SNOW DAY = NO MISSED WORKOUT!

SNOW DAY    MISSED WORKOUT!

An hour before I got off of work, this is what it looked like outside! There was no way I was driving home and then there was no way I was going to get to boot camp by 6 pm. I hopped on the red line and 40 min later I arrived at my apt to find my dear roommate wrapped like a burrito in a microplush blanket. Friday night for us = lots of wine, challah, and delicious foods. It was easy to convince her into a home-style workout. My goal was to burn at least 500 calories so we wouldn't feel guilty about that bottle of wine that we were planning on splitting ;)


I set a timer for an hour and this is what our workout consisted of. Rachel (my roommate) put on some jams and off the workout went. All we used for this work out was a pair of 5 lb weights and the stairs in our 3 story walk up. Rachel's only rule for me was that I had to call her Princess Peanut Butter Cup Powderpuff Poodle...


1- 5 min = Stairs
Alternating btw taking stairs one at a time vs skipping every other step. This is challenging your cardio system. The cold weather in the stairwell and the strength it takes to skip every other stair stresses your body. Working out in cold whether is a great way to challenge your cardio system and sometimes burn more calories. Your body is naturally burning energy in order to regulate your body temperature to keep yourself warm but as you are exercising you are also burning calories to move your body! Gotta love those double whammys :)


5-15 min = butt kicks x 1 min, R/L toe touches x 1 min each, jump rope (narrow stance x 1 min, wide stance x 1 min, R leg forward x 1 min, L leg forward x 1 min), running man x 1 min, R/L lunges x 10 reps --> hold 10 sec --> pulse 10 sec --> single leg knee ups
This section really challenges your cardio system but it also helps warm up the muscles. The butt kick works those hamstrings but stretch the quads. Your toe touches warm up your core and challenge your obliques. Lunges are a great way to work on balance and strengthen those thighs and butt!


15-30 min = push ups 2 sets x 10 reps, full extended plank x 1 min, R/L side plank x 1 min each, full extended plank x 1 min, high-five planks x 20 reps, R/L forward squat kicks with 1 min football run in btw
30-40  min = jump rope (narrow stance x 1 min, wide stance x 1 min, R leg forward x 1 min, L leg forward x 1 min), running man x 1 min, butt kicks x 1 min, R/L crescent kicks x 20 reps each, plie squats x 20 reps with 5 sec pulses every 5 squats
This section is really meant to work on strengthening. The planks work your core which is the most important muscle group in your body but you also are breaking up the strengthening with cardio.


40-52 min = R/L donkey kicks with 5 lbs x 2 sets x 15 reps, R/L 5 lb fire hydrates x 2 sets x 15 reps, old school sit ups x 1 min, R/L sidelying crunches x 50 reps, R/L sidelying triceps push ups x 15 reps each, in-out bridging x 1 min, scissor abs x 1 min
These 12 min we really worked the gluteals. Donkey kicks, fire hydrates, and bridging helps give you that buns of steel looks!


52-58 min = stairs again!
At this point our legs were definitely starting to fatigue. We were probably going at half the speed that we started. But this is the most important time to keep strong, fatigue = mm building! In order to build mm our mm fibers (actin and myosin) must tear. The mm strengthens as is repairs these tears!


58-60 min = stretch
I cannot begin to emphasis how important I think stretching is. In cold weather we have a tendency to guard up and tense our mms because they are working to keep us warm. As we work our mm we produce lactic acid and stretching helps keep that lactic acid moving in our mm which will ideally lessen our soreness.


After yelling at Princess Peanut Butter Cup Powderpuff Poodles for an hour I was way ready for my wine. So I'm off to drink my Sauvingnon Blanc. I hope next time you feel unmotivated and are wrapped like a burrito you give this a workout a try. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about any of these exercises. Happy weekend!