Circuit training is a good way to get in some cardio without having to run or bike your entire workout . Try this on your own:
Complete 5 minutes of exercises, 1 minute per exercise, no resting between, followed by a 1 minute jog.
1 minute of high knees
1 minute of burpees
1 minute of sit ups
1 minute of body weight squats
1 minute of walkouts (in the push up position)
After 5 minutes, go for a 1 minute jog
Go through this (6 minutes total) 4 times. Make it continuous if you can. The purpose is to keep your heart rate up. The 1 minute jog is your rest, so do not worry about going fast.
Happy Sweating,
Dominique
Friday, July 27, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Resistance training
Adding resistance to your workout can really give your training regiment a boost. Yesterday we added a few elements to our boot camp session that focused on muscle definition/toning. In order to do some simple resistance training on your own, you will need access to the following; an elastic band, an elastic loop (a band that closes in circle and cannot come apart), and either a medicine (10lbs preferably) or a 10lb plate. Here are a few ideas to try out on your own:
1. Using your medicine ball or plate, do walking lunges. When you lunge, twist your upper body to the side of the leg out in front. Do walking lunges with a twist for 30-40 meters. You can also do walking lunges while holding the weight over your head (arms straight), and when you lunge bend your elbows so you bring the ball behind your head. This will work you triceps, abs, and legs all at the same time!
2. Using the elastic band, place both feet on the middle of the band (you should be standing on it with one end of the band in each hand), then do a bicep curl. You may continue doing bicep curls (3x10-12), or you can add a push press after the curl (that means, once you curl up, extend your arms straight up and over your head).
3. Using the elastic band again, stand on the middle like in the previous exercise, and lift both arms into a "t" position at your sides. I suggest doing both arms simultaneously, but you will find that one arm will most likely fatigue sooner than the other. This exercise is very common and usually done with weights, but the advantage to using bands is the additional resistance you receive when you bring your arms down, not just up. You are able work your muscles on the descent, instead of just dropping your arms with the weights.
4. Using the elastic loop, place both feet inside the loop and move the band so it is around your mid calves. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, and squat down as close to parallel as you can get. Then take small side steps for 30 meters. This exercise works your booty and is a tough one! Remember to keep your butt down as you walk!
If you have any questions, let me know.
Happy Sweating,
Dominique
1. Using your medicine ball or plate, do walking lunges. When you lunge, twist your upper body to the side of the leg out in front. Do walking lunges with a twist for 30-40 meters. You can also do walking lunges while holding the weight over your head (arms straight), and when you lunge bend your elbows so you bring the ball behind your head. This will work you triceps, abs, and legs all at the same time!
2. Using the elastic band, place both feet on the middle of the band (you should be standing on it with one end of the band in each hand), then do a bicep curl. You may continue doing bicep curls (3x10-12), or you can add a push press after the curl (that means, once you curl up, extend your arms straight up and over your head).
3. Using the elastic band again, stand on the middle like in the previous exercise, and lift both arms into a "t" position at your sides. I suggest doing both arms simultaneously, but you will find that one arm will most likely fatigue sooner than the other. This exercise is very common and usually done with weights, but the advantage to using bands is the additional resistance you receive when you bring your arms down, not just up. You are able work your muscles on the descent, instead of just dropping your arms with the weights.
4. Using the elastic loop, place both feet inside the loop and move the band so it is around your mid calves. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, and squat down as close to parallel as you can get. Then take small side steps for 30 meters. This exercise works your booty and is a tough one! Remember to keep your butt down as you walk!
If you have any questions, let me know.
Happy Sweating,
Dominique
Thursday, July 12, 2012
The importance of Cross-Training
Whether you are training for a 5k, a marathon, a triathlon, or just trying to get/stay in shape, consider diversifying your workouts. I cannot tell you how many times I meet someone who trains 4-6 days a week, but executes the same type of workouts. Your body, much like your mind, needs new challenges to keep it sharp and tuned.
If you do a lot of body impacting workouts; such as, running, crossfit, or plyometric workout, consider adding 1-2 days of non-impacting work. This can be swimming (open water or in a pool), biking, yoga or pilates. It is also a good idea to factor in body weight only workouts if you do a lot of weight lifting. Doing body weight (bw) workouts, like pull ups, push ups, or bw squats will allow your body a lighter day that still has value in your overall fitness goals.
I personally like to incorporate pilates because it is great for total body toning and a good way to work on your core. Yoga is also very beneficial for stretching and upper body strengthening; however, I prefer pilates for the abdominal work. If you can find a dynamic yoga instructor, you will find that you can work up a sweat and raise your heart just working on the mat. ;)
With all that said, I believe that if you are a runner or crossfit enthusiast, the best cross-training work you can do (if you can only pick 1) is to SWIM! Swimming is restorative for your muscles and joints, great cardio work, and completely non-impacting (for all the bad knees and ankles out there). Besides, it is summertime and it is hot out there, so go for a swim and see the benefits!
Happy sweating,
Dominique
If you do a lot of body impacting workouts; such as, running, crossfit, or plyometric workout, consider adding 1-2 days of non-impacting work. This can be swimming (open water or in a pool), biking, yoga or pilates. It is also a good idea to factor in body weight only workouts if you do a lot of weight lifting. Doing body weight (bw) workouts, like pull ups, push ups, or bw squats will allow your body a lighter day that still has value in your overall fitness goals.
