Helloooo from Vancouver!!!

How are you this morning? I arrived at my lovely hotel super late last night and literally fell into bed within about 5 minutes of entering my room! What is it about hotel beds that makes them SO much more comfortable than all the others available for sale to the general public?? I’d really like to know where to buy some of these pillows!

We have a super busy day ahead that includes meeting up with my dad, brunching, heading to the SeaWheeze expo, and sightseeing, but I promise you bazillions of photos in my recap next week. Don’t think this means I’m going to leave you hanging without a workout – I’d never do that! Let’s see what’s up next for the August Summer Sizzler Challenge!

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Work It Out

Early on in this challenge, I had a request from a reader for a lower body-focused circuit, and I promised her I’d deliver. That’s what I’ve got for you today, and it’s a tough one!

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August Summer Sizzler Challenge Workout – Part 3

Here’s how it works: You’ll do this 6-move circuit a total of 4 times. The first time, you’ll do each exercise for 60s, so in total, the first round will take you 6 minutes. Then, after taking 1-2 minutes rest, repeat it from the top and do each exercise for 45s. Take another 1-2 mins rest, repeat again for 30s each, then take your final 1-2 mins rest before doing each move for 15s each. If you’re wondering why I’ve thrown pushups in at the end, it’s to take your mind off of your legs!

August Summer Sizzler Challenge Part 3

Click here to print the PDF.

Like last week, most of the moves are intuitive but here are a couple of descriptions to help:

Dumbell split squats – You can hold dumbells at your sides or near your shoulders if you want to. If you don’t have a bench to rest your rear foot on, feel free to use a step. If you want an extra challenge put it on a stability ball!

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Stationary alternating lunges – Just as they sound, stand with feet together and step one foot forward. Lower down into a lunge with your front knee staying behind your front toes. Push back up through your front heel and step your feet together again. Repeat, alternating the foot that steps forward. If you want, hold dumbells in each hand near your sides or at your shoulders.

Squat Jumps – Stand with feet just wider than shoulder width apart. Lower down into a squat, again being careful not to let knees come in front of your toes, and as you reverse the motion, push up through your feet with as much power as you can while throwing your arms up. Jump as high as you can, then lower back down with soft knees and continue. If this is more than your joints can take, feel free to do regular squats! If you don’t like the hand-throwing, try keeping your hands behind your head. (Raising your arms up will help you gain momentum though!)

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Jumping Lunges – A bit like the stationary lunges on steroids, these ones are more explosive and the leg switch is in the air.

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Push-Ups – Any way you want ‘em!

Turn It Up

If you are around my age (or somewhere in your 20s) you may have been a fan of Blink 182 as a teen. The guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge started his own band called Angels and Airwaves in 2005, and the very distinct voice that you might remember from Blink 182 albums is still there. This song, Heaven, is a nice long 6 and a half minute on with some good builds that make it great for tempo runs or any sort of cardio activity that could use a musical boost near the end. Enjoy!

Have A Read

Since I’ve got Olympic fever (and I’m sure you do too!) here’s another Olympics-inspired news roundup:

Ok, now it’s your turn. Tell me…

Alright, let’s get moving, shall we? I hope you have a wonderful day and I’ll be back on Monday with Part 1 of my race weekend recap! :)

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