Summer Shape Up 2010
Hey guys! Happy Monday! Hope your day is going well <3
Today is particularly special because it’s the start of this year’s Summer Shape Up!
As you guys know, I did a Shape Up last year as well as a Winter Shape Up. They were both a lot of fun, so I figured we needed to do it again 😀
So what is the Summer Shape Up?
Think of this as a chance to spice up your workout routine and clean up your eats, if you would like. This is by no means a “challenge” and I don’t want any of ya’ll to feel pressured to participate. Just here for info purposes and motivation (healthy eats and exercise is a GOOD thing and we can cheer each other on!) if you see *fit*. Just imagine your favorite gym is offering 24-7 fitness classes for the next 4 weeks and you can jump in whenever you’d like.
Disclaimer: As always, please alter the program and eating plan to suit your personal needs and preferences. Check with a doctor before making any fitness or nutrition changes.
How does it work?
-On Monday for the next 4 weeks, I’ll post a workout plan + healthy eating goals for the week
-Keep track of your progress, cheer each other on (in the comments section and on Twitter: #summershapeup) and have fun! <3
Summer Shape Up 2010
Eating Plan
As you guys know, I’m a huge advocate of healthy eats on top of a structured fitness plan. Eating has an incredible impact on our health, energy levels and appearance. Aim for a balance of:
Smart carbs:
-100% whole wheat bread/pita/pasta (Hodgson’s Mill and Ezekiel products are great)
-sweet potatoes and other starchy veggies like peas, corn, squash
-whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, millet, barley, wheat berries, oats
– beans and legumes
-fruit (raw, canned in its own juice, dried with NO added sugar)
-all veggies (except for white potatoes)Lean proteins:
-lowfat deli meat (look at for organic + lower sodium choices)
-fat free or nonfat milk or dairy products (almond or hemp milk is great too)
-boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
-extra lean ground beef/ground turkey
-fish: salmon, tilapia, halibut, mahi mahi, tuna, shrimp, crab, lobster, etc
-beans and legumes
-eggs and eggs whites (eggbeaters)
-nut butter (max 2 tbs per day with NO added sugar- ingredients should be nuts and (optional) salt. That’s it)
-dark green leafy veggies (romaine, collards, spinach, kale)
-protein powder (whey, soy, brown rice, hemp)
-nuts and seeds (raw unsalted)and
Healthy fats:
–Extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil
-eggs
-Fish: salmon, tuna, halibut, mahi mahi
-lowfat dairy of choice
-Nuts and seeds: aim for raw, unsalted
-avocados (1/4 avocado is one serving)
and consume food as it was created by nature, in its purest and simplest form. By avoiding processed foods, our bodies can work more efficiently instead of wasting energy on trying to break down and digest chemicals.
*********For meal ideas —–> Click here
(Source)
Keeping track:
I recommend keeping track of fruit and veggie intake (at least 5 servings each day), water intake (at least 8 glasses) and workout schedule in a small notebook.
Another great idea is to have your body fat percentage checked, if you want to. I find that its a much better way to gauge progress (as muscle weighs more than fat, it’s very possible to “shrink” and weigh more.. weight is really just a silly number), and its interesting to see how your fat percentage drops as you increase weight training effectiveness. (I don’t ever recommend body fat going below 18% to protect reproductive health)
Work It Out
The SSU 2010 Workouts are set up differently from previous Shape Ups. These workouts include a mix of strength, flexibility and speed training and include a balance of gym, at-home, outdoor and weight workouts per your requests 😀 There are also options to choose from each day, so you can mix and match to your liking.
For the Strength workouts: 3 sets of 12-15 reps for each exercise, unless otherwise specified. These can be done circuit-style (one set of each exercise and then repeat the entire circuit 3 times) or 3 consecutive sets with 15-30 seconds of rest before moving to the next exercise.
