Category: free workouts

Weekend Workout for San Jose and Campbell Boot Camps

Jul 31, 2009

July was a great month at our San Jose and Campbell boot camps.  Thanks so much for being a part of them! Please remember to fill out your feedback forms. We really do read them.  In fact, you received an email recently that highlights some pricing options we’re test driving in August. This is a result of customer feedback.

I’ve uploaded a weekend workout for you.  This workout combines short bursts of high intensity cardio work with some full body strength exercises.  When you’re short on time, this is a great workout format.

After a good warm up, perform the cardio intervals for 60-120 seconds at a high intensity (how long you go depends on your fitness level).  Perform 15 repetitions of the strength moves, or as many as you can up to fifteen. Complete the circuit 3-5 times.

The video is only 2 1/2 minutes long, but in case you can’t wait for it to load, here it is in writing:

Jump Rope

“Spiderman” push ups (Beginners:  do these on your knees)

Fast lateral shuffles

Bulgarian Split Squats (15 on each side)

“Quick feet”

Inverted row** (Beginners:  bend your knees)

**If you can’t set this up at home, do triceps dips. Dips work different muscles, but it’s something you can do at  home with no equipment.

If you need some visual aides (and you want to see how “Noah the Wonder Dog” gets into nearly every dang frame of the video) here ya go………….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruVfHcBXuoc[/youtube]

Don’t forget to cool down, stretch, and drink water after your workout.

A special challenge to anyone who is currently enrolled in an August boot camp:  The first two campers to post a comment here that they have completed the workout win a Prograde Craver! .  In your comment, tell me how  many rounds you did and how long it took you.  Cravers delivered to camp next week :-).

Have  great weekend!

Becky

San Jose and Campbell boot camps are rockin’ in July!

Jul 10, 2009

We’re off to a great start this July with our boot camps in San Jose and Campbell.  Lots of good energy!

A warm welcome to all of our new campers! 

San Jose-Almaden boot camp: AnnMarie, Violet, Joan, Lisa B., Kimberlee, and Kristina

San Jose-Willow Glen boot camp:  Carol

Campbell boot camp:  Dan, Aubrie, Jade, Christina, Matt, Alethea, Lara, Martie, Lindsay, Dorrie and Jewell.

I know many of you newbies are feeling a little stiff and sore this week.  Pretty normal for the first week of boot camp. You won’t be as sore after next week’s classes.  Honest.

Want to boost your metabolism and melt off some body fat over the weekend?? If so, I’ve got a done-for-you workout template to give you an high intensity interval cardio workout.  

You can choose any cardio activity you like for this workout:  walking, jogging, stationary biking, treadmill, swimming, etc.  It works for just about any cardio activity.  One word of caution:  if you’re a fan of the elliptical trainer at your gym, just make sure you’re really working hard. I see lots of “doggin’ it” on those things at my  club. The machine is moving more than the person on it! 

Here’s the plan:  

-Warm up at a low intensity for about 5 minutes.  Nothing fancy here, just do whatever your cardio activity is going to be at a lower intensity.

-After your warm up, hit it HARD for 30 seconds, then dial back your exertion for 60 seconds.

-Repeat the pattern of HARD for 30 seconds, recovery for 60 seconds 6-10 times. 

On a scale of 1-10, you should be at an 8 or 9 on your hard intervals (you’re breathing really heavy), and about a “5” during recovery (breathing rapidly, but not gasping for breath).

That’s it!  This workout will blast more calories in less time than a lower intensity workout done at a constant exertion level  (assuming you really work hard during your intervals).  You’ll also raise your metabolic rate for a few hours after your workout as well.

So, throw on some sunscreen and get out there this weekend!

 

Committed to your success,

 

Becky

Fourth of July workout!

Jul 03, 2009

Hey campers,

I hope you all have a Happy 4th of July weekend.  I also hope you got some great workouts in over the last week while we’ve been on a boot camp break!

In the event you’ve got a busy weekend planned, I decided to create a quick, high intensity workout you could squeeze into your weekend.  We’ve got lots of “newbies” signed up for July boot camps, so I decided that it would help to have a visual aide for this workout since you new folks may not be familiar with all the exercises I list below.

Below you’ll find a short video of all the exercises in the workout, complete with advanced options.  And, as in my last video, my dog managed to get in a cameo appearance again.  I put him in the house when I started the video, but he managed to sneak outside.  He probably wanted to show off his “summer cut”.

Here is your weekend “Firecracker” workout:

After a warm up of 5 or  6 minutes, perform each exercise listed for 45 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest.  Perform the circuit 3 times through.

