Workout ideas

Hey guys! I don't know what everyone does for their workouts but one thing I've noticed that has caused a big change in gaining muscle and losing fat is doing plyo/weights combo. I found this article online (pinterest actually) and it has a lot of really good information and workouts. I just started doing the first 2 workouts and they are seriously amazing! I am sore but it feels great. If you want to see faster results in losing weight and gaining muscle/toning these type of workouts are the best. If you still aren't convinced look up interval training and you will see how effective it is! There is also a program called "Insanity" that is all interval training and it is amazing- I've personally done the workouts and can say they really work. One last thing, if you don't have access to a gym you can do the weight-lifting exercises after the plyo at home (weights with squats or lunges, holding weights while squatting and then going up to your calves... I can give you more examples if you need certain exercise ideas) I personally do the plyo workouts at home and then drive 5 mins to the gym and do the weight machines there.. mainly because I'm too embarrassed to be jumping around, sweating, and breathing extremely hard in front of everyone at the gym. I'm fine doing the treadmill or bike in front of others but jumping around everywhere? Not going to happen. Anyways, if you guys need more ideas just let me know! Keep working hard everyone!

-Sarah

ps- you can click on some of the exercises and they will show you how to do it. Also, there are some exercises that I'm not a big fan of so I will substitute an exercise from a different workout.

Another interesting and game-changing tid bit is the fact that lower body plyometric training COMBINED WITH lower body weight training will result in greater gains throughout the lower body.  Greater than what, you may be wondering.  The plyo/weights combo greatly outperformed the results of individuals who trained with ONLY plyo, or ONLY weights.  Participants utilizing the plyo/weight combo realized an increase in strength, definition, vertical jump, and speed.  Simply put, they became (and looked) more athletic.  Countless studies have replicated these results over time, leading us to believe that this is one of those relative constants I mentioned earlier.  One such peer-reviewed study, and what was used as reference for this article, can be found here.

I’ve had this knowledge and have been using plyo/weight combo workouts with clients for years.  The effects this method of training has is absolutely phenomenal.  Whether you’re an athlete training for a sport, or simply someone who wants to have that lean, mean, athletic look (and a great butt and thighs to go along with it) this is THE workout for you.  Expect a rounding and tightening of the backside and firm, lean thighs, hamstrings, and calves.  If you’re already doing another workout plan, don’t worry.  Go ahead and substitute these combo workouts in for lower body days.  Fitness is all about trial and error.  See what works best for you and then stick with it for a little bit, before changing it up to something more challenging.

Perform this workout 2-3 days a week.  If you are experiencing soreness, push your workout back until you can comfortably perform all exercises without pain.

Day 1 - Keep weights lower during this session.  If you see (4 x 10 exercise a/20 exercise b/rest), you should perform exercise b immediately following exercise a, and only rest at the end of exercise b.  Complete this combo for the total number of sets listed before exercise a.

• 4 x 12 Smith Machine Squats/30 box jumps/rest 60 seconds
• 3 x 20 Long Jumps
• 4 x 12 Bulgarian Squat
• 4 x 20 Four Point Hops
• 3 x 20 Reverse Dumbbell Lunges/20 forward lunges/rest 30 seconds (alternate legs)
• 3 x 2 minutes Plated Speed Skaters
• 3 x 1 minute Line Jumps
• 4 x 100 Speed Squats/10 X Jumps

Day 2 – This session is going to focus on fast explosive movements to really torch your hamstrings and glute muscles, before moving to the weights to finish things off.  Feel free to do the running parts on a treadmill or outside.

• 20 x 10 second all out sprints/rest 15 second between each sprint
• 5 x 2 minutes running in reverse (if using a treadmill start slow and gradually increase your speed)
• 5 x 30 Jumping Lunges
• 5 x 15 Tuck Jumps
• 5 x 15 Plated Box Jumps
• 3 x 10 Quad Extensions
• 3 x 10 Hamstring Curls
• 3 x 10 Leg Press Machine (first set feet wide, second set feet close, third set feet shoulder-width)
• 3 x 40 Calve Raises on Smith Machine
• 3 x 20 Side Barbell Squats (10 per each side)

Day 3 – We’re going to repeat the session from Day 1 with a few minor modifications to increase intensity. Also, be sure to increase weights as you’ll be performing fewer reps per set.

• 4 x 8 Smith Machine Squats
• 4 x 8 Barbell Deadlift (please make sure you are using proper form for this exercise!)
• 3 x 20 Long Jumps
• 4 x 12 Bulgarian Squat/1 minute jump rope/45 seconds rest
• 4 x 20 Four Point Hops
• 3 x 20 Reverse Dumbbell Lunges/20 forward lunges/rest 30 seconds (alternate legs)
• 3 x 2 minutes Plated Speed Skaters/1 minute jump rope/45 seconds rest
• 4 x 1 minute Line Jumps
• 4 x 100 Speed Squats/10 X Jumps/45 seconds rest
• 5 minutes jump roping (use as few rest breaks as possible)

Give this workout a try.  I will almost guarantee you’re not going to be able to walk straight after your first few times through.  Let the soreness fade, then get right back into it.  Run through this 3-day cycle for about 4 weeks, then increase weights, incorporate some new exercises, and continually keep pushing yourself.  Remember, the plyo/weight combo is THE way to develop a great butt and legs.  

Healthy Dinner!

