Brrrrrn Workout

Hey guys!

Turning on the heat always makes me sneezy and wheezy, so in the winter months I use exercise as a way to stave off being cold in my apartment (since turning on the heat is definitely not an option). We've done all of these before, and they're pretty simple to explain so I didn't do a video.

100 Kettlebell Swings (use a duffel bag or backpack or dumbbell to swing if you don't have a kbell)
50 Weighted Stepups L (step up onto a chair holding a 20-40 lb weight)
50 Weighted Stepups R
100 V Ups (straight legs, arms by ears, crunch up and touch toes)

For time.

If you want to do some cardio action, I'm gonna alternate 100 jumping jacks and 100 high knees and do As Many Rounds As Possible in 10 minutes.

ROCK!

Back to Tuesday!

Hey guys! Sorry about being semi MIA, my camera battery died and it takes forever to charge so I couldn't put up a video yesterday. Anyway, I was feeling pretty crappy - not the kind of crappy it helps to workout through - like barfy and stomach crappy. WORST.

Here's today's back and burst workout:

A) 500 high knees for time - if you're a beginner and you have bad knees or something do these stepping - not jumping like in the video)
B) 10:50 rest:work
Bent Over Rows w/ Kettlebell (or backpack/duffel bag etc)
Swimmers
Semi-Superman
Swimmers
C) 100 Jumping Split Squats
B) Again
A) Again

**Please ignore the raging faux pas in the video. My camera battery was almost dead and doing another take wasn't going to happen in a reasonable amount of time to get the workout posted.**


My scores:

A) 2:55
B) 28
98
21
80
C) 3:32
B) 26
98
20
90
A) 2:57


ROCK!

How I Holiday Eat

Hey guys! Today's video is about holiday eating. The average American gains almost NINE pounds during the holiday season. NINE! Let's not do that, okay?



Tomorrow will be a core workout double header. Usually I post an ab workout on Saturdays but I'm a little behind. I did AbSaturday but much too late to post. In the interest of a balanced core I'm going to put up a shortened ab workout combined with a back workout for tomorrow.

ROCK!

Wing Free Workout

Hey guys! Today's workout is a full body heart pumping arm scorcher. Because arms should look like arms, and not turkey necks or bat wings. Turkey is food, not something we want to emulate anatomically :).

Part 1) BURST
150 Knee Slaps
500 Jumping Jacks
For time.

Part 2) 10:50 rest:work
Narrow Squat Kick with Upright Row
Squat Hold with Bicep Curl
Limbo Pushups
Reverse Hamstring Curls with Stability Ball
Low Plank Tricep Rockers
X3 rounds - WRITE DOWN YOUR REPS!



Will do the workout and post my scores after my nap :).

ROCK!

Monday Miscellany

Hey guys! Today's workout is reasonably short but pretty brutal. You want to fill out those leggings with seeeexy firm thighs and tush? Today's workout will get you well on your way :).

1) 200 squats for time

2) Split Squat Half Burpee AMRAP 12 minutes
**My legs were shot to hell after the squats - so I didn't do jumping split squats. Instead I stepped back with the left into a split squat and then back with the right into a split squat and then did the half burpee :)**

3) 100 power floor sit ups or stability ball crunches for time



My scores:

1) 6:02

A NEW PERSONAL RECORD!!!!!!!!!!!
Beat my old time by 34 seconds woohooo!
2) 76
3) 3:45

The result:


Drenched.

ROCK!

Thanksgiving Week Kickoff!

Hey guys! Today's workout is a back and shoulder burnout. Want to make sure we keep our cores balanced - if you just do abs you'll end up walking around with hunched shoulders because the antagonist muscles in your back won't have the endurance to keep you upright :).

Todays workout:
100 pushups
100 kettlebell swings (I used 25 lb plate for these)
100 one arm rows with stability ball
100 tricep dips with stability ball
100 isometric pullup pulses

For time.



My score:
24:08

PERSONAL RECORD FOR 100 PUSHUPS!

5:15. That's 51 seconds faster than three weeks ago. FIFTY ONE SECONDS HOLY SHIT!

Hot DAMN that's exciting!

Put one up for keeping a workout journal :).

ROCK!

AbSaturday!

Hey guys!

It's Saturday again, and you know what that means. Your weekly opportunity to get your abs where you want them for Spring Break! Or . . . the Polar Bear Plunge if that's your style :).

Today's workout is:

1000 Jumping Jacks for time.

Then 1 min each of:
Flutter Kicks
Push Throughs
Leg Lift and Lower
Half Side Plank Up Left
Half Side Plank Up Right
Diagonal V Marches
Plank Hold
V-Ups

You will only have one score, the Jumping Jacks time, because the ab workout doesn't have any rests. MWAHAHA! You'll thank yourself and me later, I promise!



My score:
14:11
PERSONAL BEST by FIFTY SECONDS!

ROCK!

Thigh & Burst Workout

Hey guys! Today's workout is allll about making those jeans look HOT this winter :).

The workout is 4 Tabata exercises.

Set your timer for 32 rounds 10:20 rest:work

Do 8 rounds of 10:20 of each exercise before moving on to the next.


1) Bulgarian Split Squats
2) Speed Squats
3) Knee Jump to Jump Up
4) Side to Side Mountain Climbers

IMPORTANT: In the video for the third exercise, I say to do a knee slap after the knee jump. I tried this once and, because my legs were so fatigued, I couldn't get my feet down fast enough to catch myself and I fell.

DON'T DO KNEE SLAPS, DO A REGULAR STRAIGHT JUMP!



My scores:
1)L) 15, 11, 11, 11 R) 10, 10, 11, 9
2) 15, 15, 13, 14, 13, 12, 12, 12
3) 3, 4, 4, 5, 4, 5, 5, 4
4) 13, 11, 13, 12, 12, 10, 11, 13

This was every bit of the burner I thought it'd be, and I thought it'd be pretty brutal. Clingy sweater dresses and tight pants? We're almost ready for you MWHAHAHA!

"I eat a LOT of nuts . . ."

Hey guys! Today's workout is super short, if you decide to do a workout at all. Read: if you need a rest day, use today for it, because I'll be back with an ass kicker tomorrow :).

1 minute plank
1 minute wall sit
x 4 rounds

200 jumping jacks

I get a lot of questions about what I eat on a daily basis. Today's video addresses those. My favorite thing about this video is that I am glowing yellow in it. Would like to give mad props to my camera for always making me look like I have jaundice.



ROCK!

Over the Hump Workout

Hey guys! Today's workout is going to be similar to Monday's Palindrome Workout insofar as it is an over the hill and back down the other side kind of thing.

You will do 19 sets of exercises as follows:

1st round - 1 overhead weighted squat 1 burpee 1 pull up**
2nd round - 2 overhead weighted squats 2 burpees 2 pull ups
. . .
5th round - 5 of each
. . .
9th round - 9 of each
10th round - 10 of each
11th round - 9 of each
. . .
15th round - 5 of each
. . .
18th round - 2 of each
19th round - 1 of each

For time.



This is an MKB Benchmark workout, so it is designed to be quite difficult and will be one of the ways we measure our progress in the future.

**Note: if you don't have a pull up bar you can do bent over rows with whatever you're using to overhead squat (bag, book, etc.) instead. ** There are several tutorial videos on youtube for these :)

If you need to shorten the workout start with the 6 rep set on the front end. So you'd do 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6.

My score: 25:12

ROCK!

Plank Workout

Hey guys! Today's workout centers around the plank, and is bodyweight only so you have NO reason not to try it. Remember, these workouts are only effective if you are pushing AS HARD AS YOU CAN. I mean muscles burning and shaking, wind sucking, sloppy hair sweaty disgusting mess hard. You can DO this.

Come onnnnnn get off the couch today!

10:50 rest:work

Mountain Climbers
Pivoting Squats
Push-Up with Knee Tuck
High Knees
Sort of Superman

x3 rounds

Total time: 15 minutes

Modifications: If you need to drop to your knees during the Push-Up with Knee Tucks or the Sort of Superman, that's an option :).



