today we RUN!

Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip.
-Arnold H. Glasgow

TREADMILL INTERVALS...
since we can't go outside and run, its treadmill time!
8 sets of .12 mile sprints...
Tabata Push ups and dips then....
4 Rounds for time:
30 Front squats  (start from ground)
 30 Lateral hop burpees over the barbell
Abdominal Strength: 50 reps of K2E (not for time)

Lateral Hop Burpee
Complete a burpee on one side of your bar, then hop laterally (keeping ankles/feet together) landing on the other side of the bar and complete another burpee – rotate sides after each rep until all burpees are completed for that round.
Front Squat – Bar starts on the ground. Bring the bar to the shoulders any way. Bar must remain in front of the body at all times above the clavicle and below the chin. The squat begins from a fully extended standing position and must pass through the range of motion where the crease of the hip falls below the crest of the knee, and finishes back in a full standing position hips and knees open.
Front squats are a great exercise for strength and thigh development and if done properly, can be a tremendous boost to overall lower body strength, development and flexibility. This exercise directs a great deal of focus onto the front part of the thigh, especially the vastus medalis, which is the part of the lower thigh above the knee that looks like a teardrop, the rectus femoris, or center thigh, and the hamstrings.
Tips – Keep your elbows and chest up. Abdominals tight. Do not lean forward, keep weight on your heels.

YUMMY
Chili Chicken Kabobs

I thought this would be a great summer meal idea for all of the Clean Eating Freaks out there! This recipe is from The Eat-Clean Diet for Men™. Pick up your copy today! Yield: 4 kabobs
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 - 15 minutes


Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp / 45 ml best-quality olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp / 22 ml balsamic vinegar
• Juice of one fresh lime
• 1 tsp / 5 ml chili powder
• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml paprika
• 1 large onion, chopped into thick pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1 tsp / 5 ml cayenne pepper
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 lb / 454 g boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2 inch / 4-cm pieces

NOTE: Use pork, beef or bison tenderloin, or turkey as alternative kabob meats. A sturdy, meaty fish such as salmon works well
here too.


Preparation:

1. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and lime juice. Season with chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and pressed garlic.

2. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce and stir to coat.

3. Preheat the grill to medium high. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, alternating with chopped onion pieces. Discard the marinade.

4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill the skewers for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

TOSCA'S TIP: When grilling kabobs, group foods with similar cooking times. Cut meats, veggies or fruit into a uniform size: 1 1/2 inches / 4 cm works well.


Nutritional Value for One Kabob:

Calories: 186 Calories from Fat: 75 Total Fat: 8.5 g Saturated Fat: 1 g
Total Carbs: 6 g Fiber: 1 g Protein: 25 g Sodium: 334 mg Cholesterol: 61 mg

Form Matters!

The best way out is always through. ~ Robert Frost

thanks to Laura for teaching class tonight!  I know that she will KICK your booties tonight! 

Let’s Get started!

Warm-up -  If there is no rain falling at Pivotal, we will run the club 2 times

 

If there is rain, we will do the following twice!

1 min box jumps

1 minute burpees

1 minute lateral box jumps

 

Then onto the fun stuff! 

 

10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.then 2 minute break to 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10 of the following

 

Deadlifts – heavy bar

Chest press on bench – heavy dumbbells

Overhead squat – bar

Kettlebell swing/dumbbell swing

The BEAR!!!!!

 

Then Planks for core to bring it home!!!

 

Practice good form! Good form = more weight lifted and less chance of injury.  One of the hardest parts for me as a Group Fitness Instructor is seeing bad form in classes.  When you are working out tonight in BootCamp, look at your form in the mirror, check for knee placement, flat back in the dead lifts, hips opened in the dumbell swings.  Remember,form is crucial to building muscle, not to mention staying injury-free.

l squats on a regular basis.

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
- Matthew 7:12

 

Good Morning Darlings

I firmly believe that the only disability in life is a bad attitude.

-Scott Hamilton

Happy Thursday ya'll!

