Burn and Build | Fitness & Feta

I got some good feedback on my Burn & Build class yesterday. I did a combination of cardio kickboxing routines and strength moves with the band.

It was nice to use the band instead of free weights so we could switch it up a bit for our muscles.

Here’s the workout:

WARMUP

CARDIO SET #1

Shuffle jumps. Alternate between facing front and facing side (left). Do 8 in each direction, then 4, then 2, then singles.
Hold the shuffle jump facing left. Then jab the right arm to the front of the room. Do 16 jab punches while keeping the shuffle jump.
Add in a left cross punch: Jab right, cross punch left, then jump back. Or just step the right foot in. So it’s jab, cross, jump or step it back for 16 reps.
Return to just the jab punches.
Return to just the shuffle jumps, facing front again.
Add 4 traveling shuffle/jab punches to the right. Then 2 cross punches left, 2 hook punches right, and a traveling bob & weave to the left – back to the starting point. Repeat 8 times through.
Then hold the bob & weave in place.

CARDIO SET #2

Add alternating jab punches to the bob & weave. Then slowly bring the bob & weave more upright.
Do 8 alternating jab punches to the diagonals, then hold 8 on the right, then 8 on the left.
Do 8 alternating cross body punches – side to side, then hold 8 on the right, then 8 on the left.
Do 8 hook alternating hook punches, then hold 8 on the right, then 8 on the left.
Do 8 upper cut alternating punches, then hold 8 on the right, then 8 on the left.
Go right into jumping jacks. Do 16, then add jabs to the front (turning your body to each side) for a jack & jab combo – 16 more.

STRENGTH SET #1

BICEPS: Place band underneath feet and hold ends in each hand. Perform regular bicep curls. We did 8 slow with both hands, then did 16 alternating singles between right right and left. Finish with both arms doing 8 single bicep curls, then 8 counts of pulses with arms halfway.
TRICEPS: One arm at a time. Hold the band in your right hand first, and let the other end of the band rest on the floor. Step on the end of the band that’s on the floor with the left foot, then step the right foot slightly in front of the left. Raise the right arm up overhead and do 8 slow overhead extensions, then 16 fast. At the end, hold the arm up and squeeze for 8 seconds, then hold it halfway and squeeze for 8 seconds, then do 8 more seconds of pulsing. Repeat with the other arm.
LEGS: Place band underneath feet and hold ends in each hand, palms facing forward with hands right above shoulders. Squat down & raise up for 8 slow squats, 16 faster squats, and 8 pulses.
SHOULDERS: Keeping the band underneath feet and still holding the ends in each hand, raise arms up directly to the side for lateral raises. Keep the arms in line with the shoulders. We did alternating single lifts for 16, then 8 with both arms raising at the same time.
CHEST: This was my fail move of the class! Tried to do chest presses with the band wrapped around our midsections but I didn’t realize the bands were going to be too short. Darn. Instead I improvised and had the class drop down to do 10 pushups, hold a plank for 10 seconds, and then do 10 hand taps in a pushup position. In retrospect, I should have had the class wrap the bands around their back for pushups with the band resistance. Next time!
BACK: With band under the feet again, hold an end in each hand, then cross the arms. Bend over so back is flat, then do a bent over back fly. Starting with 16 singles and finishing with 8 together.

CARDIO SET #3

Repeat cardio set #1, but on the other side.

CARDIO SET #4

From the bob and weave, move into ski jumps side to side. We did 16 total.
From there, kick combo. Kick front with the right leg and back with the left leg. We did 4 sets of 8.
Jumping Jacks – 3 sets of 8.
Kick combo again, this time kicking front with the left leg and back with the right leg. Again do 4 sets of 8.
3 sets of 8 jumping jacks again.
Finish with football runners in place. Do 30 seconds of just the legs. Then stop the legs and do 30 seconds of just pumping the arms. Then combine both and do 30 seconds of legs and arms together as fast as you can.

STRENGTH SET #2

BICEPS: Band under feet, hold end of band in each hand. Alternating arms, bring hand to opposite shoulder across the body. The palm will start down by your side facing front and by the end of the move will be facing the opposite shoulder. Did 8 alternating, then 8 on each side.
TRICEPS: Band should be under one foot – start with it under the left. Holding both ends of the band in the right hand, extend arm backwards. Do 3 sets of 8 and finish with the palm facing the ceiling and pulsing up.
LEGS: Lunges. Band should be under the front foot, hands should be up by the shoulders with palms front like they were for squats. 8 slow lunges, 16 faster, 8 pulses. Repeat on other foot.
SHOULDERS: Band under both feet, ends of band in hands with palms forward. Overhead presses, keeping elbows in line with the shoulders. We did 16 total.
BACK: Sitting on ground with feet directly in front of body, wrap the band around the sneakers. Hold ends of band in each hand and then cross the arms. Do a seated row, squeezing the arms back. We did 16 total.
OUTER THIGH: Keeping band wrapped around feet, lie down on the mat on back. Bring legs in the air directly over hips. Open and close legs working against the band. 3 sets of 8, then 8 pulses.

