Saturday Circuit Shred Workout

I had a great time teaching Circuit Shred today at Athleta Atlantic.

Below is today's workout.

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After a 10 Minute Warm Up and demo of each station we prepared for the 8 minute circuit. The circuit included 8 stations, 45 seconds per station, 15 seconds transition, and 1-2 minutes of rest between rounds. I decided to toss out the Torso Rotation to give a little extra recovery time between rounds. Each station had 3 different levels to choose from and I offered additional progressions as needed. Everyone rocked it!

My favorite station was the Inchworm with Mountain Climbers. All the ladies seemed to enjoy using the cloth sliders. Everyone said they enjoyed getting in a weight training workout for the day. I love weights, so I was glad to be able to share what I love and offer something a little different today.

Thanks again to all the ladies who came out today! I hope to see you at the next event!

Health and Happiness

Larissa

Train With Me For FREE at Athleta Atlantic This Saturday!

Did you know that Athleta at Atlantic Station hosts FREE fitness classes?

Well now you know! I will be teaching my 2nd class this month on Saturday 2/28/15 from 9AM-10AM. Join me for a mix of power, strength, and core exercises designed to challenge and improve your overall fitness.

Who can participate
All fitness levels are welcome. I have more than 7 years of experience in the industry and can select an exercise to meet your needs. Let me know if you have any special considerations and I will be sure to offer an appropriate progression for you.

What to expect
Circuit Shred is designed to be a high intensity circuit training experience with bouts of power exercises followed by an active recovery of strength and core exercises. The circuit is 8 stations and last approximately 8 minutes with 1-2 minutes of recovery between rounds.  Throughout class I will ask you to use rating of perceived exertion(RPE 0-10) to gauge your intensity level (Green, 2014, p.144). I will encourage you to push yourself to hit that 7-8 RPE range. But, listen to your body and choose a an intensity option that meets your fitness goals.

What to bring
Bring a towel, a water bottle, and a positive attitude. A mat is optional if you have 1, the positive attitude is mandatory.

If you have any questions please comment below and I would be happy to answer any questions you have. See you Saturday!

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Health and Happiness,
Larissa

Green, D.J(ed) (2014). ACE Personal Trainer Manual: The Ultimate Resource For Fitness Professionals (5^th ed.): SanDiego, CA: American Council on Exercise.

• A RPE of 3-4 is low intensity (warm up and cool down)
• 5-6 is considered moderate intensity
• 7-8 is considered vigorous
• 9-10 is considered maximal

AFAA APEX Weekend: Kickboxing Certification

Another exciting AFAA APEX weekend has come to an end. I always try and take a certification or attend a workshop when APEX comes to town. This year I decided to try for my Kickboxing Certification.

From the time I started teaching group fitness, I have wanted to get my Kickboxing Certification.  I loved doing Turbo Kick at home and it helped me to lose weight without running. During undergrad at UGA I took Intro to Karate for my fitness requirement; It helped me develop proper form for kicks and strikes and I earned an Orange Belt in the process. When I came to Georgia Tech I took a sparring style boxing class to work on my agility, coordination, and punches. I have used those experiences to teach cardio kickboxing classes over the years. This year I made sure my schedule was open so that I could participate in the Kickboxing Certification.

It was a long day but it was a great investment. I got to meet some great people, gained some new skills, and earned my required CEUs. I look forward to applying some new drills and combos to my next classes. I hate I waited so long to take this cert!

What AFAA Workshop/Certification did you participate in during APEX weekend? Comment below and share your experience.

APEX is the start of my conference circuit. In July I have SCW and Blogfest. Then I usually end the year with September APEX. Let the fun begin!

Health and Happiness,

Larissa

Charleston Cooks! and Valentine's Weekend Recap

I hope everyone felt the love Valentine's weekend.

The hubs knows the way to my heart food, drinks, and yes, more food!

Friday we got dinner at Bone's. The food was so good I forgot to take photos, you know that means it was goooooood. We shared the smoked salmon appetizer. I ordered the 16oz NY Strip and the Hubs had the Dry Aged Bone-In Rib Eye with a side of Bacon Mac & Cheese. OMG the steak was sooooo tender and delicious. Best steak I have ever tasted. If you are a steak lover treat your self to a trip to Bone's. It is well worth it!

After dinner we headed out to Martini's and IMAX. I sipped on a champagne cocktail underneath the "world's largest dinosaur" before heading to the IMAX theater for "Galapagos:Nature's Wonderland".  The movie was really entertaining, those narrators did a great job, my favorite part was the mating dance of the blue-footed booby. It was a very relaxing way to wrap up the night.

The next day we took a road trip down to Charleston, SC. Before the trip I hopped on the Airdyne for some intervals, I knew the day would be full of yummy treats and that I probably would not be able to get in a workout any other time. Oh, what a yummy time we had.

We spent the evening with Charleston Cooks! an interactive meal experience. 12 participants, 6 stations, and a 6 course meal in under 2 hours. Chefs get ready to work!

