All the world’s a stage gym.

Last Thursday, I didn’t plan to workout.   I had already gotten in a good workout the day before but then I saw this…

…like a crazy woman thankfully the kettlebells were still in the car

The Workout
10 Kettlebell Snatches  (5 right, 5 left)
4 Flights of Stairs

Repeat 10x.

This was probably one of my favorite workouts of all time.  Seriously.  It was invigorating and I’m pretty sure I felt my butt shrink.  I hit a personal record, 100 snatches with the 16K (35lb) bell. Plus, there was a pretty sweet view from the top even though it was cloudy.  Something about seeing nature motivates me. It makes me feel alive and connected to something greater than myself.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Brent is shooting some children’s music videos today and tomorrow.  Like last year, I’ve been hired to do “crafts service”.  Like most normal people, I brought my kettlebells along and slipped away for a workout.

While Brent was doing this…

…I was  doing this.

(Don’t tell him.)

The Gym
12 kg Kettlebell
16 kg Kettlebell
Workout Journal and Pen
iPhone Gymboss App
Bodybugg (Gowear Fit) Display  (more on that later)
(the cigarettes were not part of the arsenal)

The Workout
Clean and Press Ladder – 4 rungs x 4
100 Kettlebell Highpulls
1 Round of Tabata Squats
4 Hill Sprints

I sprinted (jogged) up the trail to those two poles that are close together.  It may not look very far but trust me the lactic acid buildup was BURNING when I got to the top.

On the way up I passed these.

When Brent was done I thought is would be good for him to walk up with me once before going home.  You know so, I could burn a few more calories,…err…he could decompress.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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We kicked our camping season off this weekend with a trip up the coast with one of our homeschooling groups.  (For those who may be considering homeschooling and are concerned about “socialization”.   Don’t worry, in most towns, the opportunities to hang out with other kids and really get to know other families are endless.)

Of course, for a nutty person camping would not feel complete without a workout.  Saturday morning, Brent and I hauled our kettlebells down to the beach.

Kettlebell Complex

5 one arm swings
(Clean the bell into the rack)
5 squats (kb is in the rack)
5 military presses
(Switch hands and repeat)

Rest and repeat 5 times each side.  (Total of 50 swings, 50 squats, and 50 presses- 25 each arm)

20 snatches (10 each side)

Rest and repeat 5 times. (100 snatches)

Because I was feeling so dang good I decided I wanted to sprint.  It felt SO. GOOD. I love to sprint.  It’s exhilarating and makes me feel like a child again.

(You have my permission to laugh at that picture.)

2 (approximately) 100 yard sprints

Then I practiced a few other moves (cleans, clean to catch, and windmills) trying to improve my form. When I “practice” I use a lighter bell and my focus is entirely on form and not at all on numbers.

I finished my workout with a relaxing stretch session.

BUT the best part of the weekend wasn’t working out.  It was watching these guys fish, boogie board, ride bikes, and play with friends.

These pelicans were pretty rad too.
God’s creation never ceases to captivate me.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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I know being sore is necessarily indicative of a good workout.  I don’t care.  I like being sore.  In fact, I LOVE being sore and I have a feeling that I’ll be sore tomorrow after today’s workout.

I just did this workout this morning with my friend, Deb, aka, Smoothie Girl.

Isn’t she cute.  If you didn’t read her GH interview last week, you won’t want to miss it.

Her kettlebell was cold so she bundled it up.  Awwwwww.

I didn’t time how long it took us to do this workout.  I’m guessing about 30 minutes.

Circuit 1 – Swing / Push Up Ladder

10 Swings
2 Push Ups
20 Swings
4 Push Ups
30 Swings
6 Push Ups
40 Swings
8 Push Ups
50 Swings
10 Push Ups

Repeat ladder 2x.  Don’t have or feel comfortable with dumbbell swings?  While swings and squats are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT movements.  (Please don’t swing like this.) Squats or or jump squats could be substituted for the swings.  Last week, I did a similar workout but with squats and I was sore for days!  Yeee-haw!!!

Circuit 2 –  Superset

Single Leg Deadlift – 10x each leg
High Pulls 10x each arm

Repeat superset 3x.

