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Test your Strength with RM (Rep Max)

bench pressAre You Tracking Your Strength?

I didn’t notice how sore my upper body was until I started to stretch before the workout. Ouch! To help out, two of the 1x Rep Max movements were upper body. Had not done 1x RM done in a while. 

If you’re in the gym lifting moderate to heavy weights often and muscles aren’t building up as they ‘should’, I encourage you to look into your nutrition, sleep & rest, and timing. Reach out for a few tips to help you understand what, how, and when. 

Quick 5:15min workout:

15-12-09 reps of 
Burpees
Wall Ball Shots (14 lbs)

Then…all mostly shoulder RMs. It was a good test for my shoulders. They felt OK.
15 mins to find 1xRM Squat Clean (max at 95 lbs)
15 mins to find 1xRM Bench Press (max at 95 lbs)
15 mins to find 1xRM OHS or Overhead Squat (max at 75 lbs)

 

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Front vs. Back Squat

Moved my fanny with several movements, including front squats, and got a pretty good sweat within minutes. Completed the workout in 17:13 minutes. Considering that I was fasting and without food for 21 hours, timing wasn’t bad.

50 Calorie Row
40 Front Squats (75 lbs)
30 Toes To Ring
20 Push Jerks (75 lbs)
30 Pull Ups  – 
My sensitive skin on hands didn’t resist the pull-ups. The last 6 reps were a little bloody 🙁

For a quick cash-out, Bruna and I did 3 rounds of 20 sit-ups passing 14lbs ball to each other. Keeping core awake!

The front squat is great to lower body including muscles such as gastrocnemius, gluteus maximus, and especially quads.  Back squat requires more core for stabilization, hips, and spinal erectors. If back squat is performed with bad technique, the movement will be blamed for lower back pain. That is because a person might use lean forward and compromise back. When performing front squat, it is hard to lean forward without losing power or dropping bar weight on the floor. Thus, in general, front squat promotes better or proper back squat technique.

Front squat
Front squat
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Dancing, Beach, Friends, Volleyball, Self-Care

Dancing and Friends

Cheers to self-care!

I had a great time playing in a volleyball tournament, dancing, catching up with friends, and appreciating the ocean view Fort Walton Beach, FL offers. I left Atlanta on Thursday evening and went straight to AJ’s, in Destin at midnight. Said hello to friends and hit the dance floor until they were about to kick me out at 3:30am. I spent so many hours staring at the ocean, met a few great people, spotted dolphins, and drunk a few margaritas. Yes, I make alcohol consumptions exceptions when I go to this spot. Yesterday, I left the beach just on time to catch the gym. Tough and yet awesome! Literally, body was craving a good workout. Check out memories made.

As far as food goes, I cooked and brought my food. I cooked broccoli, cauliflower, squash, chicken, hard boil eggs, and red cabbage. Also brought walnuts, pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, chia seeds gel, and hemp seeds. I also brought greens, cocktail of food/herb powders, coconut milk, avocado, beets, and green apples for smoothies. 

Workout: 2 Rounds (done in 44:45 min)

400m Run

26 Hand Release Pushups

400m Row

26 KBS (35 lbs)

400m Run

26 AbMat Sit-Ups

400m Row

26 Hip Extensions

400m Run

26 Double-Unders

400m Row

26 Box Jumps (20 inches)

New friends

Volleyball Warm-up Beach Volleyball Volleyball Team Freak From Beach To Gym

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Day 4 – Good Basics

Generally, I take day 4 off. I was feeling good and routine was basic, no weight lifting, so I got the good basic movements in. I must say, by mid round 4, row started to wear  me out though. How did you move your fanny?

5 Rounds (completed in 16:57 min)

20 Calorie Row
10 GHD Sit Ups
30 Double Unders

Post workout, quick cash-outs:

400 meter run, 10 burpees

5 rounds of 10 GHD sit ups – wrapped 100 reps for the day 🙂

I don’t have my own video on this but here is what GHD sit-ups are about and how to do a GHD sip-up properly.

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Prowler = Killer

Prowler / Sled Push
Prowler / Sled Push

Prowler push killed my good intentions of doing a short routine post workout.

