andrea Metcalf of Naked Fitness, & full body boot camp with Alfonso Moretti of Angry Trainer Fitness. But that’s not all! We’ve added Weekend Wild Card Workouts from various trainers across the nation to spice it up even more! This means every Saturday and Sunday you’ll see something fresh and new!
Just Show Up
As you know, I always tell people the hardest part is showing up. Well, that’s all you really have to do! You just go to Designer Whey’s page and click on their Summer Shape Up Facebook App (launches Monday, July 9th) to get started. You just show up as many days as you can, watch the workout of the day and do what you can. Whether you do the whole program or just the workout of the day, you can come play with us and join in the fun, sweat and prizes!
We’ll Be There for You
Steve will introduce the workout of the day and help you through each workout, giving tips, guidance and encouragement. You’ll also get to meet other people, just like you, doing the same workouts with you, so you’ll have added online support and camaraderie.
Designed to Win
Not only will you WIN a better body when you are done, you will have chances to win weekly prizes from a variety of killer brands AND a chance to win a luxury wellness vacation at Gloria Estefan’s Costa d’ Este Beach Resort and play with us!
Get Ready, Get Set, GO!
1.) Get Ready. Like Designer Whey’s facebook page so you can get all the up-to-the-minute news and join the program
2.) Share the challenge and invite your facebook friends and family to join you. The more people who join you, the more likely you will be to succeed. (Plus they’re doing random prizes for people who share their promo video from their page!)
3.) Get it out of your system this weekend. If you are going to do this, do it right. Enjoy your weekend and get ready to get serious about shaping up this summer. Tell as many friends as you possibly can in your circles so you have the support and accountability you need – AND who knows who may join you!
4.) Get prepared. You can’t eat well if you don’t shop well. Get the groceries you need to succeed. Make sure you have the tools you need to make the best of the workouts. Make sure there is NO excuse to eat poorly come Monday.
Suggested Tools:
Jump Rope
Bodylastics resistance bands
GymBoss Interval Timer
Dumbbells or water jugs (1 gallon of water = 8.33lb)
Yoga Mat
SEE YOU THERE!!
Fitness Success, Temporarily Disguised as Failure
Caitlin B posted her very honest and inspiring story in our BCx Forum at FitStudio.com. She probably doesn’t even realize it, but she gives some of the best advice in the business. As you read her post, take notice of the bold sentences and see if you get her tips.
“I’m starting another round of BCx Bootcamp. The last four weeks have been major improvement on my fitness. Let me first admit that I did not do every workout. I missed days here and there. Sometimes I could only get through half of a workout. But every Monday for four weeks I kept coming back and doing that Lower Body mission. For anyone getting discouraged by the difficulty (I wasn’t unhealthy, but I was by no means ‘in shape’ when I started this), just keep coming back to it. My times were horrible. And I took really long breaks between sets. Even if you skip a day, so what? After stumbling my way through four weeks, not only do I feel more energetic and stronger, but (most importantly!) my attitude towards exercise has changed. I’m not dragging myself off the couch to go workout. I’m actually looking forward to it. When I add up my times at the end of each workout, I’m not thinking “did it really take me that long?!” but “heh, go me, I just busted it for 50 minutes! Wahoo!”
If I just gave up after not doing so well during my first go through, then 6 months from now I’ll just be the same un-fit me, blundering my way through various fitness programs.
So I started a new round of BCx on Monday. I’m taking everything I’ve learned from the first round. I’m aiming for finishing all the workouts, no skips (unless I legitimately need to). So far, so good. Thanks Bonnie and Steve. I think I may finally be on the path towards fitness!”
What can we learn from Caitlin?
1. You may skip a few workouts. Big deal! A few workouts are better than no workouts. Caitlin obviously strived to do as many workouts as she could, but she didn’t always get them all in – and she still succeeded.
