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The BIG Burpee Workout
Workouts do not have to be complicated. I think many people think they have to have a new set of moves or learn a whole new exercise in order to really get a good workout – but the truth is, you can take 1 single exercise and turn it into an entire workout if you get a little creative.
Let’s look the burpee for instance. What if you took just the first part (the squat), then the 2nd part (the thruster), the 3rd part (the plank or push up), then back to the thruster again, and finally the last part (the jump) and you did each movement separately. Suddenly, you have quite a challenging workout – all created and inspired by one simple exercise.
Check it out!
The Big Burpee Workout
Click on each exercise to watch the video demonstration.
- 10 Air Squats
- 10 Squat Thrust
- 10 Push Ups
- 10 Squat Thrust
- 10 Tuck Jumps (double plyo high knee)
Repeat entire workout doing 9 reps, then 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 each – and you’ll get your 1 BIG BURPEE experience! Time yourself and let me know how long it takes you to finish! Have FUN!
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Burn Calories & Flatten the Tummy on the Go
The only way we can afford to eat a few extra calories on vacation is if we make room for it. And, although we’re on vacation, that doesn’t mean we need to take a vacation from fitness too!
Although our gym rocked, our workouts were really pretty simple and could be done almost anywhere. Steve shares his Cardio and Abs Hotel Workout he did this weekend, which required little equipment or time.
#GetAfterIt!
Featured Ab Exercise to Learn: Snowboarder Crunch
Hotel Workout: CLICK HERE to get Steve’s Cardio & Abs 30-Minute Workout.
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3 Ways to Work Up A Sweat in the Cool AC
If you’re like me, you aren’t as eager to go for a run when it’s scorching hot outside. Well, there are other great ways to burn calories and take your training up a notch – indoors!
1. Double Date with the Elliptical & an iPad. My favorite way to burn calories on the elliptical is watching my favorite shows on the ABC app or my Direct TV app. I actually save certain shows just for cardio so the shows are special and I only can watch them if I work for them.
2. Go group X. Some people love classes, others (like me) don’t. However, when it’s too hot outside to run, classes are a great alternative. We just have to step out of our comfort zone and try different classes until we find one we like. If you don’t like classes, most of the time you just haven’t found the right one for you. If you aren’t a member of a gym, get a short-term membership or trial for a chance to try classes before you commit to joining. The instructor, members, staff and schedule are all very important.
3. Plyo your butt off. When people think of cardio, they think of running, elliptical, spinning or doing classes. Most people are blank when thinking of other ways to burn calories on the living room floor. Beside jumping rope (which is about the most boring and grooling thing I’ve ever done), most people don’t have a list of go-to exercises they could do on the fly. However, there are TONS of exercises that will not only melt more fat than a morning run, but tone your up all over – and all it requires is a few feet of floor space and your body!
SEE 10 Heart-Pounding, Fat-Melting, Body-Toning Exercises You Can Do Anywhere
ABC Butt & Abs Treadmill Workout
Millions of people buy treadmills with high hopes of using them to get fit, only to have them collect dust – or in Brittany’s case, hang clothes (as you can see here in her picture from her blog)!
It’s understandable. Walking on a treadmill can get boring. However, there are ways to keep it fresh! It’s time to take the clothes off the treadmill and put it to good use again – and this time, you can do MORE than just walk on it it!
You can burn calories, while firming your glutes and core, on your old treadmill with some fresh new treadmill moves – all with the treadmill running at only .5 – 1.0mph. Take it slow, practice the moves first and then get ready to feel the burn!
GLUTES, CARDIO & CORE!
A - 5-minute warmup:
Light jog or power walk
B - Treadmill Circuit:
1. 1 Minute of Walking Lunges
2. 1 Minute of Skateboard Lunge on the left side
3. 1 Minute of Skateboard Lunge on the right side
4. 1 Minute of Ab Wheel Walk
5. 1 Minute of active rest (moderate walk or jog)
C – 5-Minute Cardio:
Fast Power-walk or Steady Jog
Repeat B & C 2 more times for a 35 minute workout.
More Treadmill News & Tips
Learn How to Buy a Treadmill by Andrea Metcalf
Get more treadmill exercises and fresh new workouts at FitStudio.com!
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You Can’t Compete with What You Eat
You may be working out harder than you have to.
Are you investing hours of your day trying to burn off what you aren’t willing to cut out of your diet? I think many people are spending a unnecessary amount of time and energy doing fat-melting workouts simply because they aren’t willing to control what they eat. As Steve says, “You can’t compete with what you eat” so let me save you a lot of time, energy and frustration.
Unless you just have all the time in the world to run off every calorie you consume, there is no reason for that much cardio. Practice a little self-discipline and lighten your work load. Otherwise, you are going to find yourself completely discouraged, and worn out, from punishing your body for what your mouth keeps doing.
It’s not always the meals we choose, but the extras. Instead of eating 1/2 a bagel we eat a whole bagel. Instead of having a coffee, we have a fancy latte. We treat ourselves with “one small thing” that takes a not-so-small amount of time to erase. Unfortunately, it’s all the extra that makes us extra large. If you can control the extras, you can control your waistline – and not have to do the extra work to erase your mistakes.
