Badass Fitness

Wednesday WOD with a View: Bosu + Beach = Heaven

There are two things I love intensely (well, three including my guy, but you know what I mean!)

1. I love the ocean. I love the breeze, the smell, the energy it gives me no matter the day or my mood. The vastness of the sea puts everything into perspective. It is humbling, yet makes anything seem possible.

2. I love the endorphins of a good workout. It makes a bad day better. It makes a good day great. It is empowering.  It makes anything seem possible.

Combine the two, and I am in heaven! The condo gym where I sometimes work out in Miami has an amazing view of the ocean - and an outside patio big enough for working out. The gym also has Bosu balance trainers, one of my favorite fitness "toys." So this past weekend I pulled the Bosu outside, faced the ocean, and got to work on a shoulders-and-cardio circuit that left me with quite a nice burn - during and the morning after!

A few notes: When using the Bosu, DSD means dome side down. DSU means dome side up. And a couple of the moves in this WOD are to be done on the floor, next to the Bosu.

Bosu Burpees, if you don't know them, go like this:

1. Start with the Bosu turned upside down - rounded dome on the floor. Get into a squat position over the Bosu, hands gripping the outer edges. From here, hop your legs back into a plank.

 

2. From the pushup plank position, jump the feet up so that they land at the side of the Bosu, your legs in a low squat position.

 

 

3. Now, lift the Bosu off the floor and start to bring it up in front of your chest as you move into an overhead press.

 

 

4. Bring the Bosu up overhead and press with power from that squat position. That is one round. To begin round 2, just drop the Bosu back to the floor and drop back into that plank position. Repeat.

 

Frog pushups are demo'd here on the Badass YouTube channel - love, love them for shoulders! Ditto with Walking Planks, which hit both core and shoulders.

OK, so you've got that down. Here's the full circuit!

 

 

 

Love me, Love me not: Valentine's for your fitness love

My guy knows better than to buy me a big box of chocolate bon-bons. Or a heart-shaped cheesecake.

As a fitness devotee, my idea of a romantic gift gesture is more along the lines of the new pink iPod he got me awhile back for my cycling and other group fitness classes. If the Nike Fuel Band were not sold out for the indefinite future, it would absolutely be on my wish list!

So if you're still not sure what to get for the fitness love in your life, here are a few last-minute ideas worth the splurge:

1. Home gym items such as a TRX kit, a Trigger Point Therapy kit, or a Bosu: These fitness toys will make them stronger, are mostly portable, and maybe your significant other will even share it with you!

2. A massage gift certificate: If they work out a lot, odds are their muscles need a little therapy - and as much as he or she probably likes your touch, only an expert can deliver the kind of deep tissue sports massage that works out knots and kinks.

3. Workout wardrobe: Lululemon and Nike make some of the best workout clothes for women, but they are not the cheapest options out there. So help them feel their best by looking their best during workouts with a gift certificate or item from their favorite line.

4. Healthy cooking lessons: So often, clients and students lament that they wish they knew how to be a healthier cook at home. Make an investment in their health, and yours, with a few cooking lessons. Your tastebuds will thank you as well!

5. An event registration: Maybe the only thing keeping them from Tough Mudder is the registration fee, which stretches their limited budget. Surprise them by covering the tab.

6. Personal training package: Even if it's just a package of 3 to 5 sessions, your significant others will likely learn some new training techniques and other things that will benefit them long aftert that last session.

7. Music: an iPod and iTunes gift card are an always-appreciated gift for the special runner, gym rat and weekend warrior in your life.

8. Fruit, fruit and more fruit: Instead of chocolate, what about giving a year's subscription to a fruit delivery service like the ones offered through Harry & David's. Pears, apples, oranges - all delicious real food to keep your nutrition going strong! 

Coming up: I talk with the team at Trigger Point therapy in Austin, Texas about their awesome tools for muscle release and recovery...

 

 

Building a Home Gym on a Budget

The New Year is here, and even if you have every desire to make 2012 the healthiest year yet, the pesky realities of life can seem like frustrating roadblocks.

Maybe the cost of a gym plus child care is too much, or you don't live near a good workout facility. Maybe you know yourself well enough to know that you will not work out in front of a bunch of strangers.

Whatever the roadblock, your solution - and the start of your Badass 2012 - might just be two words:  Home Gym.  

For less than $500, the equivalent of a $40-a-month gym membership, you can buy a few essential pieces to create a home gym that takes up minimal space and leaves you with zero excuses for not fitting in some sort of daily training - other than, of course, "I don't wanna."

Below are the basic pieces I'd recommend for a home gym, with prices broken down in case your budget is less than $500. Pick and choose as you need, but pick something. Even if you have a gym membership or outside-the-house workout routine, some of these pieces like the bands and TRX are awesome for taking in your carry-on when you need to travel.

Bosu Trainer: This is one of my faves. Plyometric cardio drills, balance and core exercises, strength training from the shoulders down to your legs - the Bosu trainer provides a full-body workout and takes up very little space.

Cost: $160 including DVD from PowerSystems.com, which often offers discounts and free shipping

Resistance Bands: These harmless-looking bands pack a punch when used to their full sculpting potential, from inner and outer-thigh glute squeezes to biceps curls, tricep kickbacks and shoulder presses.

Cost: $8 to $12 depending on resistance from PowerSystems.com

TRX Suspension Trainer: Their mantra, Make Your Body Your Machine, pretty much sums it up. I teach 45-minute classes using nothing but the TRX and we work every muscle - including the heart, thanks to plyometric and cardio drills like jumo squats, plank mountain climbers, plank running man, etc.  It can be used inside a door frame, tied to a tree or pole, etc. And like the other items suggested here, it folds up into a little bag so space is not an issue.