It sounds intimidating, but it was a really fun experience. Like a live version of Plated. All the ingredients were measured and prepped for us. Our task was to chop, assemble, and cook 1/6 of a 6 course menu. After a quick run down of kitchen etiquette, cutting skills, and a review of each station and its recipe each couple could choose a station. Here were our choices:

• Mini Beef Wellingtons with Portabella Mushrooms and Ruby Port Sauce
• Duck Confit and Mache Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• Lobster Tail Thermidor with Mustard Butter Sauce
• White Wine and Lemon Herb Sauteed Haricot Verts with Crispy Shallots
• Shredded Beet and Red Potato Cakes
• Nutella Cheesecake with Chocolate Cherry Crumble

We chose the White Wine and Lemon Herb Sauteed Haricot Verts with Crispy Shallots. The recipe seemed pretty straight forward and I figured worse case scenario no one will get sick or die if we got it wrong. Oh, but we did not get it wrong, we crushed it! Chef said the Haricot Verts were just the right texture and flavour. It really complimented the Lobster Tail Thermidor with Mustard Butter Sauce very nicely. 

Anthony sauteing like a pro and plating our part of the meal

Our recipes/menu, appetizer, and main course

So if you enjoy cooking and trying new foods I highly encourage you to check out Charleston Cooks! next time you're in South Carolina. We got to meet some great people, eat fantastic food, have a full menu of recipes to try at home, and created some wonderful memories.

I hope you all had a great Valentine's weekend.

Health and Happiness

Larissa

13 Exercises I Love

Happy Friday the 13th! It is the day before Valentine's Day and 13 is my favorite number. So I thought I would share 13 of the exercise I love!

Core Work
Core work is always an essential part of my programming. A strong core allows you to maintain more effective posture in your lifts and your daily activities. These are 4 of my favorite variations of core work.

13. Full Get Up (Turkish Get Up) 

12. Plank 

11. Hanging Leg Raises 

10. Ab Roll Out 

The Back Exercises

During bodybuilding season I became obsessed with building a big wide rippling back. I love all of these exercises because I can really load on the weight and feel the work starting at rep 1.

9. Seated Rear Delt Row 

8. Lat Pull Down 

7. Barbell Row 

6. Sgl Arm DB Row 

My Top 5

Here are my all stars! I can't go a week without programming in at least 1 of these.

5. Deadlift - I have learned to love this lift. I used to hate dead lifts, but the stronger I got the more I loved it. Great multi-joint move to build strength in the lower body.

4. Hang Clean - Ever since I met this lift during Crossfit I fell in love with it. A power move that hits the shoulders, back, legs, and core. As my shoulder mobility and overall strength improved so did this lift. If I had more space in my home gym I would do these way more often.

3. Push Press - My fave way to work my shoulders and sneak in some cardio and lower body work. The dip drive requires hip flexion and extension to press the bar overhead. The press works my delts and chest. The explosive total body movement elevates the heart rate.

2. Alt Rope Waves - Cardio and Shoulders, Win Win! Ropes were in the Top 3 of 10 for ACE exercises for the anterior deltoid. They also serve as a great way to get the heart rate up for people with lower body limitations. A great alternative for those of us with hip. knee, or ankle issues. Try a Tabata set of Rope waves and see if you like it, I love it!

And my Number 1 spot goes to............................

1. KB Swings - The swing is one of my favorite moves because with proper execution it has the ability to activate Glutes, Hamstrings, Core, Shoulders, and Cardio all in 1 low impact move. The KB is one of my favorite pieces of equipment because of its diversity of use: strength, power, muscular endurance, core, and intervals. Really what more could you ask for. 

These are the exercises that always find their way into my workouts and the workouts I design for clients

Did any of your favorites make the list?

Share on twitter and tell me the top 3 exercises you love.

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Health and Happiness,

Larissa

Within this post are links to:

ACE Research Kettlebells

https://www.acefitness.org/certifiednews/images/article/pdfs/ACE_Kettlebells.pdf

ACE Research Shoulder Study

https://www.acefitness.org/certifiednews/images/article/pdfs/ACEShoulderStudy.pdf

NSCA Deadlift Series

http://www.nsca.com/Videos/Exercise_Technique/Deadlift_Series/

USAW Instructional Video - Clean from the Hang Position

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNumRCjCjE8

USAW Instructional Video - Push Press

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-I5kwcM_sc

2.8.15 Weekly Fitness Goals

Cardio 

I have slowly been building my cardio back up, aiming to run a 1/2 marathon with Alicia later this year. Since I pretty much do zero cardio outside of Just Dance and walking the dog, I started the year meeting ACSM recommendations at 150 minutes a week. Each week adding 20 minutes to my regimen. This week I'm up to 225 minutes. I don't run anymore so my cardio is usually airdyne, dancing, circuit training, and HIIT. I figure I'll work on building my cardio endurance first before I start hitting the pavement.

Strength

The first 8 weeks of the year I am focusing on cardio and monitoring my nutrition. However, I do aim for 2 days a week of weight training. Either heavy lifts or circuit training depending on my mood. My lift of choice is Deadlift and I love a solid Overhead Press set. My next phase I'll be moving into Strength and Hypertrophy, I can't wait. I love my lifts!

Flexibility 

I am #bringingyogaback with the PrAna 12 day yoga challenge.

When I Yoga I usually practice Hatha Yoga to increase my flexibility and mobility, but enjoy challenging myself with other styles of Yoga. I used to practice weekly, but I have really fallen behind in my practice. So I am excited to take on this 12 day challenge. I'll be posting my attempts at each pose on Instagram, and following up on my experience here on the blog.

What is on your weekly fitness goal list?

Have a great week,

Health and Happiness,

Larissa