My scores:
1) 126, 90, 90
2) 16, 14, 13
3) 20, 18, 17
4) 116, 120, 112
5) 20, 21, 20


ROCK!

Palindrome Workout!

Hey guys! Today's workout has three parts, and involves a little bit of everything. It has large muscle group full body work, core burnout, and explosive cardio training. And is only about 15-20 minutes long :).

BRUTAL.

The workout:
Part 1) 10:35 Rest:Work
Get Ups with 10 lb dumbbell (or soup cans - the key is to keep your arms over your head while standing up)
Squat with Side Kick
x2 rounds

Part 2) 10:35 Rest:Work
Pike Raises with Stability Ball
Arch Ups with Stability Ball
x2 rounds

Part 3)
30 Knee Slaps (or 100 high knees if you can't handle the impact to knee slaps)
200 Jumping Jacks
30 Knee Slaps
All three for one time.

Repeat Part 2
Repeat Part 1



My scores:

Part 1)
8, 7
Part 2)
19, 16
Part 3)
4:15
Part 2)
17, 12
Part 1)
5, 5

Then I took this photo:


Then I dry heaved several times.

ROCK!

Grip & Good Morning Workout

Hey guys!

Today's workout is short but very intense.

5 pull up to leg raise
20 good mornings
20 jumping split squats
x5 rounds
THEN
30 reverse grip shoulder press burpees

All for time.

Note: the noise of the dogs lapping up water in the background.



My score: 13:18

ROCK!

Six Minute AbSaturday

Hey guys! Today is Saturday so of course the emphasis is on abs. The workout is only six minutes long, but is a total burnout because there are no rests. Hope you enjoy it and have a great night :).

111111 - Absolutely no relation to today's workout :P

Hey guys! Today's workout is 16 - 35 minutes long depending on whether or not you do Part 2.

Part 1: 10:50 Rest:Work

1)Supported Knee Tucks
2)Triangle Push Ups
3)Weighted Back Squats
4)Isometric Lunge with Speed Curls

4 rounds



Part 2: 1000 Jumping Jacks for time

Who says you can't do cardio with no equipment?

I actually switched the jumping jacks and the workout and did the jacks first.

My scores:

Part 1 1000 Jumping Jacks: 15:01

Part 2
1) 27, 23, 20, 20
2) 25. 16, 15, 16
3) 20, 13, 15, 15 (after burning out my arms it took me a little into the work interval to get my arm strength back to rack the damn barbell!)
4) 17, 16, 13, 17

ROCK!

4th day of the week = 400 rep workout :)

Hey guys!

Today's workout is 400 reps for time.

25 pull ups
25 pistols
25 kettlebell swings
25 stability ball crunches
25 lateral raises (10 lb dumbbells)
25 one leg hanging dead lifts (35 lb kbell) L leg
25 one leg hanging dead lifts (35 lb kbell) R leg
25 tricep dips with feet on stability ball
x2 rounds

Watch the video for a short tutorial. Also, feel free to leave a comment if you'd like ideas on how to improvise with stuff you already have in your home. Remember though, I'm not a doctor, I'm a regular chick that knows what an ass kicking feels like. You do alllllll of these workouts at your own risk. I will explain everything to the best of my ability, and you are free to ask any and all questions. Disclaimer: over and out!



My score: 31:08

The last round of kbell swings and deadlifts were particularly burny. My low back stabilizers and grip strength were DONEski by 10 reps into the second set of kbell swings. I did 10 rounds of strict pullups in the first round then switched to using the stability ball to rest my feet on to keep the intensity up (grip was starting to go), and 8 on the second round before I switched. Miraculously the pistols were NO big deal? Odd, because those usually suck my soul. Love it when I have proof of getting stronger :).




Can we all say EXCITED TO BE DONE??! :D

ROCK!

150 Side Burpee Challenge - Travel Workout Series Closer

Two videos round two!

First is chatting life update, second is workout tutorial.



Takeaway message from this video:

My boyfriend is Superman and I love Maximized Living!



Why do I say butt so weirdly in this video? Yikes.

My score: 16:10.

This was pretty damn grizzly. My PR for 100 regular burpees is 7:32, so you can do the math on modifying them to side burpees (difficult), and adding 50 more (ridiculous) and what it'll do to a girl's score ;).

ROCK!

10 step burpee post-mortem :)

Hey guys! Apologies for my absence. Top video is my explanation and some meaningless post workout panting drivel about my scores etc., and the bottom video is the workout tutorial.

I'm posting this before the brightness edits are complete on youtube for the first video, so if it's too dark to bear, come back in a little while :).

Note: there is crap everywhere because I am half unpacked from living out of a backpack for 8 of the last 14 days. OOF!






ROCK!

300 Step Up Back Lunge Challenge

Hey guys! Don't have time to write much now, but I'm out of town again this week. I made three quick simple workout videos last night so that we can all stay on track with training.

TRAVELING IS NO REASON TO FALL OFF THE WAGON.

Here's the video for today's workout :).



ROCK!

My score: 28:44

This is what that looked like :)

Push-Up Medley

Hey guys! Today's workout is 21 minutes long, and emphasizes the push-up.

10:50. Rest:work.



1) triceps push ups
2) jumping split squats
3) wide arm push ups
4) speed squats
5) inverted pushups (either handstand or with your feet on an elevated surface with your butt in the air)
6) lateral raises with a dumbbell (I used 10 lb dumbbells for first round then fives- DON'T sacrifice form!)

3 rounds. WRITE DOWN YOUR REPS!

My scores:
1) 30, 16, 14 = 60
2) 40, 34, 30 = 104
3) 23, 17, 18 = 58
4) 31, 32 (!!!), 30 = 93
5) 6, 6, 5 = 17
6) 12 (10 lb), 16, 14 (5 lb) = 42

THEN:
1 min low jacks
1 min hopping on one foot
1 min hopping on other foot

That's it. Just these three minutes will do plenty if you keep the low jacks low and your heels off the ground doing the jumps. Seriously, you'll be surprised how much jumping on one foot sucks :).

ROCK!

Backside Balance Out

Hey guys! Today we're going to focus on our backs and backsides to balance out yesterdays ab work. Today's workout involves weights. If you don't have a barbell and plates, get a duffle bag and put some heavy stuff in it. If you are new to deadlifts DON'T do your bodyweight. Otherwise, go ahead. Watch this video for proper deadlift technique. In the video the guy says to literally draw the weight up your legs. If you are new to dead lifting, follow his advice until you can feel the proper biomechanics of the lift. I don't drag the weights up my legs anymore, but I definitely did to start. Go nice and slow if you're making contact with your skin otherwise you'll rip it off. Trust me, I did it :).

ALL OF THAT SAID:

The number one rule of MKB is
NO ONE GETS HURT!

Injuries set you back much further than any improvement would leap you forward by doing too much too soon.

Today's workout:
100 100lb deadlifts
200 swimmers with 2.5-3 lb weight in each hand.
*In this video the guy says to hold the lift for three seconds, but you're not going to do that. You are going to be constantly switching the opposite arm/leg combo so your arms and legs will be fluttering. Important to keep your arms and legs straight - lifting the arms with your shoulders only and lifting your legs with your butt only. No momentum or leg kicking allowed!

Those two exercises for time.


THEN a little indoor cardio action.

200 high knees
I cut the forward motion component and do them in front of a mirror to make sure I'm keeping my chest up and my knees are getting up high enough.
100 Jumping Jacks

5 rounds for time.

Camera battery is deader than a doornail, so no video today. If you're lucky I may use the last bit of the juice to show you what this workout did to me when I'm done so you can giggle at me :).

ROCK!

My scores:
1) 14:29
2) 13:56

The aftermath:



Mouth always open in these photos because I've literally JUST finished and am huffing and puffing.

AbSaturday!!

Hey guys! Here's todays Ab Crusher.

20 side plank ups each side
20 25% bodyweight untucked foot weighted sit ups
10 hanging leg raises
100 Jumping Jacks

5 rounds for time.

My score:
25:27

Watch me huff and puff in the video immediately post-workout :).



ROCK!

