If you’re in a time crunch and want a simple but highly effective metabolism boosting fat loss workout that only takes 15 minutes to complete then this is right up your alley.

Give it a go and let me know how it works for you:

If you’re anything like me (a glutton for punishment) and love a good challenge then you’ll LOVE this workout. Or you’ll hate me altogether

WARNING: This isn’t easy and will push you to your limits physically and mentally.

If you’re still reading this then I haven’t done a good enough job of putting you off yet have I?

Ok, if you’re determined to go through with it then here ya go:

High Performance Lower Body THRASHER Workout

Good Luck and let me know how it goes

It’s been just over a week now that I’ve been back on the exercise wagon.  Since last monday I’ve ony taken one day off from my cardio and weight training routine, and I took that day (Saturday) off by design.  In my plan I workout 6 days a week, with alternating days of weights and cardio.

photo credit: shoothead

On Sunday I did my lower body weights routine for the second time since I re-started, and while it was hard, I wasn’t as sore as last week when I did the same routine. The routine is starting to set in.

Last night I went running on our treadmill using a built in high intensity interval training (HIIT) program.  In the program you start out walking, and work your way up to running 6.5 miles per hour at a higher incline after a few minutes.  The routine repeats this pattern 4 or 5 times.

By the time I was done I was soaking with sweat and was extremely short of breath. I think I am right at the point where I’m doing just the right amount -not enough to make me collapse, but enough to challenge me.

Tonight, I’m back on the upper body weight routine that I talked about last week.

My workout plan does get a bit repetitive, but I know it works since I lost so much weight last year doing the same thing.  After I’ve been doing it for a few weeks I may switch things up a bit with some workout tapes or other types of cardio to make sure I don’t burn out on the routine – and to keep me motivated.

What types of things do you do to keep motivated, and keep things interesting?

Tonight I’ll be doing my upper body weight workout. I recently signed up for a site that allows me to post video of different exercises on my blog, so I thought I’d use some of those exercise videos here to show you my routine that I’ll be doing tonight.

How do I do the routine

When workout out with weights I have a pretty simple routine that I follow. I lift weights 2 to 3 times a week, alternating every other day with upper body and lower body workouts. For each body muscle group that I’m working out I’ll do 6 sets, with varying weights and with reps of 12, 10, 8, 6 and two sets of 12 (but different exercises). For example, for my shoulders tonight I might do something like this:

Dumbell Shoulder Press
Set 1: 12 reps with 15 pounds
1 minute rest
Set 2: 10 reps with 20 pounds
1 minute rest
Set 3: 8 reps with 20 pounds
1 minute rest
Set 4: 6 reps with 25 pounds
1 minute rest
Set 5: 12 reps with 20 pounds
no reset
Set 6: 12 reps with 20 pounds, but a new exercise.

Upper Body Weight Workout

So here are the exercises I’ll be doing tonight.

Chest:

Shoulders:

Back/Shoulders:

Triceps:

Biceps:

What are you doing for a weight routine? How often do you lift?

Weight training only for those who want to bulk up?

Ok, the title may be obvious, but how many times have you talked to someone about doing exercise with weights, and get a response along the lines of “Oh, I don’t want to bulk up” or “If i lift weights I’ll just get those big muscles, and I don’t want that!”. It’s a commonly held myth that only body builders should lift weights because otherwise you’ll become a glistening mass of big muscles.  What people don’t realize is that lifting weights can be great for you, and you don’t have to get too bulky if you don’t want to.

photo credit: midiman

I was reading an article over at MSNBC today that talked about lifting weights can be good for you -by building stronger bones when you’re younger, and by helping you maintain bone strength when you’re older:

up until age 30, and particularly during childhood and adolescence, weight-bearing exercises such as jumping and running can help build stronger and stronger bones. After 30, studies show that weight-bearing exercise helps in another way — by preventing bone loss and therefore maintaining the bone strength that you already have.

….

Weight training, because it involves even greater resistance, challenges the bones more. A good starting point is a standard strength program, using free weights or weight machines, that targets all the major muscle groups with one to three sets of eight to 10 repetitions of each exercise. Over time, fitness experts say, it’s a good idea to periodically mix things up with different combinations of sets, reps and specific exercises.

So building and keeping strong bones is something that’s good for everyone, not just people who are trying to bulk up.

Getting back on a weight training program

I’ve been trying to get started on a “standard strength program” lately, but mostly have been doing lower body weight workouts, along with pushups from the 100 pushups program. I think I’m going to slowly be transitioning from the pushups only to more of a rounded upper body workout.

Usually I’ll do weight training 3 days a week.  The first day will be lower body.  Two days later I’ll do upper body, and then two days later lower body again (or vice versa with two days of upper, 1 of lower).

It seems to work pretty good when I’m doing it, and it really helps to jumpstart weight loss as well.

Have you been considering starting a weight training program as well?  Tell me about it in the comments!