Tonight's Workout

Tonight's workout was somewhat Grok-like.  We got outside to follow our primal instincts and "play" in the sun :-).  I actually did the workout with my clients for a couple of reasons:
1. I wanted to push them a bit, and since a large portion of the workout was outside, I wanted to be with them "in the trenches" pushing them along
2. One of my members had her first night back after about 2 weeks off, so I wanted to keep her encouraged. I expected that she would have a bit of a challenge in front of her tonight.
3. I wanted to get my own workout done while there was still energy in my body. I get very motivated exercising around/with others, and I do push myself harder than I would working out alone. Other than the cardio conditioning classes, I typically don't work out with my clients often, but I think that it is appropriate at times.

Here's the workout:

Circuit:
Complete at many rounds as possible in 40 minutes
Outdoor Jog/Run - 1/4 Mile
Body Weight Squats x 15
TRX Rows x 15
Push Ups x 15
DB Bicep Curl & Shoulder Press x 15

We completed 4 rounds as a group. I personally could have gotten in at least 1 more round, but I had to keep things paced for my clients. They did a great job!!  Nobody in our group is fond of running (including me), so this was a good confidence booster. We jogged/ran the first half of the loop and power walked back for most rounds.  I'm very proud of us for pushing through, even in spite of the hot Texas sun (which I happen to love!!). We were getting cheers from passerbys in their cars saying that we were doing a great job! :-)

Finisher:
50 Heavy KB Swings

I dialed down the rest of the workout for them. We did an abbreviated finisher and skipped the abs/core work. We did take an 8-minute stretch at the end, which was good.  Here's the originally planned finisher & core work.

Originally Planned Finisher (1x):
200 KB Swings with mixed weight & grip
200 Walk-Ups "Step-Test" (each step up is counted as "1" rep. This is similar to the traditional 3-Minute Fitness Step Test. Used a 12" step.)

Originally Planned Core Work (2x):
Complete each exercise for 0:30
SB/Floor Crunches
TRX Plank
TRX Suspended Crunch
Floor/TRX Side Plank

Tomorrow night we have a Bikes & Bells Class....Looking forward to it!

Tonight's Workout - Circuit Training

Tonight's workout was just fantastic!  I'm getting so much energy and endurance back. The eating plan for the 60-day challenge is working. I'm seeing noticeable results, feeling good about myself, and all of that encourages me to push harder & longer during my workouts and eat clean outside of the gym.  I put together a really fun workout tonight. I just loved it, and I pushed myself to the limits once again.

Warm-up (5 mins): 5:00 on the elliptical + light stretching

Circuit Workout (40 mins):
Complete the following circuit as many times as possible in 40 minutes:
2H KB Swings x 20
KB OH Squat x 5/side
TRX Rows x 10
Push-ups x 10
Treadmill x 2:00-3:00 (take a few seconds to warm-up, jog or run for 2:00, take another few seconds to come down)

Cool-Down (15 mins):  5:00 treadmill walking, 10:00 spin bike

My Results: I made it through 6 complete rounds in 40 minutes, and I was going HEAVY on those swings. I really focused on getting a good bend in my knees, creating a powerful hip snap, and "hiking" the bell through my legs on the decent.  I was drenched in sweat after this workout. I put my clients through the same main circuit tonight; they alternated between the bike and treadmill on the cardio segment. They did great, and made it through 4 rounds plus final 1:30 of treadmill/bike.

Exercise	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6
2H KB Swings	16kg	20kg	20kg	24kg	24kg (5-2H, 5-1HL, 5-1HR, 5-2H)!!	20kg
KB OH Squats	16kg	16kg	12kg	12kg	12kg	12kg
TRX Rows	Mid-Row	Mid-Row Alt Leg Lifts - 5L, 5R	Mid-Row Alt Leg Lifts - 5L, 5R	Low Row	Low Row	Low Row on knees!
Push Ups	On Toes	On Toes Alt leg up - 5L, 5R	Spider PushUps On Toes	On Toes Stacked	On Toes	On Knees Slow & Deep
Treadmill	2:20	3:15	2:30	2:05	2:15	2:10

Oh, and I burned about 750 calories during this workout! AWESOME!

Skogg + Circuits

Activity Report: I was able to squeeze my workout in after my clients tonight.  I did Skogg Intervals L1 and added a few KB circuits that I used in class tonight. I decided to do Intervals L1 again because I liked the workout, it was short, and I wanted to increase my weight to 16kg.  I felt strong, especially after having gotten adequate rest yesterday/last night.

