Two Thumbs Up! (total body workout)

You'll "like" this one!  This workout used a lot of different muscles, for a total body burn. With 4 exercises per circuit you can really get your heart rate pumping.  The focus of this workout is on LEGS, ABS, and ARMS.  You'll feel it! (thumbs up).  Have fun with those box burpees (two thumbs up), and the lunges jumps (I ran out of thumbs).

Beginners: 2 sets of 30 seconds per exercise with 30 seconds recover after each exercise.
Intermediate: 3 sets of 45 seconds per exercise with 15 seconds recover after each exercise.
Advanced: 3 sets of 1 minute per exercise with 15 seconds recover  after each exercise.... No extra rest time between sets.  Keep going with only 15 second rest intervals until you have completed all 3 sets!

Circuit #1

• BOSU mountain climbers
• DB burpees (burpee with a curl to press with the dumbbells)
• Sit ups with DB punches
• Squat hold in and outs

    BOSU mountain climbers

    DB Burpee 

    Situp with DB punches

Circuit #2

• DB Plank Walks
• Bicycles
• Walking push ups over bench
• Lunge Jumps

    DB Plank Walks

    Bicycles

    Push ups over the box

    lunge jumps

Circuit #3

• Push ups with a plate slide
• Box burpees
• SB exchange abs
• 1 leg side to side hop

    push ups with a plate slide

    Box Burpees

    SB exchanges

    1 leg side to side hop

Sweatin' that Cardio: The benefits of Intervals

Tank completely soaked- there's a reason I didn't bother putting on makeup yet today.  

Only a few dry spots at the bottom of the shorts

This might sound weird or even gross to some (or most.. Ha), but I love that point in my workout when I'm dripping sweat.  There is just something about sweat dripping off your nose, chin, and eyelashes that feels good!  

Today I did the stair master. Its one of my favorite cardio workouts, and I try to fit it in once a week. One of the reasons I love it so much is because I sweat a lot, which always helps me feel like I got a great workout in. 

As sometimes cardio can get monotonous and feel like a drudgery, here is a HUGE tip: Do interval training. Not necessarily every time, but often. There's so many reasons why it will do your body good, but here are some of my favorites.

#1. It will keep you motivated and focused through your workout. Think of it like setting mini goals as you go along. 

#2.  It will improve your fitness. What's the best way to get in better shape? Push that limit multiple times in a workout. That limit is called your anaerobic threshold, and as it gets higher your fitness improves.

#3.  You will burn more calories. I'm not just talking about during your workout, but also after you are all done. This is called EPOC (exercise post oxygen consumption).  If you push your limit with some higher intensity cardio, you'll be burning a higher amount of calories per minute for the next hour or two after your done. 

#4 Intervals come in many varieties. Intervals can help you keep your workouts different and fresh! Do hills, long intervals (3-6 minutes), short intervals (30 seconds- 90 seconds). You can do them outside running or biking, or on any cardio equipment (bike, elliptical, stair master, treadmill, etc.)

So CHEERS (in the form of a large glass of ice water) to Intervals!!  Let's all embrace the SWEAT!