Tabata Shoulder and Thigh Ass-Kick

Happy Friday everyone! Here is the workout for today.

Tabata:
Pull-Ups
Jumping Split Squat with Stability Ball Squeeze
Isometric Half Squat with Shoulder Press
Hand Food Hand Off

16 total minutes of big bad burn.

Here's the video, which gives basic technique and some alternatives if you don't have weights or a pull up bar.



My scores:
Pull Ups: 8 strict/unaided, all others with stability ball 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5 (Total: 47)
*Last time I did Tabata Pull Ups I did Jumping which are much easier than the ones I did today*
Jumping Split Squat: 17, 13, 10, 9, 9, 11, 11, 10 (Total: 90)
Squat Shoulder Presses w/ 10 lb weight: 10, 10, 10, 7, 7, 7, 9, 8 (Total: 68)
Hand Food Hand Off: 12, 10, 10, 11, 10, 9, 10, 10 (Total: 82)

This is how you should feel after you do 4 Tabata rounds. Or two for that matter. Remember, each work interval is MAXIMUM EFFORT. You can do ANYTHING for TWENTY SECONDS!

Side note: my shoulders are shaking so much in this picture I had to try to take it three different times because the immense weight of my point and shoot digital camera was too much to bear with one hand.


GET IT.

Enjoy :D.

Traveling Tuesday

ROCK!

My Scores:

100 pushups - 6:06

200 deep squats - 6:36

20 minute AMRAP Challenge!

In the video I mentioned something about posting my score at 3:00 today. I was up later than I thought I'd be last night, so that probably won't happen until this evening.

Anyway, give it a try, tell me what you think!

ROCK!

My Score: 46 + 2 Low Jacks

Oh, and just to crush a quick objection. When I did this blog the first time around, I would encourage people to try the workouts, and the objection was "I can't. Working out isn't easy for me like it is for you."

Ahem. This is the unedited version of what I looked like at the end of this workout. You can't tell but I have raging boob and stomach sweat and the top of my head is SOAKED.




Don't tell me it's easy for me, and I won't tell you it's too hard for you.

Because it's bullshit. <3

Climbing. Climb On.

Workout:

20 minute run
then:
100 mountain climbers
10 pushups
10 jumping split squats
10 rounds for time.

ROCK!

My Score:
16:36



Photo courtesy of Strong is the New Skinny

AbSaturday

Hey guys! Another quick post. WOD:

20 x 3 pulse deep squats
10 straight leg hanging leg raises
15 side plank ups L to 5 dumbbell hugs L
15 side plank ups L to 5 dumbbell hugs L
20 russian twists w/10 lb plate
x5 rounds for time.

50 V Crunches (timed)
1 min plank
x2 rounds

My first video how to - I had just finished my workout so I'm pretty much busted. What a debut. Anyway, as we all knew, I'm not a model. I'm a normal person trying to get YOU off the couch :).



My scores:
1) 22:36 2) 2:08 3) 2:20


ROCK!

PS - I just said Y'ALL in this video. I NEVER say that. What the EFF?!

Friday WOD

Hey guys! Running around busy busy today, but here is the WOD:

1)100 burpees for time
1 minute rest
2)100 kettlebell cleans for time with 1/3 body weight kbell (alternate arms after 10 - 50 each arm total)
1 minute rest
3) a) 50 triceps dips on chair/low table etc with feet on a stability ball (squeeze your ass cheeks so you get a hamstring workout too) b) 50 sit ups with 25% body weight plate - don't tuck your feet - foot tucking is cheating - and if you only have 50 to do - do them right!

My scores:
1) 7:32 PERSONAL BEST BY 21 SECONDS
2) 10:36 (I died doing these - my grip strength was failing me miserably)
3) 7:36 (arms were toast after the first two things- so the dips were slooowwww going at the end - and holding the 25 lb plate up was burny on the ole triceps)

I'm BAAA-aaaaack!

Dearest distinguished chicks and dudes,

My sincerest apologies for being off the radar all summer. Some of you may read that and think, "All summer? Giiiiirl, you were gone for over six months!" To which my reply would be, "I live in Georgia, it IS Summer for six months."

A few quick reminders: MKBBF = the love of my life
MKBDad = my dad
Seamus = my chocolate lab
Sasha = my kettlebell
Tabata = interval training protocol 10 seconds rest followed by 20 seconds **MAXIMUM EFFORT** for eight to ten rounds of the same exercise. A block of 8-10 rounds is a set. Between each set of different exercises is a 10 second rest.

When I say I Tabata-ed sit ups, dead lifts, and jump lunges, it means I did 8 10:20 rounds of sit ups, rested for 10 seconds, then 8 10:20 rounds of dead lifts, rested for 10 seconds and 8 10:20 rounds of jump lunges.

**MAXIMUM EFFORT = By round 5 or 6 if you're not muscle failing in the exercises where it is safe to do so, you're not going hard enough. Period.**

Okay, back to me. I trained pretty hard this summer with my workout schedule looking something like this:

Monday - 20 minute jog with Seamus (my chocolate lab for those of you who are new or have forgotten) followed by 3 sets of Tabatas - I picked three things and did them
Tuesday - West Cobb Chiropractic Warehouse Workouts - weekly, long, brutal workouts designed by Dr. Fred Roberto, a Wellness Advisory Council doctor. The man is an animal, and I have never been around a group of more driven people in my life.
Wednesday - usually spent half of Wednesdays trying to get down my stairs after getting rocked so hard on Tuesday.
Thursday - ran either a) 5.5 miles of hills on a trail at Kennesaw Mountain, or b) straight up the damn thing - a mile up and a mile and a half back down the other side. Took the brown pig regardless.
Friday - isometric workout - usually pulsing squats or pulsing half pistols - some pilates work - lots of planks - arm and back sculpting. Focused more on burn and less on gasping for air.
Saturday - short vintage body weight BodyRock challenges
Sunday - 100 pushups for time.

Am having to get back in to the home work out thing because it's getting cold out and I hate that cold weather bloody throat taste thing. UGH. Oh, and the warehouse is out of commission for the next little while. SAD TIMES!

So I'll be back with you through the colder months at least (since I have some extra time).

Without further ado today's workout: Crossfit Angie Tabata style.
My Scores:
Pull Ups (had to do some of them as jumping pull ups to maintain intensity) -51 total - 8,8,7,7,6,6,5,4
Push Ups (strict military) - 64 total - 17,10,9,7,5 (muscle failed),6,5 (muscle failed),5
Squats (tops of thighs parallel with ground, pushing through heels, driving with hips) - 111 total - 18,15,15,14,14,12 (muscle failed),12,11
Sit Ups (legs bent, feet NOT tucked into anything, reps where feet not planted on the ground not counted) - 86 total - 14,11,11,11,10,10,9,10

Will update you on my life, share some pictures etc. tomorrow. For now, get your asses to the gym and beat my scores!

ROCK!

I didn't watch the Royal Wedding

Primarily because . . . English royals are by and large a boring horsey looking big toothed lot.

And I had 3 hours of physics, working out, and wellness to coordinate at work.

Workout of the day:
a)20 double unders (I whipped the shit out of myself like 5 times and called it quits for the day - was getting frustrated and not into the groove)
b)5 rounds for time:
10 tuck jumps
100 speed ropes
c) 100 table top hip lifts
d) 1 minute each:
-Wide Grip Strict Pull ups / Narrow Grip Strict Pull ups (30:30 split)
-Standard Push ups / Triceps Push ups (30:30 split)
-Warrior Pose Bicep Curl (a deep lunge with straight back leg - the arm that is on the same side as the front leg is inside the leg and doing 4 count up 4 count down curls) (30 sec each leg in front)
-One Leg Chair Triceps Dips (same as a standard triceps dip - but 30 seconds with your left leg up and 30 seconds with your right leg up)
-Pike Pulls with stability ball (plank with hands on ground feet on ball - pull the ball toward you with your abs so you end up with your ass in the air in an inverted pike) (30 seconds)
-Pike Pushups with stability ball (while your ass is in the air - do pushups for 30 seconds)
-Lawn Mower (back to that deep front lunge - but use the hand corresponding to the back foot this time and do an explosive one armed row like you're trying to start up a lawn mower) (30 seconds each side)
x2 rounds
e) 40 bridge flips (video below- note the huffing and puffing - I did the video right after I had finished the entire workout - was exhausted)
f) 8 minute abs




Ass by Heavy Squats.

