Fitness & Feline Friday: Sun Core

☼Sun☼ Rise, Slim Set!

This ☼sunny☼, sweaty ☼summer☼ series continues with our midsection …

Hello Kitty belly button bling ring

… because we want to rock out our abs on the beach …

½ my ♥

… or poolside!

The other ½ ☺

Core Combination

• Standing Knee Raises (lower abs): standing hip-width apart, draw knees up one at a time while bringing bent arms down toward chest ~ 3×20 for each leg
• Plank Side Bends (obliques): leaning on one elbow at a time with feet stacked, bend and press your hips ~ 3×20 for each side
• Side Plank Turns (obliques): leaning on one palm at a time with feet stacked, twist to side plank one side at a time for 10 seconds each ~ 3×5 for each side
• Reverse Plank Dips (core & tris): with palms of hands & heels on the mat/flat surface, pop pelvis upward while bending arms ~ 3×20
• Double Leg Raises (lower abs & back): while laying down, lift both legs up slowly and with control ~ 3×20 alternating sets with legs together and apart

Next up, we’ll hit our lower bod!

Workout Wednesday: Prayer Pose

Maligayang Bati. Mami Aya! * HBD, Nurse Nanay! 

In spirit of the recent Church💒 Sacraments (including my students’ First Communion and Confirmation), how about we put prayer into practice in our workout routines? 

I propose the 🙏Prayer Pose: place palms together in front of your chest, with your elbows bent at 45*

Here are lower bod and midsection moves that you can do in Prayer Pose (as opposed yet similar to Tree🌳 Pose) while standing and maintaining your balance …
During each rep, say something that you’re grateful for👏 (THANKSgiving prayers) or say a full☝️ prayer during a set✌️
3 sets of 12-15 reps
🙏Squats (as opposed to Prisoner👮 Position with hands behind your head): alternate stances between sets ~ wide/plié • narrow • shoulder width ~ drop low [legs]
🙏Lunges (as opposed to Warrior⛺️ yoga🌅 poses): extend one leg in front of you with knee bent at 90* and stretch other leg straight behind you then drop it down
🙏Calf Raises: alternate toe-point directions between sets ~ facing each other • facing forward • facing outward ~ start on tippy toes than lower to balls of feet👣 (calves)
🙏Abductors: with both legs together and toes facing forward, raise one leg outward to hip level; repeat on the other side after each set [inner thighs]
🙏Extensions: with both legs together and toes facing forward, raise one leg forward to hip level; repeat on the other side after each set [quadriceps]
🙏Elevated Curls: with both legs together and toes facing forward, raise one leg backward while bending the knee at 90*; repeat on the other side after each set [hamstrings]
🙏Bun Press: with both legs together and toes facing forward, raise one leg straight backward; repeat on the other side after each set [glutes]
🙏Knee Raises: draw one knee at a time up toward your chest [legs and core]
🙏Trunk Twists: turn your torso to the left, then to the right for one rep [core]

More bonus🌠 moves while laying on a clean, flat surface …

🙏Pray-Ups (as opposed to Pistol🔫 Pose): on your back, with palms together in prayer pose and legs extended straight out, tuck tummy in while bringing arms and legs together [core]

🙏Laying Curls: on your belly, with palms together in prayer pose and knees bent, curl legs behind you [hams]

And another 1 …

🙏Pray Raise (as opposed to Pistol🔫 Pose): either standing or sitting, lift arms up in prayer [chest]

Workout Wednesday: Double Dip, DON’T Trip + Tips

Let’s do double leg raises!

These will work out not just our legs and lower back, but also our hip flexors as we twist …

We’ll get creative by making shapes.

As we’re laying down, we’ll do the following sequence of 10 per set:

• Legs together
• Spiral/tornado up then down
• Scissor legs ~ spread out then bring back together
• Draw ♥hearts♥ for Belated ♥Valentine’s♥ Day
• Draw four-leaf ♣clovers♣ for Early ♣St. Patrick’s♣ Day

♣St. Pat’s♣ Cat inspiration: Soon-to-Be Bday Girl *ASIA* (in almost 2wks) is chillaxin’ w/♣Good Luck♣ Care Bears ~ we can reward ourselves w/R&R after we work out our legs & core to score! #DISPObustAFlow

Extra guidelines from XHIT expert Rebecca Louise:

• Eat a banana to prevent cramps from strenuous activity
• Squat while you brush your teeth!

Workout Wednesday: Midweek Midsection Edition ~ Fab Abs

My gym rat cat and I have been going hard core on our core! Here are a few moves that he got me into that I still could feel three days later! Of course, abs are where it’s at, as well as lower back, to stabilize and balance our svelte bods!