Here’s the reality behind what it takes to erase extra calories:
1 Tall Salted Caramel Latte = 1 Hour Power Walk
1 Side of Chili’s Cole Slaw = 1 Hour of Yoga
Side of Ranch Dressing at Subway = 3 Mile Jog
1 McDonald’s Medium French Fries = One Hour of Zumba
Dairy Queen Dipped Chocolate Cone = 1 Hour of Kickboxing
1 Boston Market Broccoli & Cheese Soup = 1 Hour on the Elliptical
Duncan Donuts Mocha Coffee with Cream = 1 Hour on the Treadmill at 4mph
1 Slice of Little Caesars’ Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza = 1 Hour of Aerobics Class
1 Panera Everything Bagel with Light Veggie Cream Cheese = 1 Hour of High Impact Aerobics
1 Steak & Shake Medium Cookies & Cream Shake = 1 Hour of Boot Camp AND 1 Hour Power Walking
Chili’s Bottomless Tostada Chips & Salsa = 1 Hour Running at 6mph (10-minute miles) AND 1 Hour of Aerobics
Tips to Making Your Cardio Count
Are you choosing the right cardio for your goals? Many times I see people who need to lose weight leisurely peddling along on the recumbent bike, thinking they are doing some really great fat-burning cardio. However, unless they are rehabilitating an injury, they could burn up to 200 calories more per hour if they moved to an elliptical or treadmill.
Look at the following list of most common exercises and see how they compare to each other. Each exercise is listed from lowest calories burned to highest calories burned.
Calories burned per HOUR for a 155lb person
232: Walking, 3.0
281: Water Aerobics
281: Yoga (not cardio, but thought it was cool to compare)
281: Bicycle
352: Walking, 4.0 brisk pace
352: Low Impact Aerobics
422: Dance Aerobics
443: Walking, 4.5 very brisk pace
472: Running 5mph/12-Minute Mile
480: Elliptical (Moderate)
493: High Impact Aerobics
493: Stationary Bike (moderate intensity)
563: Calisthenics (push-ups, sit-ups…)
563: Circuit Training (minimal rest)
568: Elliptical (vigorous)
633: Stair Machine
633: Running 5.2mph/11.5-Minute Mile
704: Running 6mph/10-Minute Mile
704: Kickboxing
744: Running 6.5mph/9-Minute Mile
760: Plyometrics (Burpees, Jumping Jacks, Box Jumps)
Time vs Work
Now, let’s also look at the type of cardio compared to the amount of time you are likely to do that activity. I know in my heart I will not run on the treadmill for an hour, but I’d do kickboxing for an hour. So, in reality, when looking at the numbers above, I can’t compare them as apples to apples.
The reality: Walking for 30 minutes (176 calories) vs an hour of low-impact aerobics (352 calories) is 176 calorie difference. Running 3 miles/30-min (352 calories) vs 1 hour of kickboxing (704 calories) is 352 calories! Now THAT’S even a bigger difference.
Workout with Purpose
In a nutshell, if you have a specific goal you want to achieve from fitness, you may need to do what your body needs – not necessarily what you like the most. Sure, it’s great to choose activity you like, and will stick to, but are you going to be OK with the results you get from that activity? Many times people keep doing what they like without ever achieving their goals – and they quit working out eventually because what they liked didn’t give them the results they wanted.
If you are exercising for your health, and not for calorie burn, that’s one thing – but if you are wanting to do cardio for fat-melting results, then maybe it’s time to choose a workout based on the results you want to get. Once you choose your workout, make those workouts priority and the fun workouts extras – until you reach your goal. Once you reach your goal, you can rearrange your training schedule, reduce intensity and increase your fun activities.
Top 5 Calorie Scorchers
If you are like me, you want the most bang for your buck. Here are my personal favorite workouts that burn a serious amount of calories while sculpting muscle too.
1. Plyometrics
2. Circuit Training
3. Calisthenics
4. Kickboxing Class
5. High Impact Aerobics
Top 5 Exercise Tips:
1. Do weights before cardio
2. If you need to lose weight, make calorie burn your top priority
3. Do moderate cardio on a mostly empty stomach, when possible, when doing cardio alone.
4. Plyometrics, circuit training and calisthenics require food to fuel you through your workout.
5. None of your calorie burning workouts will pay off if you are just replacing the calories burned with calories you eat. Limit calories consumed for maximum weight loss results.
NOTE: Cardio was a term originally was used to describe exercising your heart and lungs. Now people refer to cardio when doing fat-burning workouts, from a power-walk to an aerobics class.
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Source: NutriStrategy
15 Sweat-Your-Butt-Off-at-Home-for-Free Workouts
When it comes to cardio, most people initially think of hitting the treadmill or elliptical. And since many people don’t have kind of high-dollar equipment, doing cardio at home may not seem like an option. However, you don’t need a treadmill to get your sweat on.