ROCK!

The one thing I'm just not that good at.

Hey sports fans!

Today I am going to do something I never do, and focus on something I'm actually pretty awful at in the fitness realm. I am very hardheaded, stubborn, perfectionistic, and very much a self slave driver. I know what I want and I want what I want when I want it. End of discussion.

I have always been athletic - and by that I mean I have always had that burning inner push to go harder, faster, stronger. I attribute it to a VERY active childhood and the fact that my free time for 10 years was spend working out 30-40 hours a week under extremely critical supervision. So when I am just ridiculously pathetic at something, it is VERY frustrating. Partially because I can hear my old coaches voices in my head, telling me it's easy, and that all I have to do is commit to it.

That kind of attitude will get you leaps and bounds with strength training and a lot of gymnastics (overcoming fear etc), but I've found it doesn't apply to everything fitness oriented. Unfortunately, that kind of thinking is hardwired in me. Nowadays, when I commit to something, and I'm still not able to do it well, it goes against everything I've ever known about accomplishing goals.

Alright here's the big reveal. Something I suck at immeasurably that most people, even those who don't necessarily workout all the time can do.

Double Unders.

I can whip out pullups, pushups, squats, cleans, sasha swings, burpees. You name it. I can do it. And I can do it quickly. Somehow all of that just doesn't seem that impressive compared to what I saw at a Maximized Living fitness team challenge yesterday. I saw a friend of mine whip out double under and after double under with the same amount of effort it takes the rest of us mere mortals to do singles. I was in awe.

I hate double unders with the passion of six thousand hellfires. The last thing I hated this much were burpees. So I'm doing what I did with those, and making them a part of my workouts everyday. As I remember from gymnastics, the way to go from hating something to being able to do it well and thus loving it, is all about numbers and repetition. I am truly inspired by what I saw yesterday, so I'll be doing 100 double unders for time every day until I can string 30 together and do 100 in under 4 minutes.

This is probably going to take awhile, and involve significant amounts of carnage for my shins. Fortunately I wear bruises and lashes and cuts like badges of courage, so I won't need to shy away from short shorts. Beneficial, considering it's already 90 something here in North Georgia.

My workout today:
100 double unders
200 singles for speed
20 pushups 50 mtn climbers
20 pushups 50 mtn climbers
50 overhead tricep extensions 50 mtn climbers
50 standing rows 50 mtn climbers
10 Sasha cleans each arm 50 mtn climbers
50 stability ball hamstring curls
100 table top hip lifts
8 minute abs
100 flying hamstring curls w/stability ball (see video - and no judgement - I had just finished doing all this stuff like 10 minutes prior and was in the middle of typing an explanation when I thought - "hey I should just do a quick video" - so here it is.)






ROCK!

Easter is one of my FAVORITES!

Not only is Easter the seminal holiday for those of us in Christendom, it's also the day where we can whip out our summer whites and sandals.

Some people wait until Memorial Day, but down here Memorial Day is 2 weeks in to 95 degree highs, so I go with Easter instead :). Before you judge, at least I respect the rule of not wearing white for MOST of the traditional no-white season ha.

Despite my excitement to wear summer white, I wore a deep red and black polka dotted dress to church today. My nails and my cork wedge sandals were white though, so that's something :D. I like to be semi-coordinated with MKBBF at church on holidays, so he wore his deep red dress shirt with a grey vest and slacks and gunmetal and dark red metallic - ish tie. So. Handsome.

Anyway, I woke up at 7:10 today to crank out my workout before church. Today's workout is:

A) -2 minutes jump roping
-50 table top hip lifts
B) 1 minute each of:
-Pull Ups
-Triceps Push Ups/Regular Push Ups/Wide Arm Push Ups (20:20:20 split)
-Overhead Triceps Extensions
-Seated Arm Circles w/3lb weight (arms straight out to side - circle forward for :30 and backward for :30)
-Hammer Grip Pull Ups
- Push Up + knee to chest (complete a push up - while you're still up tuck your right leg to your chest - then back to plank - then left leg tucked to chest - and back - do another push up - etc.)
C) 300 Mountain Climbers - for time. My result: 3:20
D) repeat part B)
E) 5 Kite Push Ups (put your forefingers together and your thumbs together and make a kite or diamond shape - execute push ups) + 4 Curls - for time. My result: 1:08
x3 rounds
F) 8 minute abs

I'm probably going to do some extra front of arm work - hammer and regular curls - jocker presses etc. too.

Also, I promised I'd share a list of food items we NEVER go without here at Casa MKB.

Bananas
Avocado
Granny Smiths
Carrots
Onions
Fresh Garlic
Fresh Ginger
Oranges
Kale or Spinach
Coconut Oil
Organic Free Range Chicken Breast
Organic Free Range Eggs

ROCK!

It's Saturday Night!

And you know what I did? I watched a heartwarming Adam Sandler comedy and worked out. . . . You're on the edge of your seat, aren't you.

I figured.

So let me back up and give you the highlight reel on the rest of my day.

First thing out of bed, I decided to whip out a hundred burpees to see if I could beat my record, and as an ultimate goal, achieve my landmark of 100 burpees in under 8 minutes. I did it in 7:59 last week, but I lost count-ish in the middle (somewhere around 70 I started actively having to concentrate on not barfing) - so I didn't count it because it may have been 97 or something in reality.

Anyway. My time today was. *drum roll please*

7:57!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOLY SHIT!


And THIS time, I know it was the full 100 :), so I am REALLY excited. I have had this goal for a while!

Ok, so then MKBBF and I headed to the Marietta Farmers Market and got 4 onions, 12 plums, 6 HUGE granny smiths, a big basket of green beans, red oak leaf lettuce, and a HUGE bibb lettuce for $15.00. AMAZING! Then completed our list of items to always have on hand at Whole Foods. I'll tell you what those items are tomorrow :).

Came back, took a nice afternoon nap. For dins: green beans and bamboo shoots sauteed with LOTS of fresh ginger, minced garlic, the juice of an orange and a lemon and plain chicken. NOM NOM. Simple food is SO tasty.

Then we watched Grown Ups (the aforementioned heartwarming Adam Sandler flick) while I gave myself a manicure. Yes, I maintain my nails. Yes, they're short because I am NOT going to have my fingernails inhibiting my ridiculous lifestyle :), but that doesn't mean I like to have scraggly cuticles or chipped polish. And by that I mean, I meticulously maintain my cuticles and re-polish my nails twice a week. It's one of the few relaxing self indulgent things I do. Working out is self indulgent (in a way) too, but I wouldn't put it in the relaxing category ha.

I just finished munching on a couple raw carrots and now I'm eating my Daddy's homemade salsa (also known as the best effing salsa EVER) with a spoon. MMMmmmmmm. Yup. You read that right. Eating salsa with a spoon. I must be from Texas or something . . . :D

Today's workout:

Morning:
100 burpees -7:57

DAMN that's cool to read. Again. :P

Night:
A)2 minutes speed roping (215 skips completed)
B)1 minute each:
Weighted Jumping Squats (10 lbs)
Elevated Back Leg One Leg Lunges w/ Weight (10 lbs) (30:30)
Low Jacks
Dead Lifts (45 lbs) - focus on form and speed/power with hip drive
Jump Lunges (10 lbs)
1/2 Squat to Calf Raise
C)capoeira spinning crab - instead of switching directions each rep do 20 one direction then 20 the other - for time! My result: 4:45
D)repeat part B)
E)8 minute abs
F)50 table top hip lifts (check out yesterday's post for the explanation - or drop me an e-mail at mckettlebelle@gmail.com)

AND, and and! MKBBF did parts D&E with me :). 6 minutes of Max-Fit and 8 minute abs. Always proud of him when he's able to pull himself away from the books to exercise! It's a difficult race between the two on his list of priorities, understandably, but tonight feeding his body won WOOHOO!