Hey everybody! I'm hoping lots of people are participating in the challenge Debbie set up! I think it can benefit all of us. I just finally filled out my Sign Up Sheet and paid the ten dollars... so I hope others have been faster than me. I just thought I would post a recipe that I found on Pinterest that Debbie and Cathy have both used as well and we all liked it! It is from tastykitchen.com and they got it from the Our Best Bites Recipe Book. Here it is:

Baked Chicken Taquitos

• ½ cups Plain Greek Yogurt
• ⅓ cups Green Salsa
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• ½ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• ½ teaspoons Onion Powder
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Dried Cilantro
• 2 cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
• 1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
• 15 whole Flour Tortillas
• Sea Salt 

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine Greek yogurt, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder and cilantro. Mix well. Stir in cooked shredded chicken and shredded cheese. Note: This can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Just cover the bowl with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge!
3. Put your tortillas on a work surface. Spread about 2 spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons) of filling down the center of a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla as tightly as you can (without the filling coming out of the sides)! Place the taquito seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
4. Spray top of taquitos generously with cooking spray (I used PAM canola oil spray). Sprinkle generously with sea salt.
5. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes. The edges should be golden brown and the tops should be crisp. Let sit 5-10 minutes before eating. These are best eaten the day of!  



When I made them I didn't have green salsa, so I didn't use it, but I know Cathy did and thought it was yummy. I dipped mine in salsa instead. Cathy didn't dip hers in anything and felt like it would be better if there was a dip to go with it and found out later in the Our Best Bites cookbook it suggests dipping them in a Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing. Debbie was going to try and make a healthy version of this dip, but I haven't heard how it went yet. Also- I used the uncooked flour tortillas and thought it was really yummy. 

20 POUNDS!

As you all now, at Sarah's wedding we had some family pictures done. Well, I happen to HATE them because I look incredibly huge in my opinion. The other day I asked Dad if he was planning on doing more family pictures at Ben's wedding and he said yes. So-- I decided I am going to look a lot better by then. Cathy and I were talking and we decided we each want to lose 20 pounds by then. I did the math and that means that we need to lose 2 pounds per week in order to make it. Sounds reasonable, but I'm sure it is going to be a lot harder than it sounds. Anyway, I just thought I would share this with everyone so that if anyone else wants to make a goal with the same deadline we could all help each other out.

My goals to help me lose weight:
Ride my bike to work at least 3 times a week;
Run 3 miles on the treadmill 3 times a week;
Weight train at least twice a week;
Do pilates 5 times a week;
Eat more fruits and vegetables- especially when I need a snack!

What are your goals and what are you going to do to achieve them???

COME ON PPL, GET YOUR BOOTIES RUNNIN!!!

This is my first time writing on a blog, but I wanted to tell all you girlies how much of a difference it makes in your day when you exercise!! I've started exercising again and now I'm not as lazy and tired all of the time. Patrick helped me realize that I am a lot moodier and sooo sleepy when I don't move my legs and get pumpin that iron!! Ha but seriously I actually get things done when I work out for a little bit. I have some good workouts that I try to do every day to firm up my toosh and legs. I do forward lunges with 10 pound weights in each hand. I do 3 sets of 15. They burn like crazy!! but I get good results!! and for the bum bum I do reverse lunges with weights. (you put your leg behind you and bend down. a way to increase the burn is to lean forward and then come all the way up) They really work!! I am really sore today because I did a lot of sets yesterday. I also try to run at least a mile after I have worked out. I always thought you should run first and then do leg and stomach exercises but come to find out from my lovely husband you need to do everything first and then run, it helps you burn more fat. If anyone has any good leg or butt or stomach work outs let me know!!!!

Sarah

Blogging

I like the idea of the blog. I like the idea of us reporting progress, challenges, changes, goals, and everything else. But no one was doing it. I stopped writing because I felt no one was blogging. I would love it if everyone was contributing on a regular basis and giving kudos and sympathies and us helping each other through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Anyways that is my two cents, but I have to go to mutual now, so I will get going.
Laura

is this blog dead?

So I am wondering if this blog is just not going to happen. We started strong but have all kind of dwindled off. Do we just not need the blog or are we not posting because we are all so stressed with Christmas and other stuff that we aren't exercising? I will admit I haven't been exercising much the past couple of weeks. Right now I am 180 miles behind you all on the way to Jamaica. I am trying to do better though and I did exercise for 55 minutes today. I also went to the doctor to have my bloodwork done and make sure there is nothing wrong with my thyroid. I am so tired all the time and I know that I just recently had a baby but she is over 5 months old and I still feel like I could sleep for 12 hours a day. Anyway, I wanted to do it just as a precaution but I got my results back today and they tested all sorts of stuff but forgot the thyroid test so if I want it tested I have to go get poked again and I still have bruises in my hand and arm from the last time. ARG. Anyway, I hope that you guys are all doing wel and seeing results from your exercising. Debbie

How are you all doing?

From Debbie:
Wow, it's been a while since anyone posted. I hope you are all doing better than me exercise wise and aren't posting because you are so busy exercising but unfortunately that has not been the case with me. I have fallen behind on my exercise lately. I am about a week behind on my way to Jamaica and I would be further behind if it weren't for playing volleyball with the family in Brigham last week. I am trying to get more into the swing of things and did exercise for a half hour today (I got about 12 hours of sleep last night and still had a hard time waking up at 7:30 this morning but a least I had enough energy to exercise) and I measured myself afterward. I measured myself about 2 months ago but lost the measurements and haven't bothered thinking I would find them and then measure myself again. Anyway, I finally gave up on that and started over and I am trying to push myself to exercise and catch up with you all so I can celebrate in Jamaica. I also set a weight goal to not gain any weight during the holidays. I know this might seem like a lame goal to some of you but it works for me. Anyway, I hope you are all doing great with your exercising, I know Carrie is still going strong and is really close to hitting her 6 month mark which amazes me. Good job Carrie!