Burpee to Pull Up [Video]
22 Fri, 2011 § 6 Comments
One of my new, favorite moves.
Though the jump gives you some help with the pull up, this is still exhausting.
I like my burpees to be more dynamic than this & have a little more “pop” from the push up into the squat. I also want to work on jumping from the squat into the pull up more quickly, rather than pausing to establish my footing. Dave recorded me doing 8 of these after my workout last Sunday, so I am going to blame the lack of “oomph” on fatigue. 😉
Every day we push ourselves we get stronger, right?!
I like to do 3 sets of 10, which is fatiguing. Even more fatiguing is doing these as intervals like below.
Tuesday Morning HIIT
- Burpee to Pull Up : 10 sec rest; 30 sec max – 6 rounds = 4 minutes
- Hamstring Curls on yoga ball: 30 sec; 10 sec “rest” SWITCH TO Ball Pikes: 30 seconds – continue alternating 6 rounds = 3 xs each = 4 minutes
- Side Lying One-Arm Tricep Press Ups: 20 sec alternating each arm, no rests – 6 rounds = 6 xs each side = 4 minutes
- Hanging Knee Raises: 20 sec then Mt Climbers: 20 sec (no rests) – 6 rounds = 6 xs each = 4 minutes.
What I Ate, Wednesday [Post]
13 Wed, 2011 § 4 Comments
Technically, this is “What I Ate” Tuesday.
My blogging preference is specific highlighted meals, recipes, thoughts & foods…rather than a run-down of a daily menu; a friend coaxed me into sharing a day’s worth of my eats though, so here you have it!
After an early morning HIIT workout, Dave treated me to another one of his amazing recovery drinks.
Hemp & Pumpkin Spiced Latte Smoothie
Interested in my short, intense workout?
It was a good one.
Each exercise or set equals 4 minutes before moving on to the next.
- Scorpion Flips – 50 seconds max effort; 10 seconds rest (4 rounds)
Alternate between the following two exercises for 4 minutes with no rests, (6 rounds total):
- Chatarunga plus alternate lifting each leg [20 seconds]
- (Without using arms, roll onto back)
- Alternating One-Leg Toe Touches [20 seconds]
- Skater Lunges – 50 seconds max effort; 10 seconds rest (2 rounds each side, 4 rounds total)
- One-Arm Side-Lying Tricep Press Ups [alternate doing 20 seconds each arm, no rests, 6 rounds — meaning each arm gets worked 6 times]
A couple hours later,
Kamut Berry Salad with flax seed oil, sea salt & a splash of champagne vinegar
curbed morning hunger.
I packed lime-squeezed jicama slices along with a little leftover sauteed escarole with caramelized shallots, chickpeas & currants, piled over mixed greens for a mid-day snack.
This was pretty light, so it was shortly followed by
two pieces of toasted millet bread alongside roasted red beets from our CSA drizzled in balsamic & just a touch of honey.
I keep a water bottle with me at all times — except when I lose one, which I am infamous for doing — & try to stay hydrated; most days, all I drink is water, maybe tea. Yesterday I only did so-so & should have refilled this guy a couple more times. Good thing Natalie posted some tips!
To refuel after my jog to the climbing gym after work,
I enjoyed a local orange while I waited outside on the bench for Dave.
The cool, fresh air felt nice,
as did bouldering.
Post-climbing, I snacked on a lemon zest Luna bar, with chalky hands & all.
Luna bars were on a great sale & are like a treat for me sometimes, but most flavors are too sweet. They are a better option than many bars, but I don’t like that they are processed & use evaporated cane juice. I would like to find or make a better, whole-food alternative. Any suggestions? (other than Lara bars)
For dinner, we made Serrano Pepper & Shallot Fajitas on Ezekiel tortillas.
Portobellos & cashew cheese for me; steak cooked in red wine with fresh mozzarella for Dave.
Oh ~ & a small piece of homemade “raw” chocolate before bed…because I can. 😉
I told you, I like to eat often; I feel best when I eat a lot of small “meals” throughout the day.
Though my favorite blogs aren’t the “here is what I ate”-variety, sometimes it is fun to see what other active, health-minded people eat throughout the day & snag an idea or two — so let me know if you share your own “What I Ate” Wednesday post!