AB SET

SITBACKS: Sitting up with feet in front of body, heels on ground. Bring body back but not all the way down, then sit back up. Do this for 3 sets of 8, then hold body back. Raise feet off ground, then twist side to side for obliques for 16.
CRUNCHES: Regular crunches (3 sets of 8), then hold the crunch up for 8, and pulse for 8. Do this with feet on the floor, then knees up over hips, then legs straight in the air.
ROPE CLIMB: Feet still straight in the air, reach arm to opposite foot like you are climbing a rope. Do this for 1 full minute.
PILATES MOVE: Lying on the back with arms overhead, bring body to sitting (arms still overhead), round over and reach for the feet, bring body back to sitting (arms come back overhead), then roll down slowly through the back – back to starting position. Do this 10 times.
PLANK: Hold regular plank for 1 full minute.

STRETCH & COOLDOWN
I’m super sore today, so I’m going to try to head to yoga on my lunch break to stretch out my muscles and give them a break.

Happy Friday!

FUNERAL

I’m starting this entry on a sad note. Chris’s funeral services were held on Wednesday. What a sad, sad day it was. I saw so many faces from the Wilmington community and from my childhood. I was so proud of my brother and his friends for being so strong and honoring Chris as pallbearers. Definitely not an easy thing to do, but the service was beautiful. For the eulogy a family friend read a letter that Chris had written home to his family back in 2009 a few months after he enlisted in the army. For the funeral procession, Wilmington residents lined both sides of the streets, standing on the sidewalks and holding American flags. The fire department had the trucks outside with the lights on / sirens off and they were all standing with their hats off, heads bowed. The town had the flag at half mast. I felt proud to be from Wilmington then, with everyone coming together like that to support the Crosby’s. I wish Chris’s family, friends, and girlfriend the strength and courage to get through this horrible time.

FLOWERS

Let’s get happier. Flowers will always do that!

Aren’t these beautiful?

Just what I needed to brighten up my week. Thanks Tim! 🙂

FOOD

I love food.

Wednesday night I cooked a meal that I saw on Eat.Live.Run – gnocchi with goat cheese, tomato, and basil. Holy creamy deliciousness! Thank you Jenna for this awesome suggestion (check out her other stuff too – it all always looks amazing!)

Ingredients

1 package pre-made gnocchi
1 log goat cheese (6 oz)
1/2 cup cooking water left over from boiling the gnocchi
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup torn basil leaves

I bought the pre-made gnocchi on my Whole Foods excursion Monday night. These are gluten free.

Side note – regarding a gluten free lifestyle, check out my friend Jen’s blog here. She shares her stories of living with Chrohn’s Disease and making the switch to a completely gluten-free diet. For those looking for gluten free products, recipes, etc – this is the place to go!

Back to the gnochhi.

Thankfully, just the day before Slesh told us to use the basil from her basil plant on the porch. Thanks Slesh!

Directions

Super easy. Took me 15 minutes total. Not even!

Cook gnocchi in boiling salted water for a couple minutes until all the gnocchi float. Drain and save 1/2 cup water.
Transfer the hot gnocchi to a large bowl, add goat cheese, cooking water, cherry tomatoes and basil. Mix well so cheese melts.
Season with black pepper, and serve right away!

This week I also really enjoyed the salad I made for lunch on Thursday.

Spring mix salad greens with mushrooms, chopped broccoli, tabbouleh, and mozzarella cheese. With Lite Northern Italian salad dressing. In a classy Tupperware container of course. I honestly pack so many Tupperware containers for work every day it’s ridiculous! Probably why we have to run the dishwasher so often.

FITNESS

I totally rocked Wednesday night spin class. 50% I’m attributing to my new playlist and the other 50% to Bridget, Trina, and Geoff being in class again.

Spin Playlist

Viva La Vida – Coldplay
S & M – Rihanna
Faded – Soul Decision (that’s right)
Escape – Enrique Iglesias
Losing My Way – Justin Timberlake
Only the Good Die Young – Billy Joel (in honor of Chris)
Go Your Own Way – Glee Cast (in honor of my spin guests)
Last Friday Night – Katy Perry (per Bridget’s request)
Tell Me – Ra
Can’t Stop – Maroon 5
Insurance – The Higher
Rock That Body – Black Eyed Peas (favorite of the class)
Memories – David Guetta feat Kid Cudi
Somebody Told Me – The Killers
Dream Girl – Dave Matthews Band
Son of Sam – Elliot Smith

Burn & Build on Thursday morning was tough. I was on 6 hours of sleep every night this week (if there’s one thing I’m definitely NOT good about, it’s getting enough sleep) so it was really hard to wake up for class. AND my CD’s kept skipping in the stereo. Really need to cleanup my iPod. So I don’t have a defined playlist to share since I was all over the place! But here’s the workout:

First half of class – everyone in large circle around the room.