Week 1 Workout:
Day 1: Strength (at home or gym)
-5 minutes of low/moderate intensity cardio to warm up
–Incline bicep curl (seated at home)
–Cable row (bent-over row at home)
–Reverse crunch on a bench (do with a medicine ball in between your knees at home)
–Stability ball back extension
-20-30 minutes of low/moderate intensity cardio (bike, run, swim or elliptical—add in some hills but keep the level of exertion around a 6-7)
Day 2: Speed
Option 1: On the track or trail
– Run moderately for 5 minutes to warm up
-Sprint for 45 seconds
–Walking lunges for 30 seconds
-Jog 2 minutes
–Bench push-ups for 30 seconds (use bleachers or a tree)
-Jog 1 minute
-Sprint 45 seconds
-Bench tricep dips for 30 seconds (use bleacher or do on the ground with legs bent or straight out in front)
-Jog 2 minutes
–High knee skips for 45 seconds
–Squats for 45 seconds
– Butt kicks for 45 seconds
-Jog or walk 2 minutes (easy)
-Sprint 1 minute
-Tricep dips 30 seconds
-Jog 2 minutes
-Push ups 30 seconds
-Jog (easy!) 5 minutes
-Stretch and drink lots of water!!
Option 2: Take a spin class
Option 3: 30 minutes of SWEATY cardio 🙂
Day 3: Stretch
Option 1: Yoga For Runners (20 minute podcast- free from YogaDownload.com) or Yoga DVD + 20 minutes moderate cardio of choice
Option 2: Take a power yoga or Bikram class
Day 4: Strength (home or gym)
-5 minutes easy/moderate cardio of choice to warm up
–Plie Squat (do 10-15 full plie squats and then hold it down and do 10-15 pulses for each set)
–Pilates side leg lift (lift top leg up and down 10 times—if you’re feeling feisty, add 10 circles to the front and 10 circles to the back)
–Stability ball hamstring curl (if you’ve done these before and they’re getting easier, try it with one leg at a time)
–Bosu calf raise (can be done on a stair instead with heels hanging off the edge)- for more of a challenge: one leg at a time, or hold some dumbbells
–Leg extension (at home version– add ankle weights for more of a challenge)
-20-30 minutes moderate cardio of choice
-Stretch
Day 5: Stretch
Option 1: Power Yoga #2 Podcast (20 minute- free from YogaDownload.com) or Yoga DVD + 20 minutes light cardio
Option 2: Power Yoga or Bikram Class
Day 6: Speed
Option 1: High Intensity Interval Training (Run or on the bike)
Option 2: Insanity Pure Cardio + Cardio Abs
Day 7: Rest– take it easy and chill 😀
So there ya have it!
Who’s down???
You know I’m cheering for you 🙂
Happy training,
Gina
159 Comments
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I think you are trying to kill me with day 2, but I will roll with it 😉
Looks like I need to up my cardio here so I can keep up!
Do you recommend drinking protein after workouts?
XXOO
heh heh. enjoy 😉
YES! 30-60 minutes after your workout make sure to have some high-quality protein
I’m totally on board! I’ve been eating healthier for the last couple of months and have lost about 10 lbs, but now I’m ready to hit the gym! Your work out program looks great. Hope you have a good week!
It may very well kill me but hey I am up for the challenge! Bring it on!:)
LOVE it! I am so in!!
Yay!!! I am so ready for this!
Yay, so excited for the workouts! 🙂
I’m in!
Do we start today? Can I start Wednesday?
of course- start whenever you’d like
I did a clean eating challenge in april for 21 days and felt awesome! I agree that what you put in your body is so important. I’m in on reducing the sugar and processed foods. Summer here we come!
Just a question…why not white potatoes, even just plain and baked? Is it not a whole, unprocessed food? I ask because they are so very tasty 🙂
plain and baked is fine, but i’d roll with sweet potatoes instead- they’re much more nutritious (they raise your blood sugar 30 percent less and are high in vitamin c)
ooh i cant wait!! question – are you doing a week at a time? how long does it last? i’m just trying to plan out when i am going to star 🙂
it’s 4 weeks long and each monday i’ll post a new workout
this is great for those who need a strict plan to follow. I have been trying to work in strength exercises and lifting sessions into my workouts the past few weeks. So good for you. Running is great (which i spend most of my exercise time doing), but the body really needs that muscle to burn fat. And of course some yoga to stretch it all out. I love yogadownload.com.
Also love the idea of just eating clean. It’s not always easy to do when you have nibbles here and there of things you just don’t need.
Thank you:)
Im definitely in! Between training for half marathons and I love me some structure 🙂
I’m totally jumping on this when I get home from my vacation!!
