Cheater, cheater

So after a weekend of indulgent dinners and drinks, I wanted to hit the gym to sweat as much as possible.

Mondays can be tough getting back in the groove and I find if I dont start the week right..things can go off the rails pretty quickly.

Today's focus was intervals, high intensity, short bursts of 100% effort..and then stretching it all out.

Brisk walk on the treadmill to start and get things loose and limber then 4sets of the following  with no rest between exercises but about a min rest between sets.

15 mountain climbers, skipping rope 45sec count, 6 burpees,  6 kettle ball lunges each leg, kettle ball swings x5, walk in plank x10

20step ups, 6 kettle ball swings, bent iver double knee jumps x12, jab then hook on the punch in bag x10 per side... repeat two times to count as one set.

Crunches on body ball x20, oblique crunches with 6lb weight x20, plank 30seconds repeat two times to count as one set

I followed this up with some super high rep legs

-150leg extensions no weight
-100inner and outer thigh machine . Low weight
-3 sets of 20 leg raises with hip up

I then took a long time to foam roll out ny legs, IT band, glutes as they were still sore from last week. I also had some time and got into a conversation  with a local power lifter who gave me some great tip on opening up the hipflexors and proper squatting techniques.  ***always be open to hearing advice....up to you to decide whether it is valid, whether to take it or not, but if you want to progress as an athlete (and as a person for that matter!) Being open to advice is critical..how else do we learn?

I will do a full foam roller blog post soon as this is an excellent way to really work your muscles, have them recover better and faster, to ease body pain, and to realign your posture.

Also a note on the indulgent weekend :/  .. a little overboard with the food and alcohol consumption.  Yes.  Will I get down on myself, ruin this weeks diet and exercise plan, and basically call off my figure competition plans.. NO WAY! We often let one slip up ruin so much... would you slash your other three tires hust becasue one is? Of course not....why do we do this when it comes to diet and exersices?

Just start again.

Attached below is some examples of intervals you can do at home! No excuses!!!

Xo
Kara

Shoulders with Brad Gaines ;)

Shoulders today !!! I have to admit, I also do love working muscles that you can see in the mirror. . See progress, see different muscle groups, see exactly what you are working.. (is that the muscle you are supposed to be working??? )

I was looking for some.inspiration and crewmember an athlete I would occasionally youtube.. Brad Gaines.  Seriously... LADIES... you need to look him up.. I have attached his youtube video below that I followed for my work out today... your welcome ;)

Started with 40min of cardio.. first time running on the treadmill!! Wooohoooo . O felt a little shaky and so after some advice from a good friend not to push it with my knee (thanks Jeff!) I decided to go 30sec walk, 30sec fast walk, 30sec jog (level9) 30sec run (level 10.5) . After a good warm up I completed this set of 4 -10times..then cool down.

I picked 7 of the exercises and did 3x sets of 12-15reps.  I attached a couple.pics... one of the "around the world" and the "steering wheels" .. ya ya.. I dont go to the gym to look pretty either.. red face, sweat, and my favorite t-shirt :) .. another post about gear, gym outfits, and what you need to workout coming soon..hint..its not much!

Stretch and cool down, sauna, shower and ready for a good weekend !!!

Xoxo enjoy the video but dont get caught up on youtube..watch it then go to the gym, or grab some soup cans and get the exercises done!!!

Kara

13 Killer Shoulder Exercises for your Shoulder Wo…: http://youtu.be/ch07ZvNN6L4

Baby got Back (_!_)

A**, booty, bum, keister, tush, badonkadonk, behind, booty, caboose, derriere,  unit, duff, funny, moneymaker, rear, rump, trunk, hiney, arse, butt, bottom, glutes, shelf

They all mean the same thing...  your gluteus maximus is a major player when it comes to building muscle and losing fat.

Your bum is the largest muscle in your body and so..the more calories it will make your body burn.  You cannot shape fat but you can work on building muscle to give you that round booty.

Genetics does play a role in muscle development but remember, super skinny can still have a flabby butt!

Also.. have a strong gluteus can help with hip and back problems. Weak glutes really impact your entire muscular system.

Women tend to be more in tune with the look of their bum.. i guess partly because men are as well :/ . It is a very sexy part of a womens body and for better or worse , it will be pinched, slapped, and stared at for eternity. Men, on the other hand tend to workout the things they see in the mirror..namely chest and biceps....

Leg day is a pretty long workout butt (ha!) worth the work to build a balanced figure, round, strong booty, and solid core.

Here's what today's workout looked like:

Warm up - recumbent bike 20min

All exercises are super set - 3x sets of 15 reps unless noted

Sumo squats (inner thigh) with kettle ball
Outer thigh leg lifts

Body weight squats
Bridge extensions with plate (22lbs)

Walking lunges 25reps
Calf raises 25 reps

Hamstring curl machine (50lbs)
Leg extension machine (no weight yet :( working on it :) )

Glute kick back machine (50lbs)
Leg press (110lbs)

Finished up with a big compound exercise using the easy curl bar
-dead lift→row x3 then dead lift →row→shoulder press repeating each set of 4 moves 4ish times to count as one set.. rest repeat for 4sets.. Wheff!!!