Circuit 3-  Superset

Single Leg Squats – 10x each leg
Renegade Rows – 10x alternating arms

Repeat superset 3x.

Bodybugg Review Update

I had some technical difficulties with my Bodybugg last week.  First my data wouldn’t upload to the program and then my watch wouldn’t synch correctly to the armband.  I emailed the Bodybugg tech support and they were very S.L.O.W.( took over 24 hours) to respond. Maybe I’m impatient but when I’m have a 6 month paid subscription every day it doesn’t work correctly and I can’t use it COUNTS.  It seems each time I emailed tech support my email went in a queue which resulted in having to repeat myself to numerous tech support people.  It was very difficult to discuss a problem with anyone because you can’t email back and forth with the same person.  At one point they told me how to fix the problem using Internet Explorer when I clearly explained I was using Safari.  Ugh.  Regarding the watch issue they said a 5% difference was allowable.  That’s fine but a 500 calorie difference is not just 5% when I burn a total of 2100 on a good day.  (Yes, I’m a slug.)  All said and done, tech support didn’t help at all.   I ended up rebooting my armband and watch and after a few days the numbers were in synch again.  Not sure what happened but I did lose .5 pounds this week and it’s working just fine now so we’ll see.  I’m assuming it’s like a cell phone or computer and needs to be reset every few days to work properly.  However, I don’t regret my purchase so far.

I hope you had a great weekend.  Mine was wonderful.  I competed in a mini taekwondo tournament.  It was my first one.  I got first in forms and tied for 3rd in sparring out of four people.  I sort of freaked out when I was supposed to kick a stranger in the head.  Eeeeek!!!  The rest of the weekend was spent cuddling with my hubby on the couch and hanging out with the kiddos.  My idea of a perfect weekend!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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(Source)

Good day dear readers!  (said in a horrible faux accent of unknown region) I hope you a restful weekend.

The above picture would so be me and and I know some of you too!  Ha!

Yesterday, Brent and I did this fun and fast workout.  We used kettlebells but you could easily modify it to work for dumbbells.

A. 5 Swings (Dumbbell Option: Jump Squats or Dumbbell swings)
B. 1 Clean and Press
C. 1 Overhead Squat*
repeat 4 x (2 on each side)

REST!!

A-C are back to back without rest (a complex).   Repeat complex 3x total.

*Overhead squats are an advanced move.  Beginners should stick with regular squats.

Ascending  Clean and Press and Squat Ladder

1 Clean and Press (each side)
5 Squats
2 Clean and Presses (each side)
10 Squats
3 Clean and Presses (each side)
15 Squats

Alternate with

Pull ups (maximum reps)

Rest and repeat ladder and pullups 3x.  I did negative pull ups, i.e., jumped up to the bar and lowered myself slowly.

Bodybugg Update!
I’m right on track and lost a pound last week.  It felt pretty effortless and I still ate lots of my favorite foods just not as much.  I’m getting used to the Bodybugg online tracking.  I’ve used The Daily Plate for years and LOVE IT!. I do not like the Bodybugg calorie tracking as well as the Daily Plate.  I also used my personal coaching session.  She was very nice and showed me a few things I didn’t know about the tracking system such as where to enter measurements to get a more accurate calorie burn.  Yesterday, I took my body fat measurements I was guessing I was going to be between 20-22% and ended up at 23%.  Not a bad guess.  :D  I’m not at all bummed about that number.  Right now my eyes are on my goal of reaching my weight so I can test with the 12kg and loose jeans are just going to be bonus!

A look ahead into this week!
Brent’s High Protein Cream Filled  Swedish Pancakes (Get excited!)
Another Girl Hero
My burlesque workshop experience…oh dear!  ;-)

How was your weekend?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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You may have heard of a new study that was circulating various news sources last week.  (Thanks Charlotte for the tip off on Twitter.)   The gist of the study was that women need an hour of moderate intensity activity  7 days a week to maintain a “normal” weight.

So what does this mean for women who really don’t have 60 minutes every day of the week to exercise?  Or what about  women like me who don’t want to devote 60 minutes every day to exercise but still want to feel good in a bikini be healthy?  Is there another way?

