ROLL THE DICE WORKOUT AND GIVEAWAY

Here it is Workout wednesday and I have the flu. I am resting, hydrating and surviving on Tamiflu. I don't believe in pushing through workouts when I'm sick or feeling under the weather. I need to rest to allow my body to recover. Any available energy should be used to fight off infection and recover. I'm not worried about working out or even getting my daily 10k steps. I will get back to it as soon as I feel healthy again, but for now, I am down and out. (Let the internet sympathy ensue.)

This week for Workout Wednesday you won't see me in any workout pictures (you're welcome). Instead, I am giving away this fun fitness dice* that I found at Five Below and sharing a dice workout you can do at home even if you don't win the giveaway! NOTE: GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

THESE DICE WERE AVAILABLE AT THE STORE FIVE BELOW. I DO NOT BELIEVE THEY STOCK THEM ANY LONGER

I think it is a really fun way to get in a quick workout when you want to shake up your regular routine. Set the timer for 20 minutes and start rolling. I use these in bootcamp to break up the circuits and they are always fun! 

THE GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN: GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Please fill out the Rafflecopter form to enter to win. Complete at least one entry to enter to win, complete multiple entries for more chances. 

Open to US residents 18 years old and up
Must have a shipping address in the United States
Giveaway runs from March 1 and ends Match 8 2017
One winner will receive the prize of one (1) foam fitness die
Lea Genders Fitness paid for prize and will pay for USPS shipping to winner
Prize will be shipped within 7 days of winner confirmation of shipping address
Winner must claim prize and respond with shipping address within 48 business hours of announcement or alternate winner will be selected
Winner will be emailed directly and announced on this post
Winner must enter on Rafflecopter and follow all rules
All entries will be verified as completed. Any entry not completed will disqualify winner and new winner will be drawn
Void where prohibited
Good Luck
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THE WORKOUT: LET'S ROLL

There is just one winner and not everyone will be able to win this prize today, or you might have found this post after the giveaway is over, but you can still do the workout! You could go to Five Below in your area and look for the foam fitness dice or you can use regular dice and assign each number to an exercise. Use one red die, one black die and follow the chart below. Alternate between the black die for strength exercises and the red die for cardio. Set the timer for 20 minutes and let's roll! Spend 5-15 minutes warming up before beginning.

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Coach Lea

HIIT TREADMILL WORKOUT

Welcome to the latest edition of Workout Wednesday! High intensity interval workouts are great for when you want an effective workout with little time. This treadmill HIIT workout can be completed in 20 minutes. It is great for both beginners and intermediate runners who want to improve speed, lose fat and gain fitness.

Always warm up before beginning any workout. This treadmill workout is eight rounds of 30 second sprints followed by 90 seconds of active recovery. I recommend HIIT workouts 1-3 times per week depending on your fitness level and experience with HIIT. If you are new to high intensity workouts, start with one time a week. Always allow 1-2 rest and recovery days in between high intensity days to allow your body to properly recover. Your body adapts (gets stronger, faster, etc.) during rest, not during the workout, so it's important to allow this recovery time to get the maximum results. 

Ready to get started? After three minutes of brisk walking to warm up, sprint for 30 seconds at Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) of 7-9 (breathing should be challenging) followed by 90 seconds of slow jogging or walking (RPE 4-6) to recover before going into your next interval. You will repeat this cycle until you complete 8 total sprint rounds. 

Cool down at the end of the workout by walking for as long as it takes to fully recover your breath.

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After 4-8 weeks of this workout 1-3 times a week you can expect to see improvements in your running speed and efficiency, provided you are resting appropriately. 

In order to keep progressing you may find that your sprint speed intervals need to increase as you get stronger. Remember that we always want to challenge ourselves to keep improving. After several weeks If you find that the sprint intervals start to feel easier, that is a sign it is time to increase the speed. If you follow the RPE chart then you should be able to determine if you are working at the appropriate intensity. Everyone is different but you may find you need increase speed of your sprint intervals after about three weeks of regular interval work. Listen to your body. 

