Tag Archives: TaeBo

BOSU, Butt, Chest, Core, Fitness, Plank, Running

Still Not Running (11/2 – 11/8)

November 8, 2014 Kim 40 Comments

Sometimes as runners/athletes we make choices based on what we want to do and not what we should do – at least I know I’m like that. This week was one of those times – I just tried to do what I wanted as far as working out. It didn’t really work but…..

Sunday 11/2 – 45 machine gun kicks.

balance on right leg - left leg kicks — balance on right leg – left leg kicks

These go quickly – the challenge is supporting yourself on the standing leg and staying balanced while moving your leg back and forth!! And, both sides have to be worked equally –

This move is actually one I learned from TaeBo!!!

After a week almost completely off and a couple other minimal weeks, I decided to try and run. It wasn’t great but I pushed through and did a slow 5 miles. (sometimes I’m not very smart!!!)

Monday 11/3 – 45 star crunches – right hand to left foot, down, left hand to right foot = 1 rep.

Return to extended position then switch sides –

And, since I was already working my core I decided to do TaeBo Insane Abs. This workout always makes me sore for a few days!!!

Tuesday 11/4 – 45 standing crunches (hold each crunch about 3 seconds).

round and squeeze - blow all the air out and hold — round and squeeze – blow all the air out and hold

I really like standing crunches like this even though it looks a little odd!!!

I wanted to run again but it only took about 3 steps to realize that wasn’t going to happen. So I walked 6.35 miles at a 10% incline.

Wednesday 11/5 – 45 elbow plank with knee tap to a leg lift – alternate sides (right – left = 1 rep).

Return to plank then do left side –

This ended up being a LONG time to hold plank by the time I did all 45 reps!!!

I pulled out another older DVD – Denise Austin: Personal Training System. Many years ago this was my go-to workout when I had a stress fracture in my foot and we were traveling – 20 minutes of cardio, 10 minutes upper body, 10 minutes lower body, 10 minutes abs and 10 minutes stretching.

Thursday 11/6 – 45 fly to pull-over. (8 pounds because 45 is a lot!!)

bring arms back to certain and push weights together — bring arms back to center and push weights together

pull arms over head (don't touch the ground) — pull arms over head (don’t touch the ground)

Keeping this movement slow and controlled is the key (especially on the down part!!). My chest is still sore from this one!!!

I’ve mentioned before that I love the 10 Minute Solution DVDs. I chose Sculpt, Tone & Reshape with the Figure 8 for the workout. The figure 8 is a resistance band.

I like the combination of moves in the workout using the band!!

Friday 11/7 – 45 side plank dips on the BOSU. This move is a move I got from Nellie (Brooklyn Active Mama) and her weekly Wednesday Workouts.

Holding plank while lifting and lowering your hips is a challenge – holding the plank on the BOSU makes it an even better challenge!!!

And, I tried and failed at running again!! So I just walked 4.25 miles at a 10% incline.

Saturday 11/8 – 45 standing pilates leg circles.

to back – squeeze your butt at this point to help with balance!!

If you look closely you can see that my foot is barely off the ground. Even to close the circle (half circle actually) you keep it just above the ground.

I did all 45 on one leg before switching sides.

I like this move even though it is small – after several reps you will start to feel it in your thighs, core and butt!!

I’m not thrilled that I can’t run still but I guess I will just keep doing things that don’t make my leg hurt worse until I get some answers from the DR(s)!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Fitness, Resistance Bands, Running

Working the Band (4/27-5/3)

May 3, 2014 Kim 36 Comments

This week’s 44s were all about using this little band –

Since I was in Texas for the first part of the week, this was a perfect tool to use! And, all of my pictures were taken either Thursday or Friday morning after I was home – I did the moves on the actual day though!!!

Sunday 4/27 –44 bicep curl with a lunge (hold the other end of the band up over shoulder for extra resistance.

And, of course, I had to do a 2nd set of 44 with my left side.

I also did Turbo Fire Tone 30 which is 30 minutes of full body toning using bands.

Monday 4/28 – 44 tricep kickbacks in plank.

These were challenging – to try and keep my body straight, hold plank with one arm and do 44 kickbacks with resistance!!! And, I had to do a 2nd set!!!

