Summer Shape Up: Week 4

Hey everyone! I have had such a wonderful weekend 😀 Sorry for being MIA, but we’ve been go-go-go (just the way I like it) and I guess a seriously incredible vacation is worth being missing from the blog world for a few days 😉 I’ll be posting a full re-cap of our NYC trip tomorrow but wanted to give you this week’s Summer Shape Up plan.

****Since we’re about to get on the road from Atlanta to Valdosta and I wrote this on the plane, there aren’t any links for the exercises yet. I’ll put links up between 9 and 10 am EST tomorrow but wanted you all to have the plan as soon as I could get it to ya. If you’re going to be working out in the morning (early) before I have time to put the links in, please do Day 2 from the first week and then the rest of the week 4 plan.

I hope the Shape Up has been going well from you and that you’re already starting to see and feel the results. I’m writing this on the plane back to GA, but will update the spreadsheet as soon as I get internet access (right now). Please remember to track your fruit and veggie intake, water, and cardio for each day.

*****It’s measurement time!!! Totally optional, but if you would like, email me your beginning weight and body fat percentage from the beginning of the plan and the most recent measurements. It can help me to gauge how you’re doing and also will help me in the winner-picking process 😀 This is all based on honor code, so please be honest with your results thus far.

Here’s what we’ve got for this week:

1. Day 1- Cardio 30-45 minutes and stretching; moderate to higher intensity

2. Day 2- Weights and cardio; Shoulders,Chest and Triceps

-Cardio warm up, 5 minutes

–Tricep kickback with pronation

–Diamond push ups (as many as you can)

-Shoulder “flys”—holding a light weight (like a 2.5 lb flat weight in each hand, bring your arms out and up to shoulder height so your body looks like the letter “T”. Flap your arms up and down (small movements and fast) for a total of 1 minute. Repeat 3 times.

-Cardio blast- hop on the treadmill or elliptical and sprint for 1 minute (RPE 9), followed by 1 minute of recovery for a total of 5 minutes

–Vogue press

–Tricep dips

–Chest press

-Cardio- 20 to 30 minutes

3. Day 3- Cardio (hills) for 30-45 minutes. Start at a moderate intensity and increase the resistance by 1% every minute until you get as high as you can handle. Do 1 minute at your hardest level, bring it back down to where you started for 1 minute and repeat for a total of 30-45 minutes

4. Day 4- Legs and Abs

–Weighted hamstring curl

-Single leg calf raises

–Kneeling cable kickback (if you’re not at a gym, or if yours does not have ankle straps, you can do a bridge)

–Step ups

-Cardio blast- jump rope for 1 minute

–Stability ball leg raise

–Pilates roll up (do it slowly and hold a medicine ball to make it more challenging)

–The pretzel

-Cardio blast- The nutcracker for 1 minute

–Cable adductor/adductor or use the machine

Cardio- 20-30 minutes

Day 5- HIIT for 20 minutes (not including a 5 minute warm up and cool down)

Day 6- Back and Biceps

-Warm up (5 minutes)

–Lying row (or can do bent over)

–Stability ball concentration curl

–Lat pullover

Cardio- 5 minutes

–Preacher curl

–Back extension and twist

–Overhand bicep curl

-Cardio 20 minutes

Day 7- Active recovery

Some more meal ideas:

Breakfast:

-1 egg + 1 egg white on a whole wheat english muffin with a slice of part-skim or vegan cheese

-1 cup of fresh fruit with a greek yogurt and slice of Ezekiel toast

-1 whole wheat waffle (Hodgson Mill mix, or a similar mix) made using egg whites, skim milk and topped with 1 sliced banana and 1 tbs nut butter

-Baked quiche made with 1 egg +1 egg white, veggies, skim/vegan cheese of choice and baked

-Breakfast burrito using lean protein of choice, veggies, 1/4 avocado and salsa

-1 servings of healthy cereal (Kashi, Ezekiel, Barbara’s, etc) with skim milk or greek yogurt and fruit

Lunch/dinner:

-Cobb salad with lean protein, lots of leafy greens, veggies, 1/4 avocado, drizzled with 1/2 tbs olive oil and fresh lemon juice

-Flatbread pizza- baked whole wheat wrap with 1/2 cup marinara, protein of choice, lean cheese (optional), veggies and a small salad on the side

-Baked sweet potato stuffed with 1 serving of goat cheese, chives, salt and pepper with a small greens salad on the side

-Burger (turkey, lean ground beef, or veggie) on a 100% whole wheat bun with veggies, mustard and Annie’s ketchup (optional) and a salad or steamed veggies

-Brown rice sushi and a house salad with ginger dressing

-Pasta with 100% whole wheat pasta (1 serving), 1/2 cup marinara, protein of choice (1 serving) and a veggie soup or steamed greens (zucchini, green beans, spinach, etc.)

-Fajitas with grilled meat or protein of choice, bell peppers and onions, 100% whole wheat tortilla and salsa

Snacks:

-Nut butter on an apple

-1 serving cheese of choice and 1 serving whole grain crackers (Mary’s Gone Crackers, Kashi, Kavli, etc.)

-House salad with 1 serving protein and veggies

-Slice of Ezekiel toast with 2 egg whites and salsa

-Smoothie with fruit, 1 serving milk of choice and 1 tbs nut butter

-1 serving of fruit and 1 serving of cheese of choice

You’re all doing an AMAZING job!!! Keep up the great work and please let me know of your progress so far 😀

Happy training,

Gina

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