What Will Power? Cream Egg Combat

~Written by Chad

What a great time of year! The winter is almost behind us, we have the full spring and summer to look forward to, the days are getting longer and Cadbury releases a 'new' batch of Cream Eggs. I say new, because there are plenty of stores still trying to get rid of last year's selection. You've bitten into the ones from last season, with the almost solid middle. Brutal! But a fresh one...that's my weakness.

Am I the only person who can't walk past the Cream Egg and Mini Egg display without giving in? I don't know what it is about those perfect little chocolate eggs, but I simply cannot say 'No'. Oh well. If you should ever give in to temptation, and I suggest you do from time to time, know that the earlier in the day you do, the less chance of any of those calories finding their way to your hips, or butt or where ever they like to go. If you give in late in the day, chances are very good that they will stay with you.

In order to help balance out the added calories that always seem to show up around Easter, I have put together a longer and tougher workout for us all. This workout combines bodyweight exercises with stability ball exercises, adding some extra core strengthening into the mix. I call it the Countdown. 550 fun-filled reps completed as quickly as you can. Your goal should be under 25 minutes.

Here's how it works. Complete the following, in order, and don't move on to the next exercise until ALL the necessary reps have been completed. There are 10 exercises.

100 mountain climbers (50 each leg)

90 military plank - stability ball (45 each leg)

80 squat hops

70 hamstring rollins/curls - stability ball (35 of each, alternating 1 at a time)

60 side plank rollovers (30 each side)

50 jackknife/jackknife pikes - stability ball (25 of each, alternating 1 at a time)

40 lunge jumps

30 rollouts - stability ball

20 fullnburpees (with push-up)

10 superman bows - stability ball

Enjoy this workout! Chad

I got 28:20 for my first time.

March Quick Fit Challenge

~Written by Chad

Today is the last day of February. It's hard to believe, but spring is right around the corner and we will all be outside again soon. Time to step up the workouts a little so that we are ready to take full advantage! Speaking of workouts, I hope you all are feeling the benefits from the 2 minute workouts that we did for the February Quick Fit Challenge. I know that the exercises got a little old by the end of the month. Hell, I didn't do any of the quick fits for the last couple days. That's okay! Overall I only missed 4, and I am certain that the consistent exercising helped in my, to date, 9 pounds lost this year. Not to mention I feel considerably stronger than 4 weeks ago.

Outdoor workouts -LOVE THEM!

For me, it's all about finding a healthy lifestyle that I can successfully maintain. The two main factors that I'm working on are quick and intense workouts and eating my junk food at the best possible time, minimizing weight gain. So far so good. I have by no means given up chocolate, and I haven't really spent much time in the gym. An equation I am happy with.

If you enjoyed the February Challenge, you are going to LOVE the March version! New exercises, longer challenges, all-in-all bigger and better than last month.

Here is the link to the March Quick Fit Challenge Calendar.

http://infinitefitness.com/MarchQuickFitChallenge.pdf

I will post the links to the exercise demonstrations on facebook, so be sure to check our page.

These challenges are a little tougher than last month, but the benefits are much greater! We are taking things to a new level here, I hope you are excited!!

The nice thing about the March Challenge is that no day's workout should take longer than 15 minutes to complete and the majority of the challenges involve less than 10 minutes of working out.

Please remember that you DO NOT HAVE to complete EVERY day of the month. Just try to complete as many as you can. You can always add a couple days together to make up for missed ones, or just catch the workout the next time around. Obviously, the more days you complete, the better your results will be.

March 1st starts with 2 minutes of squat hops, as many as possible. A squat hop is a exactly the same as a squat except that you have to leave the ground an inch or two each time you thrust up. After that, take a 1 minute break then complete a 20:10 X 6 push-up challenge. This means that we will do as many push-ups as we can in 20 seconds, then take a 10 second break, then as many more push-ups as possible in 20 seconds and again a 10 second break, repeated a total of 6 times, which totals 2 minutes of push-ups. Count the cumulative push-up total.

Enjoy, and remember that it is always more fun if you are going thru the pain with a friend, so bring someone along on this journey with you.

Chad

10 minutes of %#@& $!# workout

We are almost 8 weeks into 2012. If you have been following along then you are likely feeling both stronger and bored of the workouts. Excellent! Time to switch things up a little.

The goal is still to complete the February Quick Fit Challenge, but I want to show you all a new and quick workout. I hope that you can give it a shot by the end of the weekend.

As it often is, our goal is to complete as many repetitions as possible in a specific time. For this workout, we are looking at 10 minutes.

There are 3 exercises that we are going to cycle thru in our attempt at maximum repetitions.

The exercises are...

