Archive for February 11, 2014

HIIT It!

It’s only Tuesday?! Monday was crazzzzzzy. I feel like I say that every day actually, but it’s true! I wear many, many hats and sometimes I start losing my mind. 😀

This cracked me up!

This cracked me up!

Yesterday I hit up the gym for some HIIT action before my climbing action. I had a few questions as to what I do for HIIT. Maybe you’re even wondering, “Lizzy, why do you keep talking about beating people up?!”. Let me dispel….

HIIT is short for High Intensity Interval Training. It sounds just like it is. The intensity is high, and you’re doing intervals. (Thank you Captain Obvious)

The idea behind it is that you are working at 90-100% for, say, a minute or two, and then giving yourself ample rest (walking, jogging, doing nothing for another minute or two before doing it all over again…and again…and againandagainandagain.

Here are some of the reasons I love HIIT:

1. It is anaerobic, which means that your fast-twitch muscles are recruited, engaging strength and speed. I could get extremely technical on this, but I’ll let you do some googling if you’re really curious (or feel free to e-mail me fitlizzio (at) gmail (dot) com). Your body response with anaerobic work is different than that of aerobic work (such as jogging, walking, etc.). In addition, the “after-burn” as they call it can last up to 8 hours after exercises (sometimes more or less depending on how hard your body worked). This means that your metabolic rate (calorie burning furnace that lives inside your body) will be higher long after your workout finishes.

2. My favorite: It’s quick! While it can be much tougher than just jogging steadily for 30 minutes, it is done in about half the time. You can pick and choose how long you want to do it, but if it’s more than 20 minutes, odds are you aren’t working hard enough during your “working” intervals.

3. It makes me feel strong and keeps me focused. While a nice jog makes me feel refreshed, a hard HIIT session makes me feel like a badass. I like feeling like a badass 🙂

The beauty of HIIT is that it is different for everyone. My “working” interval may be your rest interval and vice versa. The point is to work to YOUR potential, not mine or anyone else’s.

Here’s a HIIT workout I’ve been doing before my workouts a few days per week. This can be done on a treadmill, or outside. It can be done on a bicycle, elliptical machine, or swimming laps too. The point is simple: Work hard for 1-2 minutes, rest 1-2 minutes, and repeat until you’ve completed about 15-20 minutes.

HIIT IT AND QUIT IT (:-o)

Minutes 0-2: Jog at a leisurely pace (for me, this is 6.5-7.0 mph)

Minutes 2-3: Sprint! 90-100% intensity..go go go!!

Minutes 3-4: Either jog or walk, depending on what you want to do. I like to jog for my “rest” intervals, but walking is completely acceptable. It’s your REST so rest as you see fit.

Repeat minutes 2-4 five more times

This workout will be done in 15 minutes, and if you’re truthfully working to your full potential, I guarantee you will be a sweaty mess by the end!

Happy HIITing!

Okay, not this kind of hitting...

Okay, not this kind of hitting…

Do you prefer HIIT or steady-state cardio?

Rollerblading and Where I’ve Been

Whoops, sorry for the unplanned blogging break! Last week got really busy, really fast, and blogging took the back seat. But I’m here now!!! Hopefully that won’t happen again.

Fitness

This past week was a great week of fitness! I’ve been doing a 15 minute HIIT workout on the treadmill a few times a week, and I’m loving it! So quick and no boring cardio. Win/win! Along with that, I did two heavy lifting sessions, a few full body/metabolic conditioning workouts, and some climbing. I took a little break from climbing this week since my wrist was bugging me a bit, but it’s feeling pretty good now!

Today, Charlie and I did a workout that my friend John showed me last week. It is less than 3 minutes of work, but it is MURDEROUS. Here is a video from my final set today:

(10 Squats, push sled, 5 KB Swings (i used 20kg), push sled. Repeat 3x)

Afterwards, my friend picked me up and we went rollerblading by the beach. It was  GORGEOUS day and I am pretty sure every Sunday should be spent like this. 🙂

Gorgeous day in Santa Monica

Gorgeous day in Santa Monica

IMG_3104

Rollerblading Selfie!

Gearing up for a busy week, here’s what’s on the fitness agenda:

Monday: 15 Min. Treadmill HIIT + Climb

Tuesday: Heavy Lift + 1000m Row

Wednesday: 15 Min Treadmill HIIT + WOD + Climb

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 15 min. Treadmill HIIT + Heavy Lift + Climb

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Hike

What’s on your fitness agenda for the week? 

