Posts Tagged ‘strength training’

Where The Change Happens

It’s kind of funny. I become a certified personal trainer and the first workouts I turn to this week come from someone else.

The book came in for me at the library last week and, after flipping through it, I couldn’t wait to give the circuits a go.

Making The Cut includes a lot of information about eating styles and other general fitness methodologies and how they help improve fitness. It has some useful facts in there, but the workouts mainly captured my attention. They looked INTENSE!

The workouts are broken down into a push-pull format, each with five circuits consisting of 3-4 moves each. In other words, tough stuff!

The pull circuits focus on the chest, triceps, and shoulders; the push focuses on back and biceps. Both workouts include legs and abs work. The original circuits include extra cardio, like sprints and plyometrics, but I cut those out since I had other cardio on plan. I didn’t even need the extra cardio. My heart rate soared!

Here’s a brief overview of the two circuits I did:

Making The Cut Circuit One (Push Focus)

image

Making The Cut Circuit Two (Pull Focus)

image

I highly suggest looking into this book if you want details of the different moves, the layout of the workout, and additional workouts. I can’t wait to try them all!

And I want you all to know, I only rave about these workouts because they are so challenging. I had to take numerous breaks to catch my breath and make sure my arms didn’t fall off. I found my arms shaking by the third circuit in both. Heck, Monday’s even felt intense enough to make me slightly nauseous. Not that that’s necessary to have a challenging workout.

I wanted to cut it short and call three circuits good. Then, I remembered a super inspiring quote.

image

Fitting that the quote comes from level three of Jillian’s 30 Day Shred workouts. I must have a girl crush. Flirt male

But, seriously. How TRUE is that quote? If we want to improve in our fitness, we have to push outside the comfort zone. We have to test our limits and go a little beyond what we think we can handle. We have to get uncomfortable.

I wanted to stop, but I kept going. I left the gym shaking after both workouts, but feeling more accomplished for it. I know I improved my fitness just a smidge with those workouts. Sometimes I love a leisurely workout purely for fun. But the workouts that get uncomfortable…well, they bring a new level of fitness. Little by little. Every time.

Uncomfortable. It’s where the change happens.

  • How often do you get uncomfortable with workouts?
  • What celebrity do you crush on?

Posted by on November 16th, 2011 79 Comments

Out With A Bang

As I’m sure you have heard by now – it’s November. We have only two months left in the year. Hard to believe, huh? At least October went out with a bang! Are you ready to read about a stellar new workout and get an overload of cuteness?

I kicked off my last day of October with a frightfully good workout. Since I knew we had plans for the afternoon ahead, I hauled my booty to the gym to spend some quality time with the treadmill again. But first – a new workout!

The compound moves in a continuous fashion really had me sweating. I loved the use of the resistance band in this workout too. Always fun to mix things up!

Since I had such a sweat going from the circuit (and a little ole thing called a half marathon this weekend), I kept things light when I hit the treadmill. I didn’t mess around with speed work to entertain myself on the treadmill. I just set the speed at 6.2 and kept on running until I hit four miles.

I’m happy to report that my foot finally feels completely normal again. You may recall the top of my foot feeling sore after a long run a little over a week ago. It would still feel a little tender at times, which had me worried. I looked into it and found numerous suggestions to tie my shoes differently.

I followed this guide on Runner’s World and laced my shoes up in a parallel fashion.

No more pain! Who knew such a simple change could work such wonders? I guess trading in my old shoes for the new pair I had waiting for me helped too. Winking smile

Most of the rest of the day proceeded normally – laundry, play time with the kids, getting work done during nap times, and so on. Then came the night and the excitement picked up considerably.

You thought I was going to dive right into the cuteness, didn’t you? Well, sorry to burst your bubble but excitement for me meant starting the night with a heaping bowl of chili.

IMGP2422-1

I made Kelly’s recipe for chili (because I know she does a good one) and loved every Frito and cheese topped bite. Some things just need the old-school toppings.

Now that you have waited ever so patiently, time for trick-or-treating…

IMGP2534-1

…and the corresponding explosion of adorable.

IMGP2529-1IMGP2531-1

This season is easily my favorite time of year because I simply cannot get enough of the many family activities.

IMGP2527-1

You can’t help but have some of the kid excitement rub off on you.

IMGP2540-1

Makenzie had an absolute blast trick-or-treating since this was the first year she fully understood the process. Which also meant Peter and I had to be a little sneakier about nabbing a few pieces from her stash. You know you would do it, too!

IMGP2543-1

Butterfinger, Reeses, and Twix make good race fuel, right? Winking smile

She obviously has plenty. Today I will be sorting through it all, pulling out a small stockpile of her favorites (Dum Dums) and our favorites (above) for special treats, then donating the rest to Makenzie’s preschool. They are taking donations to send to the troops to have for treats and also to pass out to kids where they are stationed. Isn’t that cool? And friendly to the whole holiday maintenance balance thing. Win win situation for all!

  • Favorite: Halloween candy? Costume? Holiday?
  • What’s a surprisingly simple fitness tip that has made a big difference before for you?

Posted by on November 1st, 2011 65 Comments

 

 
Catch Up With Recent Posts

Announcement Time

Posted: November 23, 2011 at 7:47 am

Well, I have had a whirlwind of a few weeks over here. I missed all of you so much! I can’t express enough gratitude for your patience while I got some important things sorted out. Some scary things. Are you ready for the announcement? Here goes! I will no longer be blogging at Faith Fitness […]

88 CommentsRead more →

Self-Love Reflection: The Road Not Taken

Posted: November 20, 2011 at 11:47 am

Hello FFF readers! Nice to meet ya! My name is Carissa and my husband and I blog at Fit2Flex.  Well, I blog…he consults! We are both certified personal trainers with a passion for healthy, active living and clean eating.  I am also studying to become a registered dietitian, a race announcer, and a runner.  Stop […]

24 CommentsRead more →

Healthier Eating For Kids

Posted: November 19, 2011 at 10:56 am

Thanks to Plum Organics for sponsoring my post about tips for baby feeding magic. What if you let baby choose what’s for dinner? Check out their cute "Quest for Yum!" video and see what happens! As parents, we want the best for our children. We help them to feel loved. We strive to teach them […]

14 CommentsRead more →
 

Announcement

Posted: November 17, 2011 at 3:36 pm

Hey, everyone! I wanted to pop in and say I am working on some new and exciting changes.  As a result,I may not be posting as much during the coming week.  Please stay tuned for the big announcement! Love you all! And still feel free to find me on Twitter and Facebook for the time […]

21 CommentsRead more →

Where The Change Happens

Posted: November 16, 2011 at 7:54 am

It’s kind of funny. I become a certified personal trainer and the first workouts I turn to this week come from someone else. The book came in for me at the library last week and, after flipping through it, I couldn’t wait to give the circuits a go. Making The Cut includes a lot of […]

79 CommentsRead more →

From Beginning To End

Posted: November 15, 2011 at 11:53 am

Good morning! First off, thanks for the many congrats yesterday. Love you all bunches for the tons of support you have given me in so many things this year. I hope I can return a little bit of that love through this here blog as well. So yesterday I had my first parent-teacher “conference” for […]

55 CommentsRead more →