Do you do HIIT workouts? I love them for both cardio and strength training. Give this one a try and let me know what you think.

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Coach Lea

Tabata-Style Lower Body Plyometrics Workout

Welcome to the latest edition of Workout Wednesday! Today we are incorporating plyometrics into our workout! Plyometrics are jumping exercises that use maximum force to develop muscle power, which in turn can help you run faster. Runners who systematically use plyometric exercises in their training plan can increase speed and running efficiency. Before attempting plyometric exercises you should have a solid base of body strength, core strength and balance. Do you have four minutes? Let's get started! 

This workout is done in Tabata-style: 20 seconds work with 10 seconds rest for four minutes. In this workout you will cycle through the four exercises for four minutes. For an increased challenge just do one exercise at a time for the whole four minutes using the 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest protocol. 

You will need a Tabata timer. You can download a free one in the App store or Google Play. I use a Gymboss Interval timer. (<---affiliate link)

THE EXERCISES:

LUNGE

With your feet hip width apart and your toes pointed straight ahead, engage your core, keep your chest up and back straight. Take one large step with your right leg to lunge forward until your front knee is lined up over your ankle and your back knee is nearly touching the floor. Do not allow your knee to move forward over your toes. Resist the urge to lean forward or rest your arms on your thighs. Once you are in the lunge position push back up through your heels to starting position. Repeat on other side alternating for 20 seconds.

JUMP LUNGE

Begin in a lunge position with your right leg forward. Jump up and switch legs in the air so you land in a lunge position with your left leg in front. Continue alternating for 20 seconds. Alternate right and left leg forward for 20 seconds. Beginners should hold the position for 3 seconds before switching legs. As you progress you can increase the speed of the jumps. It is always better to go slow with proper form, than to perform the exercises quickly with poor form. 

SQUAT

Push your hips back and lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor, like you are sitting back in a chair, or as low as your flexibility allows. Keep your back straight and your chest up. In the low position engage your core, squeeze your glutes and push back up to standing with your weight on your heels. Repeat for 20 seconds.

JUMP SQUAT

Start by lowering into a squat position. From the low position engage your core and jump up. Land softly in the low squat position. Beginners should hold the low position for 3 seconds before repeating the jump. Repeat for 20 seconds.

I recommend low-impact workout days surrounding your plyometric days to allow your body time to sufficiently rest and recover. Since running is also a high impact activity, I recommend no more than one or two plyometric workouts per week. Do you incorporate plyometrics into your training? Give this quick workout a try and let me know what you think! 

Coach Lea

Share Your Love of Exercise with a Partner Workout

It's the week before Valentine's day and love is in the air. This week for workout Wednesday I am sharing a workout that you can do with the love of your life, your better half or any sucker you can convince to work out with you. hah.

Finding a workout partner can be a great way to stay motivated to exercise. Any partner will do, but when it's your spouse or significant other it makes it easy to encourage each other, cheer each other on and push each other with a little friendly competition. After all, they already live in your house.

For this blog post I recruited my BFF and bootcamp attendee Cathy and her husband Chad. They were the perfect couple to showcase for this Valentine's Day partner workout post, because they just got married in January!

Congratulations to the newlyweds, Chad and Cathy! Aren't they cute? They came over to the #shredshed ready to work out and be my fitness models (sorry, the gig doesn't pay well). I am also secretly thrilled that someone else is in my exercise photos besides me. 

This workout is in a circuit style. We are going to perform the assigned reps for each exercise and move to the next exercise without resting. This way we will keep our heart rate up for a cardio and strength workout in one. Once you complete the circuit, rest for one minute between circuits and repeat one to two more times. 

We are using an 8 lb medicine ball. This is an affiliate link: That means if you decided to purchase from this link, I make a small percentage of the sale with no additional cost to you. No one is getting rich here, it just helps with the running (pun intended) of this blog. 8 lb medicine ball.