I did TaeBo Fat Blasting Cardio (another portable workout!!) and a nice easy 30 minute run (probably only 3 miles).

Tuesday 4/29 – 44 lateral raise with opposite side leg lift.

ready to raise right arm & lift the left leg

I love moves that work on balance!!! And, I try to stay balanced so I had another set of 44.

The rest of my workout was TaeBo Insane Abs (50 minutes of nonstop core work!) and a super easy 50 minute run (about 5 miles).

Wednesday 4/30 – 44 abdominal presses with the band.

This move will definitely get your core burning!!!

I just did a 75 minute easy run (7.5-8 miles).

Thursday 5/1 – 44 squat with bicep curl (band crossed for extra resistance).

Can you tell that I was all about multi-functional exercises for the week?

Since I was back home on my treadmill I decided to do a harder run – 10 miles in 79:54 + 1.5 miles easy.

Friday 5/2 – 44 overhead press with opposite leg stepping back to a lunge.

Another move that required a 2nd set!!!

This move was hard – gotta keep working my shoulders!!!

It was also a run day – 6 miles in 47:52 + 2.5 easy miles.

Saturday 5/3 – 44 sumo squat with a chest fly (standing).

ready - choke up on the band — ready – choke up on the band

Right arm done – time for the left!

Today was a fun running day – Hunter’s long run! He had 95 minutes on the schedule. We kept our 5 minute run/1 minute walk and ended up with 10 miles in 93:40!!! Even with the walking he is still averaging 9:22 a mile (the same pace he had last week when we did 9 miles!!). He is doing such a great job with his training for the half marathon!

Total Running – 41.5 + 4.5 easy for a total of 46. Not sure that is great since one week from today I plan to run further at one time than I went all week – I think I’m ready though!

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

BOSU, Cardio, Fitness, Power Moves, Push-Ups, Running, Treadmill

Burpees, Burpees, Burpees 3/23-3/29

March 29, 2014 Kim 61 Comments

I usually mix up my 44s from one day to the next but this week I decided to make it all about the burpee!! (I don’t know what I was thinking!!!)

Sunday 3/23 – 44 side burpees. First off, this one was actually 88 total burpees – crazy!!! Instead of jumping back, I jumped out to the side – push-up – jumped back in then repeated to the other side and counted that as 1 rep.

You can tell in the video that the side push-up is just a bit different – my hands are more staggered and I sort of went down to one side each time. This was NOT easy!!! It took me around 10 minutes to finish all my reps because I had to have some breaks!!!

Monday 3/24 – 44 dead man burpees. This one is sort of fun but my chest was sore for days after this. When you go back, lay down on the ground and extend your arms to the sides – then push up from the ground.

This might have been my favorite move from the week.

I ran today – the plan was to get in at least one 20 mile run but that didn’t happen because my right calf has been giving me problems. Instead I ran 4 miles and walked another 4.3.

Tuesday 3/25 – 44 sumo burpees. Probably the “easiest” style of burpees I did all week. I think being in the sumo position and doing wide push-ups is a little easier!

For the #HappyFitMarch challenge today we were supposed to set a new PR for wall sit. I decided to make the wall sit extra “fun” and put wobble balls under my feet – 4:01.

I did a DVD that I haven’t in awhile – TaeBo Amped – Rockin’ Abs. This is about 45 minutes of cardio and it is geared to working your core. You use the “amplifier” –

Using this stick adds all kinds of intensity!

Wednesday 3/26 –44 decline burpees. These were HARD!!!! They might have been my least favorite from the week. Jumping my feet backwards onto the step was a little scary!!

The push-ups were not easy!

I did my Mash-Up Conditioning DVD that I won from Kim @ BusyBod and did 4 more of the Tempos (3, 4, 5 and 6). I have done all but Tempo 7 now. I like the format of the workout and I will like it more each time through. The first time was a bit of a challenge because you lose a little time trying to figure out what the move is supposed to be.

Thursday 3/27 – 44 medicine ball burpees. These were the only burpees all week that I took the push-up out! I did one push-up with my hands on the medicine ball and about busted my face!!!

So, technically, I guess these aren’t true burpees but I’m counting them for this week!!!

I did one of my favorite workouts – Turbo Fire – Fire 60 and Abs 10. Both of these are great workouts and I always have fun with Chalean and the rest of the Turbo Fire crew.

