Good thing my locations are change each week because my outfits don’t. I could only bring so many clothes with me in the RV.

I want to say right off hand that I call these Tabata intervals but since there are 4 of them I didn’t go all out each set so they aren’t true Tabata. Nevertheless this workout kicked my butt and I felt it for days. Days.

Despite the chilly weather, this was a great place to workout. The campground was nearly empty, the sound of the stream was relaxing, and my kids played on the hillside. After we filmed my workout Brent did the workout himself.

Arkansas

Interval #1
1. Push Press
2. Jump Squats

Interval #2
1. KB Toss
2.  Swings

Interval #3
1. Hot Potatoes
2. Split Lunges

Interval #4
1. Mountain Climbers
2. Russian Twist

– Each interval is 4 minutes long divided into 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest which means each exercise is repeated 4 times (8 total work periods). All four intervals add up to a 16 minutes workout. I’m a math genius.  

– For the interval #1 I started with my left arm push presses and the second interval (after squats) I switched to my right arm so each side did 2 intervals each. This was plenty of work. I had considered making it double push presses but halfway through I was glad I stuck with singles.\

We were in Arkansas in December and have finally made it to warmer weather. I’m hoping this will help me get back into a workout routine as they have been…errrr…a bit spotty. That New Year’s 5X5 Challenge? Out the door. I should have made it a 3×3 challenge or skipped it altogether. At this point, I don’t need any more “challenges” in my life. Figuring out life in an RV with two kids, two dogs, and a cat is challenge enough right now.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

The post “Arkansas” Full Body (Tabata) Kettlebell Workout appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I’m skipping ahead a bit.

Texas was the next workout I filmed after New Mexico. But I’m still in the holiday spirit and the last workout I filmed has a holiday feel to it.

I mean there are bells. They don’t jingle but they are red. And best of all there is snow. Beautiful white snow flakes to catch on your tongue and make your mascara run eyelashes.

So I’ll go back and post Texas. And Oklahoma. And Arkansas.

But this week it is Indiana, the state I grew up in. In fact, we filmed the workout in front on my childhood home. Awww…

I decided to go lighter than normal for this workout. One, I didn’t want to slip in the snow and, two, it’s better not to go all out every workout. Of course, if you do the workout choose the weight you need.

Indiana

1. Double Swings
2. Seesaw Presses
3. Double Swings
4. Alternating Rows
5. Double Swings
6. Alternating Lateral Lunges
7. Double Swings

Repeat 1-7 three times for a total of 21 minutes. 

It might also be a good idea to count and write down your reps for every exercise that way you can track your progress. Just a suggestion though. Lately, I’ve not been too concerned with progress and more concerned with being in the moment and enjoying the experience.

If you only have one bell just do 1 arm presses (or rows) for 20 seconds and then switch to the other arm.

FYI working out it snow was so much fun. It made me feel like doing elf kicks the rest of the day. Just one of the many reasons kettlebells rock.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long road trip through the United States!

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It hard to put into words how much fun we’ve been having on the road. That’s not to say it’s not without its hard days.  I’ve found myself, once or twice, curled up on Brent’s lap crying my eyes wondering what the heck are we doing. The day we visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park was not one of those days. The caverns were, for lack of a better word, simply magical like another world.

It also happens that there was a perfect spot for a quick workout in the park. (I keep a set of kettlebells in the truck just in case. Doesn’t everyone?) The sun was setting and the colors were breathtaking. About halfway through the workout, I saw what I thought was “a piece of trash” blow by only to realize it was actually a skunk!  (I’m easily entertained as you will see.) Here’s a secret. Even though I call him “stinky” in the video, I actually like the smell of skunks. Weirdo.

New Mexico

This is a quick but challenging two part full body workout that can be done “for time”.

Part One 

1. Presses – 5
2. Squats – 5
3. Renegade (or regular) Rows – 5 (each side)

Repeat 3x total

Part Two 

1. Swings – 5
2. Burpees (no pushup) – 5
3. Cleans – 5
4. Jump Squats – 5
5. Swings – 5

Repeat 5x total

LOVED this workout and I’m definitely going to come back to it later. Next up is Texas, where I picked an “unusual” spot for a workout.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we plan to take a year long road trip through the United States!

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I finally filmed (and edited with the help of Thing 1) my first workout of the 48 workouts I’m planning to film while we travel this year and uploaded it to my brand new YouTube account.

This workout was done in Yosemite National Park overlooking Half Dome about an hour before sunset.  This location is going to be hard to top.  I can’t imagine a more amazing place to workout.  (I have more pictures here.)  

