Let's Start Off The Week With Some Tabatas!

Monday, February 23, 2009
Wow, February is almost over already.  We're going to start off this week with two Tabatas.  Not just normal Tabatas, tough.  Instead of alternating back and forth between a couple exercises for eight sets, you'll do one exercise for all eight sets!

First Tabata: Wide Stance Squats
Second Tabata: Mountain Climbers


This one's going to be tough - but then again, real exercise should be.

I love you and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!

-Mark

Come join us for 2 FREE weeks of women's boot camp by sending an e-mail to mark@readyaimfitness.com.  To learn more about Aim to be Fit Women's Boot Camps, visit aimfitcamp.com.

Eight Minute Workout

Friday, February 20, 2009
Here ya go!

8 set, 45 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest.  Do this circuit twice for a total of eight minutes.  Timer.

• X Climber
• Knee to Chest
• Overhead Squat
• Sprint in Place


I love you and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!

-Mark

Come join us for 2 FREE weeks of women's boot camp by sending an e-mail to mark@readyaimfitness.com.  To learn more about Aim to be Fit Women's Boot Camps, visit aimfitcamp.com.

Express WOD for 2/16

Monday, February 16, 2009
Here's your timer.

• T Stabilization Plank
• Bicycle
• Mountain Climber
• Squat
• Push Up
• Sprint in Place


I love you and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!

-Mark

Workout(s) of the Day

Thursday, February 12, 2009
Hello everyone,

I apologize for not having a video and Workout of the Day for yesterday.  I'm currently fighting off something - cold, flu... not really sure.  Either way, how about a couple recycled WODs?  You know, they don't have an expiration date!  ;-)

WOD #1 (Do this today)
As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
• 30 reps running in place (only counting 1 leg)
• 20 step squats (each step counts)
• 10 1-arm presses (5 each side)

WOD #2 (Do this tomorrow or Saturday) 
8 exercises, 45 seconds work/15 seconds rest:
• Stagger Stance Push Up
• DB Bent Over Row
• Plank
• Knee to Chest
• Back Bridge
• Jumping Jack
• Run
• Side Step Squat

Now get after it.

I love you and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!

-Mark

Today Just Feels Like A Tabata Day

Monday, February 9, 2009
The Express Workout of the Day today will be one Tabata.  Really simple and straightforward - here's your timer.

1. Wall Sit Dumbbell Curl/Press
2. Mountain Climber


These two exercises should be more than enough to get your heart pumping and give you plenty of energy for the rest of your day.

Get after it, and come back tomorrow for more of my War on Aerobic Exercise.

I love you and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!

-Mark

Finishing Phase 1 of 2009 Boot Camps

Friday, February 6, 2009
Happy Friday, everyone!

Just finished the first phase of my Shoreline boot camp, and I'm about to head out to do the same with my Edmonds group.  What a great group of women in that camp - they kicked their tails today.  We did the Express WOD first - a 4-minute fitness assessment of 10 push ups, 15 squats and 20 bicycles.  We did this on the first day of camp on January 12th.  Today, many of the women did an entire extra round since they did the workout 4 weeks ago!  That's incredible!

Assessments are so important because they give you cause to continue working out.  It's easy to look at things from one day to the next and think, "I'm not making any progress."  Giving yourself a test like this will show you just how far you've come.

Again, here's the workout - do as many rounds of this circuit as you can in 4 minutes:

•10 Push Ups
•15 Squats
•20 Bicycles (only count one leg as I demonstrate in the video)


Get after it and have a wonderful weekend!

I love you and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!

-Mark

War on Aerobics - Return on Investment (and Express WOD)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Hi Everyone.

Last week I defined aerobics in my first discussion about the downside to aerobic exercise.  This week, I'm going to go into why aerobics are a poor way to invest your exercise time.

In business, almost everyone is familiar with ROI or Return on Investment.  Exercise can be looked at much in the same way.  You always want to maximize ROI, whether you're investing money in the business world or your time in exercise.

Aerobics offer you very little in the way or bang for your buck.  You have to workout for very long durations to get the supposed benefit of the exercise.  This is a huge barrier for many people.  With the busy schedules many people have, an hour-plus long daily exercise sessions is simply too much, especially when you start to consider travel time (if you work out at a gym), time to change/shower, and just generally avoiding being in a terrible rush before and after exercise.

Exercise is something you can't cheat.  You get out exactly what you put in.  Yet there's a natural trade-off that most people never take advantage of.  The trade-off is between duration and intensity.  Aerobic exercise is, by definition, not very intense.  That's why it's such a time hog.  However, if you are willing to add intensity to your workout, you can get in the same amount of value in a far lesser time.

If you make the decision to workout at maximum intensity, you'll quickly reach the same level of fatigue (or probably a greater level) you would doing aerobic exercise for several times longer.  That's what exercise is all about - if you never get fatigued doing it, it's not exercise.  The greater the challenge to your body, the better the results you'll get from it.

The question is, simply - are you willing to work harder to save time and make exercise a part of your life?

Now for the workout of the day...

Today, it's two Tabatas.  Here's the timer.

Tabata #1:
1) Wide Stance Squat w/ Ground Touch
2) T-Stabilization Push Up

Tabata #2:
1) Jumping Jack
2) Plank w/ Alternating Single Arm Raise


Like I said above, the trade-out for workouts that easily fit into your schedule is the intensity with which you must attack them.  GET AFTER IT!

I love you and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!

-Mark