I also decided to try a run and see how my calf was doing. I ended up running 10 miles at a nice easy pace (8:30) and then did 1.2 miles cool down. Thankfully running slower didn’t really aggravate my calf!!!

Friday 3/28 – 44 side plank burpees. Jump back – side plank – push-up – side plank other side – push-up – jump in and jump up – repeat.

These were nice because they had to be a little slower than a standard burpee in order to get the most out of the side planks. But, I had to do 88 push-ups to complete all 44 reps!!!

My workout was nice and easy – 2 Pilates DVDs – Fat Burning Pilates and Burn & Firm Pilates. I don’t do Pilates often but it really is a nice change of pace!

Saturday 3/29 – 44 BOSU squat jump burpees. For my 7th day of burpees I wanted to do a good one. I came up with a fun move using my favorite piece of equipment (besides my treadmill, of course) –

The move was to jump off the BOSU – jump back and do a push-up with hands on the BOSU (this was a challenge for me since it was more of a tricep push-up) – jump in – jump onto BOSU – do a squat jump and stick it – repeat!

Fun times!!!!

And, I ran today because we were supposed to do a mile for #HappyFitMarch and compare it to the previous Saturdays. I did a total of 5 miles –

My final mile was 6:12 which isn’t my fastest but I didn’t want to push too hard today because speeding up I could feel my calf pulling again.

Overall, even with my calf not cooperating, it was a great week. Lots of burpees – 7 days, 7 different kinds – 352 total burpees!!!!

And, I’m almost to my March goal of 150 miles!!! 2 more days should definitely put me over!!!

What’s your favorite way to burpee?

Happy Saturday!!!

Kim

Back, Fitness, Lunges, Shoulders

The Marathon from a Spectator’s Point of View

February 24, 2014 Kim 74 Comments

Today’s 44 was another multi-move exercise!!! I started in a lunge –

Staying in a partial lunge the entire time, I did a row –

and then I opened to a fly.

After completing 44 with my right arm, I had to switch and do 44 more with my left arm.

I used an 8 pound dumbbell which was a challenging weight by the end!!!

I decided to do another forgotten DVD today – TaeBo Amped – Express Sculpt. The amped workouts use this cool stick or “amplifier” –

The amplifier can be used in the shortened form or extended to look like this –

This workout was 45 minutes and it isn’t very cardio heavy (not like most TaeBo workouts) but using the amplifier is a great way to really make your shoulders burn!!

Yesterday I was in Ft. Worth, TX to watch my sister-in-law, Stacy, run her first marathon.

Start – Between the half, full and ultra which all started at the same time, there were about 30,000 runners and all I can say is – WOW!!! The start was actually pretty well organized with 8 corrals. I was in a great position right at the corner for the first turn (about 100 m in).

Stacy and her running partner in matching orange tops

So, Stacy and her running partner, Anna are looking fresh and ready for the race here.

After the start, I coordinated with Sam (Stacy’s husband/my brother) and he picked me up so that we could get to our first view point.

Mile 4 – the runners were still in one huge pack at this point and it was hard to pick out Stacy but we did see her!!

Mile 4 - stopping to say hi to Hays & Isabel — Mile 4 – stopping to say hi to Hays & Isabel

I think that it was a nice place to stop for a second since they were half-way up a long hill!!! Both Stacy and Anna were still smiling at this point – all good!!

From here, we had to figure out our next view point (and feed the kids!!). Getting from place to place was a challenge since so many roads were blocked off.

Mile 10 – this was the point where the half marathon runners were being directed to stay to the right and it was still very crowded. This time, I managed a picture before they got all the way to us!

Anna had enough of the long sleeves so she handed her shirt over to me when they passed.

After we cheered for them and many others, we let the kids explore the water gardens for a bit and then headed to our next view point.

Mile 15.8 – This was a fun wait!! There were some other people cheering for runners and we had a great time yelling for people. Hays and Isabel decided to encourage runners here.

This might have been the first time I cried during the day – it was so amazing to watch the runners switch over so that they could give the kids “5.” Stacy and Anna were still running strong and seemed to be doing well when we saw them.

One lady had a huge fan group here and when she came into sight and saw them she did a cartwheel – awesome!!! I watched another lady stop and hug her baby before continuing on – so many emotions watching all these runners!