If this is you, you probably have bought some kind of workout DVD in the past and subjected yourself to an hour of the worst music ever played in your house (or the planet for that matter). Fitness DVDs are notorious for having awful music and stale energy to boot. If the music wasn’t bad enough, you get to memorize every line they say whether you like it or not. Needless to say, the workout can get stale pretty quick.
Of course nothing beats the real thing – going to the gym and being led by a real live person. The energy of listening to killer high-energy music pumped out of giant speakers is enough to get your heart racing alone. However, if you aren’t able to get to a gym, you have another option.
This is where FitStudio comes in. Many of you know Steve and I are Fitness Advisors for FitStudio, powered by Sears. What does that mean? It means we help FitStudio design a site that helps people workout at home and reach their goals – FREE! One of our tasks is to design workouts and workout programs, like our BCx Express 30-Minute Workout and BCx Boot Camp.
Each workout has a list of all the exercises, complete with video instruction on how to do each exercise. After you learn the exercises, you can print the workout to follow on your own. The coolest part of this is you get to set your atmosphere, complete with your favorite music. With programs, like BCx, the faster you go, the quicker you get done – time being your trainer.
So, get your favorite music queued up and get ready to sweat to your favorite jams!!
Here are 15 FitStudio workouts you can do at home:
- The Lunge Hour Workout
- A Not-so-girlie Workout
- The Lean Jeans Workout
- Absolute 6-pack
- Superior Gluterior
- Fat-blasting Blitz
- Bcx Legs & Glutes Express
- Bcx Abs Express
- Lower Body Mission
- Cardio & Conditioning Mission
- The Thigh Jelly Jump-off
- March Madness Workout!
- Last Call for Weight Loss
- Be My “Valenfine” Workout
- New Ball, New Bod! (Fit Ball Workout)
Learn More About FitStudio & the FitStudio Team
- Join FitStudio for weekly workouts and tips
- View all FitStudio’s Workout Programs
- Read FitStudio’s helpful diet & fitness articles
- Search the FitStudio Exercise Library for new moves
- Shop for home fitness equipment
SPRING Into SPRING Workout
Gone are the wintry days when you could camoflauge your pasta bloat with an oversized, flannel onesie. Warm weather begs you to shed those layers. But first, shed some layers of fat with this plyometric (a.k.a. jump-training) workout, led by FitStudio’s own Steve Pfiester.
Instructions
Repeat each couplet three times.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH AND/OR FOLLOW STEVE THROUGH THIS WORKOUT
The Lunch Time Stair Climb, Stair Climbing Workout
Jessica Landry, @JessgynNP on Twitter, tweeted a workout request: “@BonniePfiester send a good stair routine…something quick like can do in lunch hour wo leaving building.” So, I did. I tried it. It made me sweat like a pig and here it is!
I had 8 flights of stairs to do this workout but it can be totally modified to meet your needs. Estimated time: 20-30 minutes depending on your fitness level. Can be repeated for lengthier workout. Add dumbbells to boost difficulty. Have FUN! 
1. Singles – Light Jog Up Stairs
Light trot down
2. Doubles – skipping 1 step, pushing with heels
Light trot down
3. Double Side Lunge – lunge as far right skipping one step, then lunge far left skipping a step, pushing with heels
Light trot down
4. Single/Double Intervals – Regular single steps one flight, Doubles second flight, repeat
Light trot down
5. Singles & Squats – Walk up & do 10 FAST Air Squats for each flight
Light trot down
6. Single Power Steps – Step up driving your weight off the heel of you foot. Toes should almost be off the ground
Light trot down
7. Double Side Lunge – lunge as far right skipping one step, then lunge far left skipping a step, pushing with heels
Light trot down
8. Triples – taking 3 Steps at a time (skipping 2 steps)
Light trot down
9. Doubles – skipping 1 step pushing with heels
Light trot down
10. Singles – cooling down, light on toes like a soft jog
Light trot down
Want more workouts you can do at home or work? Subscribe to our BCx Boot Camp blog, do BCx Boot Camp at FitStudio and learn more about BCx training at DoBCx.com.
Don’t forget to subscribe to this blog – this is my main fitness blog dedicated to tips, encouragement and education so YOU can get fit! Like it, Share it, Tweet it, Follow it, APPLY IT!
The Fat Burning Zone Lies
I just received a facebook message question about their “target heart rate”. I believe this is one of the most deceiving fitness principles so I’m going to attempt to explain exactly what the “target heart rate” is and the truth (more like a lie) behind the “fat burning zone”.
Learning Your Maximum Heart Rate
You may have heard the term, Maximum Heart Rate, but most people have no clue what that is. We see stickers on treadmills saying “65% of your maximum heat rate”, but that’s basically a foreign language to most people. Here’s the answer: your maximum heart rate is always 220 minus your age.
My Maximum Heart Rate is: 220 – my age (_____) = ___________
The Fat-Burning Zone
The quote unquote Fat Burning Zone is 65-75% of your maximum heart rate. This is the zone where your body burns a higher percentage of calories from fat. This is where I start getting mad and here’s why. Stay with me. We need to work through this math so you can follow me here. Trust me – it will be worth it! Read the rest of this entry
