Tag Archive for quick workouts

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Wow, what a weekend! It was a fun one, but like usual, I didn’t relax much. Let’s back up to Friday…

Friday Workout

I planned on doing a track workout after work, but for some STUPID reason, I decided to do a workout at the gym beforehand. I’m honestly not sure what I was thinking, but I really just felt like throwing some weight around and getting in a hard workout.

This is what I ended up doing:

Part 1: Tabata Jump Rope (8 minutes)

Part 2: 5 Rounds – Superset: Barbell Snatch & Jump Squats

Part 3: 15 min. AMRAP of 9 Deadlifts (95lbs), 12 Push-Ups, and 15 Box Jumps (20 in. box).

I ended up making it through 6 rounds.

I really wanted to back out of the track workout, but I was meeting a friend and didn’t want to leave him high and dry. We ended up doing:

4 x 75 meters

4 x 50 meters

4 x 30 meters

Needless to say, my legs were and still are DEAD.

Saturday

Saturday I took a complete “rest” day (duh). I say that because I didn’t work out, but I was running around all day.

Charlie and I started off by grabbing a coffee and then getting breakfast at a little cafe called Blue Plate in Santa Monica. It’s a cute little restaurant, but it’s very cramped. The food was pretty good, but I was ready to get out of there by the time we were done eating.

blueplate

After we finished, I picked up my friends and we got ready to head to a going away party for another friend. She’s moving to London and had all of us bring a dish from another country. We intended to do just that, but somehow we ended up at Aah’s (a costume store), bought Ninja Turtle T-shirts, and decided to bring pizza to the party. Ninja Turtles had their own country, right?!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Lizzy

Teenage Mutant Ninja Lizzy

Yeah okay, not the most logical thinking, but it was fun! There were actual some better photos taken, but my friend hasn’t sent them to me yet. We spent the night eating, drinking (well, they did), and just hanging out. It was a good time, but around 11pm, I became a pumpkin and went home.

Sunday

Sunday, my older brother (who just moved back from Israel), Charlie, and I headed out for a hike to Skull Rock. This is one of my favorite hikes in LA. The rock actually looks like a skull!

Skull Rock on Temescal Ridge Trail in Topanga State ParkThe hike is about a 6 on a scale of 1-10 in difficulty, and the weather was great. I was hoping it would shake out my legs, but MANNNNN I am still soooooo sore. Hoping that wears off by the end of today.

Hangin' with my older brother

Hangin’ with my older brother

I spent the rest of my Sunday working with my good friend and former roommate Jules on a project we’ve been talking about. It’s finally coming to fruition and it’s going to be AWESOME. I’ll be sure to let you guys know when that’s coming…..

Here’s my plan for the rest of the week:

Monday: 20 min. HIIT + Bouldering

Tuesday: Crossfit

Wednesday: Legs

Thursday: Upper Body

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Full Body

Sunday: Rest

I’ll be traveling Thursday – Sunday, so that part of the schedule might change. I’ll likely be doing quick 15-20 minute workouts from my e-book to get a quick and efficient workout in my hotel room!

Have you ever been SO SORE that you actually considered calling out of work?

I’m not kidding, I want to know if someone has ever done this! LOL

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HIIT It!

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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?

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