Thankfully the answer is yes.

Metabolic resistance training.

Metabolic resistance training is perfect for those of us who don’t have or want to spend 60 minutes 7 days a week working out.  In fact, it would be unsafe to do metabolic circuit training 7 days a week because when I push my body to its limit it needs rest to avoid injury from overtraining. Whew.  Okay great.  But what is metabolic resistance training?  Metabolic resistance training is basically cardio and strength training combined.  Unlike the traditional lift, rest, lift (same exercise as before), and repeat, different strength training exercises of varying intensities are done in circuits of varying lengths with little to no rest in between exercises.

Metabolic resistance training can be done with virtually any device that provides resistance including dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, bands, and your body.  Although I’m not so sure I like thinking of my body as a “device”.   Generally speaking, metabolic circuits are full body workouts typically made up of  compound moves with short rest periods.  It’s similar to HIIT cardio but only with resistance.

Not only do you get an awesome workout in a short time but interval training with high intensity burns more calories than moderate intensity training after you workout due to the EPOC (Elevated post oxygen consumption) response.  EPOC basically means that the more intense you workout the longer it takes your body to return to resting levels of energy expenditure.   In other words, the more intense you workout the more calories you burn after your workout.  A slow and steady workout, i.e. moderate intensity, will result in a shorter EPOC response = less calories burned afterwards.  A hard and intense workout will result in a longer EPOC response = more calories burned afterwards.

So if last week’s news sounded like bad news to you, check out a headline from last week, Some pain All gain: Another argument for high intensity workouts. Or last month, Interval Training Can Cut Exercise Hours Sharply.

An example of a metabolic resistance type workout

A. Pull Ups (assisted):  10-15
B. Steps Ups: 10-15  each leg
C. Military Press: 10-15

Perform A-C back to back with little to no rest.  Rest 2-3 minutes and repeat for a total of 3x through.

A. Squats: 10- 15
B. Push Ups: 10-15
C. Swings: 15-20

Perform A-C back to back with little to no rest.  Rest 2-3 minutes and repeat for a total of 3x through.

As you grow in strength and endurance you can vary loads, reps, time (complete circuits faster), and rest making the workouts (in my opinion) more fun.  The possibilites to challenge yourself are endless as opposed to steady state moderate intensity cardio where the only way to challenge yourself is to go longer or faster. However, if I keep increasing speed  I will eventually end up in the same anaerobic zone as interval training with high intensity so why not just start there.

Is this only way to train?  Absolutely not?  I say find what you like because plan you will actually do is the BEST plan for you.   Metabolic circuits or interval training is just what I am using right now for this busy time in my life because.. an hour?   No thanks.   I’d rather just get it over with and get on with…life or laundry.  Or not.

Today is the last day to enter my first giveaway for the Oxygen Body Plan Kit.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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My blog is not new but I’m new to “blogging”.  Let me explain.   I’ve been writing and silently reading a few other blogs for a while now.   Recently, with Janetha’s encouragement, I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and interact with other bloggers.  Don’t roll your eyes.  It’s not easy when you are still coming to terms with being called “Beatlejuice” in high school.  Yesterday I was lucky enough to meet one of my new friends, Deb from Smoothie Girl Eats Too.  Deb and I met at the beach for kettlebells and…but what else…smoothies!  Deb was every bit as lovely, thoughtful, kind, and funny in person as she is online.  She even brought me a gift.

A smoothie starter pack: Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Crystal Light, Moo Magic, Zunko, and one of her homemade nut butters made with hazel nuts and cocoa power.  It had disappeared by noon this morning.  Nuff said.  ;-)

I, always charming, brought her…coffee breath. (Sigh)  Oh wait, I also prepared a kettlebell workout.

First we warmed up with swings, around the worlds, halos, and an overhead walk.

Then…

Deb and Jenn’s KB workout. (Clever, I know.)

