New Music Tue…Wednesday
Posted: June 27, 2012 Filed under: Music | Tags: dragonette, Snakadaktal, The Very Best 1 Comment »I know I’m late again.
Some more new fun music. So this is a more mainstream focusing song than maybe their others, but gotta admit it’s fun. And you know I’m obsessed with The Very Best and it’s my duty to inform you of all their goings on. It’s certainly a good workout/dance song!
New Dragonette, usually a good time too:
And a new band from Australia. This one is a bit softer
Mashup Workout
Posted: June 20, 2012 Filed under: Home workout, Yoga | Tags: clean and press, jumping jacks, kicks, leg lowers, pushups, sandbag, squats, sun salutation, triangle, warrior, yoga Leave a comment »Today’s (fun I might add) home workout is a two-parter and a mashup of workout styles. I’ve been feeling kind of bored and unexcited recently with doing the workouts sometimes, or found it harder to make a workout I could really excited about. Well, this one was definitely fun and not the same ole same ole. So below you’ll find some lengthy explanations for the workouts, but never fear, these really are less complicated than you think. And, if you need extra help and aren’t a yoga expert, there are plenty of things online to help with poses if I wasn’t clear enough. Just be sure to do only what you can do. I’m going to show some different options that you shouldn’t do if you don’t feel comfortable with the base level pose.
So here we go. The first part is an un-timed, yoga part. Timing yourself here isn’t really the point. I love how the warrior poses and the triangle pose really open up your hips. You can feel the stretch and it’s great.
Part I:
You will do six sun salutations, at the end of each of these you will do a warrior pose or a variation, should you feel comfortable. So it will be
Sun salutation – warrior pose right foot front for ten breaths
Sun salutation – warrior pose left foot front for ten breaths
Sun salutation – warrior pose or variation right foot front for ten breaths
Sun salutation – warrior pose or variation left foot front for ten breaths
Sun salutation – warrior pose or variation right foot front for ten breaths
Sun salutation – warrior pose or variation left foot front for ten breaths
To do a sun salutation, begin standing with legs hip width apart. Lift your arms over your head, then swoop them down to the floor and bend over. Jump or walk your legs out into a plank. Lower your self down and move into upward dog, put your feet upside down on the mat. Then from here, move your feet back onto the floor and lift your butt into the air, and lower you head, keeping your back straight. You can settle into this pose as long as you like. Next, put your right front in between your hands, pointed straight to the front, turning your back left foot perpendicular. Lean into a lunge on your front right foot as deep as you can for ten breaths – in an out. This is warrior pose. Move your feet back to your hands and stand up straight again. This starts the next sun salutation, the second one, which will have the left foot forward. The next two poses could be the triangle pose shown below. The last could be the warrior pose with prayer hands, also shown below. My body should be turned more towards the camera probably. This isn’t super easy to do, so don’t do it if the warrior pose is challenging, or the triangle pose. Listen to your body.
downward and upward dog:
Warrior:
Triangle:
Warrior with prayer hands:
Once you have down the six sun salutation plus warrior poses, the first part is done.
The second part is a 12-minute workout.
4 exercises, 3 times through.
Set your interval timers to 12 rounds, 10 seconds off, 50 seconds on
Squat kick up 18 / 15 / 15
Pushup with sandbag, clean and press 6 / 5 / 5
Jumping Jacks 45 / 49 / 50
Side leg lowers 8 / ? / 13 – I ended up doing just regular leg raises, down an up, because these were too hard and I couldn’t really do them, haha
Squat kick up
Go into a squat, keeping your back straight and your knees from going over your toes. As you stand, kick up as high as you can on one leg. That is one rep. After the next squat, kick with your other leg.
Pushup with sandbag, clean and press
If you have a sandbag or equivalent, do a pushup with your hands on it, then pick it up and lift it and flip it, using your power from your legs. Then straighten up and stand with the weight. If you don’t have a weight or something that could sub out, then simply do a pushup, then a squat. Each combo would be a rep.
Jumping Jacks
You know what these are. Each time your legs and arms go out, one rep.
Side leg lowers/leg raises
So this little experiment didn’t work out so well, haha. Maybe you will be able to do it. I lifted my leg up to the ceiling, laying down. I tried to lower both legs to the side, using only my ab muscles, keeping them off the floor and straight. I couldn’t do all these things. I could do it if they were bent. Anyway, I just got irritated and started lifting them up and down normally.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert, ask your doctor, do these exercises at your own risk!
New Music Tuesday!
Posted: June 19, 2012 Filed under: Music | Tags: madeon, mark ronson, move to the beat, poolside, walk the moon Leave a comment »Well Summer starts tomorrow, and if this isn’t a summer song, then I don’t know what it is.
