Leg Day. Kara-Style.

Bonjour Amanda!

Here’s my workout from yesterday.  One big circuit repeated 2 time through.  Took me ~30 minutes to do.  I finished with some arms.  As an fyi, the only workout gear I have here are 10lb weights, a TRX, a jump rope and a yoga block.  Therefore most of my workouts will only use 10lbs 😛

Fear not, I plan to get heavier weights.

The workout:

• Side lunges w/ weights.  x10 each side. Bent leg thats sitting back -> on the yoga block
• Standing leg lifts. (pic) x40 ea leg.
• Pendulum lunges. x10 each side with weights.
• Butt bridge with weights nestled on each leg.  x40
• One legged lunges. My back leg in the TRX. x10 each leg
• Reverse lunge with knee raise. Stationary leg on yoga block. With weight.  x10 each leg
• More butt bridges.  x20 full range with 20 pulses.
• Overhead kbell swing. x20. I used one weight and switched arms at the top.
• Standing leg lifts. x40 each side.

Notes.

I did the split lunges with the TRX initially with the weights, but my form was crap.  The second time through I used no weights and focused on going down the whole way and driving though my heel on the way up.  Totes the right move 😉

10lbs for the bell swing was way too light.  Perhaps obvious to you, but hey, thats all the weight I had.

Arms

• 20 bicep curls
• 20 tricep press
• 20 back rows
• 20 reverse flys
• 10 lat side raise on each side
• 5 serious attempts to get into crow pose.

Finally, on a personal note, as I type this up I’m listening to a college band play random French songs out my window right.  In some ways this just sums up my view on life right now:

“Well.  This isn’t really what I anticipated.  But it’s enjoyable.  So I’ll enjoy it”

Hugs.  Kara.

 

2/8/2016, Mostly Legs + J’s Ab Moves

Yesterday “J” said she had some new ab moves to try out.  They were pretty fun, and challenging!  Check them out in the two circuits below.  The whole workout took about 45 minutes.

Did you miss my little pony-tail stick-girl?  Yeah, you did.

Circuit 1 (repeat 4 times)

• reverse lunge off of bench+3 levels, holding two 10-lb dumbbells (x 1o each leg)
  • (this was probably too light.  Next time, 15 lbs)
• pushups (x15)
• butt bridge with feet on medicine ball (x15)
• Body ball + Bosu Tucks (x15)

Body ball+ Bosu tucks

Circuit 2 (repeat 4 times)

• Plie squats (x15) + 15 second hold with calves raised at the bottom of the squat. Use two 10-lb dumbbells. –> this was too light.  Should have done 15 lbs.
• Single-leg deadlifts with 30+ lb KB (x10 each leg)
• Upright rows with a bar + two 2.5-lb plates (x15)
• Split V-ups over bench (x15)

Split V-ups Over Bench

Legs & Butt Quickie, 2/3/2016

Circuit One (repeat 3 times)

• Walking lunges, with 15-lb dumbbells (x20, alternating)
• T-bar row (x15)
• Hip adductor machine — that’s the squeeze, not the outward push (x15 + 10 second hold)

Circuit Two (repeat 3 times)

• Squat + overhead press with 15-lb dumbbells (x15)
• Abdominal cable pulls (x15)
• Lateral shoulder raises with 10-lb dumbbells (x15)
• burpees (x10)

 

from bodybuilding.com

Bootie Burner or “Orion’s Torture Sequence”

45 seconds each, with 15 seconds rest between. Total of 8 minutes.

All of these are done in a position on your hands and knees.

• leg lifts, right leg
• leg lefts, left leg
• leg forward circles, right
• leg forward circles, left
• leg backward circles, right
• leg backward circles, left
• fire hydrant, right
• fire hydrant, left

Upper Body Day, 12/17/2014

Yesterday’s workout, below.  Not a lot of moves, but it takes a full 45 minutes.  My arms were dead at the end.  Like, “it’s-hard-to-wash-my-hands” dead.  Good stuff!

