I hope your week is going well so far! I am slowly getting back into a routine after the holiday break! I have a killer workout for you today, that I tested out on Monday. Can you say oh my fiery shoulders and legs (hence the name)! When you look over the workout, you can tell it is going to be a doozy for the legs, but the arms sneak up on you. I seriously spilled a little water on myself afterwards because the hand holding my cup was shaking so bad. Now, you know that's a good workout!
I must admit, I totally took a break at rep 30 during the push-ups and rep 25 in the v-ups. Those babies get hard!! Try to keep rest to a minimum between exercises so you keep your heart rate elevated. I did the core part of the workout (minus the warm-up and cool down) in 23 minutes. Fast and efficient just the way I like it! :)
Now, for the exercises:
You can see a video of kettlebell swings here.
I'm sure we all have the push-up down by now. Feel free to do them from your knees or toes or some combination of the two.
Surrenders:
This is officially my new favorite move, and made me realize how much weaker my left glutes are than my right. To perform a surrender, start on your knees with dumbbells by your side. Step forward with one foot and bring dumbbells to shoulders. Step forward with the opposite foot coming to a standing position and press dumbbells overhead. To return to start, drop down onto one knee bringing dumbbells to shoulders, and then lower to both knees bringing dumbbells back to start. I did 25 reps on each let.
Source: gethealthyu.com
Rows with tubing:
Anchor your tubing around something that won't move. I used our dumbbell rack. Stand facing tubing, and lower down into a semi squatting position. Start with arms extended out in front and then squeeze shoulder blades together as you bring elbows past our rib cage. Return to starting position. You can do one arm at a time (as shown), or both together. I did 50 with both arms rowing at the same time.
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V-ups:
Begin in boat position - legs in table top with abdominals tight as you recline slightly (top picture). Straighten legs and lean back until lower back touches the floor (lower picture). Return to starting position. Repeat 49 times. Yikes! You can do it!
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Thrusters:
Begin in a standing position with feet slightly wider than hip distance apart and dumbbells by shoulders. Lower down into a squat keeping weight on heels. As you come into a standing position, press the dumbbells overhead. Think about keeping a tight core the entire time and really squeezing your glutes as you stand up.
Plank Jacks:
Begin in a plank position with hands under shoulders and back flat. Jump your feet apart like you were doing a jumping jack and then jump back to your plank. Voila! I love these because they get your heart rate up while working your entire body!
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And there you have it folks. Although it was tough, I loved this workout. It's fun to play with rep numbers and get out of the whole 12 reps for 3 sets routine that I usually do. I hope you enjoy it!
After that Fiery 50 workout and teaching a barre class on Monday, my legs were toast. Luckily, I have a very cute walking partner to help me shake out my legs in the afternoon. It was a chilly 50 degrees here (I hear the eye rolls from my northern friends), so I had Belle bundled up pretty good.
After our walk, we enjoyed some play time in her jumper. She was jumping like crazy and making the funniest faces ever. I promise she was really happy the entire time! Sorry for the fuzzy pictures she was moving when I took them.
If you haven't already, don't forget to enter my giveaway for a FREE entry into any Spartan Race in the continental U.S.!
Do you usually stick to a certain number of sets and reps for workouts or do you like to switch things up?
In health,
Lauren George