This is why kettlebells are my favorite workout tool.  How many other pieces of equipment can think of that you can take up into the mountains and workout effectively with one of the most incredible views in the country?  Besides your body!  

California

It has 10 moves since California has 10 letters.  Clever, huh.     I set my gym boss for 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest.

1. Swings
2. Hot Potatoes
3. Goblet Squats
4. Left Push Press
5. Right Push Press
6. Alternating Swings
7. Left Single Arm Row
8. Right Single Arm Row
9. Alternating Lunges
10. Kettlebell Toss (Upchucks)

This was my second workout out since September and I felt it.  Good golly, did I!  I only did one round (10 minutes) and I was pretty sore the next day.  I’m not sure if it was my lack of workouts lately or the elevation but my heart was pounding.  Next time I do it, I would like to do two rounds.  You could do three but I’m not much for workouts longer than 20 minutes.  Next time, I’ll also count reps and try to do more each time I do it again.

We’ve been on the road for a little over three weeks and I’m finally starting to find my groove.  Internet service has been extremely difficult, hence, my erratic posting, slow email responses, and my lack of commenting on my regular blogs. Most of the time, it takes soooooo long to open pages so I’m finding it really difficult to read and then click through from reader.  I’m sorry. When my connection is better I’ll be back to commenting but I am reading as much as possible!

Right now my focus is being with my family and updating our travel blog as much as possible because I want to make sure I document everyday of our journey. Although, now that we are settling into somewhat of a routine I’m going to be posting on here more often…assuming we have internet.

Next week, I’ll be posting the “Nevada” workout and I have some amazing Girl Heroes lined up over the next few weeks in the meantime…

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long (or more) road trip through the United States!

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Almost any blog post or article you read on HIIT cardio or high intensity interval training training will show you pictures of a marathoner and a sprinter side by side with a caption that says “Who do you want to look like?”. Since, I don’t think it’s helpful to compare and each athlete is AMAZING in their own right I’ll share a little personal story.

Over 3 years ago, I decided to train for a figure competition. At the time of my decision I was clearly insane, I had already lost about 15 pounds and had about 20 more to go to be “stage ready”. I joined an online support group of figure competitors most of who were getting up at 6 am to do hours “EMC” (steady state Early Morning Cardio) every week.

I tried it a few times and decided, no. There had to be another way.

During my research I came across these articles, The Final Nail in the Cardio Coffin, by Rachel Cosgrove and A Case Against Cardio by Mark Sisson. They changed my training life and I’ve never looked back.

I trained for those first two figure competitions keeping a very clean diet (it’s never just about the training) and doing very very little steady state cardio.

Intense interval training.

(Source)

Intense interval training is periods of intense exercise alternated with periods of recovery (low or moderate intensity exercise). Example: 30 seconds of sprinting alternating with 15 seconds of walking. When you push yourself to your max, as in I can’t sprint any faster or my legs will fall off, during the “intense” periods it becomes high intensity interval training.

For the sake of this post, I’m going to call it IIT for intense interval training.

Why do IIT as opposed to an hour on the treadmill?

Sanity. Hours on the treadmill or elliptical? No thanks.

There is research that supports the idea that you can get slow roasted results in microwave time. In the Gibala study, researchers from McMaster University took healthy college students (not athletes) and put them in two groups. One group exercised on stationary bikes for 90-120 minutes at a sustainable pace (steady state cardio). The other group rode the stationary bikes like bats out of hell for 20-30 seconds and then rested for 4 minutes. They repeated this interval 4-6 times which added up to 3-4 minutes of intense exercise. Both the steady state crazies and the high intensity group followed their specific protocols – 3 times a week for 2 weeks. The study showed that each group achieved almost identical improvement in endurance but the high intensity interval group did it in less time. Way less time! Can I hear a holla!

Before the Gilbala study, there was the Tabata study which you may remember me mentioning when I finally got the nerve to try Tabata for myself. In the Tabata study, the high intensity interval group showed greater improvements in their aerobic (with oxygen – the energy system that steady state cardio uses) capacities and anaerobic (without oxygen – the energy system that HIIT cardio uses) capacities than the steady state crazies. The steady state crazies didn’t show any improvement in their anaerobic capacity.

High intensity interval training boosts metabolism for hours after your workout. HIIT cardio increases excessive post oxygen consumption (EPOC), often referred to as the “afterburn”, more than steady state cardio. After exercise your body uses oxygen to restore and repair the body back to it’s resting state and this takes fuel, hopefully, in the form of fat.

