7 Minute Workout

HICT-  Have you heard of it?  High Intensity Circuit Training.  According to a recent article in the American College of Sports Medicine's Health and Fitness Journal, High Intensity Circuit Training can speed fat loss, decrease insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes) and give you the benefits of weight and aerobic training in one short session.

The journal recommended alternating toning the large muscle groups with cardio intervals.  So while the legs are working, the lungs and core rest.  While the arms are working the legs get some time off.  By moving quickly from exercise to exercise, you keep your heart rate up.  By keeping each exercise set short you fatigue muscles without exhausting them.

ACSM's 7-Minute Workout consists of 12 exercises each done for 30 seconds.  Allow yourself 10 seconds to transition to the new exercise and you still are finished with the set in 7 minutes.  The circuit can be repeated 2-3 times as desired.

We did this workout on Monday, and it was a blast!  The quick sets helped me keep good form on each set.  I was excited that while the workout was intense fun, I was not sore-- even after repeating the circuit 5 times!  Call me a glutton for punishment... Maybe it was because I spent the afternoon at the pool relaxing?  Nah it was a good workout without the extreme muscle fatigue, I have become acquainted with in traditional weight training.

Now to the workout... Remember, the key to the success of this workout is intensity.  If 10 is all out effort, and 0 is resting on the couch, aim for an 8-- uncomfortable, but doable.

Image from New York Times Magazine, 5/12/13

Workout Wednesday- Wall Sit Inferno!

27 Days to a Healthy Body Image: Day 21

Here's some inspiration to help you want to workout this week.  (This workout might not be for you-- move anyway!)

As a child, a next door neighbor showed us this torture that his P.E. teachers at the private school made him do.  He had to sit with his back against a wall with no chair under him.  We all tried it.  Crazy Mean Gym Teacher award went to his teacher.

Wall Sits are really good for your qauads, legs, bum and a whole host of other muscle groups it you do them right.  If you do them wrong you can hurt your body.  So, listen closely.  If  you knees hurt at anytime while doing this exercise.  STOP!  Have a friend check your form.  Get back on the wagon.  Don't give up-- learn to do them correctly and you will have inferno "hot" legs!

For a Crazy Challenge.  Do all 5 exercises back to back to back!  One minute for each exercise gives you 5 minutes of Burn!



Basic Wall Sit

Stand with your feet shoulder width and about two feet away from a wall.  Lean against the wall.  Lower yourself down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.  Keep your weight in your heels (you should be able to wiggle your toes), and your back pressed into the wall.  Hold the pose (30 seconds, 1 minute-- however long you can-- Advanced 2 minute minimum).  When you feel like you can't hold it any longer, tap  your toes 20 times.





 Wall Sit with Militairies

Assume your best wall sit position (legs at 90 degrees, back pressed into the wall, core engaged).  Hold medium to heavy weights at ear level (no resting those weights on the shoulders!)  Press both weights overhead while squeezing your shoulder blades together.  Slowly bring the weights back to ear level.  How many can you do?







Wall Sit with Bicep Curls and Oblique Crunches














Sit at the ready with one heavy weight held in your right hand.  While maintaining good form (see above), lower the weight until it almost touches the floor.  Crunch those obliques.  Focus on the bicep muscles to pull the weight back up.  Transfer weight to the other hand.  Repeat movement.


One Leg wall Sit with Crunches

Thanks Adrienne for this truly insane element.  Get comfey in that wall sit, but place one foot over the knee of the other leg.  Yes one leg is doing all the work now!  (Remember core engaged, back against the wall weight in your heel!!!!!)  Hold a medium weight extended in your hand over your head (working leg and arm are on the same side).  Bring the weight down and touch it to the opposite knee.  Feel the burn in your abs along with that leg!

 
Modified Wall Sit

If you have had problems with your back or knees try this variation with a yoga ball.  Place the ball against the wall.  Rest your back on the ball.  With feet shoulder width apart, lower down into a squat.  If your knees are going over your toes, take your feet further away from the wall.  Make sure the weight is in your heels, core is engaged, back is pressed into the ball.  Feel the burn Baby!