ROCK!

Working out isn't EASY for me either!

Hey guys!

I'm actually writing this Thursday night to post on Friday since I have a little extra time, and want to start regularly sharing fitness/wellness stuff again :). I'm flirting with the idea of doing short videos just to show the movements - these will not be real time workouts like on BodyRock or anything, but it'll give you a quick and dirty resource for seeing the exercises, and save me the time of having to explain everything (which, at this point I don't have time to do :/).

I may include the gratuitous post workout pain photo from time to time at the end of the videos. The reason for that would be that I hear all the time "oh, you're so little and lean, I bet working out isn't hard for you at all." Uh.

1) I wasn't always this lean. Or little. I have pictures of me at 18% bodyfat from undergrad which, for a former high level competitive gymnast is A LOT. But I won't lie to you - I've never needed pants bigger than a size 1 (in some bizarre defense I feel like I need to have for this - I'm only 5 feet 4 inches tall . . . ) - so if you're looking for some dramatic before and after of me standing in my old pants holding out the waistband, you won't find it. I did have to buy new pants and some of my 0's don't fit these days, but I didn't shrink down from a size 22, in the interest of full disclosure :).

2) I got lean by working out (and ceasing to eat bullshitty foods like grains, dairy, and preservatives). And I don't mean working out as a treadmill queen. I went that route in the past, and all it got me was skinny fat. Gross. Then I started throwing my body weight and other heavy stuff around.

3) I give 110% to every workout. All that has changed is my ability to lift heavy shit, do more reps during my tabatas or go quicker in rounds for time. My exertion hasn't changed at all. I make it my BUSINESS to feel a little bit nauseous after every workout. If I don't, I do burpees until I get there.

My point is. Working out is pain. It's a worthy cause. But it's NEVER easy. And if you saw what I look like after I've dumped out every ounce of my energy in 20-40 minutes you'd know I was telling the truth. That's why I'm contemplating the photos. It takes 20 minutes of looking like shit (and if you do it right, you absolutely will) to look and feel like the best possible you the other 23 hours and 40 minutes of the day. So take the plunge.

And I just might show you what wearing 110% effort looks like on me :)

Workout of the day:

a)
-30 seconds of high knee rope skipping
-30 seconds of jump squats
-50 table hip lifts - sit on your butt, put your hands behind you - and lift your butt off the ground a little - kind of like being on all fours, but flipped over so your back is to the ground. Squeeze your butt to raise your hips until the table top is flat - then lower your hips - then squeeze back up (make sure you are using your GLUTES and not your mid back muscles in some weird archy fashion). Looks a bit like you're humping the air. Chalk one up for working out at home. Each squeeze/hip lift is one rep. Also, this is why I need to include a goddamn video :).
-1 minute of rope skipping

b) 1 minute each of:
wide grip pull up
2 speed pushups (4 fast - 2 reps of 4 counts down 4 counts up)
3 point stand to bicep curl
warrior pose with lateral dumbbell raise
underhanded pull ups
pushup pops (where you push yourself off of the ground so hard you jump your hands a little)

c) capoeira spinning crab (watch the video to find out how - a full four step circle counts as one rep). Also, instead of alternating sides each time like Zuzana does in the video, do 10 circles one direction, and 10 circles in the other direction.

d) repeat b)

e) 10 pushups 5 shoulder presses 5 pullups

f) 8 minute abs

ROCK!

Health Issues and WOD

Hey everyone! So I haven't been posting because I haven't exercised since Sunday. I know. FOR SHAME. But I have a good reason.

Monday night I had an ovarian cyst rupture, which, if you don't know is PHENOMENALLY painful.

Made the 10 hours of 8/10 pain scale barf inducing cramps I deal with every 30 days seem like kid stuff.

I can't describe it any better than that my whole universe was pain. I couldn't move, breathe deeply, see clearly, or have normal tactile response (everything felt gritty?). And every sound was like the teacher in Peanuts. A muffled wahwahwahwah noise. Horrible. Absolutely horrible. Once it resolved I was dripping sweat, and craving a sweet potato. In this circumstance I figured if I was craving something as random as a sweet potato, there's probably something my body desperately needed nutritionally in it. So I put on a pair of pants, MKBBF's college hoodie (sans undershirt or bra) and some shitty plastic flops and we headed out to find one.

Did I mention he's the best? I was a real vision. Sweat drippy hair in a ball, mascara everywhere except on my eyelashes (save the little bit that was left to congeal between them and make two giant super eyelash clumps), and he offers me his sweatshirt and pants and to drive. Did I mention he's nearly 6'1" and is overall MUCH larger than I am? Did I also mention that sometimes I wear them anyway? Anyway. Here's the workout.

a) 2 minutes rope skipping
b) 1 minute each:
Run Stance Squat
Lunge Pulses
One Leg Sasha Deadlifts
Squats w/ barbell
Table top Hip lifts
Wall Squats
c) repeat part a)
d) repeat part b)
e) repeat part a)
f) 8 minute abs

ROCK!

E-mail me!

Hey guys! So, turns out I've gotten really busy, and these posts take some time to put up. From now on, I'm going to just post the workouts. If you have questions on what the exercises are or how to do them properly you can e-mail me at:

mckettlebelle@gmail.com

And I encourage you to do so :). It is not an inconvenience at all - and e-mails are easy to respond to on my blackberry when I'm running around.

All workouts will have a cardio ish and a core part and we'll alternate arm and leg emphasis every day.

Today's workout (arm emphasis):

a) 1 min speed roping 1 min jumping jacks - 5 mins - 3 rounds roping 2 rounds jacks

b) 1 min each:
pull ups
pushups
hammer curls to shoulder press
chair dips/kick backs (30:30)
two speed pull ups
decline push ups
x2 rounds

c) 8 minute abs

ROCK!

Spring Break and New Personal Best

Hey everyone!

I would like to say my week got better after the pants peeing incident, and so I will. There were two great days - Thursday we spent in Burlington, VT with MKBqMIL and Saturday we spent in Newmarket, NH and Freeport, ME with MKBBF's two neices.

I'll just post pictures instead of narrating the whole week, because aside from those two days, the week was kiiiind of a nightmare. Nothing to do with myself or MKBBF, but his family is having some MEGA drama and, simply put, there was no avoiding it since we were consistently being employed as part of the solution to it.

ANYWAY back to the photographs :D


After the long night in Bumble PA - finally back on the road.

A bear cub statue on Church St outside City Hall. Any resemblance?? MKBBF thinks so :D


Me and MKBBF's nieces waiting for a table at the Big Bean in Newmarket, NH


All of us with our super healthy breakfasts. Yes, mine came with toast. Yes, I had a few bites. Yes, I paid DEARLY. Lesson learned.


MKBBF and his nieces outside of the Big Bean before we got in the car to head to Freeport ME.


Obligatory picture of us in front of the Big Boot at my favorite store.


Finally got to relax one night for about 20 minutes before meeting up with friends in Dover. This photo was taken at a Dunkin Donuts. No, we did not eat donuts. Yes, we did run on Dunkin' (coffee) for the evening.


The bar had chalkboard paint in the stalls. One way to entertain yourself when you don't drink and you're at a bar? Write shit on the chalkboard in the stall while drunk girls pound on the door and scream at you. What I photographed is all I wrote (the heart with my initials and MKBBF's initials) - took maybe 10 seconds. Apparently was enough of a delay to stir up controversy. YAWN to drunk bitches.

So we got back and back to regimented healthy paleo eating which has been a DREAM for my guts. This morning MKBBF and I did Max-Fit workout 24 together which was awesome. Love working out with My Favorite. Then this afternoon I did 100 burpees in the buff - because why the hell not? - obviously, and now I'm getting ready to head over to go tear up some routes with MKBBF at the rock gym.

PERSONAL BEST ANNOUNCEMENT:

I COMPLETED 100 BURPEES IN 8:26!

ROCK!

25 and still peeing my pants.

Hey everybody!