Poolside – Slow Down
This is produced/DJed by Mark Ronson, who has amazing taste (and I have on good authority – UNA! – that he is a nice person in real life). It’s also the Olympic theme so, I mean. How can this not be on a workout mix? He uses samples of boxers hits, the heartbeat of a runner, and a few other sounds from athletes. How effing cool is that.
Fun blockbuster of a song ripped from Radio 1. That is one reason I wish I had satellite radio. Know how my sci-fi tastes lean towards British? Basically everything I’m into leans towards British. Also, another summer song. This post has a theme!
This song starts off retro and pretty and cute and irresistible. Not sure about this band in total, but this song is totally a fun summer song. The guitars and general sound remind me of bands I was into in early to mid-college. Little nostalgia.
Happy Music!
Cardio Burpee Blast
Posted: June 19, 2012 Filed under: Home workout | Tags: burpees, high knees Leave a comment »Today’s home workout is super simple. Just high knees and burpees. You can sub out the high knees for jumping jacks, scissors, or mountain climbers if you want some variety. I did my burpees today with pushups (though the pictures don’t show it). Do your burpees with or without.
This is a short workout, but man is it intense. I was sweating and TIRED. My time was 11:08!
100 high knees
20 burpees
100 high knees
20 burpees
100 high knees
20 burpees
I’m sure most of you know what these exercises look like, but here they are:
100 High knees
Drive your knees up as fast and high as you can. Each knee up counts as one rep.
20 burpees
Jump out into a plank. If you feel able, do a pushup, modified or not. After you pushup, jump your feet back to your hands and jump up from there. That is one rep!
Disclaimer: Do these at your own risk, be careful, ask your doctor, I am not an expert
Nerd workout! Inspired by the book Divergent
Posted: June 18, 2012 Filed under: Home workout, Nerdiness | Tags: burpees, commando, divergent, leg raises, one leg, pike, punches, roll over, small weights, tris Leave a comment »New workout! This one is inspired by the currently popular book, Divergent. I don’t want to give too much away with describing the workout because it definitely has to do with what happens later on in the book. Basically, though, the main character, Tris, has to use a lot of physical (though mostly mental) prowess later on and this workout reflects that.
This one was 20 minutes long – 5 exercises done 4 times.
Get your interval timer out!
20 rounds. 10 seconds off, 50 seconds active
Pike Jumps – cardio kicks to fight off attacks 33 / 31 / 34 / 31
Roll over commando pushups – good training for strength, agility, getting away 5 / 5 / 5/ 4.5
One leg burpees – strength and cardio! 5 / 5 / 6 / 5
Leg raises – workout the core for kicks and power 12 / 12 / 11 / 12
Punches with small weight – get your fighting skills on 56 / 64 / 63 / 60
Pike jumps
We just did these recently, and there are so fun. From one side to another, jump your feet up and in, butt in the air as high as you can as you cross over to the other side (of say, a yoga mat). Each jump over the mat is one rep.
Roll over commando pushups
Roll over the length of your yoga mat, or thereabouts. At the end, from your stomach, lift up and bring your leg in towards your chest, twice with each leg. That is one rep. Then roll over to the other end for the next rep.
commando:
One leg burpees
Jump out with one leg and do a pushup. Jump your leg in towards your hands and then jump up. One rep. Next time, jump out with the other leg.
Leg raises
I did these on a dip station, but you can just do these with your back on the floor. Lift your legs up straight either towards the ceiling or straight out in front of you.
Punches with small weights
With both weights (you can do without) at your chest, twist punch out with one hand. That’s one rep. As you bring that hand in, punch the other one out for the next rep.
Disclaimer: Be careful, I am not an expert, do this at your own risk, ask your doctor!
Interview with yoga instructor Lisa Jordan
Posted: June 14, 2012 Filed under: Fitness Locally, Yoga | Tags: Fitness Locally, interview Leave a comment »Find it on Fitness Locally here!
Nerd Workout! Inspired by SGU
Posted: June 13, 2012 Filed under: Home workout, Nerdiness | Tags: abs, burpees, high knees, plank, sandbag shoulder squat, side lunge, tire run Leave a comment »New home workout!
Today the workout is inspired by SGU – which probably comes as no surprise if any of you read my blog carefully, as I’ve been watching it in the background of the photos. Haha. Anyway. SGU – Stargate Universe. Stargates are ways of traveling from planet to planet and spaceships can have them too. They were created by an ancient people. There are many Stargate series and a movie. SGU is pretty dark. There are a bunch of people stuck on this ship and aren’t sure they can get back to Earth. Anywho, long story short, this workout is inspired by the whole workout, not a specific person. I thought it worked better in this case. There isn’t even a standout character – it’s very much an ensemble cast, though led by Robert Carlysle. The entire crew does similar things – running away from things, picking up heavy things for supplies from planets, and many of them are military people, so they would have a certain style of working out.