Mile 20 – I think that mile 20 was my favorite spot!! (and sadly, the only one where I didn’t take any pictures) We were at this spot for close to 30 minutes and I had a great time cheering for all the runners. At this point, they either looked really strong or completely over the whole thing!

The funny thing about getting to watch and cheer – so many people said thanks for coming out and encouraging them – I don’t think they realized how incredible the experience was for me as a spectator!!!

Mile 26 – Sam, Hays and Isabel found a view point so that they could see Stacy cross the finish line but I went further out. I was close to the 26 mile point (so they still had to run those long last 0.2 miles) and make one final turn.

I think I was here for over 45 minutes and this was by far the most emotional part of the entire day for me. Watching so many runners realize how close they were to completing the marathon – for some their first and for others one of many – but all were happy!!

I saw runners crying, spectators running with them. Some runners were jubilant and others were just gutting out that last little bit but all had one thing in common – they were marathoners!

Tired but excited and so close to completing their very first marathon!!!

I didn’t see them actually cross the line but I heard the announcer as he read their names!!!

WooHoo!!! Watching the race was an awesome experience and I’m so happy for Stacy (and Anna).

I wasn’t totally prepared for the emotional experience that it would be for me. I always thought that I was OK with not actually racing a marathon – now I’m not so sure.

Congrats, Stacy! I'm so proud of you!!! — Congrats, Stacy! I’m so proud of you!!!

By the time I got home last night I was completely exhausted and felt like I had crammed at least a week into Saturday and Sunday but I would do it all again!!!

Do you get emotional as a spectator at a race?

Happy Monday!!

Kim

Butt, Core, Fitness, Hamstrings

Dallas Buyers Club and The Biggest Loser

February 19, 2014 Kim 80 Comments

Today’s 44 really worked my hamstrings!!! I did a single leg dead lift (starting with the right leg) followed by a right kick. About the time my right leg was jelly, I switched to the left for a second set of 44!!

Yikes – I should have sucked in my stomach during this move – oops!! I used 15 pound dumbbells for this move and I know that I will feel this in my hamstrings and butt later!!

Still trying to juggle Michelle Bridges with other workouts. I’m pulling out parts of some of the daily MB workouts to do in addition to other workouts and that is working well for me. Today I did TaeBo – Extremely Ripped. This is 60 minutes of fast pace TaeBo with weights for the 2nd half!!! I started with 8 pound weights but because of the fast pace had to drop down to 5s!!

The other day Chris and I watched this movie. It wasn’t at all what either one of us were expecting!!! I truly thought the premise of the movie was gambling – WRONG!!!

The basic premise is that Matthew McConaughey’s character has AIDS. He is given 30 days to live – goes to Mexico finds a DR that is using medicine that hasn’t been FDA approved yet and 3 months later has improved. He sneaks the drugs in and instead of selling the drugs/vitamins he sells monthly “memberships” to the Dallas Buyers Club with access to unlimited meds.

Beyond the movie itself, I think what really got me was the drastic weight loss that McConaughey underwent for this role. Depending on what source you read he lost approximately 38 pounds and went from being fit to a skeleton.

He is about 5’11” -6′ (again depending on the source) and went from 170ish pounds down closer to 130 for this movie.

Actually, several of the actors in this movie underwent drastic weight loss to play their roles.

Here is my problem – actors do this kind of extreme weight loss (or weight gain) for roles fairly often and aren’t criticized by the media. In fact, often they are praised and rewarded by nominations for awards.

However, for 2 weeks now, Rachel from the Biggest Loser has been blasted by the media for her weight loss. Whether she lost too much or not isn’t up to me to judge – I think that she played a game (because that is what The Biggest Loser really is all about) to win and she did just that.

I don’t think she looks any worse than McConaughey and he lost the weight much quicker than she did!!

I guess my whole point is that the extreme weight loss happens in lots of areas and while I don’t think it is ever healthy, I don’t understand why in one case the person is overly criticized and in the other case they are praised.

Have you seen The Dallas Buyers Club?
Do you think that it is more acceptable when actors go through extreme weight changes (very quickly) to play a role than when other people do the same thing?

Happy Wednesday!!

Kim

Day With KT