Breaking the routine

Hi :)

Back to Berlin! :)

Little check up for what we have been up to!

We got a 2 weeks test membership to Holmes place! Wow, I must say, love it :) Because: They have a big nice pool, big modern gym, several saunas and variety of different lessons.
For example, we have tried:
Abs express,
Body Pump
Swimming training,
Capoeira
and going to try: Balletand hatha yoga :)

Holmes Place

But we  were not lazy in Finland either :D Sometimes it is so releaving to break the routine and just go and try out new things. You learn new skills and hehe.. find muscle pain in suprising places :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were fencing in Finland

Boost your cardio workout with this 30 min leg workout

Hi,

I guess this goes for all the ladies who love to go to lessons in the fittness centers. Yes, so do I! So I guess you might have been dancing, doing aerobic or bodycombat before. With this extra 30 minutes, you can easily get the full benefit out of the visit to gym. :) A little extra will take so much faster to the summer body :)


I did it after bodycombat, so I was a bt out of breath afterwards. There is no harm to do heavy whole body movements, like deadlifts, I usually incorporate those movements to all the workout. But with this workout, I played safe, because I di not want to risk to be injured because of bad form. Usually the more tired the body is, the less power it has to maintain the correct technique. This workout will keep your body burning the calories while increasing power :) Do not let super long breaks, about 30-45 seconds between sets.

1. Warm up: Cardio of your choice (for me 50 min of bodycombat)

12x3 leg press. If you can, increase weights with every round!



2. 3x12 leg extensions

Now you can do the following two movements either as separate movements, or continue to the movement 4. directly after movement 3 without a break and then combine the two.  In this way, you make it extra hard for you! So: first 12 back extensions. then directly 15 kettlebells swings, then a small break and repeat his cycle three times :)

3. Back extension 12x3



4. Kettlebell swing 15 x 3


5. Lunges on the stepper
    1. first round, do 10 per side with light weights
    2. Repeat again 10 per side, but now raise your knee when you are standing on the stepper
    3. Repeat again 10 per side, but now do it with a jump!
    4. Do still 15 small pulses per side, without a step





6. 12 x3 sumo squats (with a heavy dumbbell, kettlebell or bar on your shoulders)


Yees!!! :D I counted that this workout only burned more than 400 kcals, without any cardio included, which is quite good for a gym workout :)

And then to relax in the sauna <3 well deserved!


By,
Sara

Choosing Your Gym + Full-Body Workout in the Gym

Hi!

Today is an interesting day, since we go to the gym first time together! We are going to the test a new gym, in order to check if it would be beneficial to take a monthly card there. I love it, that usually you can test the gyms before, sometimes even a few times, before you have to decide. Since, if you are going to invest your tiem and money for going to gym, better make it worth the value.


Most of the times, the gyms would like you to commit for a long time. this would mean a yearly contract or even 2-year contract. It is a very good decision adn commitment, if you will make it, but it is also decision that should be seen as an investment. So, when you are thinking seriously about a gym with a nice smiling trainer who has just offered you a nice cup of coffee and maybe even 2 personal trainer visits vwith the contact, keep in mind the facts:

• Distance from home/work
• Athmospehere
• People
• Price
• Any friends there?
• Equipment
• Space
• Any lessons offered (les mills)
• Changing rooms
• Music
• How to get there (parking lot, easy acces with public transport)

Or even if you need a gym, maybe you would prefer crossfit or working out at home?

If you are choosing a gym, remember, that if it is a new place, it will take some time to form a habit of going there regularly. Therefore, the closer to you it is, the easier it is to go there. If you have already friends there, they might motivate you to go there too. You need to also know, what you really value, the lessons together with a trainer or a big gym area. Of course, the whole athmosphere affects your decision. I think price should be compared to the quality offered and therefore it is relative.

You can test your gym for example with this simple but effective workout.

