Fit Bit Friday 52
Hi friends!
Oh another weekend is upon us, and a LONG weekend at that! Woohoo!!! Any big plans? This weekend is actually one of my more quiet ones in August, so I’m going to soak up the chance to relax before things start getting crazy again. Oh, and I’ll be watching the Olympics of course. I have a feeling I’ll be watching more TV this month than I do in 12 months combined.
Moving over to Fit Bit Friday…
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Work It Out
Are we liking the August Summer Sizzler Challenge so far? Circuit 1 was posted last week and I’ve got a brand spankin’ new one that’s equally as challenging this week.
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August Summer Sizzler Challenge Workout (Part 2): The 15 to 1 Countdown
Aim to do this one twice over the coming week on non-consecutive days. As you may have guessed, it’s a countdown-style circuit. It only involves 4 moves, and you’ll run through them a total of 15 times. The first time, you’ve got 15 reps of each move to do. After taking 15-30 seconds of rest, jump straight into the next round and do 14 reps of each exercise. Take another 15-30s rest, then do 13 reps of each exercise, etc etc, all the way until you get down to 1 rep of each. Aim to do them quickly, but with strong, proper form. As you get towards the last 3 sets (3 reps, 2 reps, 1 rep), cut out the rest altogether and power through to the finish!
Most of the moves are fairly self-explanatory, but here’s some quick explanations just in case you’re unsure:
Kettlebell swings: Hold one kettlebell by the horns with both hands and position feet just wider than shoulder width apart. Squat to gain power then push through feet to standing, swinging the kettlebell in front of you to around shoulder height. Thrust hips forward as you do this. Bend knees again as you squat for the second swing. Here’s a video tutorial to make sure you’re doing it properly.
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Squat thrusts: Squat and lower your palms to the floor. Put weight in hands as you shoot your legs behind you into high plank. Jump knees back to squatting width and stand. If you feel particularly energetic, do a vertical jump as you rise. That’s 1!
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Pushups: Just the plain vanilla kind are fine, but feel free to mix it up and have some fun with different varieties like staggered hand and spiderman push-ups if you want!
Overhead press: Stand with dumbells in each hand near shoulders (or use a barbell). Raise the weights at the same time to the ceiling, then lower back down with control. Aim to keep your torso steady and don’t swing the weights.
Turn It Up
Ok, if you need a good jam to power you through the final sprints of a run, or the peak-intensity point in your workout, or the last 3 rounds of the circuit above, Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia is the one for you!! I’m putting this one into my Sea Wheeze playlist somewhere around the time I plan to finish for an extra boost of energy. Oh, and if you were wondering, I plan to post that playlist pretty soon so stay tuned!
Good, hey?
Have A Read
In honour of the London 2012 games, this week’s roundup is Olympics-inspired. Enjoy!
- Nutrition secrets of Olympic athletes, straight from the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Nutritionist (and some handy advice for the every-day athlete like you and me)- via Huffington Post
- The New Michael Phelps Diet - via MensHealth.com
- A day in the life of Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones - via Women’s Health
- Ready to be inspired? Check out the story of Olympic hopeful Oscar Pistorius, a South African runner who has smashed records.. all without legs. On Saturday, he’ll be the first amputee in the history of the Olympic games to run the men’s 400m against able-bodied competitors – via ESPN
Before you go, tell me…
- If you could compete in any Olympic event, which one would it be?
- What are your plans for the long weekend?
happy long weekend, angela! in retail, it is business as usual…but as long as the weather is nice, that is ok!
i am with you: i will watch the olympics as much as possible, and that’ll be it for my tv viewing for a while!
love that titanium song – it’s awesome!
i would run the marathon in the olympics!! sadly, we have no women in the this sunday’s race, but i still hope to see the race, all the same!
I know, we really need to get some female marathoners in there! I’ll be watching too. Have a great weekend Cathy!
Great workout!! pinning it! Love countdown style workouts. Plans for the weekend involve an extended one! It’s a long weekend here and I’m taking Tuesday off work too! I’m spending a day in a local wholefoods kitchen to share some recipe ideas, can’t wait! What about you?
Olympics..running! Though if I could dive….
Thanks for the pin Michelle! That’s awesome that you’re getting Tuesday off too! And where is this wholefood kitchen you’re talking about? It sounds awesome! For my long weekend (which is sadly just Sat-Mon, no Tuesday for me!) I’ve got a long run planned – the last before my race next Saturday! And I agree with you on the running – I think that’d be my event too! The hurdlers amaze me though… I don’t think I could run the distance they do as fast as they do even without hurdles in the way!
Great workout! I really want a kettlebell. Maybe a dumbbell would work isntead?
Hi Alex, I don’t have a kettlebell either so I use an old gym bag filled with books and other heavy things. As long as the bag has top handles, it works like a charm!
Yep definitely Alex! A dumbell would work, and I really like Leanne’s gym bag idea too!
Thanks for sharing the Olympian nutrition link, I have a couple of clients that would benefit from reading it!
I totally forgot it was a long weekend. Woohoo! Great song today, I’d never heard it and totally rocked out with the puppies in my office
I hope they find it useful Leanne! And I’m so glad you and the pups enjoyed a little happy dance this morning. I had that song on when I was on the Step Mill watching the Olympics this morning and it was a lovely distractor from the burn in my legs! Have a fabulous weekend!
I’m jealous of your long weekend!! I hope you enjoy it to the fullest. Loved your workout today and the links you posted! Thanks for sharing them
Cool website!~ Thanks for the links!
I would love to compete in soccer!
And I have a 7 hour drive to the beach this weekend
7 hours.. yikes!! I’m sure it will all be worth it when you get there though. Have fun!
I love watching the olympics. If i could compete in any event it would be the equestrian showjumping. I used to compete when I was younger and I really miss it!!!
Thanks for the fab workout…you’re keeping me fit as a fiddle
I love the concept of that workout! I definitely put that song on my worout playlist last weekend…I’m going to try this soon!
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