workout Archives - Page 4 of 7

50-Min Pyramid Elliptical Workout

January 26, 2015 by Jenna

Hey everybody, let’s go spend 50 minutes on the elliptical!

On Christmas Day I came to the realization that I needed to take some time off of running. After running here and there in December and not feeling so awesome about my performance I concluded that my legs/hip flexors still needed some rest and recovery time after my injury and the Philadelphia Marathon.

30 days without running means that I spent a lot of time on the elliptical for my cardio. I have come a long way from my elliptical-bashing mindset when I wrote this post (<- that workout btw, do it). In fact, I have grown to be quite fond of it.

Two things that help pass the time on the elliptical:

Changing up the resistance
Podcasts

I’ll talk about the first point first (because that makes sense). Changing the resistance up and down helps keep the elliptical interesting. When elliptical-ing you are inside and stationary, not running outside turning corners, going over bridges, etc. Switching the resistance makes things feel different and therefore, more exciting. Plus, this gives you a better workout than steady state cardio.

We are going to do some intervals in a pyramid fashion, meaning that the intervals will increase in duration (2 to 3 to 4 to 5 minutes) and then decrease (5 to 4 to 3 to 2 minutes). Also, while we increase and decrease the time we are going to move the resistance up and down (10 to 13 to 15 to 17 to 15 to 13 to 10).

Here is the workout in a pretty little image:

You will want to exert the about the same amount of effort on the high resistances as you do on the low resistances. When you increase the resistance up to 15, you will be working pretty hard, but you will probably be going at a slower mph. Really use your legs (especially those glutes!) to push through. When the resistance is low you’ll easily be able to go faster. Take the first 30-45 seconds to recover a bit from the high resistance then kick it into gear and start moving. There is no need to sprint here, just make sure to keep your heart rate up!

Now onto my second point, podcasts. I just discovered how wonderful they are. It all started when my sister-in-law convinced me to listen to Serial and mentioned that it was great to listen to during workouts. Life changing advice. Since elliptical-ing my way through Serial I have been exploring other podcasts like This American Life, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! (which I have always been a fan of), and brushing up on my German with Coffee Break German.

To clarify, podcasts are great for those longer, not speed focused workout sessions. I wouldn’t listen to a podcasts while doing rounds of sprints or anything. Fast-paced music is necessary for those. But when pushing through high resistances at a slow and steady pace, it is fun to listen to a story and learn things! #multitasking

One downside: I know I look like a weirdo when I spontaneously burst out laughing while chugging along on the elliptical. But I just can’t help it, Peter Sagal makes me giggle!

So, put on your favorite podcast and hit the elliptical for this 50-minute pyramid workout. It’ll be fun.

Btw, my forced break from running is now over. I went out for a run on Saturday, which was a gorgeous 35 degree afternoon. I was way overdressed (there were people in shorts and t-shirts). I didn’t wear my GPS watch, because I wanted to concentrate on how my body felt rather than worry about my pace, but based on my knowledge of the lake routes I probably hit about 5.5 miles. It felt so great! I’m excited to introduce running back into my workout regime.

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Interval + Strength Gym Session

January 19, 2015 by Jenna

HIIT and Tabata workouts are fantastic. You can be in and out of the gym (or your living room) in 30 minutes with a solid, effective workout, but sometimes you just want, maybe need, to spend a little bit longer in the gym. Like an hour… or more.

Mondays are usually my “long workout” nights where I do both cardio and strength training. An intense gym session is the perfect way to kick off the week. I always feel so good afterwards. Sweaty, but so so good.

During these sessions I love to sprinkle rounds of sprint intervals in between strength circuits. Not only does this make time fly by, but doing the intervals also helps elevate my heart rate throughout the workout. (Sometimes my heart rate doesn’t get as high as I would like it to during strength training, probably because I need to life heavier weights. Another story for another day.)

I want you to try this out, because you will feel so great afterwards. You’ll leave the gym with that I-dominated-that-and-can-pretty-much-do-anything feeling.

So, do some intervals. Hit the weights. Do some more sprints. Back to the weights. Then go back to th… well, I’m sure you catch my drift. Here’s the full plan:

A few quick notes:

Feel free to do the sprints on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, or rowing machine – whatever is your favorite! I am taking a break from running (sad face), so I have been doing mine on the elliptical.
Hold dumbbells when performing the Romanian deadlifts, Russian twists, lunges, and sumo squats for additional resistance.
This type of workout can take me anywhere from 60-90 minutes depending on the exercises and how quickly I transition. Also, I may tack on an extra long cool down and some additional ab work. If you are short on time go ahead and cut out one circuit and one or two round(s) of sprints.
If you aren’t sure of how to perform an exercise ask in a comment or look it up on You Tube!

