Tag Archives: stability ball

A Weak Week (10/19 – 10/25)

This week was pretty light on the workout front.  But I did get in some really fun 45s!!!

Sunday 10/19  45 side lunge (stay in wide position between).

ready
ready
lunge left
lunge left

I did all 45 to the left (just returning to the middle position in between.  Then switched and did 45 to the right.

side view
side view
lunge right
lunge right

Monday 10/20  45 BOSU balances (start with hands on BOSU, feet on ground – raise right arm to side and left leg, hold then switch to left arm and right leg for 1 rep).

right arm, left leg
right arm, left leg
left arm, right leg
left arm, right leg

This move was HARD!!!  I like it because it worked everything – triceps, shoulders, core, butt, quads, hamstrings….

I tried to run – 3 miles in 25:40 and then realized that my leg is hurt more than I thought so I ended up walking 4.5 miles with an incline.

Tuesday 10/21  45 twisting elbow planks (twist right, then left = 1 rep).

start
start
twist to right (stack feet)
twist to right (stack feet)

Return to middle then twist the other way –

twist left
twist left

This move was hard – 45 complete reps ended up being a long time to stay in a plank!!!!

I did a workout that I hadn’t done in a long time and it ended up being great – The Firm:  Cardio Fusion.  The workout uses these little balls –

not heavy but they add a lot
not heavy but they add a lot

I will definitely be doing this workout again!!!

Wednesday 10/22  45 twisting frog crunches with weighted (5 pound) punches.  (right-left = 1 rep)

start position
start position
up - twist and punch right with left hand
up – twist and punch right with left hand

Return to the ready position and then go the other way –

twist and punch left with right hand
twist and punch left with right hand

I did another workout that I’ve always enjoyed – Cross Training for Fitness.

Thursday 10/23  45 back bow cross-over.  This move is one I had never seen before until Nellie (Brooklyn Active Mama) showed it as her Weekly Wednesday workout.  (another one where right-left = 1 rep)

easy part
easy part
up and squeeze - move to other side
up and squeeze 

While in the up position, move your arms to other side –

moving over
moving over (dropped the legs a little:)
small break before moving back to the start
small break before coming up and moving back the other way

I might have adapted it a little (I used a wobble ball as my cross-over object instead of a yoga block) but this was a really good move!!!

Thanks to Hunter for doing the pictures for me on Friday morning since no one was around when I did the move Thursday!!!

Friday 10/24  45 leg abductions while balancing on upside down wobble ball.

ready to move the left leg
ready to move the left leg
lift - squeeze
lift – squeeze

I managed all 45 with my left leg without tapping my toe down – I wobbled and looked like a goof but…..

ready to work the right side
ready to work the right side
lift left leg
lift left leg

On this leg, I ended up tapping my toe down 2 times during the reps – my left leg balance isn’t as strong!!!

Saturday 10/25  45 stability ball side crunches.

ready
ready
up
up

After completing the first set of 45, I flipped over and did 45 more.

ready
ready
up
up

I’m hoping that next week I can get back to working out the way I like to work out!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Increasing the Daily Reps (9/14 – 9/20)

This week saw in a change in daily moves from 44 to 45.  What’s one more rep of anything?!

Sunday 9/14  44 heel raises while doing a wall sit and holding up a 20 pound kettle bell.

ready
ready
lift the heels
lift the heels

Not gonna lie – my quads were burning by the time I finished these!!

Monday 9/15  44 super burpee (had to have something big for my last Daily 44.)

To do the move:  jump back into plank – push-up – jump legs in and right – jump back to plank – jump legs in and  left – jump back to plank – jump feet in to hands – jump back to plank – plank jack – jump up to standing – do 8 fast feet.  Hooray – 1 rep is done!!!

10 of these would have been OK but 44 was tough!!!

And I’m finally back to normal workouts!!!  I started a new program – PIYO – Align the Fundamentals.  Not sure how much I’m going to like it but I will give it a try!!!

Tuesday 9/16  45 minutes of running (to see how far I could get).45 minutes of Running

I did 7.43 miles in 45 minutes (7:23, 6:17, 5:51, 5:34, 5:39, 5:54, 5:50 and 6:01 to finish the 8th mile)

I haven’t run hard like this in awhile so I paid the price for this run for the rest of the week – stairs were rough until yesterday and my shins were very tight!!!

Wednesday 9/17  45 crunches while on a BOSU with a stability ball between the ankles.

up
up
extend
extend

You can see in the pictures that I had to keep my hands on the side of the BOSU – I didn’t hold the entire time but I sure did have to hold a lot for balance!!!

I also did 2 more of the PIYO workouts – Define Lower Body and Define Upper Body.

Thursday 9/18  45 plie with hands touching the floor – spring up onto toes and reach hands up.

down
down
up onto toes - reach hands up
up onto toes – reach hands up

This was another day of PIYO – Sweat.  I looked ahead at the way the program is laid out and it just repeats the same workouts from this week over and over for a few weeks – not sure that I will do this program as it is written!!!

