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Jennifer Tries……..F45
April 27, 2018
Hey there! What’s the haps? Did you have a good week? My week consisted of working myself into an early grave per usual. Sometimes I just need my brain to stop, collaborate and listen. You know what I mean? Sheesh. It’s like I just can’t get it to turn off. I mean, even at Yoga this week I had to keep refocusing myself because my mind would just wander back to what I needed to do for work. Usually I can just Stop..Yoga Time. But not this week. Aww yah 90’s music references all day!
So, as I’m writing this week’s blog I’m sitting on the couch
eating a bowl of quinoa, kale and chicken. Glamorous I know. Try to contain
yourself. I’ve been sitting here trying to think of what to write about this
week. To be honest I haven't gotten a lot of reading done, which sucks because I’m
supposed to be working on my health coach certification but there just never
seem to be enough hours in the day. I haven’t really gotten out there and tried
anything new since the hubs and I went to Vertical Ventures and I haven’t created
any recipes. LAME! But, I realized I never shared my little day trip down to
Ft. Myers with you all. It’s the Jennifer Tries post that never was. I blame It
on Hurricane Irma. That B*%$# turned my life upside down. Darn you IRMA!
Prior to the hurricane, I refuse to say her name anymore, my
husband and I took a little day trip down to Ft. Myers Florida. Now, you may be
asking yourself, Why? There’s nothing in Ft. Myers. Oh, but there is. Ft. Myers
has an F45. Bum, Bum, BUUUUUMMMMMM!
What is F45? It stands for Functional 45. I had heard about F45 through a friend who saw an ad on Facebook.
After looking at their website, scrolling through their Facebook page and
seeing they had franchise opportunities I knew I had to check this place out!
From the pictures, it seemed like a cross between Orange Theory and Crossfit.
At the time Ft. Myers was the only location open on the West coast of Florida
so that is the one we visited. I couldn’t wait to try it out! It looked pretty
intense which is right up my alley.
The drive down seemed to take forever. I mean Ft. Myers is
like 4 hours from me. UGH! To infinity.
When we got to the gym I noticed they had a tire out front. HEELLLLOOOO
Tire Flips! That’s my jam right there! I knew in that moment this was the place for me.
When we walked in the gym I took a look around to get a feel for the lay out. It was a
pretty open floor plan except for a random wall smack dab in the middle of the
room. They had battle ropes, bikes, rowers, TRX, Bosu balls, sleds, boxes. You
name it, they had it! It was like the skies had opened up and delivered pretty much all the things I like into one gym. :: Cue heavenly music here::
On the day we went, the workout we were doing was FoxTrot. Yes, you read that right. They have some funky names for their workouts. Let's see, so they have Fox Trot, Hollywood, Romans, Brooklyn, Wingman, the list goes on. In fact they have 31 different types of workouts but the workouts are never the same. What up variety!
So for our workout, the FoxTrot, there were several stations we rotated through. There were monitors on the main wall that showed the exact exercise for that station and keep time for you. Each station consisted of two exercises you basically ran like a superset and we completed two rounds at each station. Each round is 45 seconds ( F45....get it!)of work with a 15 sec rest.
Our workout consisted of TRX squats, row machine, ladder
drills, Bosu lunges, box jumps, battle ropes, skaters and bunch of other sweat inducing
exercises. We didn’t stop from the time we walked in the gym until the time we
left. And I loved every second of it!
Throughout the workout the trainer was walking around correcting
form, providing alternative movements to fit each persons level and offering
words of encouragement. In a group class setting they usually have the
encouragement thing down pat. Sometimes too much, but it’s rare that you get
some one on one attention from the instructor, at least in my experience. It
was nice to see they cared about providing a fun, safe environment for the members.
When the class was over we were exhausted, in a good way. It
was definitely a good work out. The trainer invited us back that weekend to try
out Romans which is their functional strength-based workout. I really wanted to
attend but was not up for making the drive again. If only there was an F45
closer to us.
F45 offers a free pass so you check out the different
workouts and see if they are a good fit for you. They also offer a lot of
resources on their website to help you on your health and fitness journey such
as tracking, nutrition and an online community to keep you on track. The great
thing is now there is a location in Land O’ Lakes, just outside of Tampa, where
you can conveniently give it a try! You won't have to drive a billion miles like
I did.
I love this group fitness gym and I feel it is right for any fitness level due to the trainer interaction. If you're not a intensity junky like me, like I said, they have 31 varieties of classes you can choose for your level and what you want out of your workout.
