Workout schedule for January and February

Hi peeps,

I want to share my workout schedule with you guys. This is a schedule I'll keep up for two months, starting this week.

If you missed yesterday's post about my new year's resolutions, read it here. I've modified my usual workout schedule quite a lot, trying to keep it as simple as possible without putting too much stress on my body.

I reached my goal before Christmas, by the way. I deadlifted a 5 reps set with 100 kgs and benchpressed a set of 6 reps with 50 kgs. Soooo happy.

Monday
Leg workout - supertough crosstraining strength & plyo workout. This is a set I would love to do with a friend, since lifting heavy and jumping high is really tough, and a little competition never hurts.. If I'm the winner, of course ;) No, just kidding. Four rounds of 15 burpees superset with 6-8 heavy deadlifts is so much more fun to do with someone else cheering me on.

If you don't puke, faint or die KEEP GOING!

Tuesday
Upper body crosstraining workout.

I still love my handstand push-ups and chin-ups, and I won't stop doing them. I've added a few basic dumbbell exercises to this workout - you'll see it with pictures as soon as I recruit a friend with me to the gym.

Wednesday
Low-impact leg & core workout at the gym, focusing on my glutes and deep abs (i.e. M. Transversus Abdominis). I've modified a few Tracy Anderson's leg series to match my goals, so I do them with a pulley or elastic bands. This workout includes a lot of bodyweight training, too. Workout coming up...

Thursday
Pole dancing at my local gym. Love. Pole dancing really works my upper body, I'm sore in places I didn't know existed. Gripping the pole, climbing it, spinning on it makes me work my muscles in a way I haven't done before. I love it.

Friday
Yoga.
I love the feeling after a great yoga workout. Energized, but not drained. Remember my motivational yoga video? Check it out here.

Saturday
Endurance training of my choice - dancing, jogging, skiing.. Anything that I find fun at the moment. This is the part of my workouts that I do for me and me alone.

Sunday
Rest day.

This workout schedule is missing my daily walks with my dear little puglet (it's a dog, in case you don't know) and my evening stretches. One of my goals for January is to increase the range of motion in my hips.

Hope you're feeling inspired!

Love,
Ulrika

Picture source: Fitness girls on facebook

New year's resolution: goals for 2013

Hello beautiful people,

I hope you had a splendid Christmas and NYE - now that you're (hopefully) back to your normal routines regarding eating and working out, I'd like to share my top 5 goals (i.e. New year's resolution) for the year 2013.

1. I will stop competing with others and do more stuff for ME.
This one is really tough for me. I've already written a few texts about motivation, and to be quite honest, I have no problems with it - quite the opposite. I'm strongly externally motivated, i.e. competitive. Last year I would have written phrases like Squat deeper than the guys at the gym, finish first on a 10K run, lift heavier than any girl I know. This year I'll compete with myself, and no one else. I will do more stuff I actually love, i.e. dance like nobody's watching. I'll start this tomorrow with poledancing ;)

2. I will make sure that I rest enough.
I've learned to accept the fact that I have a sleeping disorder. I wake up at 5:15 every morning and go to bed after 11 p.m. I have chronic black circles under my eyes, and I'm ready to get rid of them. I'm launching a huge battle against my sleep deprivation and stress levels, starting today. My means are clear, too. Less running, more yoga. Less coffee, more sleep. 1-2 rest days per week (now that's a tough one!).

3. I will be in the best shape of my life on August 10th, 2013.
Do I really need to explain this further? I have a few motivational pictures I'd like to share with you guys, here goes:

Picture source
That's Nicole Wilkins, by the way. She's an IFBB Figure competitor, and I absolutely adore her. I don't need to be as ripped as she is on stage, but her off-season body is smashing. I'd love to look like that.

Now, I'm reeeeeally far from my goal #3, but you know what - I don't care. I'll beat the odds, you'll see. I have a metabolic disease which affects my hormonal balance (and therefore my body composition), and I hate it - but I will give 110% and work with what I've got.

4. I will spend less money on excessive junk.
By this I mean that I'll think twice before buying any clothes or any other unnecessary sh*t. I'll bring my lunch and snacks to work to avoid spending excess money on groceries, I won't go shopping unless I actually need something and I'll sell my clothes online or at a thrift store before August.

5. I will start enjoying my meals more.
I'll keep eating healthy and clean, but I will enjoy my meals a lot more. Ever get the feeling that you eat the same stuff week after week, lacking variation and taste? That's my November and December for you, ha-ha. I promise myself that I'll eat more stuff that I actually enjoy, and not choose foods solely based on their nutritional value. Food is fuel, but it's a big part of my life and I should teach myself to enjoy every meal more.

