Fire Hydrant

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Day 13: T. G. I. M.

TGIM

After a fun, race filled, long run accomplished, fabulous weekend full of friends and good times…it’s finally time to get back to our passion and kick some Monday booty!

This girl has jury duty! I hope it’s interesting….but it will probably more like sitting around waiting to be sent home. But hey…I’m cool with doing my civil duty. Since I work from home, this getting up and taking a shower to look presentable on a Monday thing is throwing me off big time!

So I’ll keep is short and sweet and just say GET TO IT! 🙂

Day 13 exercises: Iron Strength Core Workout + Low Side Plank with Crunch (:45 each side)

Bonus: #FlatBellyWorkout Flat Belly Workout

Throw in one round of this #FlatBellyWorkout for a little extra Monday belly burn!

Thigh Challenge: Day 13

  • 22 Fire Hydrants
  • 55 Scissor Kicks
  • 40 Inner Thigh Leg Lifts

Gotta get moving so speed work and running drills will come tomorrow.

I know you wanted that extra hour of sleep this morning but….

workout instead of sleeping in

So get up…get moving…and start your Monday right Core Crew! Make it a great day! 🙂

 

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Days 11 & 12: Weekend Loading…

Weekend LoadingOur weekend is loading and it’s gonna be a blast!

Down here in Jax we are eating, racing, eating, running some more…and partying!! I wish you could all be here to hang out with us but we will make sure to take TONS of pics!

Even though we do plan on having fun…racing and running is our love and we will be doing plenty of it!

Run for the Pies is Saturday night…and we will also be hitting the trails on Sunday morning. What are you weekend plans? Racing? Long run? Whatever your plans are…make them active and make them awesome!

Remember to take time to pamper yourself with some Yoga on Sunday! All the links you need for stretching and yoga are below.

Day 11 exercises: Long Run + Low Side Plank (:45 each side) + 7 Key Stretches for Runners + Thigh Challenge (if you committed)

  • 18 Fire Hydrants
  • 45 Scissor Kicks
  • 35 Inner Thigh Leg Lifts

Day 12 exercises: Yoga for Runners – Unknot Yourself  + High Side Knee Tuck (:45 each side) + Thigh Challenge

  • 20 Fire Hydrants
  • 50 Scissor Kicks
  • 35 Inner Thigh Leg Lifts

Bonus: #WeekendWarrior Weekend Warrior

This will be a tough addition but you don’t have to do it all at once. Grab a pen and paper and roll through it little by little. Knock it out by Sunday night and you can call yourself a #WeekendWarrior!

A few things to keep in mind this weekend…

  1. Don’t skip your workout!
  2. Don’t pig out! Continue to watch what you eat…but do give yourself a chance to relax and enjoy a few treats.
  3. Limit alcohol – Yes we will be having a few drinks…indulge…but don’t over-indulge.
  4. Drink lots of water!

Don’t let the weekend ruin your progress. Fight hard for Self Control!

Fight for Self Control

 

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Day 9: Dangerous Firearms

Dangerous FirearmsIt’s Arm Day Crew!

Building strong arms will make us dangerous on the road and will carry us through those final miles when all we want to do is stop and rest.

Work hard today…build those strong arms that will carry you the distance!

Day 9 exercises: 3 sets of 10 + Plank

  • Bicep Curl
  • Shoulder Press
  • Hammer Curl
  • Tricep Overhead Extensions
  • Low Plank Arm Reach – :30

sexy armsBonus: #SexyArmWorkout

One round of each of these bonus exercises will get your arms fired up!

Thigh Challenge: Are your legs and booty sore? Mine are! Tomorrow is a rest day….but for today…keep pushing!

  • 15 Fire Hydrants
  • 40 Scissor Kicks
  • 30 Inner Thigh Leg Lifts

Running Drills and Speed Work: Putting off your weekly running drills and Speed Work? Today is the day! Get out there and bust out some slow skipping and 400m sprints. Sounds harder than it is….and you will surprise yourself with your strength and endurance!