Finished with some crunches and lots of stretching... may not be able to sit on the toilet seat tomorrow...always a sign of a good leg day ;) .

Keep pushing, keep shining!!! Xoxox
Kara

Bi's, Tri's, Back and hammy recovery

Post leg day my hamstrings are hurting. .that good, aching, burning, you know its working kinda hurt. .  So I just want to touch on muscle recovery then get into my workout from today.

General rule of thumb is to not work muscle groups back to back.   When you lift weights you are essentially tearing muscle down and you need to let them recovery so they are larger, more defined, stronger. There are some ways to help in muscle recovery and ease the pain....

■Sleep - your body goes into recovery mode and that includes your muscles... make sure to get enough!

■Diet - proper nutrition  helps to feed muscles, making them perform better and recover faster

■Stretch - and warm up .. one of the best things I can do for my sore legs is to go for a brisk walk and then stretch them out.  Think of your tight muscles like a wound up rubber band.. by smoothing and stretching you will work out the kinks

■Salt bath - Epson salts in a bathtub work wonders for detoxing and relaxing tired muscles.. I kick it up a notch with the Arbonne essentials detox bath soak... its like epson salts on speed ;)

■Massage - oh ya baby... work out that lactic acid, relax and rejuvenate. RMT's at one of the best holistic health practitioners out there.. well worth the money!!! Worst case scenario give yourself some squeezes, or try to convince your significant other to give you one... bribery always helps ;)

There was no way I was going near my legs in the weight room today so Maddy and I worked on biceps, triceps and back.. our workout looked like this:

Elliptical 25min

Rotated between three exercises to touch each muscle group →

Hammer curl **fuzzy but you can see the pic here too :) notice the dumbbell looks like a hammer.. rather then sitting flat
Tricep push up on bench ** pictures of me.. difference is where hands are placed to target triceps
1 arm row **see pic of Maddy with the kettle ball

Easy curl bar seated bicep curl
Dips
Reverse flys

Cable triceps press
Incline branch curls free weights
Lat pull down machine

We did three sets of each exercise, aiming for 15reps.. remeber.. the last ones should be really hard to get through!

Enjoy your day and get to the gym!!! Xo
Kara

Power Breakfast.. and we're not talking coco puffs

double double coffee to go? bowl of sugary refined carbs? nothing at all?

So often we don't give breakfast the recognition it deserves and whether it is because we are rushing out the door, don't "feel" like anything, or simply have eaten Count Chocula every Am for the past 20+ years, we can start today to make better decisions about the most important meal of the day... (how often have you heard this?  Because it's true!)

First things first - have a glass of water. May not taste great, you my not want to, but just do it ok!?!? Your body has been out of food and water for how many hours? (hopefully anywhere from 6-9 ). You need to "break the fast" (yes, this is what breakfast means) and get your body up, working, and in production mode! Your bodys natural response to not eating for so long, is to slow down your metabolism & conserve energy. By continuing this "Fast" you wont be burning the calories you want in order to lose weight.... So let me say this loud and clear... SKIPPING BREAKFAST does NOT help you LOSE WEIGHT.

I find, also, that when i have a good, healthy breakfast I am more inclined to chose healthy options for the rest of the day.

There are many studies on school and work performance, energy levels, weight loss, mood swings, etc and if you are a numbers person and like studies and stats and such - check them out..some amazing differences..... all of them leading back to the fact that eating a healthy, clean, well balanced breakfast is the way to go.

Some examples of some great, quick and easy breakfast ideas:

-Scrambled egg, salsa on a whole wheat tortilla
-oatmeal with maple syrup and fresh berries
-homemade granola, unsweetened greek style yogurt (I add in a scoop of protein powder and mix with the yogurt and some crushed flax seed)
-brown rice cake with natural peanut butter and sliced banana
-toasted Ezekial bread with mashed avocado (seriously - so good)
-Homemade protein balls or bars **Please skip the cereal bars that contain more sugar then a chocolate bar
-Protein smoothie **This is my kids go-to breakfast and because I use Arbonne protein that is a vegan based protein and easy to digest with no issues of allergies, I love giving it toe them often filled with different fruits, greens, flax, almond milk - whatever i have in the fridge can go in!
-Protein Pancake - Recipe below because it is AWESOME, filling, can be made in advance, and tastes great :)  **This is my go-to breakfast with a smoothie post workout

 1/2 cup (ish) oatmeal - I like the large flake and usually just grab a handful

2scoops Protein powder

1 scoop fiber boost

dash cinnamon

1/2 mashed banana

1 egg (local) + 1 egg white


**Mash it up, throw it into a pan, flip, cut, eat.  i will make this in advance sometimes too and just reheat. Serve with REAL Maple syrup or peanut butter

Pea Protein - So Much Better then WHEY!

Makes a big pancake - I cut and keep some

I now you would rather be getting a few more ZZZ's, but the above idea really truly take 5 min or less. 5 minutes to start your day off on the right foot. Developing good habits can be tough but once it is worked into your schedule, you wont even notice! Set a good example for your kids - do you expect them to eat before school but not yourself?  Why are you putting their health first, and your health last? Show them how important it is.  Your body and your brain will thank you :)

XO
Kara