Of course, intense interval training is not the be all end or a miracle (there are no miracles) in the quest for a better body. In fact, when you put the intense in intensity, it could be argued who is in the crazy camp. Not too mention that it can carry a greater risk of injury if too much is done too soon. (So be patient and start slow, Speed Racer. Oh and get that ok from your Dr. before you begin.) When used correctly, intense interval training is just another tool in the tool box but it’s a good one.

Do you prefer high intensity intervals or steady state cardio?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we plan to take a year long road trip through the United States!

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The post 31 Days to a Better Body : Day 10 – Do (hi)IT! appeared first on Girl Heroes.

For years, I had read references to the “Tabata protocol” but it sounded more like a code of conduct for elite special forces than a way to tighten my butt.  People would rave about how great Tabata was and the skeptic in me would think, “4 minutes…yeah right.”  Finally, I decided I had to see for myself.

Enlist me.  I’ll follow the protocol.

I was sore for days.  The best part was that it was only 4 minutes and those 4 minutes went by really fast because I was focused on the short time segments (and it is just 4 minutes).

Tabata what????  Time segments??? A Tabata workout consists of high-intensity 20 second work intervals  followed by 10 seconds of rest.  You repeat this pattern 8 times for a total of 4 minutes.  I’ll use sprinting as an example.  (I recommend not doing Tabata on treadmill for safey’s sake.) Sprint 20 seconds.  Rest 10 seconds.  Repeat 7 more times (8 total) for a total of 240 seconds or 4 minutes.  You can Tabata almost anything squats, burpees, pull-ups (yeah right), sit ups, push ups, lunges, probably even cartwheels although I’d suspect I’d get dizzy and  break my neck.  I’m going to try Tabata side kicks for extra taekwondo practice.

I  “score” my Tabata workouts by adding the highest and lowest reps out of the 8 intervals.  For example, in one 4 minute session, I may get 18 reps as my highest number during one 20 second segment and 12 reps as my lowest in another 20 second segment.  If I add them together my total “score” would be 30.  The next time I do the same workout, I can try for a higher “score”.

Or not.

Tabata Training was developed by  Dr. Izumi Tabata while doing research at the Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports.  Dr. Tabata and his team were studying the effects of aerobic (with oxygen, i.e., slower steady state cardio) and anaerobic (without oxygen, i.e. HIIT cardio) conditioning.  Those doing in the  high intesity anaerobic test group (Tabata group) saw a 14%  improvement in their aerobic capacity and 28% in their anaerobic capacities.  Those in the 60 minute moderate intensity cardio group showed an aerobic capacity improvement of 9.5% and no anaerobic capacity improvement. Here is an nerdy excerpt from the article published in the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal. (You are probably smarter than me…it took me 15 minutes to understand it.)

What does this mean??  It means less time on the cardio machines with better results….YAY!!!!!!!  I came across this article Can You Get Fit in Six Minutes a Week? last week that supports the effects of Tabata training.  I don’t think I’ll be switching to 6 minute a week workouts but it always makes me feel good to read research that supports what I’ve been doing.

Wanna try  a workout with Tabata?  Here’s one or here’s another.

Hugs and High Fives,
jenn

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The post Totally Tabata- What is Tabata training? appeared first on Girl Heroes.

20 Minute Faux Fighter Treadmill Workout

Minutes

1+2 Walk
3+4 Jog
5     Walk
6     Sprint 
7     Walk
8+9 Faux Fight or Shadowbox
10   Walk
11  Sprint
12   Walk
13+14 Faux Fight or Shadowbox
15   Walk
16   Sprint
17   Walk
18+19 Faux Fight or Shadowbox 
20+ Walk until your heart rate recovers.

I was having so much fun that I went 30 minutes.  I was spent but energized afterwards.  Who besides people who love Rocky have punching bags? Don’t worry, you can still do it without a bag, just pretend you are Bruce Lee and shadowbox.  It’s sort of like pretending like you’re on Amercan Idol in the shower but you’ll burn more calories.  Forget for a few minutes how you really look and just go for it.  It’s fun! If you are pushing yourself I promise you will get a great workout. Of course, if you workout in a gym this workout may be a little conspicuous. 

xoxo
j 

The post 20 Minute Faux Fighter Treadmill Workout (Fun!) appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I’m also excited about spring. The time change reminds me it’s just around the corner. I know I live in Southern California so it’s mostly nice most the time.  But still.  I try to find simple things to stay get excited about and spring is one of them. The hills will be green for about 15 minutes before the summer dries them out and they turn a lovely golden.

