Winter Shape Up 2016: Week 3

We’re halfway there! Keep up the amazing work. <3 If you’re just now joining in the fun, welcome (!), and check out the intro post for all of the details. 

Before we keep this party going, a special “thank you” to our wonderful sponsors:

Cabot | Sabra | Sizzlefish | Pure Canadian Maple Syrup | Daily Harvest | Gluten Free Chex | Crunch Live (use code WSU30 to get a free 30-day trial. After 30 days it will roll over to a membership at $9.99, but can be canceled at any time)

This week’s featured sponsor is Chex! I’m pretty particular about the types of cereal I’ll buy for my family, and Chex is one of the ones I love because the ingredients are simple. Not only do we love it in the classic sense (with milk in a bowl for the Liv, with almond milk in a mug for me) but I also love using it in cooking. Chex mix is always a hit, and it’s an awesome crispy coating for baked chicken and fish. I have a savory Chex recipe headed your way this week!

Our friends at Chex offered this awesome $100 Chex prize pack for a lucky Shape Up-er:

-3 boxes of Rice Chex

-Chex T-shirt, Chex travel tumbler

-$75 Visa gift card

Be sure to enter each day this week in the comments below! 🙂

Here’s what week 3 looks like for workouts:

As always, shuffle around as needed to accommodate your personal needs and schedule. If you need help, let me know! As always, check with a doc before making any fitness changes. Honor your body and modify as needed.

Links and cardio guidelines:

HIIT15= Go for 1 minute HARD, 1 minute slow, for 6 minutes total. Go 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds recovery for 6 minute total. 2 minutes, AS FAST AS YOU CAN, 1 minute recovery. Cool down and stretch. (If you are a beginner, you can always do steady state cardio instead!)

Steady state= 30 minutes of easy to moderate steady state cardio on a mode of your choice. You can also take a cardio class you love!

Total body barre

Speed block: start off at a steady, moderate pace and incline, and maintain for 5 minutes to warm up. Increase your speed slightly, and hold for the next 5 minutes. Increase your speed again and hold for 5 minutes. Increase your speed again, and hold for the next 5 minutes. Now, SPRINT your heart out for 30 seconds. Recover for 1:30. Next, spend the next 2 minutes working up to your sprint speed. Sprint for 30 seconds. Recover, cool down and stretch. 

Hard Core Court  <— I tried this one this weekend and LOVED it

And Workout #3!

Here are all of the moves, with form cues, challenge options and modifications:

Squat press: start in a low squat, holding a pair of dumbbells, chest lifted and weight in your heels. As you exhale to rise, bring the weights up to your shoulders. Take an inhale, and exhale to press up over head. If you’re avoiding overhead movements, upright rows or shoulder raises are a good substitute. 

Bent-over fly: (in the graphic above, I put wide row; you can do either!) start with your feet under your hips, slight bend in your knees and hinge forward, holding the weights in front of you. As you exhale, keep a slight bend in the elbows and bring the weights up. Don’t let the weights go above your shoulders. 

Push-ups: start with your hands outside your shoulders and press down through your entire hand. You can do these on your knees or toes, just make sure to keep your hips in line with your torso and exhale as you press up. Modify with wall push-ups, and for an advanced version, try lifting one leg slightly off the floor for each set

Burpees: as you perform your burpee, walk or jump out to plank. The push-up is optional. If you’d like to keep it low-impact, avoid jumping at the end of each rep. For a challenge option, do a tuck jump 🙂

Lunge with arm variations: for your lunge setup, make sure your feet are hip distance apart, and think about sinking down instead of forward as you lunge. Watch the front knee to make sure it doesn’t extend past your toes. For your triceps extension, keep your elbows hugging in towards your face (instead of poking out to the sides). Keep your chest lifted, and aim for full range of motion: full flexion and full extension. The same goes for the biceps curl: keep your arms close to your body, and really squeeze your biceps as you curl. 

Squat jumps: come into a squat (weight in your heels, chest lifted, core tight) and exhale to spring off the floor. To modify, eliminate the jump and simply reach overhead. As you land, come down with a soft knee.

Hip raise: start on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place a dumbbell at your hips and hold onto each end. As you exhale, squeeze your glutes to peel your hips off the floor. Keep your upper back pressing into the floor or your mat. Inhale to lower down without touching the floor and repeat. 

Plank with leg raise: come into a plank, either on your knees or toes. Make sure your neck is long and your hips are in line with your torso. Place one foot out behind you and squeeze your glutes to lift it off the ground. Try to keep both hips pressing down and parallel to the floor. Pulse the lifted leg 15 times before lowering down to repeat on the opposite side.

Mountain climbers: start in a plank position. Bring one knee in towards your chest, and jump or walk it back to starting position before repeating on the opposite side. Move quickly, or slow and controlled; your choice!

Are you ready to hit it hard this week?!

Comment below each day when you complete your workout to enter this week’s Chex gift box! Also, we love seeing your sweaty beautiful faces @fitnessista @fannetasticfood #wintershapeup

Let’s gooooooooo! See ya later today with some weekend adventures.

xoxo

Gina