Circuit 1 (four times)

• holding 10-lb dumbbells, pop out into plank, do renegade rows with each arm, pop back up, do bicep curl (do the series 10 times, because you’re a badass.)
• KB side lunge to overhead press, 20lbs (x10 each side)

Circuit 2 (four times)

• oblique lifts on Bosu (x10 each side)
• chest flyes on body ball, two 8-lbs dumbbells (x15)
• backward lunge to hop (touch a high bar overhead), bodyweight (x10 each side)

(when you’re lunging back with your right foot, and then coming up to hop, try not to touch your right foot to the ground before hopping.  Keep the burn in your right quad going.)

• assisted tricep dips (x15)

Oblique Lifts on Bosu (source)

That’s it!

-Amanda

Yesterday’s quick, one-person workout

This is definitely somewhat of a “token” workout.  I almost talked myself out of going to the gym yesterday, but I knew I needed it.  I’ll hit the gym today too, with buddies.  Since I was alone, I focused on some moves that might not be safe for the buddies I am working out with these days.  Hence the overhead squats, heavy deadlifts, and KB swings.  I’m sore today, but not horrible. =)

Circuit One (repeat 3x)

• Bike HIIT (30 secs on, 30 seconds off) for 3 minutes
• 10 Overhead Squats, just the bar
• 10 Barbell Deadlifts (65lbs on first set, then 75 pounds on set 2 and 3)
• 10 assisted pullups with no breaks between reps

Circuit 2 (repeat 3x)

• 2 minutes on Stairmaster
• 30 oblique crunches with leg lift; that’s 30 each side.
• 15 KB swings, 25 lbs
• 15 KB sumo squats + upright rows, 20 lbs

In other news, I’ve recently been considering trying out the Strong Lifts 5×5 program.  It’s simple, and probably yields great results.  But I suppose my main concerns are:

1. I need to have a cage and bar to myself for 45 minutes.
2. It’s the same exercises all the time — will I get bored?
3. I don’t really have buddies I can do this with.  And buddies drastically increase my commitment level. Hm.

But still, I’m considering it.  Hm, hm, hmmmmm.

-Amanda

Full Body Day, 12/8/14

I am still a bit sore from all of the workouts last week, but I’m pretty happy about it.  =)  I feel good enough to hit another workout, though, so this is the one I came up with for today.  It’s more cardio-focused and less heavy-weight-focused, just to give my muscles another day to recover.   Maybe we can rock the upper body day my sister sent me… on Wednesday?

Circuit 1 (repeat 3x)

• burpees (x15)
• squat machine: squats (x15) and calf presses (x15)
• body ball crunches (x15)
• tricep dips (x15), this time with feet on a bench or body ball too.  Because you can.

Body Ball Crunch (from the awesome blog Power Sculpt Fitness)

Tricep Dips (source)

Circuit 2 (repeat 3x)

• Assisted pullups (x15)
• Box step-ups (x15)
• Hip adduction machine (x15 + 10 second hold at the end of each set)
• Bear crawl, up and down the hallway. Keep your butt down!

Bear Crawl (source) – Keep that bootie down.

Upper Body Day, 12/3/2014

Lots of posting today!  Here’s the workout I have planned for tonight.  It’s difficult to plan for three ladies, particularly when the gym has been so crowded, but hopefully we can stay out of each other’s way.   I tried to choose moves that can be done in a number of areas at the gym.   Also tried to get a lot of cardio in.  I’m really trying to save my legs for Friday’s workout with The KareBear.

Circuit 1 (repeat 3x)

• Bicycle Abs on a Bosu Ball (x50)
• 90 seconds on the rowing machine
• Static Lunge with bicep curls (x10 each leg):  do all of the 10 bicep curls while sunk in a static right leg lunge.  Then switch sides and do 10 more of the bicep curls.
• KB push press (x10 each side)

KB push press (source)

Circuit 2 (repeat 3x)

• Dumbbell chest press (x15) with 15-20lb dumbbells.
• Side plank with single-arm reverse fly (x10 each side), using a 5-lb dumbbell
• Bosu cable pulls with squat (x15)
• Jump rope, 1 minute

-Amanda

Full Body Day, 12/1/2014

Here’s what we did this monday!  This was a good workout — took about an hour, had good cardio throughout, and I’m still sore on the second day.  =)