The Full-Body Workout that we did with a classic movements for all the major muscles:

1. 10x 3 Squats
2. 10x3 Deadlifts
3 .3x10 Bench Press
4. 3x15 dips
5. 3x12 Dumbbell presses
6. 3x30 Standing calf rasies
7. 3x15 hanging leg raises
8. 3x12 Barbell curls

Check the movements here

Good luck with choosing your gym :)

Effective upper body workout

Hi dear,

Today is upper body day! It is so important to train the body evenly and keep the whole body strong. For example the Women Running.com commented how the elite runners use their whole body to run faster, therefore, strong upper body improves also your running performance. Aaaaaand, for guys, chest, shoulders and abs are the hottest body parts. Yes, true story. So, let's do it.



I have been talking with lots of friends, and the friends who do not like gym, most probably are not sure what to do. If you haven't been in the gym, you can test these movements first at home, to check how does it feel to do them :) You can do this workout also at home, if you have 3-10kg dumbbells.


So!

1. 3x 12 clean and press with 30-60s breaks

2.4x 10 squats with 30-60s breaks


3. Alternate these two movements for three rounds

a)12 push-us
b)20 bicycle abs

4. 12x3 Incline bench press
 

5.Alternate these two movements for three rounds
a)12 arms raise (front)

b) overhead extensions


6.Alternate these two movements for three rounds
a) 10  bicep curl

b) 12 arm raise (sides)




Last thing!

Alternate for 3 rounds (altogether 3 minutes)

a)side plank (left) 30s
b)side plank (right) 30s



Yey :D

And stretching 2-3 hours after :)

Perfect!

by,
Sara

Simple leg day workout

Hi!

Huh! You know, I tried to check something ready-made that I could just easily copy-paste here. But when I was googling in the gym after a dance lesson lower body workout for runners, I found a lot of motivational talk, but not so many easy and simple workout-sets. So, I created one by combining all the all-time favorites and basic movements!

And, no matter, what is your goal, run faster, be stronger or have a booty that will amaze others later, they are all valid sources for motivation! Yes, you heard correctly, runners too benefit from good muscles.






























If you are a beginner, it is better to do with a little bit lighter weights and a bit more reps to build up some strength. But! When you handle the movements, and you have already done some weightlifting, you should go for more weights! :D
:D




Have about 30-60s breaks between each sets. You can stretch your muscles or for example do abs.

1. 3x 12 Squats
2. 3x 10 Romanian dead lifts

-remember to have straight back! And keep your abs and whole body tensed!


3. Alternate these movements
a)jump to a box (40cm-80cm depending on your fitness level) 10 times
or step to a box with 10-20kg extra weight


b)do 20 bicycle abs

4)Alternate these movements for 3 sets

a) 12 lunges per side with 10-20 extra weights
b) 12 push ups

5) 3x 12 Barbell hip thrust

6) 3 x30 calf raises



Enjoy, remember to stretch :)

Best,
Sara

Upper body workout in gym (or at home with some modifications)

Hi!
I went to gym, and did an arm workout that you can use as an  example for your upper body workout. I did this when I was thinking how important the upper body is for most guys. These exercises are for the arms, chest and back, to get some 3D improvement! Hehe, have fun Robert! I enjoyed it too, since usually I always train only legs and therefore my arms are relatively weak compared to the rest of my body. So ladies and gentlemen, regardless of your gender,  let's start lifting :)

I did:

for warm up:
10 min with cross-trainer
30 kettlebell swings (12kg)

Start with muscle groups and proceed to smaller ones:

(Optional: 4 x 10 squats)

3x12 Bent over barbell rows 

Bent over row, instructions from Bodybuilding.com

3x12 Overhead barbell press

3x15 Lateral pulldown (or pull-ups, or modified pull-ups)

Like in Samsfitness.com.au

3x12 Bench press

3x12 Dumbbell bench press

3x15 Back extensions

3x 12 Close grip push ups

3x15 barbell curls

3x15 abs

Huh huh!

Remember stretching :)