Swings – 30
Heartbeat Squats – 5 w/5 pulses
Bear Crawls – Distance guessing it 20 ft (We did a modified version and later substituted Renegade Rows)
Swings – 30
Military Press – 5 each arm
Tactical Lunges – Distance
Swings – 30
Windmills – 5 each side
Hot Potatoes – 30 seconds

The idea was to do all exercises back to back with as little rest as possible and repeat for a total of 3x.  However, Deb and I were having waaaaaay too much fun and what could have taken us 20 minutes took an hour and a half!  It was all good though, according to Deb’s heart rate monitor she burned 800 calories!  Maybe the results from the ACE study are more attainable than I thought. Afterwards, we plopped down in the sand to chat and three and a half hours later, we shuffled up the hill back to our cars.

Our cars are on the other side of that hill.  Deb carrying 2 bells = 44 lbs of iron and I one bell = 35lb.  Mmmmm…hope she wants to hang out again.  ;-)

For the ride home, Deb gave me her famous PB&J smoothie to-go.  It was thick and sweet but not too sweet with a slight tart (and it matched my shirt, hat, water bottle and water socks…I forget about first impressions).  This girl knows how to makes smoothies.  Delicious! A PERFECT end to a perfect day!

Thanks Deb!!!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

You may also like:
Turkish Get Ups and Tabata Squats

or

Weekend Workout

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If you’ve read my blog for any length of time you may have noticed I don’t do many long workouts.  Sure, I enjoy going long hikes, walks, or even an occasional jog but as far as scheduled workouts I prefer them short and intense.  It’s better for my body, for my sanity and I’m not a hamster. (re: long treadmill sessions) Call me lazy but I don’t want to make the time to bust out an hour or more in the gym every day and if I can do the workout in my living room I’m even happier.

Living Room Workout
(short, sweet, and sweaty)

8 minutes of Turkish Get-Ups
4 minutes of Tabata Squats

Stretch

Loved it and will definitely be doing it again.  The video shows the get-up with a kettlebell but a dumbbell can be used in it’s place.  The weight distribution is different but it still works just fine.  Don’t let any kettlebell snob tell you differently.

Over the last few months I’ve come to love get-ups.  It’s a very “functional” movement that really works the “core”.  (Don’t you just love fitness buzzwords. I don’t.  I think they are annoying but I still use them.)  Get-ups are great for overall strength (fantastic for the shoulders) and flexibility. You can google turkish get-ups and quickly find a wealth of information as to why they are kick azz but there is another benefit I haven’t read about: relaxation. When I am holding an iron ball (or dumbbell) above my face I better have serious mental focus.  I find this forced extended period of mental focus almost meditative.  A long set of get-ups is on par with taking a long bath, albeit, a sweat bath but relaxing nonetheless.  When I’m done I feel strong and focused.

If you’ve never tried Tabata and you’re like me preferring short and sweet, then you might want to give the Tabata protocol a try.  It’s another one of my favorites. Tabata protocol?  Wth is that, you ask?  You can read about Tabata here.

I’m trying to make my blog a little more personal so I thought I’d share my attempt to shorten my longish bangs yesterday.  I was hoping to have Bettie Page bangs but ended up looking more like a drunk Cleopatra.

You can’t tell as much in the pictures but they are pretty choppy, short, and UNEVEN.  Ugh.  When will I learn to stop playing with scissors!

There is a yummy giveaway over at a new (to me) blog I just found called Jocelyn Eats Fresh!  Who happens to be another low sugar gal!  Yay!!!!  Check it out!

Have a great Monday.

xoxo
jenn

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Saturday I spent the day at the beach nurturing my latest obsession…kettlebells!  A friend had mentioned she had been reading my blog and wanted to try kettlebells out for herself.  Eager to find someone who wanted to listen to me ramble on about how much fun they are, I offered to help her and her friend out with the basics.  We had a good time and after they left I did my own workout which was…

100 swings
20 snatches (10 right, 10 left)
3x

3 x 5 military presses each side

stretch

Sunday, I spent a good amount of time eating French toast figuring out my weekly workout schedule because I ate too much French toast today my husband and I are officially beginning the second part of the Enter the Kettlebell program in my preparation for the RKC (hopefully) later this year.   I’m excited.  I like plans.  I like kettlebells.  I like (adore) my husband.  It should be good. Fittingly, the second part of the program is called “The RKC Rite of Passage”.  (Sounds a little hardcore for a girl who likes to lay around in flannel pj’s sipping chamomile listening to Bon Iver.)  It consists of LOTS of presses (and optional pull ups), swings, and snatches.  Light, moderate, and heavy refer to the intensity. The class I am taking with Doug Nepodal fits into this program perfectly because it calls for “variety” days where you practice a variety of moves at a low intensity.  I feel fortunate to have a senior RKC instructor  to lead my “practice” days.  My week (for the next few months) is going to look like this.

