Exercise: Fat Burner Challenge

This is a super simple challenge in theory, but is extremely physically challenging, there are definitely modifications I will show you. There are only 3 exercises in this one that you will try to do as fast as you can with good form. If you form is starting to suffer, you need to modify the exercises (I will show them in the video) or take a quick break and come back to it. Very tough routine!! One thing you MUST remember on this one (well, really all of the routines) is KEEP YOUR ABS TIGHT!!! Make every exercise an ab exercise by pulling the navel into the spine and keeping your whole core strong like it is wrapped in a corset. 
So the first part of this workout I did in 15min and 19 seconds and it was tough, however I still had some more time to workout so I did another small routine that lasted a little less than 15min. So it is up to you....you can do the first workout if you are short on time, or you can do both and be a bad ass. You can even do the first half in the morning and the second later in the day. Of course I will encourage you to do both. Please note the second part of the workout is not on the video but they are all exercises I have done before on here and there are also descriptions. 
So I have to be honest with you and give you my experience with the workout. The first half was not as bad as I thought, however that and the second half kicked my butt!! I am not going to lie to you guys and say it felt great, I thought I would pass out! As a small excuse (tee hee) I did lay down to read for an hour today and ended up taking one of those afternoon naps where I was dead to the world 2 hours. I always feel weird after a long nap, they don't always work for me, so thats my excuse and Im stickin' to it ;)! After a half cold, half warm shower I did feel really good and proud that I got up off my lazy butt even though the couch felt great. After it was all said and done I burned 361 calories in 29 min and 14 seconds.
Silence that lil voice in the back of your head telling you "I can't do this" and GO FOR IT!! Lotsa love and have a great SAFE workout!

Part 1:


20 Body Rows or Band Rows: Hang from a sturdy bar, keeping body straight and abs tight, pull yourself up squeezing the shoulder blades. Or if no bar is handy, sit tall with a tube wrapped around your feet or a sturdy object (make sure it has quite a bit of resistance, it should be tough) pull the tube towards you squeezing your shoulder blades. (to get equipment see to the right and scroll through)


20 Killer Combos: start on your belly with hands on floor by the chest, push yourself up in a straight line do not arch your back, when you are in plank pull your right knee in, come back down to the ground, pushup again bringing your left knee in, come back to ground again, pushup a third time and jump both feet in towards your hands and come up in a low squat position, jump forward as far as you can landing into that low squat, take two squat jumps backward, then jump back and come down to floor...this was only 1 rep....ahhhhhh! Killers!


20 Pull Ups or Pull Downs: in an overhand grip, grab onto pull up bar and pull yourself up, if you need to use a chair to make it easier, place one foot on the chair. If you dont have a pull up bar just attach your elastic tube to something high (like the top of a door hinge) and pull the tube into you, elbows passing the rib cage and squeezing the should blades, make sure the elbows come out wide with this one as you pull (to get equipment see to the right and scroll through)

NOW REPEAT BUT REDUCE REPS TO 10

10 Body Rows or Band Rows
10 Killer Combos
10 Pull Ups or Pull Downs


Part 2 (not in video):


100 Frog Hops with legs wider than hip width and toes pointed outwards, drop hips low into a squat, jump up by pushing with your inner thighs, gluteals and quads, land as soft as you can into the squat position, (do not land with straight legs, you should gently fall into a low squat :toe to heel) this will look a lot like the squat jumps in the killer combos above but with no forward or backward motion (unless you want to of course!)
50 JackKnife or V-situp laying on the floor with abs tight and navel pulled to spine start to lift the torso and both legs into a V shape, arms should stay over head, slowly lower back down (if you feel your back your legs are dropping to low or try to modify), to modify one degree keep one knee bent and foot on the floor, if still tough try just regular crunches
100 Jumping Lunges (ahhhh!!! these hurt!) start in a lunge position, bend knees until your front knee is is right over your ankle and thigh is parallel to the floor, jump up and switch legs so that you land with the opposite leg in front, again land soft!! If these are too tough, omit the jumps and just step back, alternating your lunges

Exercise: Furious Five

This is a new routine that you will use an interval timer with. Again I recommend http://www.beach-fitness.com/tabata/ . This routine is only 15 minutes long. If you are dead set on a 30 minute session feel free to just double up (or even triple up) the sets. During the 15 minutes I burned 233 calories. Please note burning calories is different for everyone depending on weight. Have fun!! I will post my reps at the end of the post!!

Set your interval timers for 15 rounds, "on" 50 seconds and "off" 10 seconds......Ding, Ding!! GO!
(I will explain the exercises in the video)

1. Squat Jumps staying as low as you can
2. Overhead Press Burpee with Medicine Ball or dumbbell
3. Mountain Climbers on Medicine Ball or floor
4. Jumping Lunges
5. Pointer Plank

My reps per 50 second interval
1 Squats: 32, 25, 24
2 Burpees: 8, 7, 7
3 Mountain Climbers: 80, 72, 55 (ugh!)
4 Jump Lunges: 26, 22, 23
5 Pointer Planks: about 12 each side (didn't count well during these)

Exercise: Cousin's Back Strengthening Routine ;)

This is a routine for my cousin who has some back issues, if anyone would like to strengthen their backs this is a great routine to do so. Please use caution and be smart about exercise. If you do have a serious back injury or issue please see a doctor and ask him/her what they recommend. These exercises are very basic. Strengthening the abs is a crucial part in keeping your back strong and safe.