Go check them out! Let me know what you think.
Until next time gang, peace!
Are Push-Ups Important?
April 20, 2018
What up?!! Hey, sorry no post last week but …… you know…..I
had life happening soooooooo. But, I’m here! So, last post I was anticipating
the Jersey Shore reboot. Did you watch it? I wasn’t able to watch it Friday
evening because the hubs and I went to our nephews’ spring concert for their
school. They were so funny and so adorable.
The youngest, while he was singing his friend covered his mouth! LOL.
Kids……am I right?! So, I ended up watching the Jersey Shore on Saturday.
The
reboot, or what they are calling a “Family Vacation,” takes place in Miami. I
personally feel they should have brought it back to the shore for this first
season back but that’s just me, what do I know. So, they are in Miami, sans
Sammi. I won’t spoil anything if for some reason you haven’t watched it but
what I will say is holy plastic surgery Batman! Hey, I’m all for you doing you
but it caught me off guard with how plastic the girls’ faces looked. They were
already adorable. If it ain’t broke…….
Anywho…I won’t go off on that tangent. This week we’re
talking pushups. What’s up with pushups? Pretty much everyone hates them, but
you still see people struggling to get through them at the gym. There are also
those who enjoy adding to the torture and add weights, a buddy, take it to an
incline or a decline. You know, get fancy with it.
Throughout my fitness journey I have had three goals in my
mind that I have been dead set on one day on achieving. I have no set time
frame to achieve these goals, but they are ever present in my daily training.
Most people that train with weights typically think of setting a PR on bench
press, squat and deadlift as goals they would like to meet but for me, my goals
are more simplistic. I have always wanted to be able to do sits ups, pushups
and pull ups. Your typical calisthenics. #basic
When I was young, in PE I struggled with all three. I
couldn’t do a sit up to save my life. Mainly because of my chubby little belly,
which turned into a large chubby belly as the years went on. Pull ups, the
other kids would at least make it half way to the bar, me, I would just dangle.
And pushups….pppssshhhhttt forget it! And, of course, all of these movements
were performed in front of the entire class in some sort of fitness evaluation.
Being a heavy kid, this did not bode well in my favor. The ridicule that
followed left me hating PE. This stuck with me throughout my school years. Why
are kids so mean?! Sheesh.
When I set out on my fitness journey after grade school,
these three simple movements were my go to in determining my worth in the gym.
Was I getting stronger? If I could pull off these movements then I knew I had
made it. I was fit. I’ll never forget the day I did a full sit up without
flailing all over the place. I could have cried. I was so happy and realized
how far I had come. My inner fat kid wanted to run around and say “See! see! I
can do sit ups!” Then there are pull ups….my never-ending work in progress. If
you have read some of my older blog posts, you’ll read my struggles. I had
pretty much given up on pull ups over the past year. In recent months, I
decided to try them again for shits and giggles and I made it about ¼ of the
way up. My motivation was restored, and I have been trying to incorporate them
little by little back into my routine.
Then there are pushups.::sigh:: They have always been a struggle. My core strength and upper body
strength just weren’t up to par enough to get the job done. Even performing the
movement on my knees was a chore. And trust me, I did not like doing push-ups
on my knees. They are often referred to as girl pushups. NOPE! I wanted to do
what the boys did and do it better if I could. It’s only in recent years that
my push-ups have gotten significantly better and my knees are down no more! I
have really taken the time to work on my posture, core and upper body strength
and can perform multiple push-ups without fatigue. This is why I love the
gym. It’s a place where hard work always
pays off.😊
There are all kinds of work out regimens out there. I see
workouts all the time, the “No Sit Up Six Pack,” Routine, the “No Pushup Chest
Workout,” and so on. But, aren’t these simplistic movements important?
I wanted to dive deeper into the pushup. It was my enemy for
so long. The hatred I had for this exercise was insane. If my training for the
day included pushups, I dreaded it, I would cut my reps short but I would
begrudgingly suffer through them. So why
did I keep doing them? Because, push-ups are important.
Pushups can be performed anywhere! You do not need any
equipment to perform a push up, just your body weight. This makes them a very
versatile exercise. When we think of push-ups we think of it as a chest
exercise, but push-ups are truly a full body movement. They incorporate not
only the chest but the shoulder, core, lower back and quadriceps.
Think about yourself in the push up position, on your toes,
body in a straight line from head to toe, shoulders tracking over your wrists.