Partner Workout. Save to Pinterest for Later!

LUNGE PASS WITH TWIST

Stand side by side with your partner. Each partner will lunge forward on opposite legs so the forward legs are next to each other (see picture). Twist towards the forward leg and pass the medicine ball to your partner. The other partner accepts the medicine ball then both partners face forward and return to standing.

This time both partners lunge forward using the other leg and twist away from each other. Return to facing forward then back to standing. Repeat on each leg eight times. 

LATERAL SQUAT PASS

Face your partner and with your hips pushed back, lower into a squat position. Staying in the low position both partners take a big step out to the side, then bring together both feet and pass the ball. Do four reps on each side before moving on to the next exercise. 

SQUAT PRESS AND ROLL

Face your partner. Both partners squat down with a straight back and chest up. While in the low squat position, roll the medicine ball to your partner. The other partner accepts the medicine ball and stands up and presses the ball overhead. Each partner should squat and press 8 times with the medicine ball before moving to the next exercise. 

RUSSIAN TWIST

Sit with your back to your partner at a 45 degree angle. Lift your heels off the ground to increase the challenge. Rotate your torso to pass the medicine ball to your partner. The other partner accepts the medicine ball and passes back on the other side. That is one rep. Complete eight reps before moving on to the next exercise. On the next circuit, pass the ball in the other direction.

STRAIGHT ARM PLANK TAP

Face your partner in a straight arm high plank position. Make sure your wrists are directly below your shoulders and your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your toes. Do not allow your hips to raise or sag. Lift one arm to tap your partner's opposite hand as shown, then do the other side, this is one rep. Tap eight times before moving on to the next exercise.

STRAIGHT ARM SIDE PLANK WITH REACH UNDER

Partners perform a straight arm side plank so they are back to back. Be sure the shoulders are stacked directly over the wrists. With one arm straight in air touch hands in the high position, then reach below to touch hands under the plank. Complete 8 reps and switch sides. (Or change sides on next time through the circuit.)

Do you feel the love? Grab your #swolemate, your #fitfam or your #gymbuddy and use all the hashtags when you do the workout. 

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Coach Lea

30 DAY PLANK CHALLENGE

Welcome to the latest edition of workout Wednesday! Each week I share a strength training or running workout to keep you motivated. This week we are talking planks. I put together this plank challenge for beginners to progress you to a one minute plank or more in 30 days! Are you ready? 

Planks are my favorite core exercise because they engage all major core muscle groups including the transverse abdominus, the rectus abdominus, the external oblique muscle and the glutes. Do your planks regularly to improve core strength. Great for runners!

Beginners: Follow the plan as shown. Alternate between the plank exercises every day. For example: Day 1 you will do a 20 second straight arm plank, day 2 a 20 second elbow plank and and day 3 a 20 second side plank (on each side), day 4 back to straight arm plank for 30 seconds and so on according to the schedule. 

If you can't hold for 20 seconds without rest, hold for as long as you, then add 5 to 10 seconds every 3 days. Progress at your own speed. 

Advanced: Perform all three exercises every day.

STRAIGHT ARM PLANK

In a high plank position position your shoulders directly over your wrists. Your body should form a straight line from your heels to your head. Do not allow your hips to sag down or raise up in the air. Engage your abs and breathe normally.

ELBOW PLANK

Begin in a low forearm plank position. Position your elbows on the floor with your hands flat on the floor and your shoulders directly over your elbows. Do not clasp your hands in front of you. Your body should be in a straight line parallel to the floor. Engage your core, pulling your belly while breathing normally. Be careful not to sink your hips or raise your butt in the air. 

SIDE PLANK (EACH SIDE) 

With a straight arm lift yourself up into a side plank position. Your shoulders should be directly over your wrists. Stack your feet and don't allow your hips to drop. 

If a straight arm side plank is too challenging, start on your elbow.

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