Just want to fill you in on the trip to New England thus far. We got a late start yesterday. Really late. Fast forward to 5 am this morning. Flat tire in bumblefuck (shippensburg) pennsylvania. Had to wait 2 hours for AAA to show up to tow us to a tire place 30 miles away in Harrisburg PA. Then had to replace all four tires bc my car is AWD. Then was informed that despite the fact I drove on the flat for maybe 10 seconds (it immediately made noise - so only drove on it long enough to pull over and stop) the rim is bent. So I have to replace that at Exeter Subaru tomorrow - fortunately they had my exact rim in stock so I just have to go down there and have them mount and balance the tires and redo the alignment. Costly, but quick.

Anyway, so after spending 5.5 hours from time of tire flatness to leaving the tire place we went in search of coffee. The next exit had a highway sign for Starbucks so we went - it was one of those where it's nowhere near the actual exit. I was cursing a blue streak over hypothetically not finding it.

Then I drove right past it. Eagle eyes. Right here.

Then MKBBF decided to eat an orange while we were parked. He was suckling on it oddly and made me laugh so hard I actually peed in my pants. Which then made him laugh really hard and dribble chewed up orangey juicey goop all over his self. Which then made me laugh harder - snarf my plantain chip and pee a little more.

Then I went into Starbucks and the barista asked how my day was going. So I told her. Including the part about peeing my pants. MKBBF was embarassed, but he knows I'm outrageous and have zero shame, so I'm sure he expected it to come up. Then he went to the bathroom . . . For 45 minutes. And you know what I did? I curled up in one of those big chairs and passed out like a dirty damn bum.

Fuck it. Today is awesome. Life is good :).

Symptomatic Sunday

Hey everyone!

I started feeling a little bit symptomatic last night after dinner - dry throat, stuffy nose etc.. So I finished up my cleaning and laundry, drank a big cup of garlic (anti viral) honey (general anti microbial) lemon (Vit. C immune booster) tea and passed out. I woke up this morning naturally at 9:30 with the dry throat relieved, and the nose is more drippy now. I feel so much better already. I have consumed another cup of the tea, and will be effectively giving myself a low grade fever by doing a BodyRock workout a bit later. (Fever = best way for your body to KILL KILL KILL pathogens)

I use the word symptomatic and not sick for a reason. Sick people have recurring symptoms for weeks months years. Symptomatic people have bodies that are reacting and responding to the a stimulus or non-self the way they're supposed to. I am actually very well, thank you, and am supporting my natural ability to fight off crap by bolstering my immune system. A well functioning immune system will kill off sneezy sniffly bullshit faster than anything else.

Anyway, the workout of the day is
Red Hot Workout (revisited)
8 min abs

Now. Back to bed and tea. Then when I wake up, MKBBF will be here. Thank. GOD. I haven't been consciously miserable without him here, it's more that I just don't function as well on a physiological level when he's gone. Sleep and digestion are what are usually most affected. So he'll be here, then I'm going to pack and we're going to head out for my favorite place on Earth - New England!

ROCK!

YO!

I have deliberately not updated so that the last post I wrote would be the first thing people that visit the blog see. I felt like it was something I have been judged and ridiculed for, needed to get off of my chest, and has been bottled up for a while.

Moving on. I have been climbing or doing workouts at least every other day since, so the intensity has tapered off quite a bit but I am trying to stay consistent. I will ramp back up at some point, but I don't want to burn out altogether, so I'm scaling it back a smidge on the time commitment end of it.

Anyhow, I don't have a ton of time today, as I have to take a nap, clean the condo, workout, and pack for next week's trip to New England. All that before dinner time because I'm going over to my dad's to eat dinner with him there.

MKBBF is out of town at a Maximized Living camp, so I have been spending a lot of time with MKBDad. Last night I went over to his place and ate an AMAZING fresh paleo dinner, watched our beloved Florida State Seminoles get their asses handed to them, and then he came back over here to sleep on the couch. Maybe a bit odd, but we usually end up staying up really late telling idiotic jokes about farting and such during our slumber parties haha, and I wanted to sleep in my own bed.

Woke up early this morning, took care of the muppets, and headed into work for a Doctors Report. Then came back, made a turnip, spinach, garlic, sundried tomato egg white scramble with a TON of fresh parsley, ate, and took my dad home.

Now I'm wiped out. And I have all that stuff to do. Anyway, here is my workout of the day:

Just Can't Get Enough Exercise Challenge
4 minute workout
8 rounds Tabata Sasha Swings
200 In Out Challenge
8 minute abs

(Tabata = 10 seconds rest 20 seconds MAXIMUM effort)

Will post scores upon completion.

ROCK!

*******UPDATE*******
Just Can't Get Enough Exercise Challenge: 11:07
*Then my knees got clicky and poppy - so scratched the 4 min workout
Tabata Sasha Swings: 11/10/10/10/10/10/10/10
200 In Out Challenge: 5:44 (Old score: 6:16)
8 minute abs: complete

Now I have to get serious about cleaning. Packing isn't going to happen before dins, but I do need to clean so packing will be easy when I get home :). I have a thing about coming back from a vacation to a condo that isn't pretty much spotless. So, wish me luck!!

Quasi-Manifesto

Hey everyone!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm taking the year off from drinking, so I'll be doing the OTHER thing Irish girls are known for to celebrate. Not tolerating any bullshit :).

Today's post isn't exactly lighthearted, but this is my venue for . . . whatever I want to say, so I'll say it. I need to vent so I can relax and gather some strength to do a workout, because right now I'm just stressed and exhausted.

Let me set the stage for you. MKBBF and I have a pretty traditional relationship in that we both take the commitment and connection very very seriously. We have both dealt with stressors in the past revolving around old girlfriends and boyfriends soiling the current relationship, and dating people who have been less than honest.

One week at church there was a message about relational guardrails (it was actually an entire series - but the relationship piece was one message). The premise of the talk was that guardrails exist to keep us on THIS side of the safe zone. That isn't to say that immediately over the guardrail is something dangerous, but SOME where, over THERE lies a situation or person or place which should be avoided.

We took the opportunity to implement some of these guardrails in our relationship. The first and most obvious to implement (also the only one I'm blogging about) was to have zero contact between us and our former bedfellows. There is no room for anything but the present in our relationship, and connecting to past romance and spoiled love detracts from present time consciousness. It's just that simple.

Last night one of MKBBF's exes decided to make her presence known on Facebook, despite having been asked to please not have contact several months ago when she attempted. So I sent her a VERY polite benefit of the doubt message indicating our firm "no exes" policy, asked for her cooperation, and signed off with "I hope you're well". I also clearly indicated that my wishes were genuine and none of it was out of snark. So when, during breakfast I received a (poorly worded somewhat inane and generic) message from her tearing me and my relationship with MKBBF apart, I took issue with it. MKBBF has since handled the situation, and I don't think we'll be hearing from her again. *side note: quickest way to annoy a non-imbecile: mix up your and you're.*

Even still - I feel compelled to make a few things clear and submit them to the universe. MKBBF and I have both been failed MISERABLY in the past. I have never dropped the ball on him the way others have, and he has always done right by me and stood by my side which has unfortunately not been all that common for me either. It has taken us each a lot of agonizing splits, let downs and personal growth to combine at this stage on life's road, and look ahead holding hands.

The person you fall in love with, your partner, becomes your first family. They're the only person IN your family you get to choose. MKBBF is mine, and there is NO ONE I wouldn't challenge to protect our life together. Our relationship is a fortress. But someone has to be resilient to the rascalions and garbage on the outside, and keep them from getting in, or the walls we've built don't matter. I will never waver in my duty to deny unhealthy situations or people entry into our world. You can call it paranoid, you can call it uptight, you can skew and bastardize it as a lack of trust. You can be wrong.

Ultimately "he who walks with the wise becomes wise, but the company of fools suffers harm." I'm not in the market to become a fool, nor am I interested in idiocy marring the integrity of the trust MKBBF and I share. We have deliberately built our castle on THIS side of the guardrail to distance ourselves from the riffraff on THAT side of it.

