Sweet 16

By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, the last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym. But my husband and I planned on hitting the gym together after he got home from work so, obviously I couldn’t disappoint him (I’m sure he would have been so bummed)!.  Since I was not feeling the gym, I apparently decided to pick a super challenging workout that would force me to feel the gym. I found this awesome circuit on What Runs Lori’s blog. I thought it looked like a great, full body workout and it definitely was…with a little emphasis on the legs (which were on fire at the end!).

Here’s the circuit:

You do each exercise for 45 seconds, then rest for 15, then do the same exercise again for 45 more seconds, then move onto the next.

• Pushup Walks- I’m not sure if I did the same thing as Lori, but it was still tough! We did a regular pushup (knees off the ground), then “walked” over to the left with my arms and legs (still in push up position), did another pushup, then “walked” back to the right. So, not only is this challenging because of the push ups, but keeping that position the entire time is a great core and shoulder workout too. Here’s a video example.
• Hands to Elbows Planks– Starting with hands on the ground, basically in pushup position, I dropped one arm down to the elbow, then the other arm. Then I straightened my arms back out into pushup position, one arm at a time.
• Side Lunges– The actual workout says to use a TRX  when doing this which would definitely be harder, but I didn’t look very hard for one since side lunges are hard enough for me. I grabbed a couple weights (around 10-15lbs.), and starting with my legs together, I stepped my right leg out to the side and lunged down as far as I could go, then pushed off that leg back to starting position. Then I stepped my left leg out and did the same thing. Side lunges are always really challenging for me. I pretty much hate ’em but they definitely give me a good workout!
• Dumbbell Bent Over Row– I think I used 12lb. weights for this. All I did was bend over, keeping my back straight, then (holding a dumbbell in both hands), brought my elbows straight back pinching my shoulder blades together, then back down again.
• Goblet Squats– The original says to use a kettle bell, but a free weights work just as well. I grabbed a 15lb. weight (probably should have used more). The main difference between regular squats and goblet squats are where you hold the weight. For this, your holding the weight in between both hands at the end of the weight. You hold the weight pretty much right in front of your chest. This is a little hard to explain so here’s a video demonstration that will hopefully help!
• Squat Jumps– The original workout calls for box step-ups at this part of the circuit, but we couldn’t find a good, stable surface to do those so I threw in some jumps. Squat jumps might be a little self explanatory but all you do is squat down, then jump up in the air. These get super hard after a while!
• Medicine Ball Toss– For you Crossfitters, this is similar to wall balls. All you do is grab a medicine ball (I think mine was around 8lbs.) and hold it between both hands. Then you squat down and when you come up, toss the ball in the air and catch it, then go back into a squat.
• Crunches on Bosu-This is another exercise I added to the circuit. We were supposed to do medicine ball slams but I forgot to look up how to do these correctly (never done them before!), so, we didn’t bother. The hubby did some crunches on a swiss ball and I grabbed the bosu. I think doing crunches on a bosu is really tough! If you need a new ab exercise, try it out!
• High Knees– Right around here was when I was getting flashbacks of high school soccer practice. I’m sure you’ve all done high knees at some point in your lives…maybe you never want to do them again, but those soccer coaches were onto something! They’re not easy! This is almost like running in place except you’re bring your knees up towards your chest as high as you can go and as fast as you can go.
• Standing Toe Taps on Medicine Ball– Here’s another soccer practice throwback! Just imagine that medicine ball is a soccer ball and I’m sure you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. With the medicine ball on the ground, you just lift your right leg, tap your foot on the ball, then lower and do the left. But you aren’t just standing there switching legs. You’re doing this as fast as you can, also trying not to kick the ball around (which my husband had a hard time with!). 🙂
• One Arm Dumbbell Swings– This can also be performed using a kettle bell. Here’s an explanation on how to do these correctly. We did one arm for 45 seconds then switched to the other arm.
• Standing Knee to Elbow–  These are basically standing bicycle crunches. Starting with your hands behind your head, twist your body to the left, simultaneously bringing your right elbow to the left knee (your leg is coming off the ground bending towards the elbow). Then switch sides.
• Swiss Ball Hamstring Curl– Always a good one! Laying on your back, you just place your feet on top of a swiss ball, lift your bottom off the ground, and curl your legs towards your chest.  Try to keep your butt up the whole time!
• Swiss Ball Pike– I had a tough time with this one because my wrist was hurting, otherwise it would be a piece of cake 🙂 (kidding). I showed it to my husband and he looked a little confused at first as to how exactly he was going to pull that off. But he managed to do it! Here’s an example of the pike. You could also do a swiss ball jackknife which is bending your legs instead of keeping them straight. That’s still hard!
• Reverse Lunge with Weight– I used 12lb. weights for this. At this point, my legs were tired! But I managed to make it through.
• Superman’s- These are great for your back and core. You start by laying on the ground (tummy facing the floor) with arms and legs straight out. Then, you lift one arm off the ground and lift the opposing leg off the ground. Then, you switch.

Those were the sweet 16! We did this on Friday and my legs are still sore today, so this was a great workout!  My husband was actually asking if we could do cardio today since he’s still sore. He hates cardio! I have to say, it’s a little fun kickin’ his butt at the gym :).