Friday 9/19  45 curtsey lunge with hop to opposite leg and another curtsey lunge – stay low the entire time.  (right-left = 1 rep)

Then I did one of my favorite workouts – Turbo Fire!!!  I did Fire 55EZ  (not to be confused with easy!!).  Fun way to start the day.

Saturday 9/20  45 mountain climbers in low plank.

I let Hunter do the demo since he is the one who told me about this lovely move!!!  It was hard but I liked it!!!

So, this wasn’t a super hard week of workouts but it was nice to be back in the routine!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Tired Running Legs (8/24 – 8/30)

This week was all about really pushing my legs past the point of being tired and then running just a little bit more and I’m happy to say I achieved that by Friday’s run!!!

Sunday 8/24  44 reverse frogs while on a stability ball.  (Hopefully the pictures help explain the move.)

start facedown on ball with hands on ground, heels together
start facedown on ball with hands on ground, heels together
lift legs up (squeeze butt) keeping heels together
lift legs up (squeeze butt) keeping heels together
straighten legs and hold
straighten legs and hold

Don’t mind the fact that I look crooked in the picture above – it’s hard staying on the ball!!

slowly lower toes to the ground to finish the first rep
slowly lower toes to the ground to finish the first rep

This move was sort of fun – I liked the slow moving holds and squeezes!!  I’m not really a fan of how large my backside looks in the pictures though – oops!!

Monday 8/25  44 bicep curls while standing on upside down BOSU (10 pound DBs)

ready
ready
curl
curl

The act of staying balanced on the BOSU made these curls much harder than a standard curl – super fun!!

Run – 12 miles in 91:40 followed by 0.4 easy miles

Tuesday 8/26  44 plank with feet on upside down BOSU – alternate toe taps to the sides (right/left tap = 1 rep).

ready
ready
tap out with left foot
tap out with left foot
back to BOSU
back to BOSU
tap out left
tap out left

Not sure why it looks like my arms are bowed or too close in – hmmm…..

Run 10 miles – 82:35 followed by 0.8 miles

After taking Hunter to school I changed into dry clothes (I sweat a LOT when I run) and ran some more!

Run 10 miles – 86:38 followed by 2 easy miles

Wednesday 8/27  44 alternating side bends while standing on an upside down BOSU (12 pound DBs).

ready
ready
bend (slight crunch) right
bend (slight crunch) right
bend with crunch left
bend with crunch left

I liked this move – I love the little crunch in my obliques while doing side bends and the fact that I had the extra balance challenge was a bonus!!

Run 10 miles – 77:12 followed 1.05 miles nice and easy!!

Thursday 8/28  44 push-ups with toes on upside down BOSU.

ready
ready

You can see how hard it is to stay balanced on the BOSU – it tips back a lot!!

down
down

Not gonna lie – these were hard!!!  I don’t think I’ve been doing enough push-ups lately!!!

Run – 8 miles in 57:45 + 0.5 miles (I was pressed for time so I thought I would do a harder run since I’ve been logging lots of slower miles).

Friday 8/29  44 body extended to V-sit on upside down BOSU.

start
start
V-sit (sort of)
V-sit (sort of)

I wobbled a lot on these!!  And, this was one of those moves that I felt in my core and also in my hip flexors!!

Run – 10 miles in 79:47 followed by 3 easy miles.

This was my final long run before my upcoming race.  My goal this week was to run enough that my legs were fatigued but still able to turn-over pretty well.  I’m happy with how the week went!!

Saturday 8/30  44 calf stretches on upside down BOSU.  This move felt good after all of the running!!

I had fun this week doing moves on my BOSU in a more nontraditional way!!!

So in 5 days (Monday – Friday), I ran 60 miles at a good pace + 7.75 easy miles.  (my easy miles are always a mix of  slow running that ends with walking)

The next week and a half will still have plenty of daily 44s but the workouts will be fairly light and I’m not planning to do any long or hard runs.

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Stability (6/22-6/28)

This week I used my stability ball and focused on the butt – I ended up doing a lot of new moves and some of them were HARD!!!

Sunday 6/22  44 stability ball kick back toner.

Start by placing your hands on the ball – and kick right leg back.

ready
ready

Pull your right knee in to the ball – 

knee in
knee in

Repeat for 44 reps and you will feel this in both legs – your left leg will be shaking!!!  And, of course, you don’t want to be off balance so this has to be done on the other leg!!

left leg back
left leg back
in
in

I will definitely be doing this move more often!!!

Monday 6/23  44 hip lifts on stability ball.

start
start
up and squeeze
up and squeeze

This move looks fairly simple but after about 20 you will feel your butt and hamstrings a lot!!

This was a lifting day – Chalean Extreme Burn Circuit 3.  Ready to move on to the next phase!!

And, I did a 10 mile run in 76:56 followed by 1.8 miles easy.