Good Morning Darlings are a new abdominal exercise we will be doing today, see video below!
For Time:
150 x Push-ups
Every minute on the clock you perform 10 x Box Jumps, then continue with your push-ups. The clock keeps running until you are done with 150 push-ups.

Three rounds, for time
•Walking lunges, 50m
•Count # of steps, do that many burpees
•Walking lunges - chest up (no leaning forward), and the back knee kisses (not slams into) the ground. Take big steps, but don't sacrifice quality.

" Leg Day"
4 rounds for time:
1 Suicide
40 Air Squats
50 Walking Lunges (w/empty bar or dumbells backracked)

Bar Burps
Ten rounds for time of:
5x Barbell Burpee Clean & Jerk (135 lb/ 95lb)
20 reverse crunches

Abdominal strength: “Tabata”
Alternating between the following exercises:
-Plank hold
-Flutter kicks

We do lots of squats in BootCamp! they are a fundamental movement in everyday life, as well as in the gym, especially in our workouts. Yet, so many have trouble performing the move correctly. Squat below parallel – All of you can, but you dont! Why, because it’s harder and it hurts. Partial squats are no good and they are not a true test of your squat strength. Do you have a hard time squatting to proper depth? Do you spend any time at all working on your range of motion? Get low today and squat deep! Don't even count the partial ones as reps. Want to do it the right way or the easy way just to check it off and say that you did it?
Movement standard:
Squat - you must reach proper depth. The crease of the hip must clearly dip below the top of the knees on each rep. The hips and knees must be fully extended at the top.
Stay off of your toes when squatting. Butt back and weight on the heels.

Here are a couple reasons why squatting below parallel is so good. Taken from an article on BodyBuilding.com
It is the most primitive movement pattern known to man; our ancestors used to perform many daily functions (i.e. harvesting, gathering, hunting, cooking, eating, etc.) in a full squat position.
Also, in case anyone hasn’t noticed, we spend 40 weeks in the fetal position (which is basically a full squat) prior to entering this world – do we come out with bad knees?
We should strive to train in full ROM for each and every exercise. The squat is no exception
Every exercise produces stress around a joint – the body then adapts to this stress
Contraction of the quadriceps, the hamstrings, and the gastrocnemius maintains integrity around the knee joint
Think about it, if you constantly trained in a limited ROM, the likelihood of injury increases if one day you happen to squat beyond your trained ROM
Partial squats performed on a regular basis will decrease flexibility
There is a low incidence of lower back and knee injury in Aboriginal and Oriental societies which perform full squats on a regular basis.

I like for things to happen and if they don't happen I like to make them happen.

 -Winston Churchill

Become Better...

Don't try to become better than someone else, become better than you used to be. Tom Venuto

We have spent the last week at home, staying warm from the snow and ice.  Now it's time to renew our commitment to ourselves and self improvement! Remember think of where you will be one year from now, if you started TODAY! 

How are you becoming better?

 

"People discover that by helping others, even when they themselves are suffering, they end up improving their own lives"- Arianna Huffington

 

Our workout today is in three parts. It all is scalable so don't be overwhelmed if you can't do it all, cut the reps in half or drop the weight!

1.

Warm Up
400 Jump Rope Singles
30 Air Squats
20 Situps
300 Jump Rope Singles
30 Air Squats
30 Situps
200 Jump Rope Singles
30 Air Squats
40 Situps

2.

On the minute every minute perform 5 Burpees then max rep thrusters (95/65).
The goal is to complete 100 total thrusters.

*Intermediate Scaling= 3 Burpees with 100 rep goal for thrusters.
**Beginner Scaling= 3 Burpees and 50 rep goal for thrusters.

 

3. 

10 weighted step ups  20 Walking Lunges
2 turkish get up
10 weighted step ups
20 Walking Lunges
3 turkish get up
10 weighted step ups
20 Walking Lunges
4 turkish get up
10 weighted step ups
20 Walking Lunges
5 turkish get up
10 weighted step ups
20 Walking Lunges
 

 

 

 

Lettuce Wraps

Great as a side dish or a quick snack in the middle of the day! You can make these and take them on the go with you.