When you want to skip it or quit early, remember…. Strength comes from overcoming

 

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Days 4 & 5: Laugh Hard and Run Long

good laugh long runAfter a long hard week…what’s the best way to relax? A good hard laugh and a long run will cure almost anything! 🙂

Felling down, or stressed, or just plain over your week means you need some “you” time so get up, get dressed, and let’s go long!

Grab a good friend…or a good book on tape and laugh your way through the miles. Come home refreshed on your Runner’s High and be ready to tackle the rest of your weekend!

Day 4 exercises: Long Run + 7 Key Stretches for Runners + Low Side Plank (:30 each side)

Day 5 exercises: Yoga for Runners – So I have to admit that I have yet to make our Yoga for June page….I’m sorry! This week has been non-stop go go go… and I won’t make any more excuses…but it just isn’t done yet. If you are going long on Sunday and need a relaxing yoga day today…go ahead and run through our May Yoga poses one more time. If you are going long today and doing Yoga on Sunday…stand by…I do have new Yoga ready (in my head) and will have the new page done and up by tomorrow. 🙂

Thigh Challenge: Thigh Challenge is going strong so if you opted to jump in for this…don’t forget those leg moves today. Thankfully, they are still minimal reps so you should be able to complete them even sore and tired after your long run.

  • 12 Fire Hydrants
  • 25 Scissor Kicks
  • 20 Inner Thigh Leg Lifts

Racery: Today, we are starting a Spartan inspired Racery from Athens to Sparta for a total of 132.9 miles in teams of 5. If you have not signed up yet there is plenty of time to jump in. Click here to join a team…or if the teams are full..start a new team!

What else….hmmmm…I think that’s all for today but let me tell you…I think the last few days have been the most pumped up and exciting start to a new month yet!

Keep pushing Core Crew….be active every single day! We have a few injuries but even those sidelined Crew members are finding ways to be active and keep moving…so inspiring!!

move fasterGood luck to everyone racing this weekend! Alison has her first ever 10K today and I’m sure there’s are others racing this weekend too! GOOD LUCK!!

If you’re chatting during a race, if you feel comfortable…you’re not moving fast enough! Unless you’re just there to have fun (which is fine) race day is the time to bring all that training together and leave everything you’ve got on the course!

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Day 3: Flat Belly Friday

tummy trash canGood morning and Happy Flat Belly Friday Crew! Our workout is short today…but a huge part of our Challenge is eating healthy and avoiding the crap. Pass by the fast food, the white bread, the chips and sweets… Treat your body with respect and it will show!

Today’s exercises rock! We are still at 2 sets of 10 so it shouldn’t take long. Hold that core tight and focus on taking each move slowly and with purpose!

Day 3 exercises: 2 sets of 10 for each exercise + Plank

***Click here for “How To” Vidoes***

  • Standing Core Stabilization
  • Overhead Dumbbell Side Bend
  • Triangle Press
  • Medicine Ball Side Throw
  • Kettle Ball Windmill
  • Reverse Plank – :30

Reverse Plank – This one looks good and it’s new to us so check out this how to video to see how it’s done properly. Remember to keep your core tight and pull your belly button in. Keep your hips high and your body as straight as possible. Keep the strain off your back by using your core NOT YOUR BACK to hold you up.

https://youtu.be/1s1bPYBPERU

Bonus: #10MininuteAbs  10 minute abs

Got 10 extra minutes? If not…make 10 extra minutes and knock out this 10 Minute Abs routine…it is flat belly Friday after all! 😉

Thigh Challenge:

  • 10 Fire Hydrants
  • 20 Scissor Kicks
  • 15 Inner Thigh Leg Lifts

If you find yourself running around like a mad man…(no pun intended #MadManMartin 😉 ) and you don’t have time for more than our Day 3 exercises…that’s ok…the number 1 most important thing for you to do today…is treating your body with respect. No trash can tummies today! We all know our abs are made in the kitchen. That means that eating healthy is the most important factor in getting that flat, toned belly we all want!