We Enjoy the Silliness
23 Wed, 2011 § 6 Comments
Even with anticipated work stress, you know it’s going to be an ok day when by 8AM you have already cracked up – in a good way.
Dave & I played “Man vs Wild Snow & Traffic” on the bus yesterday. Actually, Dave played, & I lost it. I am fairly obsessed with Bear Grylls & “Man vs Wild”. If you do not know what I am talking about, stop now & go enlighten yourself. Bear Grills is a bad ass, intelligent – he even usually uses “literally” correctly – & he has an English accent. 😉 Enough said.
[source]
It all started because overnight, the snow & ice made the roads in Flagstaff quite “slippy” this morning. [Bear always says slippy instead of slippery.] From our seats on the bus, we watched cars slide off the road & instructed each other on “proper technique” for maintaining traction & traversing “slippy” slopes & cautioned how “a good friend, only a few years ago, had lost his footing on a slope much like this & slid all the way to the bottom. He suffered numerous injuries & barely survived.” Dave marveled over the “traditions of the locals” & the lengths people are willing to go to attach a pair of sticks to their feet to slide down a hill. You have to do this all in an English accent or it’s not as funny. 😉 I know; we’re dorks. I like it this way. I like that we can be silly. Laughing is the only way to start your day.
Maybe you’re not as amused – though I can’t imagine why not – so here are some workout options I’ve done lately if you’d rather just sweat:
Playground Workout ~ HIIT ~ 4 minutes each exercise = 6 rounds each: 10 seconds rest; 30 seconds max effort
- Ninja Jump Tucks
- Chin Ups
- Surfers
- One-Arm Side Lying Tricep Press Ups
Balanced ~ full-bodied HIIT ~ 4 minutes each exercise = 6 rounds each: 10 seconds rest; 30 seconds max effort
- Scorpion Flips 5 – 6 – 6 – 5 – 6 – 6
- Skater Lunges (L, R) 13 – 14 – 15 – 15 – 15 – 15
- Pull Ups (rounds 1, 2, 4, 5 pull ups; rounds 3, 6 chin ups) 9 – 7 – 7 – 6 – 9 – 7
- Mountain Climbers 37 – 36 – 31 – 31 – 32 – 34
Breathing Ladders ~ Remember these?
- 12# medicine ball swings 1:10:1 = 22:30 minutes
~
I tried to ride my morning high, but so many things wore me down yesterday. By the time I got home, I did not want to turn my computer on, leave the house or do anything but sit with Dave & talk, play with Eisley & finally relax.
Just before 6:00 this morning, we saw a huge herd of elk right outside our gym though; so I am optimistic today will be a good day.
~
How silly can you be with your spouse/partner?
Hold & Explode!
19 Sat, 2011 § 4 Comments
“Get lower!”
“Explode!”
“Tight core!”
“Watch your form!”
“Good throw!”
“Keep moving — faster!”
Partner moves are great because you can push each other — plus you always want your part to be over. This move was no different. As the sets progressed, we did not want to hold the squat any longer than necessary; as our muscles fatigued, an explosive burpee became nearly impossible.
We liked this so much, we had to share it with you! Even if other people have done this, I am giving Dave major credit for an awesome move.
~
Ball Throw Burpees
Allie: begin in squat with legs at 90*, holding medicine ball in front of chest.
Dave: do a burpee, jumping/returning into a squat position:
[burpee: squat & bring hands to ground – jump feet back into a plank position – do a push up, exploding as you push up, popping into the squat position.]
Allie: throw the ball to Dave as he lands in the squat.
Dave: catch the ball
& stay in squat.
Allie: burpee,
[try to keep your head in line; my form is not great here]
jump back into squat position.
Dave: throw the ball.
Allie: catch the ball.
Continue alternating moves between partners for duration of time or reps.
Your quads will hate love you.
Thursday morning we met a couple people at the gym & did a group workout:
- 4 rounds: 10 x ball throw burpees each person followed by 15 x these each side
- 4 rounds of a partner switch up: one person did 10 x 45* lean-back medicine ball throws while the other person did weighed quick steps as quickly as possible while holding a medicine ball in front of his/her chest
- 3 rounds: triangle presses [side bend, works obliques] followed by pull ups [I did 5]
- we finished up with another set of pull ups & Dave’s crazy “windshield wipers” — which is another exercise we should just show you
~
I hope it was worth the wait, because last night I did not feel like changing into workout clothes & sweating to burpees, just to get dressed again.