1. Pelvic Tilts: lay on your back knees bent, without tensing your butt muscles, pull your belly button down in towards the floor and flatten the lower back down, hold for 5-10 seconds. This is a very basic exercise but requires focus, it works on the deep deep layer of abdominals. Do this 20 reps or more. This is a GREAT one to do if your lower back is bothering you.

2. Cat and Camel: on hands and knees, pull your navel to spine and round the back looking in between your knees (try not to move your arms or legs, this movement should come from the belly pulling in), try not to squeeze your butt, slowly lower the back down to create a small arch as you look up to the ceiling (if the arch bothers you just stop when you are in a flat back position). Do this 15-25 times.

3. Pointer: still on hands and knees, pull your abs very tight and start to lift your right leg up in a straight line, after you have your balance start to raise your left arm out and hold. You should feel like the right leg and left arm are reaching as far and long as you can, your body should look like a straight line. Hold for 5-10 seconds and switch. Do this 10-20 times each side.

4. Superman: on your belly, hold your abs tight. Start to raise both legs up from the floor keeping them straight, then raise arms up along with head and chest, it should look like you are "flying". Hold for 5-10 seconds and do this 15-25 times. When you are strong enough you can move your arms from side to side like superman flying while you are holding as more of a challenge.

5. Y's and T's: on your belly hold your arms over your head like a Y with your thumbs up. Keep your forehead on the floor and the abs tight, lift the arms up as high as you can (this is harder than it sounds) use your shoulder blades to lift the arms. Do 15-30 of these depending on your level. Then bring the arms out like a T. Forehead down and abs tight, lift the arms directly up squeezing your shoulder blades together. Do this 15-30 times. To challenge you can hold some water bottles, soup cans or small weights. Note: Try to feel your UPPER BACK NOT your arms. Again this one sounds easy but requires focus.

6. Row: Hold a dumbbell or one handle of a tube with the left hand (other handle can be under your foot or under a couch)stagger your stance with right leg in front of left and lunge down slightly, keep your back STRAIGHT! and lean over the right thigh. Pull the left arm back as far as you can squeezing your back muscles and pulling the left shoulder blade in towards the spine, hold 2-5 seconds and repeat. Keep your movements SLOW and CONTROLLED. If you want to advance, do a body row (seen in video).

NOT shown in video: if you are ready you can try a plank: start on your forearms and toes with abs very VERY tight and lift the body in a straight line, hold up as long as you can (see below). DO NOT let the lower back sag and do not sag into your shoulders, your whole body should be strong and lifted. Hold as long as possible and keep practicing! Start with 10-20 seconds and make your way to a minute! This will strengthen up your entire core as a whole!!

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Exercise: Brutal Cardio Burn!!

Oh my God was this one tough. I came up with it while I was in Chicago visiting my family. I did it and thought I would pass out!! After it was all over, of course I was ok but I thought to myself "this has to be cause I have been eating and sleeping like crap". So I did it again when I got back and same thing!! Not AS bad, but still bad ass! I challenge you to this one!!! I got my heart rate up to 179 several times (my max is about 189) and finished in 27:25 (with several short breaks). If you are a beginner, be safe!!! Take several breaks or just do one set.

1. 25 Explosive Squat Jacks
start in a crouched postion with hips back squatting and hugging the knees, jump out into a jumping jack, come back down into low crouched squat postion; to modify squat down low as you can and come up without the jump reaching for the ceiling.

2. 25 In and Out Pikes
start in pike positon with hands wide on floor and butt up in air, legs straight with feet together, abs tight, jump legs apart wide then jump them in wide towards your hands (keep your abs very tight and your butt will be even higher in the air, like and upside down V), jump legs back wide, then jump feet together back to start; that was 1 rep. To modify avoid the jumps and just step in, out and back.

3. 15 Three Angle Pushups
start in a regular pushup position, do one pushup then jump your feet in towards your hands, jump to the left (leaving hands where they are) do one pushup here, jump back into center, jump back into regular pushup position, do another pushup, jump forward again to hands, then jump to the right and do another pushup, then repeat. So you should be doing a center pushup, left pushup, center pushup, right pushup. Each single pushup counts as one rep. If this is too hard you can omit the jumps or just do regular pushups until you are stronger, you may do this in a full pushup position or on your knees, do 15 reps combined however it works for you.

4. 25 Russian Squat Dance
start in a wide legged squat, lean your body to the left pouring all of your weight into the left heel and left glutes, extend your right leg out to the side as straight as you can with only the right heel touching the floor and the right toes up, squat even deeper on the left leg, come back to center and repeat to other side. If this is too hard start with a squat then step to the left and squat, come back to center and squat then step to the right, squat, repeat.

5. 10 Commando Killer Combos
these are tough!! start on your belly with hands on floor by the chest, push yourself up in a straight line do not arch your back, when you are in plank pull your right knee in, come back down to the ground, pushup again bringing your left knee in, come back to ground again, pushup a third time and jump both feet in towards your hands and come up in a low squat position, jump forward as far as you can landing into that low squat, take two squat jumps backward, then jump back and come down to floor...this was only 1 rep....ahhhhhh! Killers!
if this is too tough, you can do three pushups on your knees, then come up into a squat, try the jumps but if the jumps are too hard, do three regular squats, come back down to your knees and start again

REPEAT THREE TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!


If you are up for another challenge, I also ended up doing 100 squat jumps early that day and 40 bomb diver pushups, but trust me the first part of this workout is enough!

again if you are a beginner this workout is particularly tough, try just one set and go at your own pace.
Try to beat my time 27:25 I challenge you!!! Good luck people you are gonna need it!