How did you move your fanny? The prowler, the killer, showed me no-no, as usual. Pushing a sled fires up the glutes, hamstrings, calves and quads. Lots of big muscles. Wonder why leaves me and most people sucking air and grasping for anything that resembles life support afterwards 🙂

15 min AMRAP (Teams of 2)
20 DB Thrusters (25 lbs) – 10x person
40m Prowler Push (140 & down to 120 lbs total weight). Each person pushed 20m
20 KBS (35 lbs) – 10x person
40m Prowler Push (as a above)

Cash-out 15 minutes later:

Tabata Plank. By round 4, abs started to get on fire.

Elisabether and I were short by 30m prowler to complete 4 rounds. We did first round with 140 lbs and dropped it to 120 lbs. Although, I was DONE DONE after this short 15 minute workout, energy burst showed up shortly after. It always reminds me why I LOVE to exercise.  

I will be getting a good night of sleep tonight! Cheers everyone.

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Move Your Fanny With Diversity

deadlift 1Diversity is important to routines.

Challenge the body and assure you allow body to recover with healthy and balanced nutrition, sleep, hydration. How did you move your fanny?

Got a few movements today.
10 min EMOM
01 Deadlift 195 lbs

20 min AMRAP (completed 7 rounds)
05 Ring Dips (assisted)
07 DB Push Press 25 lbs
09 Push Ups (on my knees to save shoulders)
11 Calorie Row
-Rest 1 Min-

One hour later, got a second workout with my buddy Shannon at Be Fab – Be You gym

5 rounds

10 ring rows

15 kettlebell swings 15 lbs

10 Back squats 85 lbs

Cash-out of 5x 20 abmat sit-ups

Need encouragement, accountability, routines, learn form, and support? Reach out!

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Moving My Fanny…Double For A Change Again

Moved my Fanny and got a double workout again.

After completing a 38 hour and 20 hour fasting, food in the belly, recharged energy, felt like I could add another workout on top of 12 min AMRAP.

Workout #1: 12 min AMRAP

09 SDLHP (55 lbs) – Sumo Deadlift High Pull
12 Wallballs (16 lbs – 9 feet)
:30 rest between rounds

Completed 7 rounds. Completed 1st round in 1 minute–wallballs came to get me quickly and went downhill from there. Read more on wall balls below 🙂

30 minutes later…

Workout #2: 7 rounds

200m row

12x GHD sit ups

10x kettlebell swings 35 lbs

12x 20 lbs ball slam

Completed in 23:33 min–round 1 in less than 3 minutes. It went downhill from there too 🙂

So what’s the deal with wallballs? surely they can increase your aerobic and anaerobic condition. Heart and lungs will be working hard from the explosive movement of squadding and throwing the ball up high.

Wallballs work several muscle groups including glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, abs, triceps, lower back, chest, deltoids, and biceps

There are variations of the movement you can do and get similar results. Squat and toss ball in the air. Catch it as you are squadding. Key differences are intensity and angle the ball will come down and you will likely not throw as high. It is a good way to try it.

wall ball

wall balls

 

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Sunday Double!

Weighted LungesBack Squat

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woke up early on Sunday at 6:30am ready to Move my Fanny at 7am!  Double fitness fun day!

Energy boost post workout, healthy and balanced breakfast, and got ready to do some work done during the day and was feeling good enough and compelled for second workout at 6pm. 

At 7am, nobody else at the gym besides the instructor and I. It was pretty way to get day started.

Total of 20 minutes, broken down into 4 minutes, 5 rounds, allowing for little break between rounds. Slowest round was 3:25min

Rounds 1, 3, and 5: 500m row + 12 Toes To Ring

Rounds 2 and 4: 400m run + 12 Back squats (95 lbs)

At 6pm, took the fanny outside for 6 rounds of routine below and completed in 25:30 min.

10x wall balls 14lbs (10ft high)

15x ab-mat sit ups with 14 lbs wallball

20x  alternating leg lunges with 25 lbs per arm

1 minute plank

What else for the day after 7pm? Went to farmer’s market for my vegetables and fruits. I went a little crazy on the amounts of vegetables. Well, more will be freezed as I cook this week 🙂

How did you move your fanny? Remember, walking is great…but for bone health, you need to challenge your body more. Body weight exercises such as squats, push ups, wall sits, lunges, dips, and many more require no equipment and can be done ANYWHERE! If nothing else, add 30-60sec sprints or fast walks in your walking routine! Learn more about the importance of fitness as we age here.

