I have been surprisingly sporadic with my runs in the last
couple of months- I am blaming it on the cold weather with its wind-chill and
lack of a good running crew to stay motivated. The fact that I didn’t really have a race in
mind to train for didn’t help. To
substitute for missing runs I was working out at home in the warmth of my
basement that I like to call “my fitness hub”( it has all the basic equipment I
need to have a full body workout.) I
have been doing body weight workouts for a while now and found it to be
extremely rewarding- I mix and match my routines often to make it more exciting
and challenging. After some time, I came to a conclusion that one can have a
solid full body workout in only 30 minutes a day. Taking into consideration the
fact that are all busy people these days,
juggling household chores, parental responsibilities and other personal
commitments and errands , half an hour sounds like a pretty reasonable amount
of time to allocate daily for a sweat session.
For best results I recommend trying Tabata method. Developed for a
Japanese Olympians in the 70’s, Tabata method is a type of high intensity interval
training (HIIT) where you go for as hard as you can for 20 sec. and rest for 10 sec. Doing so can increase your aerobic capacity,
anaerobic capacity, VO2 max, resting metabolic rate, and can help you burn more fat
than a traditional 60-minute aerobic workout done at a slower
pace. There
are 8 30sec sets altogether. It can be performed anywhere and be comprised of
any exercises- many people choose cardio drills (alternating sprints with
jogging). It takes around 4min to
complete one Tabata. Start with one (1) and build your way to eight (8) Tabatas
(approximately 30min). I came up with my
own routine that I would like to share with you. The following will work your whole body: core,
legs, chest, back and arms.
I use TabataTimer App. for iphone but you can use a watch.
I use TabataTimer App. for iphone but you can use a watch.
Warm-up:
1 Tabata (20 sec on- 10 sec off) x 8 times
Workout:
1 Tabata
2.
Split squat jump (jump lunges) http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/split-squat-jump-continuous-alternating.html
3.
Bicycle crunches http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/rotational-bicycle-crunch.html
4.
Palms to elbows plank alterations http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3U_e5Zu9T8
(the video is quite funnyJ)
5.
Russian twist (add a medicine ball/dumbbell and keep your feet off the floor for added
challenge- I use 10lbs med.ball) http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/russian-twist.html
7.
Push-ups ( classic, V, diamond-any kind you
want) http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/push-up1.html
8.
Superman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc6UVRS7PW4
Repeat this circuit of 8 exercises 5-8 times a few times a
week. Remember to push as hard as you can for 20 sec.!!
I will be posting more workouts that have been tested and
tried by yours truly in my next blog entries! If you have any questions-get in
touch!
