HIIT and Hip Hop
Heyyyyy 😀 How are ya? It was very interesting to read about the crazy fitness fads ya’ll have tried. I’ve definitely been around the block myself. It was the first I’ve heard of the cabbage soup diet though… just thinking about it makes my stomach churn.
Today has been busy but a lot of fun 🙂
I met a friend for tea and a chat at Bizzle and and then came home for lunch- a single-sized serving of Sophie’s Chopped Salad.
-1/3 C kidney beans
-1/3 C garbanzos
-6 kalamata olives
-handful of grape tomatoes
-Romaine
-Goat gouda
-Cilantro
+ a dressing made of Dijon, olive oil, rice vinegar, sea salt, cayenne and Garlic Gold
With kamut and nooch:
(There are PEAS on our paper towels… reminds me of a certain someone!)
I ran some errands and then met Jeni at Main Squeeze for an afternoon juice.
A *Cullen* juice with carrots, apple, beet and ginger 😀
When workout time came around, I did the HIIT 25 TurboFire workout and it was AMAZEBALLS. For this workout, you do 4 1-minute high intensity interval drills, two times on each drill with a minute of rest in between. HIIT is an awesome way to burn a crazy amount of calories in a short amount of time, since you go balls to the wall, recover and repeat. For a great article on HIIT, check out *this page*.
I was drenched in sweat after the 25-minute workout and thought that it would be fun to try a short Hip Hop Abs DVD for a cool down.
I couldn’t finish it.
I was laughing way too hard. It’s not that I was making fun of the workout kind of laughing, but laughing because Shaun T. is TOTALLY different in the HHA videos.
When I received the DVDs from a lovely reader, someone mentioned that Shaun T. has two different personalities: his Insanity personality and his Hip Hop Abs personality. I couldn’t agree more.
The DVD starts off with a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air-esque rap that Shaun T. himself sings and dances to (think “Yo, yo I’m Shaun T., Imma get you looking hot in yo jeans”) and he talks to the beat for the entire workout. Totally different from his drill sergeant yet motivational demeanor in the Insanity workouts.
I realized that I do the same thing, too. When I teach Zumba, it’s partyyyyyy time—I don’t talk much during Zumba unless I’m giving cues, but have a smile on my face the entire class. For spin and bootcamp, it’s totally different. My tough side comes out 😉
What do you look for in a fitness instructor? Does it depend on the type of class you’re taking??
I’m back to work and then meeting the girls for dinner since the pilot is flying (again).
xoxo,
Gina
Something to read:
Something to do: Send me a pic of a recent Indian Food feast if you’d like me to include it in tomorrow’s Indian Food Wednesday post 🙂
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If it’s a zumba instructor I want them to be the life of the party!!!! For spin or body pump I need them to encourage me. “Get you looking hot in those jeans” encouraging maybe. lol.
heee… I taught step aerobics in college, and I had awesome music but I YELLED ! 🙂
my students LOVED me, and called me body nazi. 🙂 Crazy fun…
Yeah The Cabbage Soup diet is pretty narley! that’s hilarious about Shaun T’s split personality! I really need to add Turbofire to my never-ending wish-list of fitness trends to try!!!!!
I am searching for a great Indian place near me…there are a few, but it can be risky eating out 😉
The most important things I want in an instructor are a sense of FUN and inspiration! Those, plus a good soundtrack 🙂 If I feel like I’m grooving to good music, I’ll work out so much better. And when the instructor can keep everyone in a class focused on doing their best the whole time, you really make the most of your time there instead of counting down the minutes.
🙂 I saw the ad for hip hop abs at the beg of my Insanity DVD….I wanna try it! I found some clips on youtube and it looks fun!
a fitness instructor has gotta be fun and bubbly, but can get right down to business and whoop your butt when needed!
i definitely think it depends on the workout, but i would say that i LOVE someone who’s fun and tough at the same time…like i want them to still be able to laugh with us but not let us give up 🙂
Hahahaha that DVD sounds too hilarious, I would end up laughing too. But you know, laughing is definitely the most FUN ab workout. 😉
Hmmm I kinda like cabbage soup if it’s made right 😉
That’s pretty funny about Shaun T. Which dvd did he do firat?
hip hop abs, i think!