COMBINATION 1

Jog perimeter of room.
Face into the circle: Lunge / Squat Around the World Series (on R)

Forward lunge, side squat, backward lunge.
Do this series ten times through, then 8 pulses in each direction.

Repeat jog and lunge/squat series in other direction & on other foot

COMBINATION 2

High knees around the room.
Face into the circle: Kick Series

Walk in – right, left, right, tap front left.
Walk back – left, right, left, tap back right.
Repeat four times, then switch the foot tap to a knee lift.
Repeat four times, then switch the knee lift to a front kick.
Repeat four times, then hold the kicks. Kick front left, back kick right.
Repeat ten times, then hold the front kick forward and extend leg out and in ten times to work the hamstring.

Spiderman Pushup Series

Pushup while bringing right knee up to right elbow. Switch and pushup while bringing left knee up to left elbow. Repeat eight times (right / left equals one rep).

Repeat high knees the other way, repeat kick series on other side, then one more set of spiderman pushups.

COMBINATION 3

Shuffle step around the room.
Face into the circle: Curtsy Lunge Series.

While standing on the right leg for support, bring the left leg behind right leg and lunge in a curtsy position, then bring left foot back to starting standing position. Perform ten reps.
Then, still balancing on right foot, raise the left knee up to the side then extend leg down with foot flexed. Repeat up & down lift and press ten times.
Combine both moves. Perform a curtsy lunge, but instead of bringing the foot back to the starting standing position on the floor, raise the knee into the side lift. Perform ten reps.
Finish with ten knee pulses to the side.

Shuffle step around the room in the other direction, and perform curtsy lunge series on other side.

COMBINATION 4

Crossovers around the room (step cross front, step cross back).
Face into the circle: Runner Series. Run in place with arms squeezed in front of the chest. Then stop the feet and pump the arms only. Then combine both and run in place while pumping the arms.
On the ground: Plank Series.

Hold the regular plank 15 seconds
Turn into a side plank to the right & hold 15 seconds
Move directly back into the regular plank and rock forward and back on toes for 15 seconds

Crossovers around the room other direction, then repeat runner series & plank series to the other direction

Second half of class – back to individual spots around the room

BICEPS – Perform ten slow bicep curls. Then hold the left arm halfway and squeeze while performing ten single curls with the right arm. Then hold right arm halfway and perform ten single curls on the left. Finish by pulsing both arms halfway for ten seconds.
TRICEPS & BACK – Facing the left diagonal, angle the body so the right leg is back straight & left is front with knee bent. Perform ten rows, pressing the right arm down and squeezing tricep back. Then switch to ten tricep extensions back. Then combine for a combo of both – ten rows and ten extensions together.
SHOULDERS & CALVES – Calf raises while lifting arms straight in front of chest. Synchronize the down & up for both arms and legs. Perform eight single lifts, then hold the calf raise up and arms up in front of chest, then repeat this set three times through.
BICEPS – Angle biceps to the sides. Bring arms up one at a time, and slowly alternate down and up. After ten of each, perform ten curls with both arms at the same time, and finish with ten pulses halfway.
TRICEPS – Overhead extensions, twenty singles. Then hold arms up straight overhead for ten seconds. Finish by lowering arms halfway, and alternating between pressing elbows back and squeezing in for ten.
SHOULDERS & CALVES – Repeat combo from above, but this time arms should raise up to the sides and the feet are turned out in first position.
GLUTES – On all fours, extend right leg straight out in back of the body. Lower and lift, keeping leg straight. Repeat sixteen times. Then keeping leg straight, lower and lift over other calf (more to the inside). Then same thing but more to the outside. Hold leg up, knee bent in, foot flexed to ceiling pulse 10 times. Hold & squeeze. Repeat on other leg.
ABS / CHEST – Lying flat on back. Legs straight up over hips. Arms straight up over chest, light weights in hand with palms facing in. Lower left leg down and right arm down to the side. Repeat on other side. 20 times. Finish with both arms and legs at the same time.
ABS – Start sitting. Bend knees, roll back for a little momentum and come back up to sitting. Balance with legs extended in front. Do 10.
ABS – Lying flat on back. Legs straight out in front of you, raise legs off ground 6 inches – hold 30 seconds.
ABS – Feet flat, touch heels for obliques. 20 times.
ABS – Lying flat on back, hug knees into chest, then extend legs out in front of body and arms out overhead. Repeat 10 times and hold.