Here are my top 5 goals for the year 2013. I wish you a healthy, happy new year and hope to hear your goals and resolutions ;)

Love,
Ulrika

How should I start running?

Hey,

Hope you've had a great Halloween! I don't know about you guys, but we had a really quiet Halloween with just two trick-or-treaters. We didn't stock up on sweets, because we didn't want to eat all the leftovers ourselves. My plan worked perfectly, no excess candy to munch on the weekend.

I promised myself last week that I'd go jogging on Saturdays. I promised myself to keep my promises too, ha ha. Since I woke up an hour earlier than I should and I had a tremendous amount of energy, I decided to go for a 45-minute run before work. I felt awesome!

If you haven't been exercising regularly for years, start off with brisk walks. When your walks feel light in intensity, you can add a few jogs into your regular routine (read a bit further, running for beginners-routine coming up!).


How should I get started?
 
Make sure you're exercising properly. Don't be greedy, your fitness level won't improve massively on the first jog.

Here are a few pitfalls you should avoid when beginning your new hobby:

• You're running too fast. Make sure your pace is mild and you feel good during your workout (and afterwards!). Running at a high velocity requires a few week's training, so be patient.
• You're runs are too long in duration. Keep in mind that your career as a runner should start with walking and progress into jogging. Running won't become a habit if you start with high-intensity workouts and feel like sh*t afterwards.
• You're running because you "should be running". If you have no interest in running, why do it? There are a million different cardio exercises that are just as good. If you don't like what you're doing, it's hard to stay motivated.

Set goals.
Set your own goals based on your own fitness level. Read here about setting goals, if you're insecure. An example could be to run for 45 minutes without feeling like dying.


Exercise routines -interval training

Beginner
If you've never run before, start off with 2-3 brisk walks per week. Each workout should last for 20-30 minutes and you should feel energized afterwards.
When your walks feel really easy and light in intensity, add a few minutes jogs into the routine. Your walks could look like this:

Warm-up for 10 minutes (brisk walking)

Light jogging 1 minute

Walking 4 minutes

Repeat the jogging/walking-interval twice for a 20-minute workout.

After completing this routine for 2-3 weeks (and still feeling good), add a little bit of length to your runs. Keep in mind that the workout should still feel easy and you add a maximum of five minutes to each workout per week.

Intermediate
Your fitness level is "intermediate", you work out 2-3 times a week and have done the beginner phase already, or you've been walking/running 20-45-minute runs for 3-4 weeks.

When your fitness level is improving, you can easily crank up the volume:

Warm-up: walk 10 minutes

Jog 2 minutes

Walk 3 minutes

You can slowly move onto a more jogging, less walking type of routine: jog 3 minutes, walk 2 minutes or jog 4 minutes, walk 1 minute. As soon as this routine feels easy, start doing your workouts jogging.

Advanced
In case you've been running straight for 45 minutes and it still feels easy, add a little more intensity to your workouts.

Warm-up: light jogging 10 minutes

Run 1 minute

Jog 4 minutes

Repeat the run/jog-routine 2-6 times.

Run a maximum of three times per week, keeping at least one rest day in between workouts. Remember to stretch your quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes and hip adductors after every workout!

Have a nice run ;)
/Ulrika

Picture source

Clean eating: Keeping a dietary log

Hi guys,

I wanted to share my dietary log of one day with you guys - just to show you what a day of clean eating can look like.
My doctor told me that I'm supposed to eat at least one serving of dairy per day, plus one serving of wheat, oats, barley or rye for three weeks before undergoing lab tests. Normally I'd stay off grains, except for the occasional oatmeal.

Monday 29.10.2012
I woke up at 6.30, stayed in bed for an additional hour reading a cr*ppy Stephen King book. Drank 2 huge glasses of water before getting up.
I was at work from 13 to 22: a few personal training clients plus a few hours of customer service. Not bad at all.