I look for a positive, bubbly attitude. The founder of Physique57 says the cheesiest things (“I know you wanna get into those skinny jeans…uhh huhh!”), but it makes me laugh and takes the focus OFF of how much my muscles are shaaaaking. Which is definitely a plus! And it’s so funny that you had never heard of the cabbage soup diet. I did it for like, a day in high school. Along with Atkins (lasted a week)…and my favorite, the pretzel/honey mustard “diet.” Me and my friends in hs school ate that for lunch only and thought it was so cool. Until we realized we were starving. Then we’d head straight to the pizza line. Real healthy, I know! Needless to say, I’ve learned a thing or two since then 🙂
Totally depends on the class! Bodyjam (dance cardio) is so much more fun as a teacher, but when I teach spin and plyos it is much more hardcore!!
Loooove me some HIIT! I don’t do TurboFire but I blogged about HIIT yesterday! 😀
Just saw ur question. I am a fitness instructor so can’t wait to read everybody’s answers!
I look for encouragement, clear instruction, and maybe even a little dash of humor here and there to keep it fun.
i hadn’t heard of the cabbage soup diet either until i saw it on the sex and the city episode when miranda goes on weight watchers haha.
i need to find this kamut bread! and millet! i’m so behind.. i finally bought ezekiel this year and love it
I really like when an instructor is peppy but still pushes me to work super hard! I hate when I go to a class and think, great I still need to work out AFTER this because she went too easy on us (especially in Yoga or Pilates classes)!
I am going to HAVE to try Indian food after reading all of your blogs about it, I have never had it and it looks SOOOO delish 🙂
I am OBSESSED (seriously obsessed) with TurboFire. I swear I finish a DVD and I already can’t wait for the next one. 🙂 🙂 Are you following the schedule or just doing what ya feel like??
i’m *kinda* following the schedule. last week was a mish mosh and this week i have the fitness conference, but should be back 100% for turbo next week
It’s seriously so.much.fun. My sister and I do it together. Is Jeni doing this one with you like Insanity??
no but she can’t wait to try it! she LOVES kickboxing and dancing so i know she’ll love it
totally emailing you my indian food pic now!
My zumba instructor is super high energy, bouncy & smiley – I like that!
I guess out of all the paper products that remind you of me, I’m glad it’s paper towels (and not toilet paper or tampons).
Call me shallow, but I want my fitness instructors/trainers to have an inspiring physique. I think you are safe there 🙂
Ahh I love HIIT! Just a few more weeks and I can finally get me some TurboFire. The wait is killing me but I really shouldn’t be purchasing anything that’s not a necessity until I’m back at school.
I definitely like instructors that push me and make me work harder. WHen I was teaching classes, I worked myself and my participates harder than I ever would have worked by myself.
I’m a split personalisy instructor too. For Zumba I try to be super fun, quirky and get the group going. In bootcamp I’m a meanie, and in aquafitness I’m a combo of the two. Then in my day-to-day life I’m completely different again – pretty quiet and self concious. It’s pretty wierd!
Wow, I loved your Shaun T rap!!! Even if those aren’t the words, it was awesome and def made me laugh. I think it depends on the class. For a fun zumba type class I want a fun, happy instructor, but for boot camp I want a drill sgt!
I love Chalene in TurboFire because she is both (to me at least) — she is tough yet having a great time and always smiling and laughing.
I did HIIT TurboFire 20 today, I can’t wait to bump up to HIIT 25 next week!
So glad to hear that you thought the hip hop abs was funny and not worth it. We could not stop laughing either, it was weird seeing Shaun T in a different way. I like fitness instructors who are passionate about whatever class they are doing, they keep it fun but intense, and push you to heights you never thought you could. 🙂
Bahaha- I’m doing Insanity now- hopefully I can take him seriously tomorrow after hearing about his rap!
I certainly think it depends on the class. I think I would like your teaching style. Zumba I would want more fun and light hearted, but boot camp I would want hardcore.
DANG!!! I KNEW that HHA would be bad. I just knew it. Those testimonies on the infomercial had me stupidly believing there could be some magic in those videos.
So glad you gave it a go, though!
Um, I haven’t taken any fitness classes…other than bikram. I just feel that after years of highly intense dance and cheerleading instructors, nothing is going to measure up. But maybe I need to change my attitude!
I actually just had this discussion with my yoga teacher training group this weekend. Apparently it’s been shown that male yoga teachers are preferred. I thought it was interesting that there is actually a gender preference. Do you find that with the classes you teach, too? Personally, gender does not matter to me, but personality differs depending on the mood I’m in.
Oh, and I just had a wonderful Indian feast, thanks to Angela of Oh She Glows and my own kitchen experimentation. While it’s not the typical Indian fare, I would still love to send it to you. How’s that?