These long gym sessions are so therapeutic to me. It’s like how I feel when I bake. Except, one activity debits my calorie account and the other credits. I like to keep my books balanced.

I hope you try it out! Let me know if you do.

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20-Minute Plyo Tabata

January 12, 2015 by Jenna

You guysss… I have a surprise for you! It starts with a “ta” and ends with a “bata”.

You guessed it – a Tabata workout! BEST SURPRISE EVER.

This plyometric Tabata routine features 5 do-anywhere-no-equipment-needed exercises that will really get your heart pumping. You will work your butt off for 20 minutes and then you’ll be a little bit stronger, happier, healthier, and sweatier than you were before. All good things.

A Tabata is when you perform an exercise all out for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. This pattern is repeated for 7 more rounds for a total of 8 rounds (4 minutes). We aren’t going to stop at one set though, we are going to do 5, for a total of 20 minutes, because we are not lazy, we are awesome.

However, I have this set up for 7 rounds instead of 8, so that you get in a 30-second rest between exercises. I know, I know. I am so kind.

So this is what you gotta do:

Doesn’t that seem fun? Let me tell you, it is.

Maybe you were hoping that the surprise was going to be cookies or a cake or some other sort of treat instead of this heart-pumping Tabata? If so, I hope you’re not disappointed.

Let’s compromise. Do this plyo Tabata twice this week (or any type of exercise, really) and I’ll post a tasty (somewhat healthy!) treat on Friday or Saturday. Do we have a deal?? Say yes.

If you love (or just like or even hate) this you should check out my other Tabata routines: 4th of July Tabata & Superset Tabata. You could look into all of the other workouts too. Also, don’t miss my new series: The Fit 5!

Have a fabulous week full of healthy food, cozy nights under blankets, and lots (or at least two) heart-pumping, sweaty, challenging, and fun workouts!

Do you like Tabata workouts?

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The Fit 5: Shoulders

January 5, 2015 by Jenna

It’s the first Monday of 2015. Welcome back to real life. Also welcome to a new series here on Just J.Faye! I call it “The Fit 5”.

In this series I will post 5 different exercises that can (and should) be incorporated into your strength training routine. The series will usually focus on one specific muscle group (back, triceps, quads), but I will also do some broader areas as well (full-body, upper body, plyometrics). To accompany the 5 exercises I will post 5 facts about the muscle group, because knowledge is power and it never hurts to learn more about your body.

So fun, right?! YES. So let’s get started with the first edition: SHOULDERS.

I won’t lie to you, before I started learning more about the body I pretty much ignored any shoulder exercises. To me upper body strength training was basically bicep curls and triceps extensions. But, hellooooo, there are so many more muscles up there to work!

Eesh. I know now though. Better late than never, right?!

So how much do you know about your shoulders? Do you know what the shoulder joint is actually called? Or how many bones it is composed of? I’m sure you’re aware that helps move your arms up and down, but what about the other movements?

I know. A lot of those words are a bit intense. Like, coracobrawhaaaat?! I broke out the ole kinesiology book for those fun (can we call them fun??) facts.

FYI, the coracobrachialis is basically the muscle that runs from the scapula (upper back triangle looking plate) to the humerous (upper arm bone). It helps the shoulder joint to adduct (when your arm moves in towards your chest).

We are learning things here, people!

Now onto “The Fit 5” shoulder exercises.

All of these exercises are adaptable to whatever strength training stage you are in!

Working on stabilization? Perform the lateral and front raises while standing on one leg and the shoulder press while sitting on a stability ball.
Lifting heavier weights? Performs less reps and sit on a bench.
Looking to increase endurance? Choose lighter weights and do more reps.

I strongly recommend sprinkling these into your strength training routine. Here are some suggestions:

Choose 1 or 2 of the moves and superset them with squats and lunges. Fun fact: when you do a circuit like this that alternates between upper and lower body exercises you are performing a “peripheral heart action system”. The more you know.
Perform all 5 exercises in a circuit format for an all shoulder workout. Just make sure to give yourself a solid 30-60 seconds of rest between each exercise, so that you don’t wear your muscles out right away. After running through the circuit once do some elliptical intervals or plyometric exercises (like squat jumps or burpees) then repeat the circuit again. Add in a third time if you’d like!