I will NEVER stop and I will NEVER apologize for being one of the ever vigilant guards of my family. I love MKBBF dearly, and it is by faith and fortitude I plan to continue.

Now you know.





shamROCK!

Woke up to the sound of the rain

Hey guys!

I woke up to the sound of the rain and my two dogs snoring today. Favorite wake up call EVER.

Anyway, I am RIDICULOUSLY sore from the last two days workouts so today I'm going to take it easy. And by easy I just mean short. Because there's nothing easy about the 10 minutes of Tabata intervals I'm going to use to burn myself out :).

Workout of the Day:
Pretty Fly Exercise Challenge
8 minute abs

Then I'm going to roll over to Stone Summit - spend some time in the bouldering room and do some Tabata interval work (10 seconds rest 20 seconds work is one round).

1 round jumping jacks
1 round on stationary bike
1 round burpees
1 round on stationary bike
x5 sets for a total time of 10 minutes

Then maybe tonight I'll go to Gonstead Club with MKBBF and get a ridiculously forceful adjustment :) and afterward con him into giving me a (extremely painful) deep tissue massage.

I'll let you know how it all goes, and post my score from the Pretty Fly Challenge later.

ROCK!

*******UPDATE*******
Went to the rock gym, bouldered for about half an hour until my grip strength and toes were shot to hell, and then headed upstairs to do my stationary bike/jumping jacks/burpee intervals. I did 25-26 jacks each round and my burpee scores were 14/12/11/10/10 for totals of 125 jacks and 57 burpees. I hadn't done the Pretty Fly Challenge so I went ahead and tacked it on afterward. I did 19 sets in 10 minutes which comes to 570 high knees and 190 knee hugs. I never got around to 8 minute abs because after I got back, I whipped up a quick onion, celery, mushroom, olive, kale, sun dried tomato sauté and MKBBF and I headed down to Caribou in Buckhead to have a study date. *Study dates go back to the very beginning of our relationship. I consider them (along with absurd roadtripping) to be one of our "things".

Wake up and smell the chicken stock

Hey guys!

Last night MKBBF and I did our normal Sunday routine. I did something a bit different though. I realized putting shredded chicken on my salad at the Salad Bar at Whole Foods was idiotic. Because the salad bar is $7.99 a pound. Under no circumstances should chicken ever cost that much. This thought was accentuted by the fact that Harry's has precooked NAKED (ie no added salt or garbage) rotisserie chicken on sale on Sundays for $5.99. So I picked one up yesterday afternoon, and took it completely apart to make 3 piles: a stock pile, a red meat pile, and a white meat pile. Literally nothing goes to waste when I buy a whole chicken. Nothing. Those creepy little ooeys and gooeys are what make chicken stock taste like . . . chicken. The red meat I'll use in breakfast scrambles, the white meat I took down to Buckhead and added to the dinner we ate at Whole Foods, and everything else went in the crock pot.

I used to make stock in a stock pot on the stove, but I've found it's so much easier to do it in a crock pot and leave it on high over night. All I do is dump in the chicken parts, half an onion, 3 carrots and 4 big celery stalks. The veggies are chopped very roughly - why this is important will make more sense in a second. Anyhow, after letting the stock do its thing for 12-14 hours, I strain it. Then I pull the celery and carrot chunks out of the strainer and add back to the stock - much more difficult to extricate veggies from chicken parts when they're tiny. Then I Vita-Mix it all together and strain it again (just in case). It makes a TON of stock. In the neighborhood of 3-4 quarts just from one 6 dollar chicken. That would cost 9-12 dollars if I bought it packaged - and the packaged stuff always has some sort of weird ingredient like "natural chicken flavor". I mean, what the hell IS that exactly . . .?! Moral of the story: I save money just on the stock, it tastes SO much better, and I still have an entire chicken worth of meat on top of it!

So I'll be incorporating this into the Sunday routine, for obvious reasons. Which means that on Mondays I'll be waking up to the delicious wholesome smell of chicken stock cooking like I did today. WIN!

Anyway, today's workout looks pretty grueling - so I'm not going to back to back BodyRock it like I did yesterday. Don't get me wrong - I'm not doing one BodyRock workout and calling it quits, either. You know me better than that!

Workout of the Day:
Set Fire Workout
20 rounds of 10 seconds rest 20 seconds work rope skipping
8 minute abs
20 rounds of 10 seconds rest 20 seconds work rope skipping

Total time: 44 minutes

ROCK!

*******UPDATE*******
This workout. Was . Brutal. I changed up the skipping a bit and my rope broke in the middle so then I had to do high knees and jumping jacks instead.

I did 16 rounds of 10 seconds rest 20 seconds work skipping, then did the Set Fire Workout, then 24 rounds of 10 seconds rest 20 seconds work skipping - somewhere around round 12 in this second block of rounds my rope broke, so I alternated high knees and jumping jacks for the remainder.

Scores for Set Fire Workout (Zuzie totals in parentheses):

Mountain Jump Lunge 6/6/6/5.5 = 23.5 (23)
Sliding Push Ups 10/10/10/10 = 40 (30)
Mountain Jump Lunge 5.5/5.5/6/6 = 23 (21)
Crunch Scissors 19/20/21/20 = 80 (52)
Mountain Jump Lunge 5.5/6/6/6 = 23.5 (23)
Reverse Push Up & Knee Tuck 12/12/13/13 = 50 (44)

Well, boys and girls - looks like I beat Zuzu on this fine day! Of course, I do have an advantage by knowing her reps ahead of time so I have goals to shoot for :). However, the Lights (surname of Zuzie and Freddy), not to be outdone as a unit, beat me. How so? Because Freddy's scores blew mine out of the water. So I'll be gunning after him tomorrow!

Scramble Sunday

Hey everyone!

I'm having a killer day so far. The weather is great, so I'm sitting out on my balcony porch swing in a hoodie drinking my piping hot (second cup of) green tea and eating frozen blueberries. I know. I know. Two things may have just stood out for you. 1)That I'm drinking a steaming hot thing and eating a frozen thing. Try it, it makes your mouth feel funny/cool, and I swear the temp change enhances the flavors of the food/bev. 2) Freezing fruit destroys the Vitamin C. I'd be concerned except I already had an orange and half an apple today. "But apples don't have much vitamin C." False. Eat the skin, and you'll get plenty :). Oh, and I LOVE frozen blueberries. They are my favorite treat. Much much more than fresh ones. Little sweet packages of icy goodness. YUM.

Last night MKBBF and I decided to go climbing, so the workout didn't happen since climbing pretty much smokes me out of everything I have. I completed a 5.9, 5.9+ (had to sit in the harness on this one for a few seconds to let my forearms/grip recover), a 5.10- and a 5.10. My last route was a 5.10- I'm pretty sure I could have done on fresh forearms, but it was a really crimpy route so I wasn't able to at the time. Anyhow, I got up all other routes without sitting in the harness or falling off the wall. This was the first true 5.10 I've gotten up without resting, so I was pretty stoked about that.

This morning for breakfast I made a scramble with turnip, spinach and sun dried tomatoes. The recipe will be for the totals, even though I have to split it into two pans to cook it because I don't eat egg yolks, and MKBBF does.

Turnip and Spinach Scramble:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium sized turnip (diced)
1/2 large red onion (diced)
3 cups spinach
3 tbsp organic unsulphured sun dried tomatoes (diced)
6 eggs (3 whole eggs for MKBBF, 3 whites for me)
1 tbsp fresh basil or 1/2 tbsp dried basil
Fresh cracked pepper

Heat olive oil for about 30 seconds on medium-high heat. Add turnips (they should sizzle when you add them - if not they will end up greasy) and fry for about 5 minutes until they are brown on all sides. I like mine a bit crunchy so I leave them in longer - if you like yours softer you can add a tbsp of water and put a lid over them. Add onions and sun dried tomatoes and cook until onions are soft and a bit translucent. I buy my sun dried tomatoes without liquid so they are quite hard and require cooking so they aren't so tough to chew. If you are using the ones that come in oil (be careful you are getting JUST tomatoes and organic olive oil and no preservatives!) you can probably skip the step of cooking them and just stir them in at the end. Add spinach, and cook until nearly wilted. Add eggs and scramble until cooked through. Serve topped with basil and pepper to taste.

