I have an absolute obsession with Super-Setting my workouts! I find that it allows me to make the most of the time that I can dedicate AND keeps my metabolism burning during- and post-exercise.
Here's what I wrote up a couple of days ago for my "upper body" days:
Warm-up: Jumprope 5 minutes
A1-Inverted Pull-Ups on Smith Machine
A2-Tri-Cep Push-ups Holding Dumbbells
10-15 Reps Each, 5 sets
B1-Flat Bench Close Grips
B2-Squating Concentration Curls
10-15 Reps, 3 Sets
C1-Decline Curls
C2-Tri-Cep Kickbacks
10-15 Reps, 3 Sets
D1-Military Press
D2-Standing Overhead Tri-Cep Extensions
D3-Jacknives
10-15 Reps, 3 Sets
E1-Decline Lateral Raises
E2-Standing 1-Leg Rear Delt Raises
E3-Arnold Presses
10-15 Reps, 3 Sets
F1-Cable Curls
F2-Tri-Cep Cable Pushdowns
F3-Straightarm Cable Pushdowns
ADD 1-Leg Plyo Balances, Opposite Arm/Leg Planks, or another Core training exercise in between sets. This will help remind you to keep your Core engaged DURING working your upper-body which is critical to proper form and being able to lift heavier.
My training weeks usually look like this:
Week 1 & 3: cardio/upper/cardio/lower/cardio/upper/rest
Week 2 & 4: cardio/lower/cardio/upper/cardio/lower/rest
(NOTE: On a cardio day I rarely do steady-state, mostly intervals and inclines. On resistance training days I will sometimes do about 10-20 minutes of steady state at the end of the sessions to maximize calorie burn.)
Best of Health,
Amanda Chubb
www.healthyathomept.com
www.facebook.com/healthyathomept.com
I constantly search for the most effective exercises AND super-easy ways to make nutritious and tasty meals. Follow me to learn how I stay fit and healthy despite being a wife, entrepreneur, full-time student and mother of a very active family! Showing yourself some love by staying fit and healthy leads to a happier life...FOR ALL! ;)
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
CORE Training
When you do crunch after crunch at the gym or while laying on the floor in front of the T.V. during commercials (that's a common tip to encourage you to stop laying on your ass as soon as you get home from your "busy day") what is your main goal? Are you trying to whittle your muffin top, get a dreamy six-pack or strengthen your core?
I certainly think it's commendable that you are putting in effort towards whatever your goal is. BUT, what if I told you that you are likely making very minimal gains. It's kinda BS that you put in all that work for barely anything to show how hard you worked. AND you are not likely getting anywhere closer to your goal!
Having a STRONG CORE and a SIX PACK do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. And I would argue, without a doubt, that getting a strong core is WAY more important than pursuing the more visually appealing goal.
A six pack is the ripped and defined abdominal muscles...but a strong core encompasses almost every muscles from your hips to your shoulders, front and back. That means you need to work on strengthening your back, hips, and multiple abdominal muscles. Doing crunches is not going to help much.
So what DOES work????
You've likely heard it before and I am going to say it again...PLANKS! I have a love/hate relationship with planks! Mainly because I am crazy and always do tougher variations of them that make my body shake and burn (only temporarily, of course). Here are a list of different planks I have in my trainer tool-box:
Traditional Plank
Up-Down Planks
Side Planks
Stability Ball Planks
Plank Jacks
BOSU Planks
Side Twist Planks
Inchworm w/Planks
Opposite Arm & Leg Planks
Extended Arm Planks
For those just starting out: Knee Planks
Although I have a love for planks, they can get boring sometimes even when I switch up what type I do. Soooo I have a ton more CORE STRENGTHENING exercises that I fit into my workout on Cardio/Core days.
I certainly think it's commendable that you are putting in effort towards whatever your goal is. BUT, what if I told you that you are likely making very minimal gains. It's kinda BS that you put in all that work for barely anything to show how hard you worked. AND you are not likely getting anywhere closer to your goal!
Having a STRONG CORE and a SIX PACK do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. And I would argue, without a doubt, that getting a strong core is WAY more important than pursuing the more visually appealing goal.
A six pack is the ripped and defined abdominal muscles...but a strong core encompasses almost every muscles from your hips to your shoulders, front and back. That means you need to work on strengthening your back, hips, and multiple abdominal muscles. Doing crunches is not going to help much.
So what DOES work????
You've likely heard it before and I am going to say it again...PLANKS! I have a love/hate relationship with planks! Mainly because I am crazy and always do tougher variations of them that make my body shake and burn (only temporarily, of course). Here are a list of different planks I have in my trainer tool-box:
Traditional Plank
Up-Down Planks
Side Planks
Stability Ball Planks
Plank Jacks
BOSU Planks
Side Twist Planks
Inchworm w/Planks
Opposite Arm & Leg Planks
Extended Arm Planks
For those just starting out: Knee Planks
Although I have a love for planks, they can get boring sometimes even when I switch up what type I do. Soooo I have a ton more CORE STRENGTHENING exercises that I fit into my workout on Cardio/Core days.
- Wall Walks
- 1-Leg Plyometric Balance
- Weighted Overhead Crunch to Stand (killer but f*cking love this!)
- Reptiles
- Sit-up Toe Touches
- Goodmornings
- Inchworm
- Supermans
- Side Burpees
- Reverse Crunches
- Woodchops
- Side-to-Side Crunch and Weave
- AND THE LIST GOES ON!!!!!
CORE TIP: You can work on strengthening your core everyday while just sitting in your car, at work, etc. AND during your upper- and lower-body training sessions. Focus on contracting your muscles and keeping a tight core and glutes when performing other exercises. This will also help ensure you are using proper form and activating the muscles that you are trying to train. :)
Healthfully,
Amanda Chubb
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