I heard about your blog when you did a guest post on Sparkpeople and I’ve been hooked ever since. I need a good plan and last week when you said you were posting this i got really excited and I’ve been waiting for it. I’m trying to lose 30 pounds before my cruise and I’ve managed to get my eating cleaned up and regular and now I’m going to perfect my workout schedule. Thank you so much for posting this and I cant wait to see my results!
hey amanda,
thanks so much! welcome to the little blog 🙂
please let me know how it goes!
xoxo
Sounds awesome! count me in!
I have a question. I have always wondered how to keep track of time when exercise plans have you do things for one minute, 30 seconds etc (like on day 2). It is too hard to watch the clock and do the exercises at the same time. And it takes a lot of time to set your watch alarm. Especially when you are changing it up every few minutes. Any suggestions?
i usually wear my polar heart rate monitor as a watch, it has seconds and minutes on it. i just glance down when i start the exercise and glance down again after a little while to see how long it’s been
you can find an inexpensive sports watch at target or walmart that has seconds on it, and that should work 🙂
Thanks. I do have a Polar watch. I just feel that when I focus on my time, I lose concentration and want to stop! I’ll have to try it again.
yeah it’s definitely one of those things where the more you do it, the easier it gets
I’m going to incorporate some of these workouts into my 10K training. 6 weeks until my 10K and my sister’s wedding, so this will be great motivation to keep me on my clean eating and consistent workout plan!
I’m in!
For day 6, high intensity interval training, how long do you advise?
5 minutes warm up, 15-20 minutes HIIT, 5 minutes cool down
I’m excited! I have 1 month until my best friends wedding and I want to look good! This will be a great way to hopefully stay on track and tone up! 🙂
Yay Yay Yay!! I am starting tomorrow 😀
I have absolutely adored reading your blog so far and this post tops em all! This is just the kick of motivation that I need… Thank you so much for linking to pictures/videos for the exercises, there were a few I didn’t know what they were :O)
A quick question… I’ve been doing intervals on the treadmill of 1 minute higher intensity running (7.0- 7.5 mph) and 1 minute fast walking (4.0- 4.3mph) but that doesn’t sound like HIIT from what the website said. Could you give me a couple pointers on what an interval might look like as far as speed and time?
i’d jog in between the sprints.. try 5.5-5.7 and see how it feels. i used to do the same thing (walking + sprinting) but i discovered that i could jog in between almost as easily as walking. you can do it 🙂
Okay I’ll try that, Thanks!!
Love the idea of keeping track of your fruit, veggie, + water intake. I might need to try it!
I’m down to lose some pounds!!
I am about to return to work from maternity leave and have been looking for a workout. I am really looking forward to this!!!!
Looks like a great mix of strength and cardio for the week. I look forward to incorporating some of your ideas to my routine at home.
AWESOME! Your blog is FULL of awesome tips and ideas, its seriously put a flame under my butt even more to get in better shape. Thank you! Day 2 looks amazing…I cant wait to try it!
let me know what you think!
Thanks Gina!! I already did Day 1 this morning! It was great!
awesome- glad you liked it!
Wow!! this looks like just what I need! I have been doing the same old routine for quite some time now and am just getting bored! also have a question though, is 40 minutes of intervals (on my interval days, I do 20 min. on eliptical, 1 minute hard, 2 minutes easy, easy with resistance of 6 and hard with a resistance of 12, then I do the same on the bike for 20 minutes) is this to much? I do this 2x per week, and do 20 minutes easy jogging + 20 minutes of hill sprints 3x per week, with the other two days off. I ask b/c I am having a binge eating issue, and wondering if my workouts are to intense? I eat very clean, and regularly.
any help would be so much appreciated, these binge episodes are KILLIN my weight loss goals!
yeah your workouts could be more intense which will make your body crave a lot more food for fuel.
i’d alternate some light cardio days in
I’m actually going to try your month plan here and throw mine out the window since something isn’t working 🙂 SOOO EXCITED FOR A CHANGE!!! THANK YOU!! I start tomorrow!!
yeahhhhh! let me know how it goes!