Screen Shot 2016-06-03 at 5.39.18 AMSo…part of your post today will be about food. I want you to be brutally honest about what you eat today. Be honest with us…and with yourself. Write down everything you eat. Writing it down will help you see what is actually going in your body. If you don’t have a way to track your food…check out MyFitnessPal. This free app is a very easy way to log your food, water, and exercise. It will break your meals into calories, protein, carbs, fats, etc…and it will tell you what your daily needs are.

Look me up and we can be friends on MyFitnessPal and see each others progress. My user name is AmyMagdalein. Creative…I know LOL. 😉

Here’s the kicker…we are runners. Runners need fuel to add fire to our system for long runs. So we must eat! It is especially important to eat good before our long runs and races…and the weekend is upon us. But eating good doesn’t mean loading up on unneccessary calories. Here’s a few tips from Verywell.com on nutrition and hydration starting two days before your long run or race.

The two days before your long run (and your half or full marathon) should be high-carb days. You should make sure that you increase the percentage of carbs in your diet, not the overall calories.

Carbo-loading doesn’t mean that you should eat three plates of pasta for dinner!  Aim for at least 65% of calories from carbs during those days. You can still have some protein but, for example, instead of having chicken with rice, have rice with chicken. Pasta, steamed or boiled rice, potatoes, fruits, starchy vegetables, and breads are good carb sources. If you stick to a gluten-free diet, here are some excellent gluten-free foods for runners.  Avoid gas-forming foods like beans and any type of food that may upset your stomach or can interfere with sleep.

Don’t Forget About Hydration – Plain water is fine to drink to make sure you stay hydrated. You don’t need to be drinking sports drinks the day before a long run. You can check your hydration by doing a urine test. If your urine is light yellow like lemonade, you’re well-hydrated. If it’s a dark yellow color, you’re dehydrated and should keep drinking more water.

I loved reading the part that says, “eat chicken with rice…instead of rice with chicken.” Yes we need the carbs…but we don’t need to overload on carbs and fill our belly’s with tons of extra calories. Be smart about it…

Me and Silas are playing hooky today and skipping school to drive up to Jekyll Island and go to Summer Waves. We are excited! But I am taking the time this morning to get my Friday Core work and bonus done…then pack up some healthy food for our trip. I will probably be MIA during the day…but I hope to see TONS of activity and HEALTHY eating when I get home!

Tell us what your plans are for your long run this weekend and make it an awesome, healthy, active Friday Core Crew!

Whoohoo its friday

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Day 2: Make Time!

Make timeDay 1 was exhausting…and awesome!!! Here comes Day 2 and there are no excuses for arm day today!

Make the time. Make good food choices. Rock it out Core Crew!

Day 2 exercises: 2 sets of 10 + Plank

  •  Bicep Curls
  • Shoulder Press
  • Hammer Curl
  • Tricep Overhead Extension
  • Low Plank Arm Reach – :30

No “How To” videos for these arm exercises…if you have questions please ask!

Here’s how to do today’s Low Plank with Arm Reach.

Maintain good plank position – shoulders over the elbows, low back flat with pelvis tucked, glutes squeezed, lats contracted, hands separated in fists. Reach one arm without letting the hips move at all, return to plank position, repeat with other arm. Squeeze your abs & glutes before lifting the arm to prevent the hips from rotating. Go slow!

Slender sexy arms

Bonus: Following Alison’s lead…let’s rock out some #SlenderSexyArms!

Thigh Challenge:

  • 8 Fire Hydrants (each side)
  • 10 Scissor Kicks
  • 10 Inner Thigh Leg Lifts (each side)

Food Challenge: Keep making good food choices y’all! One day at a time we are going to get this food thing down! 😉

Ready??? Let’s GETTT ITTT!!! 🙂

 

 

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Day 1: Do A Little More

Get up and do thisHey Core Crew! It’s Day 1 of our June Challenge and I am so excited to get going on a brand new month with new exercises! We are really focusing on our core this month and I hope you will see major changes as we progress through the month.