Circuit 1 (repeat 3x)

• Bosu Ball, get-down-get-ups (x15) – squat down and then lay on round side of bosu ball, and keep your feet slightly lifted off the ground, to keep your abs in action.  Come back up, using a squat, and go ahead and put a little hop in there at the top.
• Bike HIIT: 30 second sprint (standing), 30 seconds sitting (repeat three times — takes 3 minutes)
• Side to side bench hops (x30)
• KB deadlift (x15), 40 lbs

Side to Side bench hops (source)

Back Squat AMRAP

1 minute at 55 pounds.  I made it to 27.

Circuit 2 (repeat 3x)

• TRX jackknives (x20) with your feet hooked into the TRX loops, bring your knees in diagonally toward one elbow, so you’re hitting obliques. Alternate sides.
• Walking lunges with overhead press (x20).  We did this in the hallway.  Do an overhead press after each lunge.  We used two 10-lb dumbbells.
• Plie squats with upright row (x15) – 15lb KB.  This was too light.  I admit it.
• Tricep dips on bench (x15)  This is also getting too easy I think.  Next time, I’ll put my feet up on a bench across from me.  =)

And now… I still need to plan today’s and Friday’s workouts!!!  I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with it!  But I know you wanted to see these, so I decided to just get ’em out, even if they’re kinda sloppy.  Hope you enjoy!!

-Amanda

Sister Leg Day, 11/24/2014

Here’s the really tough one we did last Monday (before Thanksgiving).  This is basically copied from the email my sister sent me, with some edits for the actual weights, etc. that we did.  Doing three rounds of each circuit took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  We were absolutely dead at the end.  The last circuit hurts.  =)

Circuit 1 (repeat 3x)

• 14 Spiderman Pushups (as your chest goes towards the floor, one knee comes towards a shoulder – alternate sides)
• 20 Barbell reverse lunge to squat (lunge right leg back, come back so feet are shoulder width apart, squat, then do left lunge back).  We did this with 45 lbs.
• 20 Leg Throws with partner. (lying on the floor facing same direction as partner, who is standing with feet shoulder length apart, hold their heels, raise your legs and they throw them down)

 Circuit 2 (repeat 3x) 

• 15 T-bar row w/10lbs added
• 15 Back extension, 10lb plate
• 20 Oblique Sliders

T-bar Row (source)

Back Extension (source)

Oblique Ab Sliders (source)

Circuit 3 (repeat 3x)

1. Walking lunches with shoulder presses.  Holding bar up above your head, do 10 walking lunges in one direction.   Then do 5 overhead presses with the bar.  Turn around and do 10 more walking lunches with the bar above your head, and the reapt 5 overhead presses at the end. We used a 25-30 lb bar.
2. 20 barbell chops (watch video) THIS IS SO HARD!!!  What we really ended up doing was more of a press, because we weren’t quite strong enough to keep our arms straight and use our abs to swing the bar up.  Still, there was some ab action the way we did it too.
3. 15 Squat thrust to box jump. With a step in front of you, start on floor. Pop out to a plank (like you’re doing a burpee), then jump back in so hands are back to where your feet are, and THEN jump up to step and back down. Repeat.  This killed us at the end.  In a good way??

-Amanda

23.5

Amanda,

Hello.  I’ve missed you.  And again, I really appreciate this blog.  It is the motivation and inspiration I need right now and am incredible grateful that you thought of it.

The workout plan of attack for this week:

Tuesday:  Spin!  Followed by the 1 minute squat AMRAP with 55lb.  I made it to 23.5 today which is a huge improvement over my 20 last time.

Thursday: Turkey Trot 5k.  We signed up last week and I’m looking forward to it.  I have run once since your wedding, so we’ll see how this goes.  My lofty goal is under 27 minutes.

Saturday or Sunday:  Angela Leg day!  I’m excited for this.

Huge thank you for that Pinterest board.  Love it!  It reminded me of all the Zuzka Light workouts on youtube that I can be doing at home.

Hugs and Happy Pie Day!

Kara.