2. Your workouts may not be as long as you want. She admits she didn’t always complete the full workout – but BCx ain’t easy, and even half a workout is more than most people do.They key to success is knowing doing something is always better than doing nothing – and every little bit counts!
3. You just have to keep showing up. This is one of my favorite personal mantras and it’s also my favorite tip she shares. No matter how short, how few, or how ugly her workouts were, she kept showing up each Monday to start fresh. Way to go! Definitely the trick behind creating a lasting healthy habit.
4. You don’t have to be in shape to workout hard. Although BCx is a tough program for anyone, it’s not designed FOR the fit, it’s designed to GET you fit. Caitlin didn’t let her fitness level interfere with her effort level. Way to go!
5. You don’t have to be THE best, you just have to be YOUR best. She admits her time was horrible and she took long breaks to rest. But time is simply a measurement and is there to push you to perform at your personal best. Caitlin didn’t compare herself to others, she compared herself to her own prior performance and noticed she was getting stronger and faster.
6. You can get results despite how crappy you may think you’re doing. Caitlin’s hard work and consistency paid off. She got stronger and feels more energetic. Not only did she feel better but she was also learning to enjoy her workouts and not dread them. She stuck it out when it was tough and has discovered the more fit she gets, the more her attitude changes about working out.
We can learn SO much from Caitlin! What encouraging words to hear. You can fail, you can stink at it, you can even mess up repeatedly, and you can STILL get great results …as long as you JUST KEEP SHOWING UP!
Way to go Caitlin and thanks SO much for sharing your story!!!!
Now, let’s ROCK it this go around – it only gets better from here girlfriend!!
Here’s my mantra pic from my facebook cover. Feel free to steal it if you need a daily reminder to…Just Show Up!
To Join Caitlin B and do our 4-week BCx Boot Camp program online, sign up at www.FitStudio.com and join our program. Post your times and interact with other BCxers in our BCx Forum and connect with us on facebook and twitter too! 
No Gym? No Problem!
You don’t have to be a member of a gym to get results. People workout in their backyard, basement, garage, driveway, office and living room. However, people still use the excuse “I can’t afford a gym” or “I don’t have any equipment”. If that’s you, I’m here to change your mind.
The fact of the matter is, you don’t need a gym to be healthy. Can it help? Most definitely. Could it be more fun? Sure! The variety a gym offers is very valuable – BUT if you don’t have access to one, it’s not the end of the world.
Somedays, my gym is my living room floor or the pavement – and it works. Here is a killer workout that uses nothing but your body and the ground. So, NO MORE EXCUSE!
Ten-Four, BCx Workout
This workout consists of 10 reps of 4 exercises for 10 rounds. Put on your tennis shoes and join Steve for this insane workout.
Like this workout? Try one of our BCx Boot Camp programs at FitStudio.com
Get Fit with 5-Minute Workouts
Got 15 minutes? How about 5?
Sure you do! You waste that amount of time creeping people’s facebooks. Well, I have good news! Steve Pfiester created a 4-week workout program for Designer Whey made up of simple fast and effective 5-minute workout segments.
Although we have a lot of people who jump right into an intense workout program without even blinking an eye, many people would rather ease their way into a program. Basic Training does just that – it builds in intensity and time each week. Plus, Basic Training is truly a basic program, meaning it’s built on simple exercises you can do at home.
Scared to commit?
Just give me 3 days!! This week’s workout is only three 5-minute workouts: Alpha, Bravo and Charlie. Below is the first 5-minute workout, Alpha. Complete the following exercises for 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off, counting each repetition as you go. Write your reps down on this Basic Training Tracking Sheet. Follow the video to get further direction.
- Push Ups
- Sit Ups
- Burpees
- Air Squats
- Jump Rope
ALPHA:
Get More
Learn More about Basic Training
Join Designer Whey’s Newsletter to get more tips and workouts
Get Recipes for Designer Whey Smoothies
Get Nutrition Tips with Dr. Melina
Shop Designer Whey products