Finding a "Fit" -- Anita's Exerience

 27 Days to a Healthy Body Image : Day 10

One of the toughest challenges in loving my body is accepting my strengths and weaknesses.  If you watched yesterday's video, you'll know that I have rocking hard legs.  My mid-section, while super strong is not narrow and trim.

Nothing can make your body image plummet faster than negative experiences with exercise.  But finding the right "fit" with exercise can be as tricky as picking out the right cut, size wash, style and fit of jeans. (Ask me about the horrific 4 hour, 6 store hunt for jeans with my 14 year old.)

Anita has been one of my athletic mentors.  She inspired me to reach for my Ironman dream.  She biked next to me while I ran always throwing out encouragement and coaching.  This is her story about finding the right exercise "fit" with CrossFit.
-->

what CrossFit has done for me

I have been an athlete all my life, (soccer, softball, judo, basketball, rugby...), but I was the slowest, strongest and generally the fattest athlete on every team. It wasn’t any different with Triathlon.

For 3+ years I did Triathlon, believing like many others, that endurance athletes were the most fit athletes on the planet. I raced 22 Triathlons. I was on the podium for my class twice, first place both times. Despite that ‘success’ and the friendships I made, I was still looking for something else, something different.

Then I broke my elbow in a training accident. My desire for training evaporated; I just didn’t care. When I was cleared to train again, I went to the pool a few times, but didn’t enjoy what I was doing. I saw high school classmate post on Facebook about his and his wife’s success and strength gains in CrossFit. Quite a few weeks later, I asked him what CrossFit was. He said it was a gym, with a totally unique workout and feel to it.

I went in on a Thursday evening just to see a workout. There were not many people in the gym doing the workout, but the workout looked FUN!!! I knew it was what I was looking for.

The trainers taught me the lifts and expectations of the movements and I quickly became addicted. But I wasn’t “golden girl” of CrossFit. Push ups on my toes, burpees, sit ups, box jumps and squats-- they all seemed easy enough, but I wasn’t able to do them to CrossFit standards, or I could only do 2 or 3 at a time.

CrossFit is constantly varied, functional movement performed at high intensity, They teach Olympic lifting, Weightlifting, and bodyweight (gymnastics) movements. So most workouts are different. One of the workouts I remember at the beginning of this experience was 1 rep max (RM) testing for 3 different lifts; Push Press, Back Squat, and DeadLift. I remember my Dead Lift score was 295 because the trainer yelled across the gym that he added the weight wrong on the bar and had me up my score by 20 lbs. It was fun for me because the others in the gym were quite impressed and stunned. That kind of reaction was not something I ever got from my triathlon friends.

I started crossFit weighing in between 195-198. My size 38 (men) pants were snug, XL t-shirts, tight across the bust and my belly pushed out beyond my chest. My arms were flabby and without definition. At 5’ 5 1/2”, it wasn’t a pretty sight.

After 16 months doing CrossFit, I weigh between 185-187, size 36 pants are loose, XL shirts are too big for me, and my arms have definition in the biceps, shoulders and chest. My Deadlift is 325lbs, back squat is 265lbs, front squat 195lbs, push jerk is 175lbs, and my Clean is 165lbs.

I have NEVER liked my body. Yes it was strong, but I never fit in with my peers because they looked like the athletes and I didn’t. I had too much fat! I was strong, but not “hot” & strong; I was fat & strong. And I can’t really say that I Love my body now, but I do appreciate what my body can do.

My knees have stopped hurting, too. They used to hurt constantly durning running workouts – even though I only ran a 15 minute mile. My fastest mile was 13:30 (downhill). After doing CrossFit for 9 months (running only for warm up or 800 meters or less, mostly less,) did a 1 mile time trial. My time: 12:21. Even with all the muscle building lifts, and NONE of the long slow distance running, I was able to IMPROVE my mile time.

The other very surprising result with CrossFit is my desire to eat better. Not that my other coaches didn’t encourage healthy food choices, but I didn’t care. Now I care because I want to be able to do the next workout. I am not perfect at my food choices, but I have learned more about nutrition and healthy eating. I look at food as nutrition and not as a way to comfort bad feelings.

Want to try CrossFit?  If you are in Utah County, Hermes CrossFit has an offer for 1 free hour of training if you mention this youtube ad.

Tomorrow: Finding your "Fit"