8.00-8.30 Brisk walking with my dog
9.00 2 cups of coffee (with milk), 2 glasses of water, 1 glass freshly pressed apple juice. An omelette: 2 eggs, 160 g tomato, 1 dl chopped spinach, 50 grams Greek cheese.
+ multivitamins, Omega-3's and liquid vitamin D
11-12 lower body strength & plyo workout + 7 dl water (similar workout here!)
12.30 Recovery smoothie: 30 g whey, 2 dl semi-skimmed milk, 150 g strawberries
16.00 Chicken salad with pomegrenade, some yellow bell pepper, tomatoes and rocket. 7 dl water
18.30 1 pink grapefruit, 10 almonds. 7 dl water + a few cups of herbal tea with my friends
19.30 Tuna salad with bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, rocket and lettuce. 7 dl water.
21.00 Evening smoothie: 30 g whey, 15 g oatmeal, 1 tbsp coconut flakes, 150 g blueberries and 3 dl milk.
22.45 Omega-3's, magnesium, zinc, B-vitamins. 2dl water.

Nutritional info:
1830 kcal
97g carbs (22%)
76g fats (38%)
177g proteins (40%)

Workout info (according to my heart beat monitor)
Brisk walking 30 mins 172 kcal
Gym workout 60 mins 516 kcal
 

One simple picture to explain what clean eating actually is:

I don't really want to think of stuff as "allowed" or "not allowed", since that makes clean eating sound like a fad diet. I'd rather say "more fresh fruits and veggies, less white flour".

We (as in my hubby and I) eat organic meat and dairy. We buy our beef from an organic farm close to our villa - we know the meat is organic, grass and grain-fed. The final product looks (and tastes!) a lot different than non-organic beef. Especially ground beef is a lot thicker, it feels almost solid compared to the spaghetti-like non-organic ground beef.

Now, just to be clear, this isn't a diet plan. It's just my diet plan at the moment. If I didn't work out, I'd skip the recovery smoothie (~270 kcals). 

So, tell me - what does your dietary log look like? :)

/Ulrika

Picture source 1 2

Experiencing acupuncture

Some days I feel really clumsy. (Prepare for a long story)

Like yesterday, for example. I did my regular (short) set of handstand push-ups and landed a bit off, causing my left glute to crampe up. I tried to shake it off, do some short dynamic stretches but nothing seemed to help. I just had to limp my way out of the gym. Sigh.

I tried to move around at home, but nothing seemed to work. Rotating my hip caused sharp pain in my glute, and the pain kept moving around, up and down my buttock. Sometimes I thought it was the piriformis muscle, other times I thought it was something entirely different. I did a differential diagnosis on it, which was that I'd strained my piriformis muscle together with a deep hip muscle.

Luckily I'd already set up an appointment with my friend  Mikko, whom I visited earlier for thai herbal massage (read about it here). He was supposed to treat my lower back, but since I'm accident prone, he got to treat my hip instead.

I was prepared for acupuncture, but hadn't a clue what it would feel like. I'm not afraid of needles, so the thought of having a few needles stuck in my skin wasn't something I feared, although I wasn't exactly looking forward to it either... Well, anyway. Mikko was really soothing, he explained how it would feel when he inserts the needles and he kept asking me how I felt. I felt surprisingly good.

After locating the strained muscle he showed me where he'd place the needles: two needles on the foramens 1 and 2 of the sacrum, two needles on my left glute and one needle on the back of my foot. ( i.e. Gall Bladder 30, Bladder 54&29&30 and Spleen 4.) I'm surprised that placing the needles didn't hurt. I felt a small pinch when the needle went through my skin, but it didn't feel bad at all.

After a few minutes I felt a somewhat tingling sensation combined with a deep heat coming off the needles. It almost felt like electricity running through my glute and thigh, all the way down to my foot. And that was before adding the heat.

A few minutes after inserting the needles Mikko added a few chinese moxa cones (i.e. small pieces of burning coal) on the needles. Since I had five-centimeter (2-inch) needles in my sacrum and 7,5 cm (3-inch) needles in my glute muscles, the warmth was spreading quite quickly through my tissues. Oh, how good it felt. Weird, but good. The moxa cones burned for ten minutes. When the moxa cones had burned all the way, Mikko took the needles off and I got a chance to move around.

After not being able to walk stairs without limping, or even standing on one leg, anything would be an improvement. Now I can stand on one leg, even jump around a bit without pain. The strain hasn't been cured, but I'm so happy to be pain-free.

Mikko said that I shouldn't do any exercising today or tomorrow (bleh), and I should avoid going to the sauna today, since acupuncture may lower my blood pressure.

Have you ever tried acupuncture? Any experiences you'd like to share?

/Ulrika

Picture source 1 2 

Wednesday motivation.

 

Motivational pictures of the week, borrowed from here and here.