Ingredients

• 2 very ripe avocados
• 3 tomatoes, diced 
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced 
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 
• Kernels from one ear raw organic corn
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 6 to 8 large romaine lettuce leaves 
• Chunks of lean grilled or baked chicken

Instructions

1. In a medium sized bowl, mash the avocado.
2. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed.
3. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of this mixture onto lettuce leaves and wrap.

 

 

" A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it the superficial appearance of being right."

- Thomas Paine

 

Snow Day BootCamp!

Hey Athletes! If you feel like me, you are dying to move and sweat and feel productive!

Today's workout is just for you, we will do 20 minutes on the bike, 20 minutes on the treadmills and 20 minutes of weight training! I know you need to hit it hard and do a little detox!

Sumo Squat 20 seconds

Push Press 20 seconds

Swing 20 seconds
Push Up 20 sec

Rest 30 seconds

repeat for ten rounds

Remember, class is moved to 11 am to give the ice chance to melt...

Thursday Love!!!

Hey to all you Athletes!!!

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."

Vince Lombardi

 

warm up....run the club twice!

20:00 for rounds:
10 burpees
10 Knees to elbows
10 lateral shoulder raises
10 Manmakers

2-4-6-8-10-12 10-8-6-4-2 reps of:
Push-ups
Anchored Sit-ups
KB Swings
Weighted Squats (45/25) use a plate
One partner working at a time. First person does 2 push-ups, then 2nd does 2, then 2 sit-ups each, 2 KB Swings... then 4's.. etc. See Video below!

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."

--Jack London--

What are you going to do with your workout today???

Egg Torte
Here is a light breakfast meal. It is traditionally made with rice, but we'll use cauliflower instead. This recipe is for one torte; make multiple tortes one at a time.

Time: 12 minutes

• 1/4 cup finely chopped cauliflower
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 tsp chopped serrano pepper
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Chop the veggies. Place a small skillet over medium heat, adding the olive oil. Saute the cauliflower for 2-3 minutes. Add the red pepper, onion, and serrano pepper. Saute until the veggies are soft.

Meanwhile, whisk the two egg whites in a bowl until fluffy. Add the sautéed veggies when done, then the salt and pepper; mix well.

Add the mixture to the skillet, frying one side, then flipping. Cook until light golden brown. Serve topped with the cilantro. Repeat the process for each torte.

Invictus...

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul. 

One of the greatest gifts in life is the ability to chart our own paths, to be the “masters of our fate, the captains of our soul” – to paraphrase William Ernest Henley. 

 

Knowing that you have this power to choose, to decide and to chart your own path, what do you choose for yourself today? for this month or even this year?  My hope for all those that this blog touches is that you look into your hearts and choose to grow as a mother, father, sister, brother, friend and to take a chance. We all experienced our own battles and achievements in 2010, and I would like to hear about yours in the comments section.  For me personally, I have spent lots of time considering where I want to go professionally, I feel this year will open some more opportunities for me and I am excited to hopefully grow more as a fitness professional.   

1.  What are your health and fitness goals for 2011?
2.  How can this blog and the bootcamp classes best support you in achieving your goals?

now lets get sweaty!  If you’re like me, the holiday season was well… a time to indulge.  Good thing we all belong to a gym!!

today's workout:

WarmUp!

Team Tabata

get a partner

pushups

air squats

shoulder pushups

Vsit

Workout:

*On the minute perform 4 Burpees”

-50  KBS
-50 Burpee Box Jumps ... over and back
-50 Shoulder Press (75/45)
-50 KTE
-50 Diamond Push ups

50 SDHP

50 Thrusters

10 Rounds
10 Burpees
10 Lateral KBS (KBS for mod) 24kg, 16kg
10 Turkish Sit up (5 ea arm, done with the KB/DB)