I have to say I love this more than the Winter Shape up! Day 1 (which was actually your Day 2) was fun!
so awesome! thank you for letting me know you had fun <3
xoxo
Serious question…. Where did you get that T?? “Lets Get Big Yo?!?” Well done, love it haha.
haha we had them made at the gym! 😀
YAAAY I’m so excited!! I am definitely going to try to eat whole foods and mix and match your schedule to fit my training program!
Wele… I’m all the way in Australia… so its not really a Summer Shape up plan for me coz its Winter over here 😛
But Im still joining in!! You have already helped me to loose 7 kilos… keep up the good work Gina and THANK YOU!!! xoxo
AWESOME!! keep up the amazing work <3
I’m so excited! Thanks Gina!!
I’m definitely in!!
Hey Gina! I am new to your blog and I love it! Thank you for posting this shape up plan. I am a runner and find it hard to incorporate lifting unless I have a strict plan. I looked at your eating plan and it recommends two snacks. This may be a silly question…..but do you count the pre-workout snack? I usually have 1/2 a nanner and a smidge of pb to get me through my work-out. Thanks again!
Did day 1 yesterday, but just the strength training. I live in DC and my boyfriend’s sister came to visit so I walked sooooooo much this weekend, legs so sore. Day 1 was great! I was able to do everything at home, just not the seated row. Feeling real good in the arms, chest, and abs today.
awesome 🙂
That t-shirt rocks! Where did you get it?
we had them made at the gym 🙂
oh my god! day 2 this morning hurt like no tomorrow-loved it though! do you think its possible to switch the days around based on my own schedule or are they very strategically planned out?
glad you liked day 2! they are strategically planned out, but if you need to switch days to get your workout it, you can do it that way
This is such a great idea, but I currently can’t even stand up straight because of a hurt back. Hopefully I can join in next week!
Can I put in a reader’s request? Any suggestions for back strengthening exercises? I hurt mine fairly often and I’m only 24. I’m not carrying any extra weight so I know if I can just get stronger it will help, but I find it hard to think of stretches and moves to work the lower back.
(PS, I loved your post on budgeting! I’m going to see what I can find out for my own budget)
Thanks girly!
Count me in – this coincides with a weight loss plateau/ boredom with my current routine (which was the same, which explains the plateau)/a major geographical change in my life.
SO, I did the first workout (day 1) today, and MAN IT FELT GOOD! It makes me excited to keep going 🙂
THANKS!
YES! keep it up! 🙂 xoxo
I am definitely signing up for your plan! I live on the other side of the world so we are going into winter and I will have to substitute some of the meals but will let you know how I go. I’ve been waiting for something to add more variety to my workout routine and your Summer shape up plan looks perfect!
Hi! I’m a lurker but I love reading your blog and I am really excited to start incorporating this into my workouts to spice things up a bit!
WOW!Day 2 was out of control amazing! I am FEELING it today!
Question: Would the P90X Yoga count as Power Yoga? What Power Yoga DVD’s do you recommend?
I am so there! Thank you for this…I love that you post pics and video of the movements! This helps so much! xo
just did day one!! thanks for the great workout 🙂
definitely feeling the burn after day 4! hoping i can keep it up for week 2 – i’m going to be away in paris, hopefully the locals don’t mind a sweaty girl running along their beautiful roads!
Seriously Gina, thank you for day 4 🙂 I think I could feel my legs changing shape as I did the workouts. And my 30 minutes of running post strength was super sweaty and awesome. Loving the summer shape up so far!
I am LOVING these workouts :O) My schedules a little different because I train with a trainer once a week so today was HIIT day… I tried your treadmill idea to up the intensity and it was amazing! I mean almost 600 calories in 30 minutes amazing… Plus your strength workouts are totally kicking my butt. I’m sore for the first time in months… thanks!!
that’s wonderful news! so glad you liked the HIIT sesh- one of my faves 🙂
seriousely gina, I think you’ve saved my mind, body and spirit!! I was really in a rut but now I AM LOVING THIS SUMMER SHAPE UP!!! I was working out waaaay to intensely,and doing the same old thing, fearing I would gain weight if I changed… now I’m finally starting to feel like I have a healthy balance,and am going to see this thing through….also I can’t believe 80% of what we look like comes from what we eat….that is SOOO REFRESHING! it takes a ton of the pressure off of my workouts….I just started following your blog and I am pretty sure god led me to it so THANK YOU!!!
<3
thank YOU 🙂