 

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Heck Yeah…100x GHDs. Sleep to Perform?

Functional Exercise Sweat
Just A Little Sweaty

Workout, 3K row, 100x GHDs

Good afternoon moving my fanny today, 4/1/16. I think 8 hours of sleep I had last night made a difference 🙂

WOD 1) 3 Rounds (Completed in 13:25 minutes)
10 Pull Ups
10 Front Squats (85 lbs)
10 Burpees  (first time doing them since shoulder injury)
Directly into…
21-15-9:
KBS (35 lbs)
Box Jumps (20 inches)

Very humid afternoon. I hadn’t sweated that much in a while, can you tell?


 

WOD 2) Rowed 3,000 meter — easy pace, 15 minutes


 

WOD 3) 10 sets of 10x GHD sit ups. 20 sec rest between sets. Rounds reps 6-10 of rounds 9 and 10 got a little more challenging. This was my first time doing more than 75 GHDs.  Let’s see how my abs till be feeling tomorrow 🙂

WOD 4) Stretching post workouts 🙂 

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The Importance Of Fitness As We Age

Fitness is defined as a state of being healthy, which prepares the body for the physical necessities of daily life.

To be more precise, fitness provides strength, flexibility and stamina for the proper functioning of the body. It is a total solution for a perfect, fine-tuned life. This is why daily exercise and fitness is critical for aging adults because our body goes through more biological changes than we think. One of the most significant change is the loss of muscle mass because as we age, the muscle becomes weaker than a younger person’s muscles which repair naturally especially in terms of burning calories. Plus, there is testosterone…this hormone that plays a role in the building and strengthening of muscles. As we age, levels of testosterone decrease so the ability to build or rebuild muscle. Exercise at any age causes muscle cells to become stronger and agile; therefore bigger and stronger muscles burn calories. The five main components of fitness are aerobic endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility and body composition. The right kind of physical and mental exercises and proper intake of nutritious food are the factors that contribute to fitness. A well-balanced diet not only makes one fit, but provides all necessary nutrients for the body. Mental fitness, essential for the psychological well-being of a person, is also a key factor in sustaining a healthy state.

Another benefit of daily fitness is that it lowers the risks of various health issues such as obesity, cardiovascular problems, habitual inactivity and depression. It helps to prevent age-related problems. Moreover, fitness makes one feel relaxed and active throughout the day. To stay physically fit does not entail spending hours in a gym or on costly fitness to develop muscle mass like body builders. All you need to do is improve power and endurance and get mobile. Nowadays, immobility has become part of a lifestyle, with people spending more time in front of the computer. So the need for fitness is a must.

For those who are middle-aged, a systematic workout of small exercises such as brisk walking, cycling, jogging and swimming can energize the body. An overdose of exercise might injure the body and cause more stress to the body. So it is vital to find an enjoyable schedule of activity. The fitness methods adopted must be person-specific. It varies for men, women, children and the aged. Individuals have to choose exercises that are ideal for their body. A qualified trainer can help you with that.

Today, more and more people are struggling to keep their body and mind fit. This has resulted in the growth of a range of sophisticated multi-gyms, professional fitness institutions and clubs. Health and fitness magazines and publications are also available, and fitness tips and training programs are available via the Internet. In conclusion, the older you are, the more you should be exercising the right way as long the fitness regime grows with you.

If you found this helpful, share it with your family and friends. Encourage others to Move Their Fannies!

References:

Gleeson, Brent. “5 Ways Busy Executives Can Stay Fit.” Inc.com. Inc., 03 July 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2016. <http://www.inc.com/brent-gleeson/five-ways-to-stay-fit.html>.

Martin, Margaret. “Why Exercise Is Important As We Age – Function to Fitness.” Function to Fitness. N.p., 12 Apr. 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2016. <http://www.functiontofitness.com/exercise/why-exercise-is-important-as-we-age-your-muscles/>.

Bowen, Liz. “The Importance of Exercise Increases as We Age.” National Personal Training Institute. National Personal Training Institute, 30 Apr. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2016. <http://nationalpti.edu/blog/2015/04/the-importance-of-exercise-increases-as-we-age/>.