Core work is great…but the changes will be minuscule if you don’t pay attention to what you eat! I almost said “diet” but that’s such a negative word. We want to make changes in the way we eat…real changes that last and that make a difference…because we all know that diets don’t last30 Day Food Challenge

You have to get up every morning and tell yourself “I CAN DO THIS!” You have to remind yourself to make healthy choices. Choices that you can keep making without feeing deprived. When we add “food challenges” I don’t want you to think of it as meaning you “can’t” have what you love…just be mindful of what you are putting in your body. Think about all the hard work you are putting in and about the results you want at the end.

No fast food, no white bread, no fried foods…that’s the easy part for me. The hard part of this food challenge will be cutting soda and packaged snacks. I am NOT a cook. I don’t like to cook…so we tend to eat a lot of packaged stuff. I am committing to you today that I will not buy any packaged snacks this month. I will cook more (ok I will try to cook more) and I will cut back to only one soda a day (baby steps). No one is perfect…certainly not me…but I am going to give it my best because I really want that toned, flat tummy!!!

What is the hardest thing for you? What can you do to make this part of the challenge easier and more manageable?  Share and inspire someone!

Day 1 exercises: 2 sets of 10 ***Click here for How To Videos***

  • Stadning Knee Cross Crunch
  • Double Arm Reach
  • Side Imprint
  • Cross Body Chop
  • Medicine Ball Slam
  • Star Plank – :30 each side (1X)

I love burpeesBonus: I don’t want to get crazy and make you work out all day on Day 1…but this month is all about “doing a little extra” so if you’re on board with pushing yourself a little harder…it’s time for some burpees!

Burpees are a great whole body workout…and when done correctly they really target our core. Knock out 10 Burpees today and tag your post #ILoveBurpees! Remember to keep your core engaged even if you are doing modified burpees. If you need a modified version… step down and back and focus on form and technique. Keep that core tight! Thigh Challenge

Thigh Challenge: A few of us said yes to a Thigh Challenge this month but this is just for you and will not be part of our “Monthly Challenge Winner” program. The challenge isn’t too difficult but will get time consuming towards the end of the month. Throwing in some thigh action with the abs work will really round out your summer workout!

Day 1:

  • 5 Fire Hydrants (each leg)
  • 10 Scissor Kicks
  • 10 Inner Thigh Lifts (each leg)

Lots to do and of course today is #GlobalRunningDay! Over 2.5 million people across 171 countries have pledged to run today. “Global Running Day is a day for people around the world to celebrate the joys of running. Participation is easy—just pledge to take part in some type of running activity on June 1, 2016. It can be a solo lap around the block, a long run with friends, or even a game of tag with your kids.”

I challenge you to get out and be active! Walk, run, skip…whatever…just move! You can pledge your miles here! I pledged 10 miles today and I’m going to break it up with 7 miles this morning and another 3.1 tonight at 1St Place Sports.

June, Day 1 is on Core Crew! Remember the theme this month….

“Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can” Let’s make it GREAT! 🙂

Do a little more

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Day 27: Where Is Your Gym?

my-gymBeing inspiring at 3:30am doesn’t come easy…especially when you’ve got to get out the door for a 15 mile run. But here goes.

Get to work! 😉

All kidding aside…it’s Friday and it’s almost the weekend! Where will your gym be today?

My gym is outside in the crisp, clean morning air with some of my favorite people. Today is our first 15 mile training run to prepare for the Chicago Marathon. Going long is exciting and nerve racking but friends make it easier and fun.

Find your passion… find your reason to get moving…find your gym and make today count. Take a pic of your gym and share it with us…maybe you’ll inspire someone to get up and get moving!

