Burpees

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Day 21: When Life Knocks You Down…

screen-shot-2016-10-21-at-6-14-48-amWe all love it when someone notices all the hard work we’ve put in.

You know…”Dang you look good”

“Your legs are amazing”

“You look great, have you lost weight?”

“Your arms are so defined and strong!”

“What are you doing? You look fabulous!”

Comments like these make us want to work harder! If you’re not getting them…maybe you shouldn’t have skipped last week? Last month? You have no one blame but yourself if you’re not putting in the work!

Stop making excuses and get your booty in gear! Start today!

Day 21 exercises: Abs – 3 sets of 15

****Click here for how to videos****

  • Renegade Rows
  • Weighted Sit Ups
  • Dead Bugs
  • Heel Touches
  • Bedtime Plank

Bonus: 1-2-3 Ab Workout screen-shot-2016-10-21-at-6-24-22-am

We’ve done all these exercises before so they should be familiar. I like these ladder workouts but you can see the finish line…take it one step at a time and work those abs Crew!

November Challenge: I’ve had a few suggestions come in for November but looking for more!

We will definitely have two dedicated hip strength days as that seemed to go over very well. What else would you like to focus on? Any new ab or arm moves you want to try? How about some fun new leg exercises? All ideas and suggestions are welcome and home videos are awesome! Get involved and show us your favorite moves!

Extra Credit: This is for all you burpee haters out there…I know they are hard, I know they hurt, I KNOW they get your heart rate up! But when life gets tough and knocks you down…it’s time for burpees!

3 sets of 10 burpees today Crew! GETTTT ITTTTT!!!! 🙂

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Day 17: Amazed and In AWE!

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I woke up this morning with so much pride and joy in all my Crew this weekend. You guys make me so proud!

I can’ve even remember all the races so hope I don’t miss anyone… (slight memory issues…family trait…thanks mom 😉 )

Seriously though; Sharon ran a PR at her 10K, Lisa did awesome at Whistle Stop on Saturday, Amy, coming back from injury…rocked her 5K, Cathy pulled a 2:06 at Great Western Half, Carla ran a very strong last 12 mile long run before MCM….and that was just Saturday!

Sunday recap: Brandy KILLED it at her first half back since #DonatingLife with a 1:55! Marion did amazing finishing with a 2:30 up in chilly Maine at her half, and I ran with the rest of our Crew at the Marine Corp Marathon in Jax; Jessica ran her first half ever and finish in 2:17, Lisa ran on shaky, painful knees and still barely missed a 2 hour half, Mellissa paced her son to a 5K PR, Jennifer pushed hard and finished strong!

Oh….and let me say this for any “older” crew members. Don’t give up and use age as an excuse. My Aunt Loretta (63) ran the Marine Corp Marathon yesterday and placed 2nd in her age group rocking a 2:06 half marathon! The above 50 crowd KILLED it with all kinds of fast times yesterday. Keep doing the work, keep running with heart, cause there’s no age limit on BAD ASS!! 🙂

We all ran with HEART and did what we set out to do! Now back to work Crew! The road to getting stronger doesn’t end! 😉

Please don’t forget your stretching this week!

Day 17 exercises: Full Body – 3 sets of 15

****Click here for how to videos****

  • Clean & Press
  • Soldier Twist
  • Primal Crawl
  • Yes Kick
  • Bedtime Plank

Bonus: Burpees! – Whine all you want…but knock out some burpees today crew! You can do them modified but do not skip them! 3 sets of 15…you got this!

Speed Work: So this week after lots of races and long runs we are going to do another “bench mark” type run. I want to see how fast you can run 1 mile. So go out and do a 1-2 mile warm up, rest for a few minutes, then run with your heart and do a mile as fast as you can. Cool down with 1 more mile then call it a day. 3-4 miles total. I want to see some super fast miles Crew! Do your warm up and cool down miles as slow as you want. All I want to see if that 1 mile time. Have fun with it!

It’s Monday y’all…LET”S DO THIS!

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Day 3: Exercise Makes Us Happy!

screen-shot-2016-10-03-at-5-49-55-amEver wonder what is going on in the body while you sweat it out? The euphoric feelings during and after exercise, as well as the muscle soreness that might just come a day later, don’t just appear magically.

Our body is made up of millions of chemical reactions, which result in different physical and mental feelings. Take a look at some of the top hormones and chemicals that are released when you workout.

Endorphins – These chemicals are released by your pituitary gland, which is located in the base of your brain. Endorphins make you feel exhilarated and happy and block any feelings of pain, so you can power through any discomfort caused by exercising.

Dopamine – Dopamine is a pleasure chemical. Working out regularly helps to keep those dopamine levels up in order to keep overeating and weight gain at bay. Dopamine is often associated with orgasms. Working out helps stimulate the production of dopamine, and increased levels of dopamine combined with core, quads, thighs, and pelvic muscle exercises may result in a “coregasm.”

Serotonin – A chemical responsible for happiness, restful sleep, and a healthy appetite, serotonin levels will increase if you work out regularly. Serotonin works with endorphins to make working out a pleasurable activity. In addition, more serotonin means more energy and clearer thinking.

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Exercise makes us feel good, feeling good makes us happier. When you’re feeling down, or tired, or just don’t want to do it, remember how good it feels when it’s done…then get up and knock it out! You’ll be so much happier that you did!

Day 3 exercises: Full Body – 2 sets of 10

****Click here for how to videos****

  • Clean and Press
  • Soldier Twist
  • Primal Crawl
  • Yes Kick

Bonus: Burpees – 2 sets of 10 – I can hear the groans from here…but we all know that burpees are the best full body conditioning exercise we can do. Knock out 2 sets of 10 to get your heart rate up and your whole body moving!

