Pre-Weekend Warrior work out.

Hello! I just did this work out yesterday and it was amazing. I am going to post my workouts and the work out break down. If you have not been lifting before I recommend that you take the time to learn the moves before you add weight or try some of the advanced moves. 

Pre-Weekend Warrior

-30 Bar Curl Lunges with Side Kick

-30sec of jumping lunges

-V Tucks

-HIIT High knees

-16 Drop Set DB Curls

-Knee Tucks

*I performed 4 sets of all of these exercises, I also split it into two parts: 1st three work outs (1-3), and last, three work outs(4-6).  

Bar Curl Lunges with Side Kick:

Advanced: Take a set of dumbbells or a curling bar (whichever is most appropriate for 30 curls, i use a 45lb bar). Start in a standing position. Lunge back while curling the bar(as you would a bicep curl) to your shoulder. Return to standing position and leg lift with the same leg that lunges backwards. 

Beginners: Do no add the side kick and use a light weighted dumbbells. Once you have mastered the coordination of both and the proper form, try the side kick.

**Proper lunge requires you to lung far enough back to where your knee does NOT go past your foot. Second, do not allow your knee to hit the floor with the leg lunging behind you. 

**Proper curl requires slow and controlled movement. Do not let the bar or DBs drop from the curl position. Slowly and with control move them in to the starting position.

Jumping Lunge:

Start with legs split in the lunge position, lunge down (without your knee hitting the ground, knee behind toe) and jump! While you are jumping switch lunging legs. 

Beginners: Start with an easier, but still great, option to the jumping lunge. Do not switch legs as you jump. Complete 15 jumps on one leg and then switch to repeat another 15 with the opposite leg. Once you feel comfortable try the switch, but not until you have mastered the coordination of the jump + lunge!

V-Tucks:

Lay on the floor or mat in a full, arm and leg extension. Perform a crunch bringing your legs and arms, remaining in the straight position, together, and slowly return them to the starting position. For an extra challenge, add weight to your hand and legs!

HIIT: High Knees:

This is your high intensity interval training hit! High knees. As fast as you can go. For 30 seconds.

Drop Sets:

For me I started out curling 25lbs (reps 8-10 ), 20lbs (reps 10-14), 15lbs (reps14-20). This means that I curled at MAX 20 reps. Please not that this is a 16 Rep challenge so you need to complete at least 16 reps. I Chose to drop set with 3 different weights, I call it the pyramid drop set, but feel free to only drop  down one weight increment. Curl your highest weight first and when you feel you can't curl anymore, drop the weights and IMMEDIATELY grab the next, lower DB weight. This most important factor in drop set is that you spend as minimal amount of time (no more than 10 sec.) switching weight.

Knee Tucks:

If you have a dip station or a roman chair hold your self so your knees and legs are dangling and either straight legged or knees bent pull your knees to your chest. This is an abdominal workout and core workout. When you are performing this exercise practice CONTROL. Try to maintain control of your body swinging as you return to the starting position. This will help maximize the efficacy of this workout and keep you from using momentum (not strength) to preform the exercise. 

Good Luck!

Nikki

Cravings? Battling the Nutritional Beast!

Cravings. As much as we wish we could snap our fingers and crave all the health full foods out there, we can't. Maybe you don't like eating healthy or think that it tastes bad. Maybe you do eat healthy and still want to know how to fight cravings. I love eating healthy, but I am never 100% great at it. Why? "It is not my fault, its because ice cream tastes so good, sweet toothed people run in my family, and I can eat whatever I want as much as I want so long as I work it off". Felt your self using these excuses? How about, "sometimes I just have to live a little and treat myself....every single night." Well, I'm here to tell you something. Yes, cravings happen. Yes, we will continue to make excuses because we want 0% guilt while we enjoy them. BUT you can always choose healthy over not.

How come we have cravings? Especially for junk food? Do you think that back when icecream and potato chips didn't exist that people craved them then? No. We live in a country where the available and quick junk food is easily, too easily, at our finger tips. Where high fat content and loaded sugar attacks our taste buds and stomach soon to hit the arteries where, unlike your shower drain at home, cannot be unclogged. Good news, please? It all about those taste buds. Our taste buds adapt to the way that we eat and after repetitive eating of such junk food we begin to crave those certain food items more and more. So, time for a change! My challenge for you is a 2 week healthy food challenge, Flee from the temptations!!!!. Throw away those 50%DV of fat chips, icecream, ding-dongs, twinkies, white bread, blueberry muffins (or as I like to say "mini-cakes") and hit the healthy section. Fresh produce, whole wheat breads, oats, grains, quinoa, legumes, beans, fruit and veggies. Now, for two weeks try and eat healthy food only. Now, if you are just starting out eating healthy. My challenge for you is to ADD these things into your diet. That means, add in whole grain bread, add veggies or a fruit to every meal, and then start to swap meals out for healthier options.

I will be posting some of my favorite recipes to give you some low cost and delicious recipes that won't leave you hungry or guilty.

Good luck!

Nikki