Here's the breakdown of what I did (note: my legs felt really great after the workout!):

Warm-up: 2:30 TGU @ 12kg followed by Skogg Scorpion Warm-up

Skogg Interval 1 @ 16kg
Rest 0:30
Skogg Interval 2 @ 12kg  - the high pull is finally starting to feel more comfortable. I'll try it with 16kg later this week.
Rest 0:30
Skogg Interval 3 @ 16kg
Rest 0:30

2:00 Swing Circuit from class @ 16kg
Rest 0:30
2:00 Squat & Press/1H Swing Circuit from class @ 12kg
Rest 0:30
2:00 Squat & Kick/Lunge & Press Circuit from class @ 12kg
Rest 0:30

Stretch & Cool Down

Nutrition Report: My eating today was actually pretty good, and I consumed all of my water.  I ran out of time before my clients, so I had to split up my (salad with flax oil) and (3oz ground sirloin/couscous) into 2 separate meals.  But, the cravings were down, and I felt satisfied with each meal.  I wasn't super hungry at breakfast, so I skipped the oatmeal today.  I'll probably need it tomorrow though.  Anyway, so far, so good :-)

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I haven't planned my workout just yet, as I'm not sure if I'll have clients in the evening. I do plan to do either a kettlebell workout or a circuit workout.  Wednesday will be cardio day and a rest day from kettlebells.

Cheers!

Another good 'un...

We put our clients at the Underground thorough the following workout tonight. It was leg intense and cardio inspired.  Lift as heavy as you can, with good form, for the desired number of reps.  Remember that we do have space available in a few upcoming small groups. If you're interested, check us out: atxunderground.blogspot.com

...enjoy...

Circuit 1 (2x)
SM Squat x 15
DB Walking Lunges (8-10 steps per direction) - try for 2-4 times
KB Swings x 30
Jump rope x 0:45 seconds

Circuit 2 (2x)
DB Squat & Shoulder Press x 12-15
TRX Squat & Bicep Curl x 12-15
TRX Squat & Row x 12-15
Jump Rope x 1:00

Circuit 3 (2x)
TRX Row x 12-15
TRX Overhead Tricep Press x 12-15
Stability Ball DB Chest Press x 12-15
Stability Ball DB Bicep Hammer Curl x 12-15

Finisher (3x)
Complete 3 Rounds, 0:30/exercise. Rest 0:30 in between rounds
KB Swings
Mountain Climbers
Planks

Awesome Workout!

Tonight's workout was outstanding!  I did a whole body strength circuit, with lots of heavy swings thrown in there.  I put in work on the 24kg bell, which felt fantastic!  I did a circuit, and it took me about 40 minutes to complete, including warm-up, cool down, and an unplanned interruption.

Warm-up: 3:00 rowing machine followed by swings @ 16kg
I didn't time my swings, but I did about 2 mins worth, alternating between 2H, 1H, and H2H.  My grip was still a little sensistive.  I wanted to do some snatches, but decided against it.

Circuit 1 - Chest: (2x)
Flat Bench Press - Smith Machine @ (Bar + 10/side) x 12
Incline Bench Press - Smith Machine @ (Bar + 10/side) x 12
DB Chest Flys @ 15# DB's x 15
TRX Chest Press x 15
*No rest in between exercises, 1:00 rest at the end of each round*

Circuit 2a - Legs: (2x)
24kg Swings x 30
Smith Machine Squats (Bar + 17.5/side) x 12
*Took 0:30 break in between round*

Circuit 2b - Legs: (1x)
Front/Back DB Lunges @ 15# DB's x 12 total
Lateral DB Lunges with reach @ 15# DB's x 12/side
*Took about 5:00 rest in between exercises, as someone came to the door and messed up my flow!*

Circuit 3 - Back: (2x)
TRX Low Row x 12
KB 1-Arm Row @ 16kg x 12/side

Finisher
Complete 3 timed rounds:
Jump Rope (0:30 seconds)
24kg Swings (0:30 seconds)

Cathe: High Step Challenge

Man, no matter how many times I do it, this workout kicks my butt every single time. It's one of my all-time favorite circuits. I thought it would be perfect to kick off the start of my circuit series.  I was so tired that I couldn't even do my cardio afterwards.  I think being hungry also had something to do with my lack of energy. I'd planned to do 20-30 minutes of rowing, but after the 70 minute workout, I only got in 5 minutes.