1. Burpee Blaster (5 reps)
2. Alternating Lunge Jumps (10 reps)
3. Up and Down Spiderman Planks (10 reps)

Please see the video for the exercise demonstration.

This workout is tough. Add it onto one of your 2 minute challenges and you've got quite a workout.

Both Kate and I did this workout the other day. She was able to complete four full cycles plus a fifth cycle of the burpees.  Due to my, slightly above average, competitive nature, I was able to complete four full cycles plus a fifth cycle of the burpees AND the alternate lunge jumps :)

Even if you only get thru once, it will be worth it. Try it and repeat every 3-7 days, you'll be amazed how quickly you improve. Always be sure to give at least 2 days to recover before repeating. 

The key to success is pushing yourself. Try hard and you can only get stronger! 

Chad

Kate's Blog!

I've been wanting to jump in on this blog action for a couple weeks now but couldn't come up with the right topic...until now.

Valentine's Day is a mere two days away and I have yet to plan anything special for Chad -crap! The truth is that neither one of us have ever been over-the-top Valentine's Day kind of people. We don't buy each other gifts, or make reservations at over priced restaurants, but we do love spending the day together.  We also use Valentine's Day as a bit of an excuse to pig out over indulge a wee bit.

In the past we have ordered and eaten an entire pizza while watching movies in our pajama's, gone for brisk walks and then home for some chocolate (both hot and drizzled over ice cream), and even spent the day at the zoo. But my absolute favourite Valentine's Days are the ones that we decide to do something active together. Working up a good sweat alone can be fun, but when you're joined by your partner it's sure to produce some great motivation, laughs, and a closeness created by your shared experience. And hey, who knows what you'll get up to once you're both sweaty and high on post workout endorphins...

We've come up with a fun, 8 exercise, couple's workout for you and your special someone to try. Don't take yourself or this workout too seriously.  It's meant to invoke fun, laughter, and be some sort of combat against all the extra chocolate calories you're bound to ingest on Valentine's Day.

After performing each exercise, switch positions with your partner.  Run through each of the 8 exercises once and if you're up for more, then do them again and again... Enjoy!

High Knees/Squat Hold -60 seconds

 Exercise tips: Partner 1 will be holding a static squat with arms out straight.  Partner 2 will be doing high knees trying to hit their partners hands

Plank Tap Claps -10 repetitions

Exercise tips: Each partner will perform a plank. When you are both set, you will each reach forward with one hand and 'clap'. Return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite hand


Rows -10 repetitions

 Exercise tips: Partner 1 lays down on the floor while Partner 2 straddles Partner 1.  Clasp hands. Partner 1 will lift hips off the floor and contract their core. Partner 2 will lift Partner 1 off the floor by rowing back their arms and squeezing their shoulder blades together. If you can't lift your partner, have them bend their knees. 

Leg Press -10 repetitions

Exercise tips: Partner 1 lays down on the floor with feet up in the air. Partner 2 leans back on Partner 1's feet and contracts their core.  Partner 1 will bend and straighten their legs (leg press).  

Shoulder Press/Plank -10 repetitions

Exercise tips: Partner 1 kneels down. Partner 2 starts in and holds a plank. Partner 1 picks up Partner 2 by the ankles and does a shoulder press while Partner 2 holds their plank position.  

Dips -10 repetitions

Exercise tips: Partner 1 lays down on the floor in a bridge.  Partner 2 places hands on Partner 1's knees and does triceps dips.  Partner 1 -squeeze glutes and core.  Partner 2 -ensure elbows point straight back as you lower yourself down.  

Push-Ups -10 repetitions

Exercise tips: Partner 1 lays down on the floor with knees bent. Partner 2 places hands on Partner 1's knees and does push-ups.  Push-ups can also be done from your knees

Back-Back Chair Hold -60 seconds

Exercise tips: Start standing back to back and lower down into a squat position -hold.

Depending on the physical make up of you and your partner you may or may not be able to complete some of the exercises...but an attempt may result in serious laughter.  I tried to do the shoulder press with Chad and couldn't budge his legs...not even an inch! We had lots of fun doing this workout and hope you do too.  

Happy Valentine's Day Y'All!

Cheesy post-workout photo!

Putting it all together

It's hard to believe, but we are almost 6 weeks into 2012. Doomsday is getting closer and we are going to need to be fit in order to save the world. Kidding. I hope that you are all feeling, at the very least, a little stronger now than you were when this year began. We have been getting our bodies good and ready for some more serious workouts and we are about to have some fun!

We are going to be putting out some 5 - 30 minute workouts over the next few weeks and I hope that you will enjoy them. The idea behind our series of workouts and challenges, is that you can design a workout to fit into any available time slot. If you only have 2 minutes, and we all have 2 minutes, take advantage of it!! If you have 20 minutes or even more, link a few workouts, challenges and quick fits together and create a workout that fills the time. Or do one of our longer workouts (coming soon). Any choice is awesome.