I've been sick for the last 6 days, so no workouts for me.. My throat is still really sore and I have a runny nose, so it's nothing serious - but I still don't want to risk it. I'm getting better though, hopefully soon enough to go for a light jog later this week.

It's better to rest now and be healthy in a few days than work my butt off and get pneumonia. I went through it in May and I'm not exactly looking forward to doing it again.

It's really hard to be away from lifting when I've got a cold. I'm trying to do as I preach - I'm always telling my clients to wait until they are properly healthy before breaking a decent sweat.

I'm more motivated than ever right now. Without going into further details I'll tell you that I've seen a specialist about my health issue.. It's really eye-opening, to finally get answers to questions I haven't dared to ask, and maybe getting some closure. I just hope that these issues will be solved fast.

I've planned my workouts for October and November: surprise - I'm mixing it up again!

I'll ditch most of my resistance training and go for bodyweight training in stead. More chin-ups, more handstand push-ups and ring training (which I find really challenging). I'd really love to master a few muscle-ups by next spring. It sounds like I'm making huge changes in my workouts, although I'm not.. Just modifying the upper body workouts, inspired by CrossTraining.

I won't ditch my front squats, deadlifts or kettlebell swings. I'd rather die.

How are you guys doing? Anything new for this fall?

/Ulrika

Rest, recovery & relax: Enjoying a Thai herbal massage

Happy Friday, beautiful people!

I hope you've had an awesome week. As always, I've been challenging myself as much as possible - my motto is "try something new every week". I want to keep my body guessing. This week I challenged myself with a lower body plyo circuit (tougher than ever before). I'll reveal my September workout schedule in my next post.

Last week's special treat was a Thai herbal massage at my friend Mikko's physical therapy office in Malmi. Mikko opened his own physical therapy facility last week and I was his guinea pig for one hour on Wednesday. I've never tried Thai massage - especially combined with herbal medicine or heat!

Mikko promised me that the treatment would sooth me to the core. The combination of heat, massage and herbal medicine is claimed to improve circulation, relax sore muscles and ease respiration.

Since I work out like a little maniac, my lower body is constantly sore (especially my hamstrings and calves, I love plyo!) and I find massage really painful. My massage therapist has told me to visit him more frequently on several occations. For some reason, I just can't pick up the phone and make an appointment - why would I want to torture myself and pay for it? You'd think that I would have an issue with flexibility, since my muscles are always sore. I'm hypermobile (over-flexible), a lovely remain from my time as a teeny-weeny ballerina, and I still have "knots" in my muscles. Traditional massage hurts like h*ll, so I usually visit a hot stone massage therapist. The heat, organic oils and massage works best for me. I heard that Thai massage would be something like that - of course I'd give it a try!

The Thai herbal compress balls are steamed, so they're pleasantly hot. I really loved the warm feeling of the fabric against my skin, it wasn't at all burning-hot (like hot stone massage can be). I experienced a deeper heat, it felt like the warmth went straight to my muscles. The combination of the compress balls and extra-virgin coconut oil on my skin was really pleasant, the slight friction of the fabric felt almost like soft exfoliation. The coconut oil left my skin feeling extra soft. What's not to love?

Compared to hot stone massage, my skin wasn't hot afterwards - in fact, it felt pleasantly cool. My skin wasn't at all pink either, even after massaging the muscles. Maybe it's because of the herbs? I don't know, but I liked it a lot more than traditional massage. I imagine that Thai herbal massage works really well during the summer season, because it doesn't leave you feeling hot. I could easily imagine myself getting this treatment on my lunch break and returning to the office as a happy, reborn woman!

 

I got the "Rejuvenating" treatment. The Thai herbal compress balls consist of the following herbs:

Curcuma Longa (turmeric)
Curcuma Zedoaria(turmeric)
Cymbopogon Citrates(lemongrass)
Citrus Hystrix (Kaffir lime)
tamarindus indica (tamarind leaves)
pandanus odorus (pandan leaves)
nibuhria siamensia

I got the treatment for my lower body, so I didn't actually smell the herbs during the treatment. I can imagine that a back or neck massage works as an aromatherapeutic experience as well. I got a whiff of the compress ball after the treatment. I love lemongrass and it's a shame I didn't get a neck (or facial) treatment. Well, maybe it could be my "something new" for next week..? ;)

Sorry international readers, I think Mikko only does these things in his new facility in Helsinki

Mikko's contact info:

Fysioterapia Mikko Utecht

UH & FIX Malmi

Pekanraitti 14

00700 Helsinki

puh 046 810 2070

mikko.utecht@rilaks.fi

http://www.facebook.com/fysioMU

Have a relaxing weekend!