I also noticed that my DOMS from the S90Day Chest & Back workout from a few days ago is still setting in. It didn't help that tonight's workout included chest flys :-o!  I did some stretching and myofascial release last night, and that really helped loosen up the persistent knot in my back and tension in my shoulders.  I'm going to try foam rolling before bed tonight to see if that will help.

Looking forward to tomorrow...Another day, another set of workouts!  Yeah :-)

RAVE: Patrick Goudeau's Lean Hot Body

Okay, okay, okay, I know the title of this workout makes you smile...but, I did it for the first time. All I can say is a resounding, enthusiastic:
W.O.W.

Seriously, this workout rocked and has quickly earned a spot on my 'favorite workouts' list!!! This is my first workout purchase of Patrick's, but I have seen him on FitTV in the past. He is excellent. I did the 60-minute workout. There is also a 10-minute add-on abdominal section, which I didn't do. You need 2 sets of weights - medium and heavy. I chose 15's and 20's. They were right for me for most of the workout (had to make a few adjustments here and there). Note - There are no water breaks in this puppy. It just keeps moving.

Anyway, here are some of my thoughts regarding the workout:

• Moved quickly and was well sequenced
• High energy music that kept me moving
• Patrick's cueing was simply outstanding!
• Very creative combinations
• Kept me challenged for the entire workout
• Strong, effective warmup that gradually increased heart rate. But, once it was up, it was up (high) for the rest of the workout I was actually anaerobic for the majority of the workout.
• No dread factor - even on the more challenging moves, I didn't feel intimidated. I at least had the courage to try everything.
• Patrick has a wonderful personality and teaching style. I loved him!

Although I did have to take breaks and hit pause often to let my heart rate come down a bit, I felt this was one of the most effective workouts that I've done so far this year. I didn't preview the workout first, and I didn't have too many problems following along. I'm sure that as I get more familiar with the workout, I will personally be smoother in my execution. I can definitely see how this workout will lean you out and improve one's overally conditioning. I am really looking forward to doing this again, and even more to when I won't have to press pause as much. I'm not sure if the workout is chaptered. I seemed to recall hearing that it wasn't, so I didn't even try for fear of interrupting the workout too much.

In conclusion, I'm going to even go so far as to say that this workout gives Paul Katami's Hollywood Bootcamp 4x4 a run for its money. That is saying alot because, like so many of us on the forum, I really thought that Paul's Bootcamp workout was/is a 5-star bootcamp workout. This workout isn't the same structure as Paul's (i.e. 4:00 blocks of work with 0:30 rest), but I would still categorize it as a bootcamp style, circuit training workout. I am so ELATED to have both of these workouts in my collection!!

Here's a trailer of the workout if you haven't seen it.

Skipped Kenpo X this week and did Paul Katami Hollywood Bootcamp 4x4

Tonight, my plan was to do the Kenpo Cardio+ immediately followed by Kenpo X.  Well, that didn't happen...Instead, I did 10 mins of P90X+ Kenpo Cardio+ and wasn't really feeling the workout.

I'll probably need to do the workout a few more times before I decide if I actually like it. I don't think it had the same energy as the original Kenpo X, which was kind of disappointing. Tony's teaching in this one also seemed a little 'off'. I hope that I'll grow to like this one as much as I like the original Kenpo X. I didn't really care for Kenpo X the first time either, but once I got the workout down, I was able to concentrate on increasing my intensity. Now, it kicks my butt (in a good way), and I love it!

So, after my 10 minutes of Kenpo Cardio+, I decided to do a bootcamp workout.  I broke out Paul Katami's Hollywood 4x4 Bootcamp. Oh how I love this workout, and I adore Paul!  I actually did the full bootcamp workout this time around. I did this workout today (for the second time since owning it) in its entirety. The first time I did it, I was time constrained and only did the first 2 rounds (2x) and the 3rd round (1x). Whewww!!! I was proud of myself for getting through it. It's really tough!

I used 12# Dumbells for all of the weighted exercises except for the upper cross. I tried the upper cross with 3# and 5# weights this time around (first time I used 8# and that was near impossible to last the full minute). I cannot give enough praise for this workout! My only minor grievance with the workout is that it isn't chaptered. That's the only suggestion that I can offer to Paul moving forward.

I am trying not to do this workout too much, as I have several others that I am trying to squeeze into my rotation. Since I'm doing my P90X rotation at the moment, I'm trying to get in at least 1 full body circuit/conditioning workout in per week. So, I'm trying to rotate through my DVD library.  However, I just can't help being drawn to Katami's workout!

Anyway, it was a good workout, and I felt accomplished afterwards!