I attempted to do my Pull Ups on Saturday morning because I promised you all that I would. If I hadn’t made that commitment to you I probably wouldn’t have done them. My body was sore, I woke up tired, and I just felt a little on the blah side.

I chugged coffee and told myself I was going to do the pull-ups and after hyping it up in my head that I could complete those 5 Pull-ups I attempted my own challenge.

After 3 reps… my attempt at 4 was a complete fail. My arms gave out even though my brain said I could keep going.

I was frustrated when I let go but I knew I gave it my best shot.  After I finished I questioned whether or not I would have completed more pull-ups if my “pull up challenge” was on a day that I wasn’t sore. That created another challenge in my head… and I will keep at it.

SO backing it up a bit..

Here’s what my Pull up Workout looked like:

SET #1: 3 REPS (this was the only set I planned on doing)

SET #2: 1.5 REP (I convinced myself to get to 5 reps even if it wasn’t consecutive)

SET #3: 2 REPS (I got to 5 reps and kept going)

SET #4: 1.5 REPS (my arms were shot…. but it felt great)

Going into my challenge I really only planned on doing one set of 5, but I am glad I kept going, Believe it or not my 4th set felt better then my 1st set and I was overly pleased with my mini workout.

So I know I’m kinda rambling here a bit, but I’ve learned that creating challenges for myself is the little push I need to make me stronger.

Can you do a Pull-Up? If so, do you find them to be easy or challenging?

What’s an exercise you love doing? 

]]> http://thefitskool.com/?feed=rss2&p=7436 2 http://thefitskool.com/?p=5386 http://thefitskool.com/?p=5386#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2015 15:11:50 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=5386 Continue reading →]]> Yesterday I taught 2 classes before the YMCA closed early because of the anticipation of Blizzard Juno. I suggested to my classes that they should do a quick warm up before they jumped outside and started Shoveling!  There’s no doubt shoveling is a workout, it can actually be a challenging workout depending on how much snow you have to clear and how heavy it is.

Lets back up a bit before I talk more about shoveling. Last night I was pumped from all the hype of JUNO that Marc and I decided to do takeout even though I had already made a big pot of chili. Oops!

I ordered some Chicken Marsala

with Veggies & Potatoes. 

After dinner we pretty much lounged around the house watching the news and trying to figure out when we would get hit with all the snow.

Ava enjoyed relaxing with Cooper before she headed to bed.

 When Marc and I headed to bed a few hours after Ava was asleep, the snow still had not arrived. It was quite sad because I was looking forward to watching the snow come down.

Anyways… we woke up this morning to about 8-10 inches of snow. Some areas had more then others due to the wind. After breakfast I couldn’t wait to get outside, so I bundled up and headed out.

Now back to the “SHOVELING WORKOUT.” Just like any workout it is so important to warm up so you don’t pull a muscle or get injured. Before going out to shovel this morning I did a little warm up inside. Yeah it felt a little silly but seriously I didn’t want to hurt my back or legs from just grabbing a shovel and lifting heavy snow. My body wasn’t exactly awake

I don’t have a legit shovel workout to share with you besides warm up inside for 5 minutes. I did some jogging in place and some jumping jacks. Jumping jacks in a a few layers is quite tough and looks pretty funny. I’m pretty sure Marc called me crazy and both Ava & Cooper were looking at me confused.

I headed out once my body felt warm.

Lets just say I am thankful that we didn’t get the 2 feet of snow that was expected. Luckily the weathermen were off with their predictions for our area and we just missed the BIG snowfall. 10 inches is still a lot but it’s definitely nothing we haven’t seen before.

I shoveled for about 25 minutes and decided to come in because my fingers were ice cold.  I didn’t have warm enough gloves on because I could unfortunately only find 1 of my heavy duty gloves. It did feel pretty good to shovel though and I had a nice little sweat going.

Now it’s Marc’s turn to finish up the rest of the shoveling.

I hope all of you who were hit with Juno are safe and staying warm!! I am enjoying my day off at home with my family and I am sure there will be plenty of trips outside to play in the snow with Cooper!

Do you ever think to warm up before shoveling snow? 

Were you effected my storm Juno?

Obviously I need to make extra time to increase my back strength so I decided to whip out the Pull Up Bar and complete a short workout before my Boot Camp class last night.

I did a jumping pull-up with a slow descend (as slow as I could go) my release was super slow for the first set… and by the last set I felt like I couldn’t hang on anymore. I guess that’s the point right?

(This is a picture of me slowly starting to descend)

After my first set I texted Marc.. even I need motivation sometimes.

It was the PUSH that I needed to continue through the pain.

So needless to say, I got in a great back workout but after my boot camp class my arms were SHOT.

I literally couldn’t lift them up!!  “Mission Accomplished,” I guess!??!!?

I even managed to snap a picture of Marc working on his Pull ups. He makes them look SO much better

This workout is great for anyone who would like to increase their Pull Up Strength. If you are curious here is the workout:

Pull Ups with slow release. 

Set #1: 5 repetitions

Set #2: 4 Repetitions

Set #3: 3 Repetitions

Set #4: 2 Repetitions 

Set #5: 1 Repetition

That last rep was tough and I think I deserve a day off from exercise today! I actually attempted to do some pull ups this morning and you know what…. my arms wouldn’t function. There’s a sign right there not to do anything.

Oh and there’s snow outside so that’s another reason to rest!