I personally like to incorporate pilates because it is great for total body toning and a good way to work on your core. Yoga is also very beneficial for stretching and upper body strengthening; however, I prefer pilates for the abdominal work. If you can find a dynamic yoga instructor, you will find that you can work up a sweat and raise your heart just working on the mat. ;)
With all that said, I believe that if you are a runner or crossfit enthusiast, the best cross-training work you can do (if you can only pick 1) is to SWIM! Swimming is restorative for your muscles and joints, great cardio work, and completely non-impacting (for all the bad knees and ankles out there). Besides, it is summertime and it is hot out there, so go for a swim and see the benefits!
Happy sweating,
Dominique
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Date, Shallot, and Rosemary Chicken
Here's a healthy recipe I am trying out tonight! I thought I would share since I get a lot of questions about diet and nutritional planning :)
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken breasts
- 2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 5-7 medjool dates, pitted and diced
- 3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Pull out a large glass baking dish and place chicken in it.
- Top chicken off with your sliced shallots and dates.
- Pull the rosemary off the sprigs and toss over the chicken, then place a few extra rosemary sprigs around the chicken.
- Finish the chicken off by pouring over olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar and top it off with ground pepper.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Consume.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Boot Camp Tip Day 1
You can add a level of difficulty to your interval workouts by incorporating "active rest." Active rest allows you to incorporate additional strength development and keeps your heart rate up. Here are some examples:
Happy sweating,
Dominique
- Repeat 200m runs on the track with 1 minute rest, followed by 1 minute of exercise (walking lunges or body weight squats or jumping jacks or sit ups), followed by 1 more minute rest.
- Run for 10 minutes, do 2 minutes of exercises, continue until your run is complete.
Happy sweating,
Dominique
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Boot Camp Begins Tommorrow!
Reminder!!!! Boot Camp begins tomorrow!!!!
Monday July 9th, 7am at Lake Bottom Track
Come workout with us! We are going to tone, strengthen, and increase cardio at Lake Bottom Park! Meet on the track at 7AM every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting July 9th to August 3rd!
Monday July 9th, 7am at Lake Bottom Track
Monday, July 2, 2012
Watermelon Smoothie
My friend Katie is a yoga instructor (Katie Marie Yoga and Holistc Nutrition) as well as a great resource for nutritious and delicious all natural snacks! Here is her watermelon smoothie! I made it today and it was out of this world!
Recipe:
I filled my blender with cut up watermelon,
blended until I had room to squeeze a few more pieces in,
added 2 juiced limes
sprinkled in some ground cardamom.
Recipe:
I filled my blender with cut up watermelon,
blended until I had room to squeeze a few more pieces in,
added 2 juiced limes
sprinkled in some ground cardamom.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Pre and Post Workout Prep
Stretching before a workout helps warm up the muscles and prevent injuries, but did you know that stretching after workouts is just as essential? Stretching right after a workout relaxes and lengthens the muscles. If you really pushed yourself during a workout that day, you may want to stretch before you go to bed as well, and/or in a hot shower the next morning. Stretching in a hot shower is a great trick, because your raised body temperature releases muscle tension and allows for a deeper stretch. Remember, stretching = injury prevention, so do it as much as you can!
I also want to take a minute to speak to hydration. Have you ever gone to a spa for a massage, and afterwards they encourage you to drink lots of water? Proper hydration in conjunction with stretching, will flush out the toxins and lactic acid your body builds up when you work hard. Do yourself a favor and drink water throughout the day, especially in this record breaking heat! However, be sure to switch to an electrolyte packed drink post workout; such as, Gatorade, coconut water, or an Emergen-C packet added to your water bottle. While water flushes out toxins, it unfortunately flushes electrolytes too... it does not distinguish between the too. That means you could be losing electrolytes while you sweat AND while you hydrate. Loss of electrolytes will lead to cramping and injuries, so make sure you replenish with the proper post workout beverage.
Let's recap: I would like you to drink water throughout the day, stretch before and after workouts, stretch a third time if needed (either before bed or in the shower the next morning), and make sure you are drinking an electrolyte beverage during workouts.
Happy Sweating,
Dominique
I also want to take a minute to speak to hydration. Have you ever gone to a spa for a massage, and afterwards they encourage you to drink lots of water? Proper hydration in conjunction with stretching, will flush out the toxins and lactic acid your body builds up when you work hard. Do yourself a favor and drink water throughout the day, especially in this record breaking heat! However, be sure to switch to an electrolyte packed drink post workout; such as, Gatorade, coconut water, or an Emergen-C packet added to your water bottle. While water flushes out toxins, it unfortunately flushes electrolytes too... it does not distinguish between the too. That means you could be losing electrolytes while you sweat AND while you hydrate. Loss of electrolytes will lead to cramping and injuries, so make sure you replenish with the proper post workout beverage.
Let's recap: I would like you to drink water throughout the day, stretch before and after workouts, stretch a third time if needed (either before bed or in the shower the next morning), and make sure you are drinking an electrolyte beverage during workouts.
Happy Sweating,
Dominique
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)