Wednesday, March 14, 2012

After a few weeks on the east coast, I’m back!  I ‘m now 16 weeks into my glute training program and have added in a few new exercises  to experiment with and to help keep things fresh .  I started my morning with a 40 minute fasted cardio and then hit the gym in the afternoon.

This is what my training session looked like…

Warm Up  – 1 mile

Foam Roll -  8-10 min

Dynamic  Exercises & Stretches -  neck rotation, side and overhead  and side arm circles, arm swings, shoulder dislocation, overhead squat, dynamic hip flexion, leg swings and hip circles, ankle circles, cat-camel, glute bridge, spinal roll, hip flexor stretch, glute stretch, hamstring stretch, calf stretch
Clam shells – 3 sets of 20 (I have now included these in as part of my warm up)

1a) Lateral Hurdle Jumps – 4 sets of 10
1b) Reverse Leg Press – 4 sets of 12  (with a 3 sec hold at top position)
1c) RKC Plank – 4 sets for 60s (my elbows were farther away from my body, legs together, glutes squeezed and  in a front plank… …continue reading.

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I mixed things up a bit this week with a beach workout and a few training sessions at the gym. This was by far the best workout of the week for me with a great mix of exercises including bodyweight, resistance band and barbell training. I threw a few bands, EZ slider and a squat bar pad into my gym bag and was ready to go!

Here’s what my training session looked like….

Warm up – 1 mile walk
Foam Roll – 10 min

Dynamic Exercises and Stretches:  hip flexor stretch, neck rotation, side and overhead arm circles, arm swings, shoulder dislocation, overhead squat, dynamic hip flexion, leg swings, ankle circles, hip circles, cat-camel, glute bridge, spinal roll, hip flexor stretch, glute stretch, hamstring stretch, calf stretch

Box Squat Jump – 3 sets of 5 (I always like to start with some kind of explosive movement before I get into my training)

Elevated Pistol Squats – 5 sets of 10 (I used a plyo box to do these.  I stood on the edge of the box, on one leg, with my arms extended out in front. My opposite leg was extended… …continue reading.

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I headed back to the gym this week for a few awesome lower body workouts.  This session has been the best so far.  After walking to the gym and finishing with my warm up, I noticed I forgot my resistance bands , so I had to improvise with similar exercises that I wanted to do.

Here’s what my afternoon training session looked like….

Warm up – 1 mile walk
Foam Roll – 10 min

Dynamic Exercises and Stretches:  hip flexor stretch, neck rotation, side and overhead arm circles, arm swings, shoulder dislocation, overhead squat, dynamic hip flexion, leg swings, ankle circles, hip circles, cat-camel, glute bridge, spinal roll, hip flexor stretch, glute stretch, hamstring stretch, calf stretch

Dumbbell RDL – 5 sets of 10 (love all RDLs… I always get a nice stretch in the hamstrings and real nice glute hit from these )
superset with
Reverse Hyper – 5 sets of 20 (just used my bodyweight with a 2 sec hold at the top position; after 5 sets my glutes were on fire!)

Cossack Squat – 5 sets of 15 (these are one of my favorite… …continue reading.

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I always get so anxious to train and my walk to the gym was more like a run . I couldn’t wait to get through my warm up and into this workout .  I am now into a solid 8 weeks of all lower body and glute work…

Here’s what my afternoon training session looked like…

Warm Up

1 mile walk
Foam Roll -10 min

Dynamic  Exercises and Stretches – shoulder dislocation, overhead squat,  arm circles, arm swings, hip circles, dynamic hip flexion, leg swings, hip flexor stretch, glute stretch, hamstring, cat-camel, spinal roll, calf stretch

1) Box Jump – 3 sets of 5

2a) Single Leg BB Squat (on bench)- 5 sets of 10 –  (I kept the weight super light and it was still very effective.   I used a weighted straight bar and placed my back foot on a flat bench.  Be sure to squeeze the bar on the upper part of your back and hold bar tightly and firmly with a thumb-less grip. Squat down on front leg keeping your back arched and chest out.  Keep the core tight and lead with the chest as you… …continue reading.

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We found an awesome grassy area to train on yesterday right in front of the beach.  It was a gorgeous day and I was very anxious to get into this workout so I did a much shorter warm up than usual.

Here’s what my workout looked like….

Warm Up

Dynamic Exercises & Stretches
arm circles, arm swings, shoulder dislocation, overhead squat, hip circles, dynamic hip flexion, hip flexor stretch, glute stretch, hamstring, cat-camel, calf stretch

1a) Band Hurdle Jump – 5 sets of 5

1b) High Intensity Maximal Contraction Lunge- 5 sets of 8-10 (hold lunge for 5 sec tightening every muscle

possible, push through heel as you come up and tighten glute.  These are pretty sick, by my last few sets I could only get 8 per leg…smoked!)

1c) Band Good Morning- 5 sets of 20 (make sure to pick a band with enough resistance, place feet on band and wrap other end around the neck, hold on to  band and raise out of bottom position, tighten the glutes for 2 sec at top position…very effective exercise to help strengthen the hamstrings, glutes and lower back…so far my favorite exercise this year lol… …continue reading.

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Yesterday’s training session was definitely one of those where I felt like I was going to pass out when I was finished…always a good time . I threw the TRX in my bag and headed out to the gym.  After my warm up, I started with an explosive jump and then hit the lower body with a 5 set circuit, focusing on the glutes, without resting between exercises.

Here’s a look at my workout…

Morning- 30 min fasted cardio

Afternoon – training session
Warm up
1 mile walk
Foam Roll – 8-10 min (I always enjoy this time as it gives me an opportunity to check out the scene )

Dynamic Exercises & Stretches
neck rotation, arm circles, arm swings, shoulder dislocation, overhead squat, leg swings, close stance squat, dynamic hip flexion, standing hip circles, hip flexor stretch, low back stretch, glute stretch, hamstring stretch, spinal roll, spine extension, cat-camel, calf stretch

1) Box Squat Jump – 3 sets of 5

2a) TRX Single Leg Split Squat w/ Opposite Leg Hip Flexion– 5 sets of 15 (these are a great lower body exercise, be… …continue reading.

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I just killed my last training session before the New Year .  It was 65 and sunny here so I took advantage of the weather and trained outside.  I know I always say “I LOVE my workouts” but it couldn’t get any better than this.  Some girls wear lots of jewelry or carry fancy bags but I travel with resistance bands and not afraid to use them.

Here’s my last workout of 2011 which I did this morning….

Warm up
1 mile walk

Foam Roll- 8-10 min

Dynamic Exercises & Stretches
Neck rotation, arm circles, arm swings, shoulder dislocation, overhead squat, leg swings, close stance squat, dynamic hip flexion, hip flexor stretch, low back stretch, glute stretch. hamstring stretch, spinal roll, spine extension, hip circles, cat-camel,calf stretch

Broad Jump- 3 sets of 5
High Step Up- 5 sets of 15 (use only the leg your stepping up with, push through your heel and be sure to squeeze the glute at top position)
Single Leg Band Reverse Hyper – 5 sets of 15 (exercise of the year for me,  thanks to Jay … be sure… …continue reading.

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