Tuesday 6/24  44 plank with shins on stability ball and alternate leg lifts.

lift right leg
lift right leg
left leg
left leg

This was hard to do and hold plank – my butt hurt, my arms were shaking and my core was burning – all signs of a good move.

I did another 10 mile run (76:15) followed by 1.6 easy miles.

Wednesday 6/25  44 side leg pulls on stability ball.  

Start by leaning on the stability ball with your left side and extend your right leg to the side – 

ready to work the right side
ready to work the right side

Pull your right knee in to the ball and hold for a 2-count – 

knee in
knee in

After your right hip is dying (or when you complete all reps – 44) then switch sides to go again!!!

ready for round 2
ready for round 2
in
in

This move is another one that I will be doing more often – it was a great way to really work my hips!!!

I finally started the next phase in Chalean Extreme – Push Circuit 1.  This phase involves heavier lifting with fewer reps.  I have been sore the past couple of days so that is good!!!

And, I pulled out one of my 10 Minute Solution DVDs – Kickbox Bootcamp.  This one is fun because the 5 sections are all a little different and it is a great whole body workout!!!

Thursday 6/26  44 single leg dead lift with one leg on stability ball.

start
start
down
down

This move was much harder than it looks!!!  Keeping myself balanced was a huge challenge!!  And, you know that I can’t just work one side!!

ready for the other leg
ready for the other leg
down
down

This was another 10 mile run day (I’m not sure why I did 10 miles every day I ran  this week – just the amount that fit into my day!!) in 77:12 followed by 2.25 easy miles.

Friday 6/27  44 reverse leg lifts on the stability ball

start
start
lift and squeeze
lift and squeeze

Not gonna lie – this was one of my favorite moves of the week!!!

And, it was a lifting day!!  Chalean Extreme – Push Circuit 2.  I think I did heavier weights for shoulder presses than I ever have (not saying a lot but…..)!!!

Saturday 6/28  44 stability ball leg squeezes with a butt lift.

start (the easy part)
start (the easy part)
squeeze and lift your butt - hold for 2-count before lowering
squeeze and lift your butt – hold for 2-count before lowering

This move was great for the butt and inner thighs!!!

And, since we had to go clean for the 3rd day in a row at the venue, I decided to run through town and let Chris start the cleaning!

It was exactly 10 miles at an 8:30 pace (humid and muggy)!!!  And, I didn’t have to clean – running beats cleaning any day!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

A Lighter Week in Anticipation of the Big Race!! (5/4 – 5/10)

This week was a much lighter kind of week for me because I wanted to rest my legs as much as possible since today is the big day!!!

Screen Shot 2014-05-04 at 10.26.48 AM

Sunday 5/4  44 plank on stability ball with knee to elbow.

ready
ready
right knee in
right knee in

I did all 44 with my right knee and then switched and did 44 more!!

ready to go again
ready to go again
left knee in
left knee in

Just holding plank on the stability ball was hard – pulling my knees in was brutal!!!

Monday 5/5 44 supermans on stability ball with alternate leg lifts.  A right leg lift with superman and a left leg lift = 1 rep.

ready - the easy part
ready – the easy part
lift, squeeze, left leg up
lift, squeeze, left leg up
other side view
other side view
lift, squeeze, right leg
lift, squeeze, right leg

This was a walking day – 5 miles at 7.5% incline in 75 minutes.  I wanted to do something but nothing too challenging!!

Tuesday 5/6 – 44 medicine ball crunches on a stability ball.

ready
ready
crunch
crunch

Pilates was a good choice for a workout that wasn’t too difficult – Burn and Firm Pilates.

Wednesday 5/7  44 reverse crunches with the stability ball under my legs.

start
start
crunch up
crunch up

Not gonna lie – just holding onto the ball was a challenge!!!

And, because I was super excited about the new shoes I received on Tuesday (I won some Mizuno Hitogamis from Jacqueline @ Skinny Chick Blog), I had to get a run in.

Just 3 miles nice and easy (25:25) with another 0.75 to cool down.  I think I’m going to enjoy these shoes for lighter runs/speed work.

Nice, huh?!
Nice, huh?!

Thursday 5/8 – 44 hip raises on stability ball.

start
start
lift butt and squeeze
lift butt and squeeze

This is one of those moves that seems like it will be easy but you will definitely feel it after a few reps!!!

I took the day off from working out – trying to rest my legs some and I knew that I was going to spend about 4-5 hours on my feet cleaning and ironing at our venue so I decided to skip my normal workout.

Friday 5/9 – 44 stability ball squats – barely touch the ball with your butt and come up just a few inches so that you are in a squat the entire time – OUCH!!!

barely touch
barely touch
up just a little
up just a little

Saturday 5/10 44 crunch reaches.  I needed something quick and easy and this was perfect!!

start
start
up and reach
up and reach

Today I will spend most of my day here – 

The Flint Hills
The Flint Hills

The race starts at 6:00 am and hopefully I will be done before 4:00 pm but no matter how long it takes – Screen Shot 2014-05-04 at 10.24.59 AM

Happy Saturday!

Kim