Jumping jacks

Walking lunges

Squats

High Knee run

Burpees

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LAcW3i-5SY[/youtube]

There is one “typo” in the video. It suggests you do the circuit 5 times.  It should say “3 times”.  There’s nothing wrong with doing the circuit 5 times…..but I think you’ll be done in 3 rounds :-).

Happy 4th of July!

Leave me a comment below and let me know how the workout goes for you.

Committed to your success,

Becky

A Calorie Incinerating, No Equipment Needed Workout!

Jun 19, 2009

This weekend’s workout comes at the request of Noelle, a member of the Campbell boot camp (who by the way, lost over 2% body fat at camp last month—Yay Noelle! ).  She wanted to make sure to get a good, no-equipment-needed workout in on vacation. So, Noelle, this workout should fit the bill! 

C’mon folks, lets burn some quick calories!

Becky’s 15/50 workout

After a 3-5 minute warm up activity of your choice, do the following exercises with little to no rest between exercises.

  • 50 high knee runs in place
  • 15 push ups (wall push ups or knee push ups are fine–do what you can do!)
  • 50 jumping jacks
  • 15 dips
  • 50 quick feet taps (like you’re tapping a soccer ball with alternating feet really fast)
  • 15 burpees (or 15 alternating lunges if you can’t do burpees)

Rest 1 minute after completing this circuit and then repeat the circuit for 15-20 minutes.  

This is a short workout, but believe me,  you’ll be done at the end of 15-20 minutes!

Leave a comment below and let me know how many rounds of this workout you’re able to do in 15 or 20 minutes!

*************

A couple of boot camp housekeeping items:

-Early bird discount for returning campers ends on Tuesday, June 23rd for Campbell and Willow Glen boot camps, and Wednesday, June 24th for Almaden boot camp.

-Also ending on June 23rd is the “Buy One, Get One FREE” special. This is a special deal that is not advertised at my website.  If you want to take advantage of it, please send an email to [email protected] requesting information, and I’ll tell you how to get the deal.

Times are tough, and money is tight for many folks.  With this deal, I’ve given you the ultimate economic stimulus–bring a friend and you both save BIG!!  Where else are you gonna get a full month of boot camp for about $8 a workout????

-As of this writing, the July Campbell boot camp is half full. Get your registration in soon if you want to attend this camp!

 Have a great weekend!

 

Becky

A Memorial Day Workout For You

May 23, 2009

I hope you all have a wonderful 3-day weekend!  In an effort to keep you focused on your fitness goals, I’ve created a done-for-you workout you can do at home this weekend with little to no equipment.  No need to think up what to do, I’ve done it for you!

Before I get to that, I’d like to make two important announcements………

1) Welcome to our newest campers Midge (Campbell boot camp) , and Marsha and Lea (Willow Glen FitCamp).  Happy to have you come aboard mid-month, and so honored that you all have already committed to June camps!

2).  Big congratulations to Jackie Michaelsen (Campbell boot camp instructor), as she graduates today from San Jose State University with a degree in Kinesiology.  Way to go, Jackie!

Now, on to business at hand, your weekend workout……..

After a 3-5 minute warm-up, complete the following exercises.  Rest 10-15 seconds between each pair of exercises:

  • Push Ups  –  one set of 12-15
  • Jumping Jacks  –  continuous for 1 minute
  • Squats  –   one set of 12-15 (you can do jump squats if you want)
  • Fast lateral shuffle  –  continuous for 1 minute
  • Inverted row  –  one set of 12-15 (see photos at the end of this post)
  • Walking lunges  – continuous for 1 minute
  • Dips – one set of 12-15
  • “Quick feet”  (think fast taps on a soccer ball) –  continuous for 1 minute

Beginners: Do one full circuit of this workout.  Intermediate and advanced exercisers, do 2-3 circuits of this workout.

Cool down, stretch and drink water after you’ve completed all your rounds–and pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

Note:  If you have wrist or shoulder issues and you own exercise tubing, you can substitute chest presses for the push ups and triceps pull downs for the dips.

If you complete this workout, leave a comment here and let me know how it went.  Also, let me know how long it took you.  I think you’ll be surprised at how quick and efficient this workout is!

Here’s how to set up an inverted row with household equipment:

 

Beginning position
Beginning position

 

 

You can set this up using two chairs and a strong broom handle or thick wooden dowel.

 

Position yourself with your shoulders right underneath the bar.  With your legs bent (easier) or straight (harder), pull your torso up toward the bar.