As you lower toward the ground and then push yourself back up your using your
shoulders, chest and even triceps/biceps to stabilize your upper body. You
engage your core to keep your middle from sagging and assist your upper body
with stabilization. Then your quads are activated to keep your knees from hitting
the ground. All of this is happening in sync just to lower and raise your body.
This simplistic movement takes your shoulder muscles through a full range of
motion, stabilizing your shoulder girdle through the entire movement and keeping
your core tight to help alleviate the pressure from your lower back. There is a
lot going on in one exercise, building strength in the body without any
weights. As you progress your push up the strength and mobility you gain from
this exercise transcends into other movements such as bench press, shoulder
press etc.
Performing push-ups is also a great way, as is any strength
training exercise or program, to stimulate your metabolism and increase blood
circulation which increases your calorie burn. I’m sure if you’ve ever
performed a set of push-ups….heck! sometimes even one push-up, you’ve noticed
your heart rate increases and you start to break a sweat.
While your big four movements (squat, deadlift, bench press,
and shoulder press) should be a staple in your routine don’t forget about your
basic movements such as push-ups. They can really help you progress your
training.
Think you suck at push-ups?! Think you just can’t do them?
Think again my friend! There are push-ups for everyone! I know, I know…not what
you want to read but hear me out. Start small. If getting down to the ground is
not in your cards right now start with wall push-ups! Yes, that’s a thing. You
can start building up your upper body strength, work on engaging your core and
quads.
Once you’ve gotten the hang of those move to an incline
push-up on a bench. Then you can take it to the mat and keep your knees on the
ground then eventually you can go to a full push-up position. It can be a
process but you’ll see the benefits and changes in your body and strength for
sure!
There are many variations of push-ups you can utilize in
your training. Check out my Push-up Pinterest board to give you more ideas,
step-by-step instruction and even push-up challenges!
All right….I’m outta here for now peoples. Let me know If
you get some push-ups in this weekend. Better yet, tag me in your pics!
@barbellsandboyshorts on the IG.
Gossip and Gladiator
April 6, 2018
Phew! We’re finally though the holidays for a while. Oh, no, wait. Mother’s Day. We still have Mother’s Day. Sheesh. It’s holiday overload for real! It’s like, who decided let’s have a holiday 10 out of 12 months during the year? OMG that’s 10 Months! 10 months of nothing but holidays!!! Think about it, October- Halloween, November- Thanksgiving, December- Christmas, January- New Year’s, February- Valentine’s, March- St. Patrick’s Day, April- Easter, May- Mother’s Day, June- Father’s Day, July- 4th of July. This is insane people. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good holiday as much as the next gal but seriously, do we need all of these holidays? Huh?
Let’s take this weekend for example. Easter. Had a great
time, it was so nice spending time with everyone, but it was a whirlwind of
exhaustion. From cooking and baking the day before, to driving here and there,
to cleaning up after dinner, UGH! Sorry, now I just sound like the Ebenezer
Scrooge of Easter. It’s just my anxiety talking. As much as I tried not to stress
out on Easter the inner me was screaming times and lists of what needed to be
done, and how would I have time for that, and I’m not going to get to bed on
time, and, and, and. But, in the end it was a nice day. I have pictures to prove it see!
August and September are now my new favorite months, just so you know. They’re keepin’ chill over there coming off summer and offering a little relief before we start all over again.
August and September are now my new favorite months, just so you know. They’re keepin’ chill over there coming off summer and offering a little relief before we start all over again.
Oh, let me move away from that. No fancy transitions here,
no sir. I made it to Yoga on Friday! YEAAAA! I was so glad. I needed that like
no other. We did a lot of hip work which I definitely need to help with my
squats on squats on squats. That and ankle mobility. I also made it this Monday
which is when I prefer to go. Monday, we worked on core and balance. Aside from
Yoga, I have been doing a whole mobility regimen at the gym. Squats and
Deadlifts are gonna be pretty! And ever since we went to Vertical Ventures I’ve
been working on my pull ups again. Still ¼ reps but I’m re-motivated! Thinking
this could be the year! Yes, I Can! #justonepullupplease
Can we talk for a minute about the news bomb that was
dropped on everyone Tuesday morning? Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan
Tatum…..Dunzo! WHAT!? First Chris Pratt and Anna Farris and now these two?!
I’ll never be able to watch Step Up
the same way. ::Sigh:: Does anyone make it anymore? And who are they fooling?