Cost $200 for TRX Pro Pack plus Door Anchor through Fitness Anywhere, and often with a 15 to 20 percent discount and free shipping

Stability Ball: Use these balls for core work, wall sits, hamstring curls, decline pushups, and even cardio work. 

Cost: $21 for Reebok Ball at Target

Med Ball: These little balls have lots of potential, whether you use them in place of dumbbells for walking twisting lunges, weighted step-ups, twisting abs, or overhead squat presses. I also love these for uneven pushups.

Cost: $35 for a 6-pound ball at PowerSystems.com

Floor Mat: If you are exercising in a softly carpeted room, maybe you don't need this. But it doesn't cost much and is great to have around for pushups, stretching, and core work.

Cost: About $30 at Target.com

Total Cost: $458

'Hella Good' Hump-Day Workout!

Happy Hump Day, Badasses! I don't know about you all, but this week seems to be craaawwwling by like an overheated turtle. I suspect this is because I am ready and waiting for college football season to start already.

Whatever the reason, I woke up today needing a little something to make the time whiz by. So in this morning's Cardio TRX class, we (me plus 16 awesome students) worked chest, back, and core - AND got our heart rates high with three Tabata high-intensity interval circuits. (A student pointed out that Oxygen magazine this month featured an article about the power of Tabata, so you know it's for real!)

So here it is - try all, try a little, or modify the workout using dumbbells/machines. When you finish, you'll be that much closer to the weekend!

Hella Good Hump Day Workout

Warmup

• 20 jacks
• 30 seconds of high knees running in place
• 20 jacks

Tabata 1

• Burpees x 4: 20 seconds of burpees, 10 seconds of rest. Do this 4 times
• Mountain climbers x 4: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Do this 4 times

TRX 1

• Chest presses (16 reps)
• Rollouts (16)
• Front Squat (16)
• Underhand grip chest press
• Pushups, feet in TRX straps or on the floor (20). Bonus Badass challenge: Use the Bosu!

Tabata 2

• Fast feet, drop into a leg thrust x 4: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Do this 4 times.
• Jump squats x 4: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Do this 4 times

TRX 2 - Repeat the chest circuit in TRX 1

Tabata 3

• Bosu jig x 2: With Bosu ball flat side down, do an Irish "jig" around the ball, lifting one foot at a time and pressing the heel to the side of the Bosu.  20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Do this 2 times
• Ready-ready-over x 2: Start one one side of the Bosu and lower into a squat. Start "fast feet," like a football drill, and move over the top of the Bosu to the other side. Fast feet, and then back over. 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Do this 2 times
• Jump lunges x 4: Start in a right jump lunge position, right foot out front. Jump lunge here for 20 seconds, rest for 10. Repeat for a second round. Do the same, 2 rounds, in the left lunge position.

TRX 3

• Mid rows (16)
• High rows (16)
• One-arm rows (16 each side)
• Wide back pulls (16) 

Tabata TRX Core

• Crunch x 4: With feet in the TRX straps and body in a plank position, pull the knees into the chest for a crunch. Do this for 20 seconds, rest fo 10 seconds. Do this 4 times.
• Pike x 4: With feet in the TRX straps and body in a plank position, pull the butt up into a V, legs remaining straight. Do this for 20 seconds, rest fo 10 seconds. Do this 4 times. Bonus Badass challenge: Use the Bosu! (pictured, left) 

 Coming up: 3 heathy meals in 15 minutes, with 5 ingredients or less! And we check in with Mr. #360to30 after knee surgery....

Monday Move: Bosu Pushup-Squat Shoulder Press

In keeping with last week's theme of "Fitness for the Time-Pressed Badass Army," this week's Monday Move will work shoulders, core and lower body all at once. It will even get that heart rate going if you move through it with a bit of controlled speed.

This exercise was part of a Badass-kicking interval training Bosu class I took last month at the SCW Atlanta fitness conference. As with so many exercises, on paper it seems like a piece of cake: Four Bosu pushups, followed by four squatting shoulder presses using the Bosu. 

The first couple of rounds, you're thinking, I've got this. It's when you multiply that four-plus-four drill times 8-10 rounds that the REAL challenge sets in. The results, though, are worth the burn. This Monday Move doesn't take much time, yet works multiple muscle groups. It is exactly the type of exercise we need when trying to make the most of limited workout time.

Note: I used a Bosu trainer for this, but you could use dumbbells as well if you prefer or if you don't have a Bosu.

OK, let's get to it! Start out doing 6 rounds, and work your way up to 10-12 over time. Push through it! You're stronger than you think you are, Badasses!

The Move: Bosu Pushup-Squat Shoulder Press

The Technique:

1. Start with the Bosu turned upside down - rounded dome on the floor. Get into a plank position over the Bosu, hands gripping the outer edges. From here, with knees off the floor (or knees on the floor if you're just starting out), do four strong pushups, letting yourself go down low.

 

2. From the pushup plank position, jump the feet up so that they land at the side of the Bosu, your legs in a low squat position.

 

 

3. Now, lift the Bosu off the floor and start to bring it up in front of your chest as you move into an overhead press.

 

 

4. Bring the Bosu up overhead and press with power from that squat position. That is one round. To begin round 2, just drop the Bosu back to the floor and drop back into that plank pushup position. Repeat steps 1 through 4 between five and 11 more rounds.

 

Incorporating it: You could do this as part of strength Tabata circuit, or as part of a shoulder and chest workout that includes moves like chest fly's, chest presses, descending pushups, stagger pushups, straight-arm shoulder raises to the front and side, etc.

Coming up: Three meals, five ingredients, 15 minutes...and You Are Your Fridge!