Monday
Kettlebells Moderate (Presses, Pull Ups, Swings)
Taekwondo
Tuesday
Kettlebells Variety
Wednesday
Sparring  (No strength training)
Thursday
Kettlebells Variety
Taekwondo
Friday
Kettlebells Heavy Intensity (Presses, Pull Ups, Swings)
Saturday
Rest
Sunday
Kettlebells Light (Presses, Pull Ups, Snatches)

It feels really good to have a (flexible) plan written down in a journal ready to go.  My obsessive compulsive side can’t wait to fill in those little spaces with numbers.  While I 100% believe in having a plan, truthfully, I haven’t been practicing what I preach for the last few months.  Without my plan on paper it’s been easier to come up with excuses and skip workouts.

What are your workout plans for the week?

xoxo
j

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I hope you didn’t get this twice or more. If so, sorry. We are having some technical difficulties on this end. (I say “we” as in my husband. Email alone can make me want to throw a kettlebell at the screen.) Anyway, I wrote this post yesterday morning but it doesn’t appear to have sent out to those of you on the subscription list. To those who subscribe…THANK YOU. I still have a few insecurity issues that I blame on the boys in my high school who would hiss “Beatlejuice beatlejuice beatlejuice” in a creepy whispery chant as I walked down the hall. Nice huh? Okay, they said I looked like Lydia (Winona Ryder’s character) not Beatlejuice. If it would have been Beatlejuice, I’d probably be blogging about my addiction to plastic surgery or drugs instead of sugar and fitness. Yeah, Lydia is better but those hisses, “Beatlejuice, beatlejuice, beatlejuice”, sure didn’t make an insecure teenager living in the mid-west during the 90s feel like Cindy Crawford downing a Pepsi.

Stopping. Now. Before I go into some psychotherapy babble about the effects of the media’s portrayal of women on women. Just know, I heart you and simply hoping someone who isn’t related to me is reading my blog gives me a much needed boost of confidence. THANK YOU. And I want to give a special big HELLO and HUG to you new subscribers. If you lived near me I’d wash your feet.

Since it was MLK day yesterday I intended to post this quote: Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. – Martin Luther King

Pretty cool, huh? Just think of the possibilities. It really makes me want to get started on one of my metaphors but I’ll resist this time.

Onward ho!! As in, “Let’s get this train moving.” not…oh forget it.

I’ve been doing this workout lately. So simple. So effective. So lovin’ it. If you don’t have or use kettlebells you can subsitute squats* and still challenge your lower body. If you can’t do pull-ups you can use a variation until you can do them or forget them all together and do push ups. Different muscles but still upper body and challenging if you do them right.

As usual warm-up for 5-10 minutes

20 Minute Full Body Workout

1 minute walking on treadmill
1 minute running/sprinting on treadmill
1 minute of pull ups (or a variation)- resting as needed.
1 minute of kettlebell swings(or squats)- resting as needed

Repeat 5 times. Wait “A MINUTE” of pull-up you say!!!! What I mean is TRY for a minute. Do what you can in 60 seconds. For pull-ups, I use bands for assistance and do as many as I can usually 6-10. Then take a 10-15 second rest, do a few more, and repeat until time’s up. As you improve you’ll be able to do more in your first set. The same with kettlebell swings.

Stretch. Always stretch.

Before I sign off for today be sure to go check out my friend (and Girl Hero) Janetha’s blog. She is hosting a VERY COOL giveaway. You don’t want to miss it!

xoxo
j

*Just wanted to say kettlebell swings are NOT squats with a kettlebell.  However if you don’t know how to do swings properly or don’t use kettlebells squats will still give you an awesome workout!

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