The workout below is a little mix-up of many of the things we've been working on so far. If you haven't been with us, now is as good a time to get going as any!

Part lunge/push-up burnout, part mini-pyramid, and filled with the exercises from the Quick Fit Challenges this little workout will take about 12-15 minutes and will give your whole body a nice once-over. The only variation that is new, is that we are taking the push-up out of the thrust-up. Just do the legs. This makes it a squat thrust instead of a thrust-up.

jog on the spot for 2 minutes (lift your feet 8" off the floor)

30 seconds of plank-jacks

lunge/push-up burnout - rounds 1, 2, 3, 4

45 seconds of squat thrusts

lunge/push-up burnout - rounds 5, 6, 7

60 seconds of mountain climbers

lunge/push-up burnout - rounds 8, 9

45 seconds of squat thrusts

lunge/push-up burnout - round 10

30 seconds of plank-jacks

The link below is to a video that is the 3 minute exercise demonstration and workout description.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE36UAHF6ak&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

I will also be posting the video for the workout soon and will also post my results so that you can try to beat me.  You can do this workout all by itself or add it into any other workout that you do. It is guaranteed to make you more fit, make you sweat, and make you utter a few curse words.  Enjoy!

February Quick Fit Challenge - Daily updates on our facebook page.

Okay, we've been friends long enough. It's time to raise the bar! January, and all of it's negative energy, is gone. February is here and it's a clean slate. The beauty of it all, is that all we need to do is a little more than we did in January and we will be moving in the right direction. Of course, doing a lot more is also an option, but let's be realistic. In order to facilitate things, we have designed a month-long challenge for February. Complete a 2 minute quick fit challenge every day for 1 month. That's less than 1 hour dedicated to your fitness for the whole month. You will get back much more than that in strength gains...guaranteed! There are 8 different challenges so you will get to have a third and sometimes fourth chance to improve at the challenge. I have attached a copy of the month's challenges and I suggest printing it out and tracking your numbers as you go. To get more out of the month, a few times each week, the challenge should be a component of a bigger workout. Give it a shot, you will NOT be disappointed! We are starting with jumping jacks. As you will see (once I get home from taking Ayden to her 'sea turtle' swimming lesson and can load the video), I got 140. Remember when doing these...be bouncy!

Here's the proof...

 day one : 140reps

Pickin' up steam...

Okay...we are about to start a new week...we are about to start a new month. It has all the potential in the world. Will we take advantage of it?

How has the first month gone so far? For me, nothing overly impressive, but I have been improving steadily over the course of the month. After a molasses-like start to January, Kate and I lost a combined 6 pounds this week! 5 words...soup and salad for dinner. You will not get along with the others in your home at night, but stick it out. You WILL celebrate with them when you reach your goals.

The workouts started slowly, one the first week, two the second, but I did 3 this past week, so I'm inching closer to the goal of at least 4. None of the workout this past week lasted more than 30 minutes. In fact, one was only 15 minutes, but they took full advantage of the time I had and I was always sore afterwards. My strength is definitely improving, as is Kate's for that matter. If you have been training this month, then you are certainly feeling the same. That's the beauty of working out, the benefits are virtually instantaneous. If you challenge your muscles they will respond by getting stronger. The best part is that in order to get stronger, they actually get smarter. Your muscles communicate with your brain better and you feel stronger without having to add very much muscle mass. Win Win.

I know a few of you are feeling the benefits already, but it has come to my attention that some of you may not believe that you can even attempt these challenges. YOU CAN! With the exception of some cases, everyone can do these. It's just moving YOUR own body around, something you already do all day. I'm not saying you are all going to be able to do a high level of repetitions or that your form will be perfect, but you WILL improve and you will do so very quickly. Today Kate and I repeated the 2 minute squat challenge and this time she managed 96 and I was able to pull off 97. A combined 20 more than last time! The human body is an amazing machine. See how many squats you can complete in two minutes, and please track your numbers. You can always send them to me if you like.

There are a few quick things about the squat that you should know. Feet at least shoulder width apart. If you find that you have a lot of forward bend when you squat, open your legs up wider. Your goal should be as little forward bend as possible. Sit back into the squat, (like you're going to sit in a chair) don't try to go straight down. In doing so, try to use the glute muscles not just the quads. You will find that if you use your glute muscles, any pain you may feel in your knees will immediately disappear. Most of you won't have any knee pain, not to worry. Make sure you get full range of motion out of each repetition. Try to get your quads to be parallel to the floor. Try this in a mirror, it's further down than if feels!

Enjoy the squats and let's have a good February. Remember...small, steady improvements add up the most over time.