Anyhoo in anticipation of warmer weather here’s a backyard or park sprint workout.

Scrawny Beasty Sprint Workout

Set up two markers, i.e., cones, dumbells, frisbees, ect. about 75-100 feet apart.

Starting at one marker sprint to the other marker and back.  
Do 10 pushups.
Sprint to the marker and back TWICE.
Do 9 pushups.
Sprint to the marker and back 3 TIMES.
Do 8 pushups.
Sprint to the marker and back 4 TIMES.
Do 7 pushups.
Sprint to the marker and back 5 TIMES.
Do 6 pushups.
Sprint to the marker and back 6 TIMES.
Do 5 pushups.
Sprint to the marker and back 7 TIMES.
Do 4 pushups.
Sprint to the marker and back 8 TIMES.
Do 3 pushups.
Sprint to the marker and back 9 TIMES.
Do 2 pushups.
Sprint to the marker and back 10 TIMES.
Do 1 push up. 

Rest as needed. “Girl” pushups are fine.  If you can do “boy” pushups.  Do what you can. If this is too easy repeat.  Just do something today!!!

xoxo
j

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Minutes 1- No incline Speed 2.5-4.5 mph
Minutes 2-5 – Full Incline at 15% Speed 2.5 – 4.5 mph (Med-Fast Walk)
Minute 6 – Incline 5%, Speed 5.5-8 or ? mph (Sprint/Run)
Minute 7 – Incline 5%, Speed 2.5 – 3.5 mph (Med Walk)
Minute 8 – Incline 5%, Speed 5.5-8 or ? mph (Sprint/Run)
Minute 9 – Incline 5%, Speed 2.5 – 3.5 mph (Med Walk)
Minute 10 – Incline 5%, Speed 5.5-8 or ? mph (Sprint/Run)
Minute 11 – Incline 5%, Speed 2.5 – 3.5 mph (Med Walk)
Minute 12 – Incline 5%, Speed 5.5-8 or ? mph (Sprint/Run)
Minute 13 – Incline 5%, Speed 2.5 – 3.5 mph (Med Walk)
Minute 14 – Incline 5%, Speed 5.5-8 or ? mph (Sprint/Run)
Minute 15 – Incline 5%, Speed 2.5 – 3.5 mph (Med Walk)
Minutes 16-20 – Bring incline back up to 15%, Speed 2.5-4.5 mph (med-fast walk)
Minutes 21-22 – Okay I lied it’s 22 minutes. No incline super slow walk.

This treadmill workout is great for the bum and hamstrings. Make sure you adjust your speed accordingly. If you can’t sprint or run, walk fast enough where your legs start BURNING. Then slow down and recover for the next minute. Then speed up again. Think of a scale from 1-10. One being minimal effort and 10 being maximum effort. For the run/sprints you should try to reach an 9 or 10. That may still be a walk for you and that is OKAY!!! You’ll improve if you keep working out. That’s the great thing about these sort of workouts you can keep improving without having to workout longer. For the recoveries stay around a 4 or 5. And the last five minutes should be uncomfortable, a 7-8. You should be screaming “Hallelujah” when 20 minutes are over. In other words, you should feel like you WORKED HARD. These sort of cardio sessions will get results. I’ll post more in the coming weeks. Have fun!

xoxo
-j

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I’m in the zone completing a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) on the treadmill.  My legs are burning from lactic acid build up.  I have 30 seconds left of a sprint before I can walk.  I’m into the groove because I’m listening to Madonna.  Then all of the sudden I’m taken out of the groove because my earphone is sweaty and slips out of my ear breaking my momentum and focus…and irritating the crap out of me.

Not anymore.  Because I use Etymotic Earphones.   Yes, they are expensive but so well worth the cash if you love music and push yourself at the gym.   If you just walk and don’t break a sweat then the little earbuds that came with you mp3 will be just fine.  But if your like me and after a workout you look like you’ve been fighting forest fires then you’ll probably love these.

Here is why I like them.
1. They don’t slip out when you get sweaty.

2. They block out other sound so you don’t have to listen to the lame music at the gym or the lamer cell phone conversation next to you.

3. They sound really great.

4. Fantastic customer service. (I had a problem with one of my the other day and etymotic fixed them free of charge. Mind you they were a couple years old too.)

5. They don’t hurt my ears unlike the typical “ear buds” which should be called “ear boulders”.

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