I almost didn’t type this post. Not because I’m not in the mood to blog or anything. Come on. When does that ever happen to me? I almost didn’t type this post because my upper body is sooooo S-O-R-E. I worked it good this morning!

For a long time I feel like I just went through the motions of my strength training. I went in and did challenging workouts – kind of hard not to challenge yourself with a workout beast – but I never felt like I pushed past my comfort zone. I guess it makes sense seeing as I have focused a lot on running and training for different races, like my first 5K, my first 10K, and now my first half marathon (Savannah RNR, baby!).

The thing is, I love strength training. I get pumped up (ha!) to see my strength increase or to leave a workout with my muscles shaking.

Yes, I ask random gym folk to take pictures of me…

So, I decided to do something about that this week. Instead of sticking with the two full body workouts I have been doing, I broke it up a little differently.

• Monday = Legs / Shoulders / Abs
• Tuesday = Back / Chest / Biceps / Triceps
• Thursday = Full Body (my own circuit, Group Power class, or Physique 57 DVD)

With this breakdown, I can still train my legs lighter to keep them fresh for running, but have the time and energy to up the intensity of my upper body training once a week without feeling rushed to get through a full body workout. I really like splitting up my workouts like that so far this week! Here’s what they looked like:

Legs (3 x 12-15) / Shoulders (3 x 8-10) / Abs (3 x 25)

Superset 1	Superset 2	Superset 3
step – ups	leg extension	speed skaters
barbell upright row	side raises on Bosu ball	hanging knee raises

Upper Body (all 3 x 8 where the last rep or two was HARD)

Superset 1	Superset 2	Superset 3
push-ups	barbell bench press	triceps dips
wide grip lat pulldown	dumbbell row	bicep curls on balance disc

Check out how I create my strength training plans!

Splitting up the workout like this gave me the chance to take more time for rest periods and to up the weights on a lot of the moves. It felt fantastic! And I’m still feeling it now.  

For some cardio action today, I decided I didn’t really feel like the elliptical so I held off until the afternoon. I actually really enjoy splitting up my cardio and strength training if I my schedule allows it because then I feel I can give more to each workout.

When Peter got home this afternoon, I headed to our basement gym to spend some quality time with Cathe – one of the all-time best DVD trainers around.

I popped in her 40/20 HIIT workout which features a 25 minute workout including a warm-up, 16 interval drills, and a cool-down. It’s short and to the point, but man will it get you winded! You do a different plyometric style drill for each round – working hard for 40 seconds before taking a 20 second rest and moving to the next exercise. I feared the tuck jumps would cause a heart attack from the pounding it did in my chest. Yowza!

Hopefully these challenging workouts will help me sleep like a baby tonight! I’m determined to not get behind on sleep again. I don’t foresee many naps in the near future, after all.

• Do you like lifting heavier weights?
• What is the weirdest place you have asked someone to take your picture?

Goooood afternoon! I hope you all had a great day today and are ready to sail into the weekend feeling grand. If you need a little pick me up, I suggest watching Braedon’s dancing video again. It never fails to make me smile!

Earlier today I mentioned how adding a touch of plyometric moves to my workout really helps kick things up a notch. In fact, adding plyometrics to my training gives me a fun challenge every time. And the satisfaction of feeling all hard-core.

About a month ago, I shared my plyometrics obsession over on Sweet Tooth Sweet Life. Courtney assured me, however, that she wouldn’t mind me re-sharing the moves here because I wanted to make sure no one missed out on these little leg-fryers and heart-pumpers. Tuck these away to bring out to make you beg for mercy play someday soon. So - are you ready to add a little pep to your fitness? Hop on board. Quite literally!

Plyometrics: Favorite Moves & Why I Love Them

Plyometrics sounds super fancy, but basically it means jumping around like a crazy person. Why would you want to jump around like a crazy person? Well, I love plyometric training for quite a few reasons:

• they get my heart rate going to add a cardiovascular component to my strength workouts – and thus burn more calories
• they never fail to make my workout more challenging – you have to push out of the comfort zone to see results after all!
• the powerful movements strengthen my body to help improve performance in activities like running
• they make a fun addition to strength training – who doesn’t like to skip and hop?
• they use bodyweight and are extremely versatile

Ready to see my ten favorites?! I hope so…because that’s what you’re getting. This isn’t one of those choose your own story books. Although, how cool would that be?!

Burpees

I love to hate these little suckers. They work so good! Start standing. Bend down, placing your hands on the ground beneath your shoulders. Pop your feet out behind you to get in a push-up position. Jump your feet back in and jump straight upward. Repeat.

Bench Jumps

Stand in front of a sturdy bench, step, or training box that is about 2 feet off the ground. Jump up as high as you can and land softly on the bench. Step back down and repeat.

Speed Skaters

Jump to your right, landing on your right foot and stretching your left arm across your body. Quickly transition to the other side, jumping to your left foot and crossing the right arm across the body. Consistently switch back and forth until finished with the reps.

Squat Jumps

Start in a squat position with your butt back, back straight, and knees over the ankles. Jump straight up as high as you can, then land softly lowering back down to a squat. Repeat continuously for reps.

Pop Lunges

Start in a lunge position. Jump up, switching legs in the air, and land softly lowering down into a lunge on the alternate leg. Continue jumping and alternating sides for reps.

Tuck Jumps

Jump up as high as you can, either tucking your knees back (kicking your butt) or pulling them up in front of you towards your chest. Continue for reps.

Power Kicks

Pull your right knee up towards your chest. Driving down with your right leg, jump and kick forward with your left foot. Repeat on the same leg for reps, then switch sides.

Plie Jacks

Start in a low plie squat. Hop up as  high as you can and click your heels in together at the center. Land back in a plie squat. Repeat for reps.

Ski Jumps

Stand with both feet together and a slight bend in the knees. Jump as far as you can to one side, landing softly with knees slightly bent and feet still together. Hop back to start and repeat for reps.

Mountain Climbers

These aren’t technically a plyometric move, but I still love them. Position yourself in a straight arm plank position with arms straight and hands directly below the shoulders. Keep your back, hips, neck in alignment. Alternating sides, bring your knees up towards your chest in a quick and continuous motion.

There you have it! Ten of my favorite drills!

• What things do you add to your training to amp the intensity quickly?
• Ever used any of the moves above? Which is your favorite? If you’ve never done plyos – which move would you try first?