I am definitely going to be spending a little more time on my shoulders this year! Plus, I really want to be able to do a headstand and I feel like shoulders play a huge role in that feat.

We will keep learning more in future Fit 5 posts! If you have any questions about these exercises or anything I mentioned, feel free to ask them in a comment below!

What did you think? Will you try out these exercises?

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15-Rep Dumbbell Workout

December 12, 2014 by Jenna

This morning was one of those mornings where my alarm went off to go workout and I really just did not want to get up. At all. I’m sure you understand the feeling.

“Sleep more or workout? If I did get up to go workout, would it even be worth it since I’m so tired?” The answer to that question was, of course, yes. Yes, it is always worth it. Unless I’m sick, then rest is the better option. Or unless I have bunches of time to dedicate to a workout after work. Today that was not the case. It was now or never, so I dragged my butt out of bed. Plus, I thought about all those cookies I ate yesterday. Whoops.

I’m staying at my sister’s apartment in Sioux Falls (sister weekend!!!) and the gym here is less than ideal. A few old treadmills, an elliptical, one set of 10-lbs dumbbells, and a multi-functional fitness machine that is only partially useable. I’m so spoiled by the nice gym in my condo building and by the one in General Mills.

But hey, you don’t need fancy gym equipment to get a good workout in! In fact, you don’t need a gym at all. Here, I’ll prove it:

This is a full body workout from top to bottom: shoulders -> back -> chest -> triceps -> biceps -> core -> legs. Then, of course, there are some burpees. Because.

All you need for this workout is a set of dumbbells, nothing fancy. I only had a set of 10-lbs dumbbells, so that is what I used for all the exercises. If you have the luxury of many weights you can increase or decrease resistance as you please. Example: 10-lbs for shoulder press, 20-lbs for triceps extensions, 12-lbs for bicep curls. I didn’t use dumbbells for the push-ups, plank twists, and burpees. Maybe that’s obvious, but maybe it isn’t.

You also might need some motivation, especially if you plan on doing this in the AM on a Friday, or any day, really. You can do it though. I believe in you.

So go get after it and enjoy your weekend. I’m going to being enjoying sister bonding, crafting, and wine all weekend, but I’ll be back on Monday with a delicious cookie recipe.

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Superset Tabata Workout

November 16, 2014 by Jenna

As the days are getting shorter and the holiday festivities begin to pick up it is nice to have arsenal of quick workouts for those days you just don’t have time to spend hours in the gym.

This superset Tabata will take you 20 minutes to complete, plus some time for warm up and cool down. It is a no-equipment-needed-do-anywhere-workout that hits your triceps, abs, chest, and legs. Also, your heart, because there are quite a few cardio bursts involved.

You’re at your in-laws for Thanksgiving? You can do this in the guest room.
You’re travelling for work and staying at a hotel? This can be done in the hotel room.
You just don’t feel like going to the gym because it’s 4 degrees and snowing? No problem-o. This can be done in your living room.

Convenient, amiright?

Let’s be clear, just because this workout is convenient, it does not mean that it is easy. No sir, it is intense. Push yourself, get your heart pumping, and work to earn that sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie!

Now let’s talk about what a superset Tabata actually is.

SUPERSET. A superset is when exercises are performed back-to-back with little to no rest in between, rather than performing all the reps and sets of a single exercise before moving to the next.
TABATA. Tabata is a type of high intensity interval training (HIIT) where an exercise is performed at high intensity for 20 seconds and followed by 10 seconds of rest. This pattern is completed for 8 rounds, a total of 4 minutes.
SUPERSET TABATA. A superset Tabata is when two exercises are performed within one Tabata in an alternating fashion. Each exercise is performed 4 times within the 8 rounds.

Here is the superset Tabata I have for you today.

Within each Tabata there is a mix of strength and cardio. During these exercises I want you to work. Get your knees high, squat low, hold in your core, kick your butt. You’ll get an intense full-body workout in a quick 20 minutes, but please don’t forget to give yourself a couple of extra minutes to warm up and cool down too.

There you have it. Add this to your collection of quick and convenient workouts. Don’t have one yet? Go ahead and start one! Remember, you will never regret a workout (especially during the calorific holiday season). Even though it is quick, it is still totally worth it.

Fun fact: Tabata is named after Izumi Tabata, which is why it is always capitalized. If you like Tabatas check out this 4th of July one too!

Leave a comment if you have any questions!

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