Have a lovely day!
xox
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The biggest thing I look for in a fitness instructor is someone who is prepared. Nothing gets on my nerves more than when a zumba instructor forgets the steps, and then doesn’t admit it and says something stupid like “oh, I was just testing you guys”. Everybody missteps once in a while, so just own up to it when it happens… but if they’re not prepared in general and it happens over and over throughout the class, then I won’t go back. Same for yoga and aerobics classes – most of the times the students can tell when the teacher isn’t on their game.
that’s an excellent point- a pet peeve of mine, too
It definitely depends on the class. But overall I look for someone who will motivate and push me. I agree with Mama Pea too in that I look for someone who has an “inspiring physique.” My Body Pump teach has amazing arms, so that really helps to push me during the arm tracks. Gah. Now I feel really shallow. But that’s what works for me. 🙂
HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!! it was me who mentioned shaun t. is a totally different person in HHA than insanity. seriously. if you thought tights were funny, i bet you lovvvvved those velvet workout pants. heheheh.
hahahah!! YES!
Just finished HIIT 25 TurboFire a few minutes ago. Love it! The time just flies by!! I so agree about Shaun T and his personality changes. He is so much hotter in Insanity 🙂
you’re totally right- it was over so quickly!
and amen 🙂
For yoga, I look for an encouraging teacher who isn’t afraid to readjust me. In spin, I like a teacher who always pushes me more than I think I can do but also gives the right support in music to make it possible. In Body Pump, drill sargent is better. Any dance class, it better be fun and up-beat!
I am working through Insanity right now…I can not really imagine another side to Mr. Shaun T…Ha!
I am liking it a lot, though I find that my knees are getting sore…even when I use a yoga mat to soften the impact. Did you have this problem?
no, but one of my friends had knee probs. strength training your legs, good shoes and making sure you’re doing the workouts on a good surface should help
Definitely depends on the class, but most importantly as long as the instructor is positive and fun, that’s all that matters. Now when it comes to yoga, I like my instructors calmer. I quit the Bikram studio in my town last month because they were often negative and tough on us (not quite what I was looking for in yoga).
I like light hearted fitness instructors that work you hard, but have a fun attitude about it. I think that’s why Dave Farmar podcasts are so popular, he has a great balance between the “serious” side of yoga and the notion of the yoga mat as your playground.
The husband and I have done some short hip hop abs youtube vidoes and the make us crack up. I think the ab workout comes from laughing so hard.
Haha that rap sounds hilarious! Maybe that’s the point though, because laughing is a pretty good ab workout! 😀
I like my fitness instructors to be upbeat and supportive! When I tried spin for the first time, the instructor knew I was a first timer and made sure I was doing okay throughout the class, which I really appreciated!
I don’t take group fitness classes because I’m completely uncoordinated but when it comes to yoga and Pilates I like an instructor who can point out students’ pose mistakes while teaching.
I noticed the same thing about Shaun T!!!! I have had the HHA for awhile and whenever the Pussy Cat Dolls song “Doncha” comes on the radio or anything I immediately think of Shaun going “OHHH this is my jam!!”. Completely different from him in Insanity where he is balls to the wall!
My favorite instructor personalities def vary by class – just like you! Cheerful & fun for dance cardio (zumba, step, etc.) and drill sargent for intense workouts (spin, bodypump, etc.)
Hahaha, I’m glad you got to try Hip Hop Abs. I’ve had it for years now, though I do it pretty rarely. I agree that it’s pretty goofy, but that’s also what puts a smile on my face, so it can’t be all bad. I return to the 30 minute cardio one fairly regularly (“fat burning cardio?”), usually when I’m in the mood for a shorter cardio routine that’s more fun than traditional aerobics. You gotta love a workout that includes moves like “the frat boy.” 🙂
Honestly, I like someone with a sense of humor. People that are too bubbly get on my nerves and people that are too intense freak me out. Also, music is insanely important. I hate instructors who only use house or electronic music. It’s boring to listen to. I love my hip-hop/pop!
I can see how you would need to approach classes differently. I want my Zumba instructor to be super high energy and I love when she looks like she is enjoying the workout. In BP I need more instruction to make sure that I am getting the most out of each track.
HAHAHA!! This is too funny! I haven’t done HHA, but love Insanity and have too heard this about Shaun T’s “multiple personalities!” Now, I want to go get the video just so I see for myself and rotfl!!
Oh, and to answer your question: All that I require in an instructor is HIGH ENERGY! If you look like you love it, I’m more inclined to love it too! My ZUMBA instructor never says a word. In fact she doesn’t even cue! You’re pretty much on your own to follow along and catch on, but he has so much energy and fun with it that she is by far my favorite instructor!