 

 

Ending position
Ending position

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your three day weekend!

 

Committed to your success,

Becky

A super fast strength training routine

May 08, 2009

Before I tell you about my latest super-fast strength training routine, I want to give a warm welcome to all my “newbie” campers!

Almaden bootcamp:  Welcome to Kristi, Janti and William.  Even though you were sore from workouts earlier in the week, you guys did an excellent job on the obstacle course today!

Campbell boot camp:  Welcome to Lisa, Noelle and Renu.  You guys are hard workers and it’s great to see you blending right in with the “veterans”.

Willow Glen “FitCamp for Women over 40”: Welcome to Angela, Shadie and Gloria.  Woo Hoo!  You ladies rock!  I saw some serious effort during your interval training segments this week.  Well done!.

A number of you “newbies” have approached me to talk about your fat loss goals.  I can tell you’re really motivated.  I suspect that we’re going to see some serious fat loss happening this month!

Speaking of fat loss…………strength training is key to revving your metabolism and helping you burn calories all day long.  So, I’ll share with you below the workout I did the other day at my gym.  If you have dumbbells at home, you can do this workout at home.  It took me 22 minutes, and I worked all my major muscle groups.

I did three sets of each superset with no rest in between the exercises.  When I had completed three sets of a particular superset, I rested for one minute before beginning the next superset. 

I did 12 repetitions per set unless otherwise noted.  I used dumbbells that fatigued me by the last few repetitions of the set.

 

A1:  Push ups (15 reps)

A2:  Dumbbell squats


B1:  Assisted pull ups (if you’re at home, substitute dumbbell bent over rows)

B2:  Dips


C1:  Step ups with dumbbells

C2:  Dumbbell shoulder press 

 

Doing a “superset” routine is a great way to get a strength workout completed without being in the gym forever.  If you need to get another strength training session in this weekend, give this one a try!

 

Committed to your success,

 

Becky

A Workout to Blast Your Belly Fat

Apr 24, 2009

Of course, there is no way to spot reduce our body fat, but as I mentioned in a post a few days ago, high intensity exercise does seem to favor fat mobilization from the abdominal area.

So, just in case you all in my San Jose Boot Camp (Almaden/Cambrian) or Jackie’s Los Gatos Boot Camp didn’t make it to class this week (yeah, you know who you are!!!), I’ve written up a “no equipment needed” workout for you.  Bonus points to the folks who attended all their classes this week and STILL do the workout.  Chime in here by leaving a comment if you complete your workout this weekend.

“Fit and Fabulous” ladies from my Willow Glen boot camp for Baby Boomers: You’ve got some homework in the form of your take-home lesson from Thursdays class, “Home Circuit #4”, but you can add the workout below into your weekend plan if you’d like.  Modify some of the movements if you need to.

Please remember to have a good, full body warm up before you start, and allow time to cool down, drink water and stretch after working out.

On your 1 minute cardio segments, attempt to exercise at an intensity of  “8” or “9” on our scale of 1-10.

Here is your workout:

Step ups on a bench or porch step- 1 minute

Push ups- 15 repetitions

Jumping Jacks- 1 minute

Dips- 15 repetitions

High knees (or jog) in place- 1 min

Walking lunges- 15 out, 15 back

Rest 1 minute

Repeat  circuit 1-2 more times for a quick but effective high intensity workout!

Current campers, don’t forget that you can grab your early bird discount up until Monday, April 27th for the Almaden camp, and Tuesday, April 28th for the Los Gatos and Willow Glen camps.   

Registration remains open at the regular price for new and returning boot campers through Thursday, April 30th.

Log on now to secure your spot!  www.lifesportbootcamp.com

BTW:   Jackie is out of town next week, so “yours truly” will be your instructor at our Los Gatos location next week :-).  Be there!

Have a great weekend!

Becky

Free fitness information!

Nov 19, 2008

Exciting news!  I’ve been asked to participate in the world’s largest fitness promotion called “The 12 Days of Fitness”. It’s a great FREE giveaway of tons of fitness information, videos and audios by nearly 250 of the top fitness pros around (yours truly included!).  