They all put out these posts stating how they’re still good friends and parents
it was just time to amicably separate because they are going in different
directions. Let’s get real, they are people too. You know it was probably that
the husband left a dirty dish out one to many times and the wife’s brush full
of hair grossed out the husband for the last time, the volcano finally erupted
and BAM! Divorce city. This is why we just need to ask for what we want people.
Just come out with it, not in an angry way, fix it before that. Say something
like, it makes me feel XYZ when you leave
your dirty dishes around the house, can you please pick them up? I dunno,
sounds good right? I’m no marriage expert.
Oh man! You know what came back this week?! Jersey
Shore!!!!! This Thursday was Jerzday! Whoop Whoop! I DVR’d that ‘ish and will
be watching it tonight. So excited! Did you watch it! Was it as amazing as the
original series? Yes, I know it’s trash TV but darn it, that shit is funny! One
of my favorite scenes from the original series was when they were In Miami and JWoww and Snooki wrote the
note to Sammi about Ronni’s shenanigans. Sammi found out and when they were all
fighting in the kitchen Sammi put her had in the gun position and pointed it
back and forth at JWoww and Snooki and said “Who wrote the note, Yous two!”
LMAO. Her Jersey came out fo sho. She’s not in this reunion, summer vaycay
edition though. I follow her on Instagram and she rattled off a note to her
fans about how she’s in a good place and is focusing on herself and blah, blah,
blah. Don’t try to act like you didn’t come from the Jersey Shore Guidette. Um
K! Shoo. But it should be a blast in a glass even without her. GTL forever!
So, onto what this post is really about, Camp Gladiator! If
you haven’t heard of Camp Gladiator, you will be soon. This outdoor fitness
community is exploding! You may have seen cars driving around with a small cg
on the rear window. That’s Camp Gladiator! When I first saw even a mention of
Camp Gladiator they were focused in the Tarpon Springs area. In recent months I
see they’re popping up throughout Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Brandon
Florida. So, I decided to dig a little deeper and find out what the CG is all
about.
Camp Gladiator is a trainer run, outdoor, group fitness
class. The trainers are not employees but partners of Camp Gladiator. They
create their own schedule and can teach classes as early to as late as they
would like! This makes it convenient to find a class time that works for you in
your area. They hold classes at parks, schools, churches, Home Depot parking
lots. It’s fitness anywhere. What drew me to Camp Gladiator the most was that
they phase their workouts. You don’t go to a class and kill yourself with
cardio every time you go. They have a strength week an endurance week, interval
and peak week and you never do the same workout twice. This is one of the
preferred and best ways to train to keep your body from adapting to one style
of training and to build strength in all areas for overall fitness.
To attend a class all you have to do is sign up on line or
through their app. When you attend a class you just need a mat and a set of
weight 5-10lbs or so. But don’t worry, if you don’t have weights the trainer
may have extras you can use, or they will provide modifications. I took my
first class during interval week. Hello! I LOVE interval training! So, I lucked
out. When I arrived at the class, which was in the parking lot of a local
church, I was greeted by the trainer and pretty much everyone else in the
group. They were so welcoming! The trainer started the class off with a chant
to get everyone hyped up. She went over the evenings workout and went straight
to the warm up. This was great. I ‘ve been to so many group classes where you
don’t warm up and for me, warming up is crucial.
After the warmup we had 10 stations, maybe it was 7.....hmmm any way, we had 7 or 10 stations to complete with a group
of about 6 people at each station. We had 3 rounds of intervals at each
station. The stations ranged from burpees, to squat jumps, to pushups etc. We completed each station as a group and let
me tell you, I haven’t smiled like that during a workout in a while. It was so
fun! The workout was high energy, the group I was with were super motivating
and after each round everyone, and I mean everyone, was handing out high fives
left and right.
I definitely felt the burn during that class, I was drenched
in sweat when I left. But what I felt most was a sense of community, belonging
and acceptance. I am so glad I gave Camp Gladiator a try. I would recommend it
to anyone. There are all age groups and athletic abilities there. The great
thing is parents can bring their kids and they can work out together. It makes
it convenient for everyone. And don’t worry, they always have a backup space
for inclement weather, so you don’t have to miss a work out if it rains. And
during the summers in Florida…oh it rains!
Here's the group!
Here's the group!
I look forward to seeing the growth of this fitness
community and who knows…..maybe I’ll be a Camp Gladiator coach one day!
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