Were you a HUGE Saved By The Bell fan like me?!

We were talking about the Malibu Sands Club today while rollerblading and so I googled the film location. We happened to be rollerblading RIGHT BY it at that moment!!!

Zach Morris' Summer Job

Zach Morris’ Summer Job

And then I died…

(Apparently they redid this place, so it doesn’t look much like I’d expected. Oh well!)

 

Workout Plans + Progress

Good afternoon!! I hope you all enjoyed my post on squat form.

I wanted to pop in and lay out my workout plans for the week. My right wrist has been bugging me a little bit lately (probably tweaked it while climbing) and my right thumb is now hurting as well. I did a quick bouldering session on Saturday and fell all the way from the top. I was totally fine, but I must have landed on my thumb weird because it hurts now! Boo!! I need to be mindful of that and let that heal, so my workouts for this week are going to have to be creative! (Ummmm no wrist and no thumb? My legs may hate me this week.)

time-to-workout

Monday: WOD + 15 min. HIIT (I am going to probably do an all bodyweight WOD and try to avoid using my hands at all. Yay for having to think outside the box…ha!)

Tuesday: WOD + 30 Minute Run. I didn’t run at ALL last week (oops…I did do a running HIIT, but that was it). Definitely going to change that this week!

Wednesday: 15 min. HIIT + Abs + Heavy Lift. Likely hip thrusts, meldonium-mildronate, pull ups (pending wrist/thumb situation), DB Shoulder Press

Thursday: 30 minute Run

Friday: Climb (hopefully I’ll be feeling good by then, otherwise, I’ll improvise)

Saturday: WOD

Sunday: Rest

This is what I’m thinking, but things do change throughout the week sometimes. I never just skip something altogether (unless it is needed), but do replace things sometimes. It depends on how much time I have, where I am, and how I’m feeling.

Here’s a progress picture for good measure (taken yesterday). Gotta stay on track! As they say, summer bodies are built in the winter!

Progress 2.2.14

Progress 2.2.14

Questions:

1. What are your fitness plans for the week?

2. How about some exercises I can do that DON’T involve my hands? HA! But seriously…..:-)

Proper Squat Form

Happy Monday! I thought I’d start this fabulous week off by talking about our booty’s best friend: the squat. 

(Please note, I am not a doctor and this is not a prescription. Please check with your doctor before making any exercise changes or trying anything new if you’re not comfortable with it.) 

I love squats for SOOOO many reasons: 

1. They are a GREAT exercise for the legs, butt, and core. 

2. They are something you can do anywhere.

3. They help build the booty and keep it perky!

4. The squat is a practical movement. By this, I mean that it is used in our everyday lives. A non-practical movement? The tricep-kickback. Tell me when you do that in daily life…

5. Versatility! They can be used as an isometric movement (static squat), a heavy movement (heavy barbell squats), a plyometric (jump squats), and more!

I created a quick video of me squatting so that you can see what proper form looks like. Of course, it can take practice and patience, so keep working on it if you’re not there yet!

My three tips for performing a proper squat are: 

1. Sit back first. Many people start to bend at the knees first, but this puts you in the position to squat with your knees bending past your toes and your weight to be put in your toes, rather than your heels. Sit back and THEN drop down. This will keep your weight in your heels, utilizing your glutes and hamstrings more. 

2. Squat Down with your chest up. A good way to practice this is to wear a shirt with a logo on the chest and face a mirror while doing the movement. You should be able to see that logo in the same position for the entire movement. 

3. Push through your heels. When you get to the bottom of your squat (which ideally will be butt below the knees, or as we like to call it “ass to grass”) you medizin-de have to come back up! Push through your heels in order to promote the body to stay in it’s upright form and not put your weight back into your knees. 

I hope these tips help you to perform your best squat yet! Start with just body weight and move up to weights as you begin to get more comfortable with the movement. You can also practice Wall Squats to train your body to keep your chest upright during the movement. (Start as close to the wall as possible in order for you to perform the squat. Do 3 sets of 15 reps 3-4 times per week, working towards moving closer and closer to the wall). 

Wall Squat

Wall Squat

Happy squatting everyone!

Questions for the day:

1. What is your favorite exercise?

Mine is the deadlift, but squats are a close 2nd.

2. Did you watch the Superbowl?

Let’s put it this way, I fell asleep in the 4th quarter. No joke.

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