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Speed Work: This weeks speed work out is fun and doable for EVERYONE! 5 miles total with 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down. Then 3 miles of pushing the pace with short rests in between each half mile. You CAN do this!

Workout: 6 x 800 meters (.5 mile)

  1. 1 mile warm up
  2. .5 mile sprint x 6 with :90 rest
  3. 1 mile cool down

Don’t start out too fast. You should be running at around your 10K pace which means you still have some gas in the tank after each round. Take a look at our speed chart and use the 5K effort then add :10-:15 to each interval and multiply by 2. This is how long it should take you to run each half mile. Keep your pace steady and try to keep each interval at around the same pace.

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If you do a run/walk (like me), bust out each half mile without walking. If you need to slow down a tad to make that happen, that’s ok. These intervals will help train your body to go a little farther than you’re used too, and will increase your oxygen intake helping you to become a more efficient runner. Stop thinking about it…just go out and tryscreen-shot-2016-10-03-at-5-53-33-am!

Working out is not just something to do to make up better runners. Working out makes us healthier and happier people. So whatever excuse is creeping into your mind today…push it aside and get moving! I promise you’ll be happy you did!

Make it a great Monday Crew! 🙂

 

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Days 24 & 25: Relax…You Got This!

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Oh, the long run. It’s both the bane and the bliss of every runner’s existence.

Regardless of what your “long” run distance may consist of, we all go through the same range of emotions leading up to this oh-so-important run.

  • Usually the anxiety starts midday Friday. We start thinking that there is no way we can actually run whatever distance we’re scheduled the next day. We get this feeling in our stomach that is half nerves and half a bad reaction to our lunch. This normally subsides about the time we go to bed—you know, 9pm because we’re really fun on Fridays…
  • We start out our long run feeling happy to be running with a group, or loving the time get get to oursleves. The moon is high, the air is cool (only because it’s still early and the sun isn’t up yet), and we are moving! It feels great.
  • Soon we’re overestimating how far we’ve gone. We’ll think we’ve run seven miles when it’s only been three. Right about then we just want to end it.
  • We have to have small goals to check off while running long. Usually it goes like this: only 3 miles to the turnaround and then we’re halfway done! Only 2 miles until the water stop and pretzels! Less than a 5k until we are DONE!
  • We made it. Now it’s time to eat, stretch, and nap!

When it’s all said and done, we wonder why we had so much anxiety in the first place. We know we are strong. We know we can handle it. We know once we’re out there we’ll be burning calories, sweating buckets, making progress, and loving it!

So the questions is…are you having fun when you’re out there? That’s the most important thing right? This is supposed to be fun! Over thinking the run beforehand will drain your motivation. Try not to stress about it. You have it planned, you know you can do it…so trust your training and relax…you got this!

Whether you’re going long on Saturday or Sunday…make sure your having fun, and don’t forget…we still have work to do on the day we’re not running.

Here’s the weekend skinny… Leave it as is, or switch it up…but plan it out and get it done.

Day 24: Long Run + 7 Key Stretches for Runners + Plank – Your Choice (:90 2X)

Day 25: Arms / Back – 4 sets of 15

  • Burpees
  • Bicep Curls 21s (4 sets of 21)
  • Wide Rows
  • Plank – Your Choice (:90 2X)

Bonus: Active Recovery – Short run (30 min or less at conversation pace), walk, swim, bike, play outside with the kids, yoga. Choose something that will get your muscles loose and that will promote healthy, active recovery after your long run. Being sedentary after a hard work out will only make you more stiff and sore…get moving!

Remember…our long distance runs make our hearts stronger…and our legs and lungs too…

Eat good, hydrate, get your outfit and gear ready, then relax…you got this!

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Days 3 & 4: Preparing for Extraordinary

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Might just be an ordinary training day…but every run is another step towards that extraordinary moment when you reach your goals.

We’re all in different places in our training….so whether you’ve got 3 miles or 20 miles…it’s your long run. Own it. Give it all you’ve got. Remember that your choice to keep going in that moment when  you want to quit may be the difference between reaching those goals…or falling short.

Don’t stop until you finish what you started.

Day 4: Long Run + 7 Key Stretches for Runners + Plank – Your choice (:30 2X)

You just com­pleted more miles than you’ve run the rest of the week com­bined. You’re tired. You just want to go home, take a hot shower, and sit down. Of course, we all want that after our long run. Some of us do exactly that.

Others, the ones more likely to actu­ally make it unin­jured to the race they’re train­ing for, take the extra ten min­utes and stretch before sitting down. Stretch­ing probably sounds as appeal­ing as apply­ing hydro­gen per­ox­ide to your burst blis­ter, but it’s just as help­ful for a clean out­come. If you’ve already ded­i­cated hours to your run, what’s ten more min­utes that will help work some lac­tic acid out of your poor tired mus­cles and reduce sore­ness later? Plus…it will feel good, I promise. Click here for 7 stretches that will have you feeling pretty close to normal tomorrow.

Day 5: Arms & Back – 2 sets of 10

****Click here for how to videos****

  • Burpees
  • Bicep Curls 21s
  • Wide Rows
  • Plank – Your Choice (:30 2X)

Bonus: #LowerBackWorkout Screen Shot 2016-09-02 at 3.49.36 PM

A healthy back is as important to your running as fit legs. According to Runner’s World, “If your back muscles aren’t strong, they’ll tend to fatigue faster, taking energy away from other muscles, and changing your stride, which can lead to injury.”

This lower back workout helps to reduce pain, tension, stiffness, and soreness….all of which will feel very good after our long runs this weekend.

 

Wonderful, fulfilling exhaustion… Want that amazing feeling?

Better be in it for the long run!

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