There was pizza waiting after all!
So we got up bright & early to show you our burpees before hitting the crag in Jack’s [a.k.a. rock climbing in Jack’s Canyon].
Hope you are enjoying an active weekend as well!
Love ~ Sweat & Waffles
14 Mon, 2011 § 4 Comments
A Valentine’s Day post could go a couple different routes. Should I talk about love, candy. all the fluff? [Which are all fun of course.] Let’s start with my heart —
not the froo-froo stuff though — sorry.
Instead, here’s how it got pumping yesterday.
HIIT
6 rounds = 4 minutes each exercise: 10 seconds rest; 30 second maximum effort intervals
- Bench Dips
- Low Lateral Skaters *see below
- Hanging Knee Raises
- Alternating Fly Push Ups
I forgot my list with my reps, so I will add these later today.
*Stand with your feet wide apart – toes & knees pointing slightly outward — & squat down pushing your hips back. Try to get your thighs parallel to the ground. Shift your weight to one leg & lift the other leg out to the side & extend it so it is horizontal to the ground. With control, lower your leg & shift your weight to this side & repeat, lifting the other other leg, keeping your feet wide. Remember to keep your chest up, back straight & core tight.
- I finished with a mile run, increasing my speed every quarter mile for the first half then for the second half about every 0.1 mile…or sooner because I just wanted to be done & knew the sooner I reached 1 mile, the sooner I could have breakfast — oh you’ll see — & the sooner I would be bouldering with Dave. [speed range 7 – 10.5]
Dave followed his weight session with a little, ole 5K…just because.
Today’s morning workout was more about maintenance & loving on two small muscle groups I use a lot but often neglect:
Rotator Cuff Muscles [namely infraspinatus & supraspinatus] & Forearms
For specific strength training I stick to a muscle injury/prevention exercise protocol, which includes 3 set of 10 reps, reaching fatigue by the end of set 3.
~
On to said breakfast my tummy [& heart] completely fell for.
Most of you seem to have pancake days; me, I am more of a waffle gal. I think we should just go ahead & put waffles in my favorite foods list.
Crisp on the outside, soft in the middle & full of blueberry & banana, these turned out so perfectly Saturday I was glad I had extra for a Sunday batch.
Even more delicious because they were enjoyed on the picnic tables just outside our front door. Weirdos that we are, Dave & I infuse each bite of breakfast with fresh air. Mmm. You should try it.
You should also try kamut flour if you have not yet. I have never been able to get my hand on it until now. If this recipe is an accurate indication of what I can expect when cooking with kamut, add it to my list of preferred flours. Delicate & light, this filled me up without leaving me heavy — crucial for a climbing day — which a lot of other wheats have a tendency to do.
I topped my waffle triangles with maple-tahini, which is just what it sounds like: maple syrup stirred into tahini. Sesame seeds are a great source of calcium, so I try to incorporate sesame into my diet often.
Banana-Blueberry Waffles with Hemp Seeds
[vegan] ~ makes 4 medium waffles
- 1 C kamut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 T hemp seeds
- 1 banana, mashed fairly smooth
- 1 C fresh almond milk
- 3 T coconut oil, melted
- ~1/4 C blueberries
Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in blueberries. Spoon [~1/4 C ??] into a preheated waffle iron & cook to perfection, or until the light switches, ~3 minutes.
Disclaimer: I did not need to oil my waffle iron, which I never need to do; I am not sure if my iron just rocks or if the oil in the batter deserves credit. I cannot be held responsible for any sticking/mess that occurs by following my non-greasing instructions. 😉
I wanted a really lovely photo showcasing the b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. weather while bouldering this weekend both in Sedona & at the Draw, but I let myself get caught up in simply enjoying myself.
I hope you got caught up in your own weekend!
Happy Valentine’s Day! — especially you Dave…see you at home. 😉
~
Were you blessed with the same 50*/60* weather?
Have you ever cooked with kamut flour?
Do you have Vday plans? Even if you are flying solo, make today special & do something loving for yourself or a close friend!