I am super pumped it’s Friday. Tonight I am going to an 80’s Concert to celebrate one of my best friend Megan’s 30th Birthday. I am looking forward to a night out with Marc and all of our friends!!

HAPPY FRIDAY

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Are you good at Pull ups?

Ava’s naps are pretty consistent except if her teeth are bothering her or she’s sick. Then I never know how long she will sleep! Tuesday at around 4:15pm Ava fell asleep. I wrote up a QUICK workout that I knew I could squeeze in even if she didn’t sleep long. This workout is definitely great for busy moms or people looking to fit in some exercise with a tight schedule.

I first performed a 5 minute warm up, alternating between jogging in place, jumping jacks, and butt kicks.

I then set a timer for 10 minutes and completed this workout:

I was working hard and fast during this workout, my heart rate was high and I was dripping sweat…. I completed 7 rounds which put me at 70 PUSHUPS, 105 SQUATS, 140 SIT-UPS, and 175 JUMPING JACKS! Not bad for a quick bodyweight workout. Plus Ava was still asleep when I completed it, WIN!!

I was feeling ambitious after and completed 25 minutes of a Kickbox Cardio Burn workout on TV. I’m slightly obsessed with it. If you have Verizon Fios check it out, Sensei Guillermo is pretty intense.

I was fortunate that Ava woke up JUST AS I FINISHED:)

Have you ever had to end a workout because you were interrupted by a baby, an important phone call, etc? 

Do you like working out at home?

This weekend like all weekends flew by. We had several parties on Saturday… one was a 1 year old bday party and another was a party for my friend who got married back in June. Both were fun and the weather turned out great!

Sunday was a beach day for us…

We got up early, walked Cooper grabbed some coffees on our walk and then headed to the beach mid-morning. Ava loves it!

She was on the look out for seagulls. I am pretty sure she is the only person on the beach that likes them!

In the afternoon we did some stuff around the house and I completed a T-25 Cardio workout. T-25 has become my go to sunday afternoon workout. 25 minutes goes by so fast and I was dripping sweat! (I had to pause the dvd a few times because Ava was distracting me but it was still a great workout.)

We also did a little food prep. I had no game plan this weekend so I kinda just looked at what we had and starting cooking. Sometimes working on the fly is the best and I ended up getting a lot of veggie sides ready for my week ahead.

We made:

• Grilled Zucchini (with olive oil)
• Grilled potatoes
• Steamed Green beans
• Sauteed spinach
• Chicken salad with celery, tomatoes, & avocado

We have a lot of healthy eats ready to go in the fridge, yum!

I am off to teach my senior fitness class.. have a great day!

How was your weekend? Did you do any food prep for the week?

You perform 20 seconds of each exercise followed by 10 seconds rest.  In this circuit you complete 2 rounds in 4 minutes. I know you are thinking 4 minutes “piece of cake!” Butttt if you are working hard you should be SPENT when your 4 minute timer goes off… and if you aren’t  you should complete another circuit. Tabata’s are great cardiovascular training and you can finish your workout in no time.

SWEATY BODYWEIGHT TABATA

Warm up for 5 minutes before beginning the Tabata

How it works: complete as many reps as quickly as you can while maintaining good form

1. Pushups

2. Squat Jumps

3. Mountain Climbers

4. Jumping Jacks

Repeat 2x for a 4 minute workout. If you are up to a challenge repeat 2-3 more rounds.

For more information on Tabata’s or different variations of Tabata’s see the links below

How to burn Fat Fast

What there is to know about tabata

**Before participating in a new exercise program please consult with your Doctor or Physician**

When your trainer or fitness instructor tells you to pushups do you make a face and say “I Hate Pushups??” I constantly hear from my clients and people in the gym that they hate pushups & pull-ups.  Usually when you dislike an exercise you are weak in that area, and in this case the weakness would come from your chest and arms.

Obviously Pushups aren’t easy, you can make them easier; it just takes practice!!! So lets practice together.

A while back I challenged you to this PUSHUP CHALLENGE. The challenge was to complete as many PUSHUPS as possible in 1 day. 

I have a new challenge for you and it starts today.  This time instead of 1 day lets work every other day for 10 days! 

Drop down and do some pushups throughout your day, at the end of your day record how many you completed. Take a day of rest in between and then try to beat your number!!

Lets see after 10 days how much our Pushup Strength improves!

**Please consult your Doctor or Physician before beginning any new exercise program**

Today in class I loved the thigh work. We pressed the ball with our thighs while on our tippy toes and lightly holding the bar. I felt a lot stronger doing this movement this week  

Barre class has challenged my body in a totally different way and I like the results I am seeing. My core is tighter, my butt has a little more lift and my flexibility has improved! I love seeing improvement in my flexibility. I know that tight muscles don’t work to their full potential so stretching and having good flexibility is that much more important.

The challenge my muscles get from the Barre workout are more muscle endurance compared to muscle strength which I get from all of my other workouts. I push my body in a totally different way… “Go down an inch, up and inch” this is one of the instructors favorite phrases and that is how small the movements are… but believe me, that doesn’t mean it is easy. Try doing that for a minute straight and I’m sure your muscles will be screaming.

Pure Barre Greenwich is now offering a “Ying Yang” Package which allows people to take as many as 8 classes in a month for $110. It’s great for people who are busy during this time of year and people who love taking a variety of classes (crossfit, soul cycle, running). I dare you to try it!

For more information email greenwich@purebarre.com