WOD: CINDY

January 27, 2015 by corestrengthalec in Uncategorized and tagged aesthetic, air, body, bodyweight, calisthenics, cardio, cindy, core, crossfit, exercise, fast, fit, fitness, gym, health, healthy, HIIT, Motivation, muscle, muscles, pull-up, pullup, push-up, pushup, quick, squat, stability, strength, sweat, tips, tone, weight loss, wod, workout | Leave a comment

For any of my Crossfit readers, you know exactly who Cindy is. “Cindy” is a WOD (Workout of the Day) done in Crossfit gyms around the world. Cindy is a full body workout that consists of only body weight exercises. What is great about Cindy is that people of all different fitness levels can do this workout because every exercise can be easily modified.

CINDY – 20 minute AMRAP(as many reps as possible):
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 air squats

For 20 minutes, you cycle the three workouts and see how many rounds you can get in. My last time trying CINDY I did 19 rounds plus 5 push-ups. This means I did 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats 19 times in a row, and the time ran out after I did 5 more pull-ups and 5 push-ups.

In total I did 100 pull-ups, 195 push-ups, and 285 air squats in 20 minutes! Talk about a hard workout!

TIPS:
1. The pull-ups and push-ups can easily be modified depending on your fitness level. For beginners, a resistance band can be used over the bar to assist in the pull-up, or pull-ups can even be switched out for body weight rows using rings or a TRX. For the push-ups, they can be done on and incline instead of parallel to the floor, or they can be done on your knees.
2. This workout will really test your endurance and your heart rate will shoot up. If you have any heart or breathing conditions, consult a doctor first and don’t perform this workout unsupervised.
3. A dead hang pull-up will make this workout much harder
on your arms and back. Try kipping the pull-up to relieve strain. You will be doing a lot of reps; dead hang pull-ups will cause you to fatigue quickly.
4. When doing air squats, keep your back straight and get your glutes as low to the ground as possible. Remember “Ass to Grass” when doing squats. Also push through your heels, not your toes.
4. CINDY is a perfect full body workout to perform when you are short on time. It combines cardio with muscle building and will make you sweat like you have never sweat before.

Have you ever friend CINDY? Do you have other WODs that you really like? Contact me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com with questions, comments, or ideas for new topics.

Scissor Jumps (Jumping Lunges)

January 13, 2015 by corestrengthalec in Exercises and tagged body, butt, calisthenics, cardio, exercise, fit, fitness, glutes, gym, hamstrings, health, HIIT, legs, lunges, muscle, muscles, quads, strength, tips, tone, workout | Leave a comment

Scissor Jumps are one of my least favorite exercises to do on legs day because of how badly they can burn. But as they say, NO PAIN, NO GAIN! Because of the high repetition, Scissor Jumps get your heart rate up and add a bit of intense cardio to your leg workout while also toning and building your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Scissor jumps are a great complex movement that anyone of any fitness level can add to their workout routine.

CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW THE EXERCISE IS DONE

To Perform Scissor Jumps:
1. Start in a lunge position with one foot forward and your knee bent so that it is over the foot, with the other foot behind you and that knee bent and almost touching the ground.
2. Pushing off the heel of your front foot and the toe of the back foot, jump up.
3. While you are jumping, switch the position of your legs.
4. When landing you should land in a lunge position again, however your starting front foot should now be in the back, and the foot that started in the back should now be in the front.
5. Repeat Steps 2-4 for the allotted amount of reps.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THIS EXERCISE BEING DONE BY RAMIN KARIMLOO

TIPS:
1. For people new to this exercise, you can swing your arms to help with the lift of the jump.
2. When landing, always land with bent knees. This will help absorb some of the shock from the landing and help avoid any joint injuries.
3. This exercise is to be done at a quicker pace. Although you would definitely feel a burn with more controlled motions, we also want to get our heart rates up.
3. I aim to do about 5 sets of 40 reps of this exercise with about a minute rest in between each set.
4. To make this exercise more difficult, try doing it without swinging your arms at first, and then try doing this exercise while holding a weight. As you can see in the pictures, last time I did this exercise I held a 45lb plate and it killed my legs!
5. When doing this exercise with a weight, add a slight twist to your body (emphasis on SLIGHT… no need to throw your back out). This will help activate your obliques. The weight will not only make the jump harder on your legs since you will be pushing more than your body weight, but you also will be testing your core stabilization.

Have you tried adding Scissor Jumps into your workout routine? Do you have any other leg exercises that really burn? Contact me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com with questions, comments, or ideas for new topics.

What is HIIT?

November 12, 2014 by corestrengthalec in Exercises and tagged aerobic, burn, calories, diet, endurance, exercise, fat, gym, health, heatlhy, HGH, high, HIIT, intensity, interval, metabolism, Motivation, muscle, training, workout | Leave a comment

Many of you may have heard about HIIT training before, but don’t really understand what it is. I’m going to briefly explain the concept of HIIT training and how you can include it into your workout.