I'll be doing yesterdays workout a bit later on and will post my scores when I finish.

Then it's off to Buckhead for church with MKBBF and our Sunday routine of dinner at Whole Foods and conversation :). Usually we get dinner before church, but since MKBBF has board review until nearly right before it starts, we've been getting dinner afterward lately. It's nice because we're able to talk about the topic of the service and how to apply it to our lives and futures. Before you go off thinking "boy has SHE changed from the F bomb dropping rebel I used to know", understand that I haven't :) (I just wear different clothes hah). The church we go to is billed as "the church for non-church people", so it's pretty laid back. The messages, while biblically based, are presented in terms of practical application, instead of thee's and thine's and judgement and exclusion and hatred. Pretty awesome.

Hope you all have an awesome day!!

ROCK!

*******UPDATE*******
I don't have any scores to share other than that my avg skipping during the intervals was 35 skips per 20 seconds because I did the 5 pulse pistol challenge and the rope skipping first. I need to get ready for church and head to the grocery store now, so I didn't have time to do the 12 minute Halo of Sweat. I will do it tonight after church while MKBBF studies for boards. Also, I changed up the second half a bit.

I was feeling really good after the first 4 minutes of interval skipping (which was surprising since it is notoriously my least favorite part of any workout), so I did another 4 minutes. I was still feeling great so I did 4 more. 12 minutes of high intensity interval jump roping is a HELL of a lot harder than it sounds hah. Then I did 10 reps of 5 pulse half pistols on each leg, 4 minutes of interval skipping, 10 reps of the half pistols, 4 minutes of interval skipping, and then the last 10 reps of half pistols on each leg. I can't even describe how much sweat is going on right now. I am actually going to have to invest in one of those cheesy sweat bands for my head if I continue with this interval skipping. There was sweat in my eyes, and let me tell you, jumping rope with your eyes closed to finish up the work interval is NOT fun, and is surprisingly disorienting.

Anyway, look for update 2 later :).

*******UPDATE 2*******
Just finished revisiting the Halo of Sweat workout. All in all I improved a lot, although there was one section in particular that I just didn't do nearly as many reps of as last time. I'm attributing it to two things: 1) my form this time was a lot better - the exercise was much much more difficult when the knee raise was completed with the supporting leg in a deep squat as prescribed and 2) I did 30 5pulse half pistols on each leg already today so maybe my thighs were just shot.

Anyway, here were my scores (old scores in parentheses)
Sumo Jump Knee Up 12/10/9 = 31 (12/13/11 = 35)
Sumo Pulse Calve Raise 22/22/20 = 64 (16/20/17 = 53)
Reptile on the run 43/26/25 = 94 (35/30/30 = 95)
Reptile Push Up 6/5/6 = 17 (6/5/6 = 17) **These are supposed to be SUPER slow, so number of reps kind of irrelevant
Knee Hugs 27/21/21 = 69 (18/13/15 = 46)
Ab Burn Out 38/42/42 = 122 (32/32/32 = 96)

7:30 am on Saturday is inhumane.

Hey guys!

As the title of my post indicates, I woke up at 7:30 am today. Why, you ask? I have no bloody idea.

Maybe it was my excitement over a beautiful gift I received yesterday. MKBqMIL (quasi Mother In Law - little q because she really feels like part of my family already :D) sent us a care package. Inside: an Athleta magazine, 2 boxes of girl scout cookies for MKBBF (which, oddly don't look all that appealing to me these days?), and a GORGEOUS. GORGEOUS French Connection top for me.

Here are a few photos - the coloring of the shirt is like the first photo in real life - the photo of the back doesn't do the sheen of the fabric or the life of the navy background any justice.




On top of everything else, I also have a qMIL with a keen fashion sense, and heightened generosity (it was a "just because" gift - I almost started weeping - seriously). This top is not like anything I would ever pick out for myself, but I absolutely LOVE it. Those are my favorite kind of gifts (tied with those that are very practical). Tried it on and it fits properly, and draws a fair bit of attention to my arm muscles haha. And it has SPARKLES! on it. So awesome.

Now down to business. The workout of the day is:

Halo of Sweat Workout (revisited)
Half Pistol and Interval Skipping Challenge
For the second half of this workout Zuzana said you can split the half pistols up any which way you like. I'm going to split mine with the rope skipping.

6 reps (each leg) of 5 pulse half pistols - each set of 5 pulses to stand up counts as 1 rep
8 rounds of 10 seconds rest 20 seconds jump roping (4 minutes)
The whole thing x5 rounds. This challenge is not for time, it's for form. Half pistols will burn you out even without going fast.

The total will be 30 reps of 5 pulse half pistols each leg and 20 minutes of jumping intervals.

ROCK!

Been busy and have LOTS of news!

Hey everyone!

Long time, no see. Sincerest apologies for my garbagey blogging attempts lately. Turns out these entries take more time than I thought.

I have also admittedly been less than committed to my home workouts. FOR. SHAME.

I have been going climbing though and I did spend the earlier part of this week on the road, which made it difficult.

BIG NEWS 1:

I GOT A NEW CAR! I am not really one for a flashy car. Or flashy anything. My favorite cars are ones that look totally normal on the outside and are knock your socks off nice on the inside. My first car (the one I drove until about 4 days ago) was a 1999 Jeep Cherokee Limited. So from the outside looked like your generic All American box on wheels, but inside had a killer two tone leather interior and a good deal of wood panelling.

I wanted the same general idea for my new car - a nice but not flashy car with a great interior, switch to a manual transmission, and better gas mileage. Those parameters along with the necessity of AWD landed me in Subaru Outback territory. Unfortunately, finding a Subaru Outback Limited with a manual transmission that is NOT turbo (premium gas? no thanks) and less than 55K miles (I like to keep cars for 10 years) is next to impossible. But I did. The downside was that my dad and I had to drive all the way to East Texas to pick it up and then drive it all the way home (which I, realistically was happy to do :) ). Moral of the story is, my dad is easily the most generous person I know with both money and time and willingness to involve himself in what could have been a logistical nightmare.

Turned out not to be a nightmare. And the car is beautiful. My favorite parts are: how smoothly it runs, leather seats with seat warmers, and an EPIC sunroof. The car itself is also really big, 18 inches longer than my Jeep, but to drive it is more like a Honda. It has a great balance of agile handling and cushy suspension. Also, because the space behind the back seat is so huge, both dogs can be back there behind the partition comfortably without my having to deal with them tromping all over the seats. Win!

Here are a few photos:

Drivers Side

Radio controls and such.

Front seat from the other side.

Sunroof goes all the way over the backseat. Awesome. With the roof closed and the cover open, it feels like driving outside, except it's quiet and peaceful :).

Blocked MKBDad's face out because I didn't ask his permission to put it on here. Oh, and yes. It was overcast. And yes, my eyes are pale blue. So yes, I was squinting in the photo like a 5 year old :).

So jazzed here, so thumbs up photo of me in drivers seat HAD to happen. Again, squinting. And asymmetrically, too hah.


BIG NEWS 2:

I GOT A JOB! I got a job doing marketing and community outreach at one of the largest chiropractic practices in the state of Georgia. I start next week and I could not be more excited to combine my existing skill(z) with the message of wholesome/natural wellness. WOOHOO!

The workout for today is the one I set out to do in my last post but never completed, because MKBBF and I decided to go climbing last minute instead.

As a refresher:
The Trainer Who Loved Me Workout (revisited)
Then:
5 rounds of 10 seconds rest 20 seconds maximum effort skipping
50 Sasha Swings for time
x2 rounds

So I've got: a staggeringly generous dad, a loving boyfriend, 2 smooshy face dogs, a sweet car, a job that means something to me, and academic success.

Damn. I am SO. Lucky.


ROCK!

*******UPDATE*******
I completed The Trainer Who Loved Me workout in 27:37 with all unmodified exercises and pushups. The first time I did this workout took 33:43.

SWEET