• Ab Day #1
  Oblique Twists 
• Leg Lifts 

3 x 20

 

• Ab Day #2
  {6″ above ground}
• Flutter Kicks 
• Hello Dolly (thighs)
• Leg Lifts

Cadence: 1-2-3-1 … 1-2-3-2 …
1st set: 15 each move, recovery in b/t
2nd set: 10 each move, straight thru

Wayback Wednesday: When I had tight abs … Can I get a baby back?

Workout Wednesday: 1K Double A

Arms and abs are where it’s at!

Actually, more like upper bod ~ arms, shoulders, chest and back ~ plus core ~ abs and lower back ~ to be exact! So, make that haste and blast your bod from shoulders to waist!

Upper Bod

Resistance: pair light dumbbells or water bottles (1 in each hand) for minimal weight during series of reps in these 10 sets

100 W Curls (Biceps) ~ front (1 rep), 45* (1 rep), 90* (1 rep)
100 Tricep Extensions & Presses (alternate 2×25 each)
100 Shoulder Raises
100 Chest Flys & Presses (alternate 2×25 each)
100 Back Lateral Raises & Rows (alternate 2×25 each)

Core

Resistance: light plate or textbook

100 Oblique Twists ~ standing while holding resistance
100 Bridge Presses ~ laying while raising hips with resistance on tummy

{No weights for remaining series}

100 V-ups ~ hands & legs extended to start then bring together
100 Bicycle Crunches ~ alternate elbows & knees together
100 Side Planks Rainbows ~ full version on hands and feet OR modified on elbows and knees while dropping and lifting hips to the side (alternate 2×25 each)

From my Double A to yours, let’s make it a great Workout Wednesday!!!

Eggcellent Eggsercise for Workout Wednesday: 2014 for Your Core ~ Eggsactly What We Need Before Chocolate Easter Bunnies!

Let’s hear it for Midweek Midsection!!!

That’s what I call Wednesday, but I prefer to train my core every time I work out. After all, our abs and lower back must be in shape to maintain balance for the whole body.

I know that these moves work because I have fab ~ as opposed to flab ~ flat abs  and a smaller waist when I do them consistently!

Wayback Wednesday: Flat Fab Abs

You’ll start out on your feet with standing exercises (1-4), then get down and lay your back on the mat (5-10), then wrap up by going on all fours and finishing in plank (11-14).

2014 for Your Core (20s or 20x for 14)

1. Knee Raises: lift knees up while leaning torso forward to curl abs; arm raises optional for more effect (20x)
2. Right Elbow to Knees: in wide stance and slight squat with hands behind your head, tip right elbow down to right knee (20x)
3. Left Elbow to Knees: in wide stance and slight squat with hands behind your head, tip left elbow down to left knee (20x)
4. Knee-to-Elbow Twist: with feet on the ground and hands behind your head, raise your knees to opposite elbows (20x)
—
5. Single Leg Lifts: with back on the mat and arms relaxed, lift one leg at a time to a 90* angle and lower with control (20x, alternating legs)
6. Double Leg Lifts: same as #5, lift both at the same time (20x)
7. Leg Circles: lift both legs slightly off the ground and make circles with each leg at the same time (20x); bonus set optional in opposite direction
8. Texas Tornado: lift both legs and keep them together while making figure 8s up (1 rep) and down (1 rep) (20x)
9. V-Ups/Star Abs: spread legs and arms, then raise all limbs at the same time to curl the abs
10. Bicycle/Criss-Cross Crunches (laying version of Knee-to-Elbow Twist): with feet on the ground and hands behind your head, raise your knees to opposite elbows (20x)
—
11. Mountain Climbers: on to plank while drawing our knees to opposite elbows in running motion (20x per leg, both sides = 1 rep)
12. Bird Dog: extend opposite arm and opposite leg (20s each pair)
13. Tip Hips: back to plank, tip each hip to the ground (20x per leg, both sides = 1 rep)
14. Full Plank: finish this series by placing your hands flat on the ground, as well as toes, keeping back straight and chest level (hold for 20s); get into Child’s Pose stretch while on your knees and arms extended on the floor to reward yourself

Here are my previous routines for this 2014 series:

• Study Pump-up the Jam Session
• Post-April Fools’ Prank Plank & HIIT
• Pre-Easter Thank GOD Stretches

Coming up next…

• Upper-Bod
• Lovely Legs

How about we go Beast Mode for our bodies and Feast Mode for our souls during this Holy Week? Can I hear an AMEN!