WHAT IS HIIT?
HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. The concept of HIIT is alternating low-intensity intervals with high-intensity intervals. The most common and simplest form of HIIT can be applied to running, however HIIT can be used in many different exercises such as burpees, box jumps, squats etc.

WHAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF A HIIT WORKOUT?
When running, instead of running at a steady pace for 15 minutes, try doing a low-intensity interval alternated with a high-intensity interval. For example, 30 seconds of walking, then 30 seconds of seconds of sprinting. Doing 15 rounds of this exercise would be a great HIIT workout. Push yourself hard during the sprint. Many times we are comfortable at one speed, however it is not even close to our max speed needed to do a sprint. The more you push yourself (under safe conditions), the better the results.

WHY IS IT EFFECTIVE?
Because of the high interval training, you are able to really work on your endurance, increase your metabolism, burn fat, and help build muscle.

@petitefi

Endurance:

Burn Fat:

Metabolism:

HIIT is never easy because you have to push yourself hard, but the outcome may surprise you. Since adding HIIT into my workouts, I have noticed a huge change in my body and my abilities as an athlete.

Do you include HIIT workouts into your workout routine? What are some of your favorite intervals to do? Let me know at corestrengthalec@gmail.com.

Jump Squats

June 4, 2014 by corestrengthalec in Exercises and tagged body, butt, cardio, exercise, fitness, form, glutes, health, high, HIIT, intensity, interval, jump, legs, muscles, nutrition, quads, squats, training, workout | 1 Comment

Time to get our butts in shape for summer, LITERALLY. I personally can get bored with traditional cardio, so I try to integrate some High Intensity Interval workouts that not only provide a great cardio exercise, but also help tone your muscles. Jump squats are a great high intensity workout that target your entire lower body, especially your booty.

To perform a Jump Squat:
1. Start in a standing position with your feet about shoulder width apart.
2. Squat down.
3. From the squat position, jump up in the air and extend your legs. (Your feet should be a few inches above the ground)
4. Once you complete the jump, repeat the workout from step 2.

Tips:
1. When squatting down, get your glutes low to the floor. This will stretch and activate your muscles more effectively.
2. While jumping, straighten your leg and tighten your quads. Work your leg muscles even in the jump of the exercise.
3. When you return back to the ground, land through your toes and bend your knees. This promotes good form and prevents injury and joint discomfort.
4. I either like to do 5 sets of 15 reps for this workout with 45 second breaks in between, or I use this workout to superset with another leg exercise (usually lunges).

Are you getting your body in shape for the summer? Do you use Jump Squats in your routine? Contact me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com with questions, comments, or ideas for new topics.

BOSU Burpees

May 21, 2014 by corestrengthalec in Exercises and tagged abs, advanced, amrap, arms, beginner, body, bodyweight, bosu, bosu ball, burpee, burpees, cardio, core, crossfit, exercise, fitness, full body, health, healthy, HIIT, instructional, legs, muscle, muscles, pushup, strength, sweat, tone, weight, workout | Leave a comment

Back to BURPEES! I promised that I would show you other versions of Burpees and the one I am about to show you is one of my favorites. For this variation, you will need to use a BOSU ball. These BOSU Burpees intensify your workout by adding stability and resistance components to your burpee.

To do a BOSU Burpee:
1. Start in a standing position holding the BOSU Ball handles with the ball facing away from your body.
2. Squat down and place the BOSU ball on the ground. (The flat side should be facing up and the ball side should be on the floor)
3. Jump your feet back to put yourself in a plank position while still holding the BOSU ball handles.
3a. Optional Pushup
4. Jump your feet forward to return to the squat position.
5. Raise the BOSU ball above your head.
6. Jump up. While jumping, press the BOSU ball up toward the ceiling.
7. Repeat from Step #1.

Tips:
1. If you are not familiar with Burpees, or forget some of the tips I have given to get the most out of these exercises, check out my ‘How to do a Burpee’ Post before trying this more difficult variation of the exercise. It is important to understand the body mechanics of the basic exercise before trying more difficult variations in order to prevent injury.
2. Remember, when squatting down, try and get your glutes low to the floor.
3. Activate your core while in the plank position. The BOSU Ball will add an additional stability aspect to the exercise which will require more core strength and activation than the Basic Burpee.
4. When jumping during this exercise, you also press the BOSU Ball up toward the ceiling. Adding the BOSU ball will not only add weight to your jump making the jump more difficult, but it will also help tone your shoulders while pressing the BOSU Ball up.

Bosu Burpee: Step 1

Bosu Burpee: Step 2

Bosu Burpee: Step 3

Bosu Burpee: Step 3a

Bosu Burpee: Step 4

Bosu Burpee: Step 5

Bosu Burpee: Step 6

Do you any variations of Burpees that you like to include in your workout routine? Contact me at corestrengthalec@gmail.com for any questions, comments, or ideas for new topics.

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