It’s organized by Dax Moy, a prominent fitness professional in London.  He asked me to join the promotion this year and create a special report for one of my specialty markets–boomer women.  Now, some of you reading this aren’t boomer women, I know–but there is SO much information coming in this promotion–you’ve GOT to read on…….
There will be information all ALL things fitness:  
-Weight loss workouts
-Athletic conditioning workouts
-Core conditioning workouts
-Back care workouts
-Nutrition reports
-Meal planning programs
And it’s all FREE!
All you have to do is go to: www.12daysoffitness.com and sign up to get your hands on this stuff.  The promotion begins December 10th and runs through December 22nd.  
During these dates, you’ll receive ONE email a day from Dax with a list of free items for the day.  You can download whatever interests you!
My report will feature weight loss tips for women over 45, bone building exercises and postural exercises.  
I know a few of the other fitness pros selected for this promotion–and they’re TOP NOTCH.  
You really owe it to yourself to get on this list and grab some free fitness info.
What a way to start 2009!

Take my workout, please

Nov 07, 2008

I had a tough cardio workout planned as your homework this week.  But, I did my own workout at the gym this morning and it was a pretty good one, so I decided to share it with you.  If you don’t belong to a gym, I’ll have a non-gym workout for you at the end of this post. 

First, a couple of housekeeping items:  
-Welcome to  campers Patty, Aubree, and Darling. They’re the newest rookies at the Almaden boot camp.  And a big “welcome back” to Sylvie who was a camper at one of my Campbell boot camps and has returned to join the “Fit and Fabulous” group (also known as the Willow Glen bootcamp).
– A big THANK YOU to Aubree for referring Darling to the Almaden boot camp.  Aubree will enjoy a 20% discount off her camp fees in December as well as a one year subscription to an online meal planning program as a bonus for her referral.
-I’ve been trying out some new games and drills on the folks at the Los Gatos bootcamp.  Thanks for being open to new stuff, guys!  That PUMPkin workout was fun, wasn’t it??!!
Now, on to this weekend’s homework.  This is what I did at the gym today.  It took me less than 1 hour.  It’s a great full body workout followed by an interval cardio session.  All exercises are done for 12 reps unless otherwise listed. Choose a weight that fatigues your muscles by the end of the set.
Assisted pull ups (I did 6 reps, as I’m really working on strength gains on this exercise)
Leg press (normally I do squats, but I did leg press today as I’m getting over a back injury)
Dumbbell chest press
Alternating lunges
Dumbbell squat-to-shoulder press
Dips
Squat w/biceps curl (using low pulley system)

Repeat this sequence 2-3 times
Cardio interval:  Pick any cardio machine and do 30 seconds of ALL-OUT HARD work, followed by 90 seconds of moderate work.  Complete 8-10 rounds.  

Cool down and stretch!

If you have no gym access, do this:

Push ups  
Walking lunges  (15 out and back)
Dips
Squats  (15)

Repeat for 4 rounds and then do the cardio interval workout listed above (walk, run or swim).
Make sure to plan time to get at least one great workout in this weekend.
See you in camp!
Becky

Summer is officially here!

Jun 14, 2008

My son graduated from 8th grade yesterday.  My daughter finished her sophomore year of high school two days ago.  It’s HOT outside.  Summer is officially here!

For some of us, summer really changes our routine.  For others, it’s business as usual. In either case, we still need to get our workouts in–we just might need to tweak the routine a little to fit our schedule.  I’ve got the perfect solution for busy moms, business travelers and vacationers…….the high intensity interval workout.
So many folks think that if they don’t have 60 minutes, they can’t get a decent workout in.  WRONG.  You can.
Below you’ll find a brief workout you can do on vacation, at home, or in the back yard that needs no special exercise equipment (except a good pair of sneakers).
Warm up by jogging in place a little or going up and down a flight of stairs a few times if you’ve got stairs near your workout spot.
-Jumping jacks:   1 minute
-Push ups: 40 sec.  followed by 20 seconds of recovery
-Side shuffle (back and forth, 3 steps left 3 steps right): 1 minute
-Body weight squats:  40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of recovery
-Jumping jacks:  1 minute
-Dips off a bench, chair or coffee table:  40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of recovery
-Side shuffle:  1 minute
-Walking lunges:  40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of rest
There.  That’s it.  Eight minutes out of  your day (plus a little warm up and cool down time).  If you’ve got more time, go through this workout for 2 or 3 rounds.  I guarantee it will get your heart rate up.  It will burn calories.  It will continue to burn calories for you after the workout is over.  
Please, no more “no time” or “no place to work out” excuses.
Your workout doesn’t have to take up your summer vacation.  
When you’re crunched for time, do intense stuff in short spurts.
What do YOU do to stay in shape when you’re on vacation, entertaining your kids all summer or traveling for business??  
Please post a reply and share how you make summer fitness happen.
Enjoy your summer and please don’t forget the sunscreen!
Becky