Day 27 exercises:

  • Pistol Squats – 2 sets of 6 (each leg)
  • Fire Hydrant + Donkey Kick – 4 sets of 10
  • Squats – Your Choice – 4 sets of 10
  • Plank – 1 minute (2X)
  • Side Plank – :30 each side (2X)
  • 50 Push Ups

Bonus: #StretchItOut

Since it’s almost time to go long over the weekend knock out leg day then take the extra time to go through our 7 Key Stretches for Runners. Your body will thank you!

That’s all I’ve got, but you’re a runner…you understand. Go out and make it a great Friday Core Crew! 🙂

runners understand

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Day 24: Do It For The Legs

Oh My Gosh….those legs….

Walk Strong…Kick Hard…Let me see you LUNGE!

Look at them legs…they’re amazing!

Runner Legs…they’re amazing! But we all know that to get those tone, strong runner legs…we have to do more than just run! So when you want to skip it…when you get busy…have too much going on…and think about putting it off till another day…

Do it for the legs!

Screen Shot 2016-05-23 at 9.48.58 PM

Day 24 exercises:

  • Pistol Squats – 2 sets of 6X each leg
  • Fire Hydrant + Donkey Kick – 4 sets of 10
  • Squats – Your Choice – 4 sets of 10
  • Plank – 1 Minute (2X)
  • Side Plank – :30 each side (2X)
  • 45 Push Ups

Bonus: #CircuitTraining  burning belly fat

Got a little more in you today? Do it for the Legs! 😉

Running Drills: Grapevines

Speed Work: Warm Up + 4X 400M + 4X 200M + Cool Down

Need a little more info about this week’s running drills and speed work? Click here to find out why…and how we do them.

Before you drop from exhaustion…take a few minutes to stretch out those hips, quads, hamstrings, and calves! Our 7 Key Stretches for Runners will have you feeling nice and limber.

Day 24 is gonna be a killer! What are you waiting for? Get to work Core Crew!

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Day 17: Runner For Life

taking a selfie after leg dayLeg day!!! Go hard today Core Crew! If you can walk without moaning a little…you aren’t working hard enough!

Distance running makes you stronger. You have to get stronger and build endurance to keep you going for miles and miles.

Limiting  yourself to running as the only means to strengthen your lower body…especially if you are doing strength training for your upper body…will give you that upside down pyramid look: a bulky, strong upper body and little chicken legs. This isn’t good for your hips, quads, knees, ankles, and feet. The impact of each step is exacerbated by the load that the muscular upper body places on those skinny legs.

Why do we need strong legs?

  1. To condition the muscles and soft tissues of your lower body to effectively support the weight in your upper body.
  2. To balance the strength, endurance, size, and control of the upper and lower body.
  3. To prevent injury to your lower joints and extremities.

These reasons are for everyone, but for runners…they’re even more important. Running is a lifetime sport…and we are runners for life. Let’s get to work and keep our legs strong and ready to go the distance.

Day 17 exercises:

  • Pistol Squats – 6X each leg (2 sets)
  • Fire Hydrant + Donkey Kick – 3 sets of 10
  • Squats – Your Choice – 3 sets of 10
  • Plank – 1 minute (2X)
  • Side Plank – :30 each side (2X)
  • 35 Push ups

Bonus: #Round4

Want those “I can’t walk normal after leg day legs?” Let’s go Core Crew…1 more round! 🙂

Changed it to 4

Running Drills and Speed Work: Get a detailed explanation of our running drills and speed work here.

  • Running Drill: Bounding
  • Speed Work:
    • 1 mile warm up (conversation pace)
    • 4X 400M
    • 4X 200M
    • 1 mile cool down
    • Total of 3.5 miles

If you are doing speed work today…remember to do it before you fastest timetackle our leg day exercises.

  • Running Drills
  • Speed Work
  • Leg day
  • Stretch

If you are wondering about pace for speed work….please reach out to me and let’s chat about what is the right pace for you. You can private message me here.

We train, we run, we want to be healthier and stronger…but running is a lifetime sport and we are runners for life.

Keep your spirits high and keep pushing Core Crew! 🙂

Lifetime sport