I couldn’t embed the trailer for the series, but here is the link:
Mixing it up a bit this was 20 minutes, 30 rounds, 10 seconds rest, 30 seconds active (5 times through 6 exercises)
Get your Seconds Free app!
High Knees – running away from giant aliens 70 / 70 / 63 / 70 / 70
Sandbag to shoulder stand and squat – carrying supplies and food from planets 5 / 6 / 6/ 5 / 5
Tire run and plank – military style exercise helpful for getting away and crouching from people 5 / 6 / 5 / 5 / 5.5
Straight abs – military style ab workout that can be easily done on a ship 11 / 12 / 12 / 12 / 12
Side lunge jump – gain quickness, agility, to get away from danger 30 / 28 / 33 / 30 / 28
Burpees – another great cardio and strength exercise to do on a ship with limited space 5 / 5 / 5 / 4 / 4
Breakdwon:
High knees
Drive them up as quickly as possible. Each knee up counts as one rep.
Sandbag to shoulder stand and squat
If you don’t have a sandbag or a weight you want to use, just do squats or jump squats if you’d like. Bend down and pick up the sandbag or weight and throw it over your shoulder, and stand. Then squat down and stand back up. Drop the sand bag to the floor. One rep. Next time, put the sandbag on the other shoulder.
Tire run and plank
With a wide stance, count knees up to ten, running as if you are going through the tire obstacle. After the ten knees up, drop down into a plank. One rep.
Straight abs
Start out laying on the floor, then lift your upper body up so you are sitting straight up. One rep.
Side lunge jump
Put one leg out to the side in a side lunge. Jump up to switch legs. Each switch is one rep.
Burpees
Jump out and drop down into a pushup. Jump your legs back to your hands into a squat. Jump up from there. That’s one rep.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert, ask your doctor, do these at your own risk.
DragonCon 2012 – and so it begins
Posted: June 12, 2012 Filed under: Nerdiness | Tags: Dragoncon 2012, samurai Leave a comment »A teaser (just the pieces that will come together in the end
):
And so much more to come!
New Music Tuesday
Posted: June 12, 2012 Filed under: Music | Tags: calvin harris, florence and the machine, frank ocean, little boots Leave a comment »Good stuff.
Frank Ocean. Long song, good variety.
Fun and dancey Little Boots:
And a Flo remix
Coronado workout
Posted: June 12, 2012 Filed under: Home workout | Tags: dive bombers, hop, jazz square, leg flutter, sprints, warrior Leave a comment »I am back in Atlanta, but I did this workout in San Diego (that’s me about to do the workout outside my hotel – this time with sun).
So, this workout. I will go ahead and say that the dive bombers killed me, and if you are feeling like it’s getting to be too much, you should stop, or do it on your knees. I couldn’t get my carry on bag in the overhead bins on the plane the next day. It was so embarrassing. I do this stuff to be strong, to not need help getting my bag into the overhead bins, but apparently I went overboard. So forewarned is not completely jelly armed!
This was a time challenge – my time was 19:09.
4 times through:
Sprint (about 200 m)
10 divebombers
warrior pose on each side, 5 breaths each
30 box step hops
60 leg flutters
Here’s the breakdown:
Sprint – just go as fast as you can for about 200 m or so
10 divebombers – On hands and feet, with butt in the air, head down, swoop your head up and lower your butt in a smooth motion, not letting your leg touch the ground if possible. Remember to modify as necessary so you don’t over do it to the arms. So, oops these images are switched – the right one should be first and the left one is your ending position. Sorry! I was in a hurry.
Warrior pose on each side, 5 breaths each
After the divebomber, put one leg in front, with foot pointing straight ahead, and your back foot perpendicular. Breathe in and out five times, going in deeper in the pose. Then switch legs front and back.
30 jazz square hops
So this isn’t hard, but complicated to explain. If any of you have taken jazz dance before, you’ve done these. Put one leg in front. Take the other leg and put it around and in front of the first leg. Put the first leg back behind that foot, creating a rectangular shape, then move the front leg to the side so both legs are underneath you. Now hop. Next time, do the box and start off with the other leg so that you alternate sides each time. One rep is doing the whole square and the hop on one side.
Step forward/cross over/step back:
Step leg side by side/hop
60 leg flutters
Laying down on your back, switch your legs from barely off the floor to 45 degree angle back and forth, switching 60 times.
Do it three more times!
Disclaimer: I am not an expert. Do these at your own risk, ask your doctor.
Tomorrow: a nerd workout! And I just did it and just stopped sweating!

































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