/Ulrika

My newest addiction: CXWORX

Love doesn't need handles.

Picture source: Les Mills

My most recent addiction is the CXWORX program by Les Mills. It's a new program, launched in early 2011. I tried a CXWORX class during the Les Mills instructor quarterly workshops last year, and I loved it! We got the program a few months ago to our gym, and the participants love it too.

The CXWORX is a 30-minute program, and believe me - you'll feel the burn by the end of the first track! On a scale from one to ten (one being the lowest, ten the highest) the intensity of this workout is definitely an eight or a nine. No need for a longer workout!

It's a low impact and low cardio program, and it fits every fitness level. The CXWORX gives you a quick and effective, but really tough workout. It tightens and tones core muscles and improves your understanding of how the core works.
The CXWORX gives you a nice kick to get you out of your comfort zone. No challenge, no changes!

The workout consists both of isolating exercises (crunches, extensions) and integrated moves like hoovers and standing exercises. The integrated exercises gives you functional strength and core stability. You'll need a tube, a mat and a barbell weight to get started (provided by the gym, ofc). Bring yourselves, a bottle of water and a positive attitude and you're good to go!

Picture source: Les Mills

Describe the CXWORX class in one sentence:

"Omg I have muscles there too?"

"Feel the burn to look HOT later on.. "

"How can something that hurts so much still feel so good?! "

"I love it, I hate it, Im doing it!"

"A real killer, but it's so worth it."
Quotes: the CXWORX Facebook page.

  

The great thing with Les Mills classes is that the program changes every three months! New tracks, new moves, new choreo and feeling the burn in new places. Since this is a group fitness program, you'll be motivated by the people around you and feel the "group effect". As always, you should let your muscles recover between workouts. I recommend a maximum of three CXWORX classes a week (every other day).

Ok, so some of you have probably noticed that I'm easily addicted to hardcore training. What I love the most about this workout is that I can never complete it 100%. I'll always have something to work on. The hardest part with the current program is the walking hoovers - my triceps feel like they're on fire! That's what keeps me motivated.

Be proud, but never satisfied.

Have you tried the class already?

I'd love to hear your thoughts about it!

/Ulrika

InBody - following up my progress

Happy Friday, fit people!

I've been working out like crazy these past two weeks (and loving every single moment!), keeping a close eye on my diet and making sure that I rest enough.

My efforts have paid off. I did a body composition analysis on myself this morning, and I almost cried out from joy. I know my body has changed during these few weeks (11 days, to be exact), but I had no idea... The results were even better than I imagined.

I'm using an InBody 230 for my body composition analysis. The outputs are: weight, somatic muscle mass, fat mass, total body water, lean body mass, BMI (Body mass index), percent body fat, waist-hip ratio, basal metabolic rate, segmental muscle mass (i.e. muscle balance), segmental body fat mass and impendance of each segments. It also gives a "muscle control" and a "fat mass control", i.e. possible goals for weight loss or gain, either in muscle or fat mass, plus an exercise planner with energy expenditures in different activities.

How does it work?
Muscles, blood vessels and bones are high in water, which conducts electricity. Body fat mass is the type of tissue that conducts electricity poorly. The InBody measures body composition by sending a weak bioelectric current through the body (trough soles and palms) and calculates the amount of fat tissue in the body.
It's recommended to do the analysis in the morning (with an empty stomach) or at least two hours after the last meal. For reliable results, one should not exercise or go to the sauna right before doing the InBody.

You feed your personal information in the machine (age, gender, height) before the analysis and the InBody 230 gives a A4-sized printout that looks like this:

The InBody result sheet. Picture source: InBodyCentral

I, personally, look mostly at the muscle mass / body fat mass - ratio and the segmental lean and fat mass. All my personal training clients get the opportunity to do a body composition analysis, but not everyone wants to see their results, and that's perfectly OK with me. Especially older women don't like the idea of stepping on a scale in front of someone, and I have to respect that. For the record, I propably wouldn't do it myself.

The picture above is an analysis of my muscle balance, showing segmental muscle mass. According to the InBody, I have a lot more muscle mass in my left leg compared to my right leg. There's a significant difference between the strength too, since I've had some serious lower back problems (on the right side).

I won't show you the segmental fats yet.. Maybe in a year or two. Or never.

So, to my results... In two weeks, I have:

• Gained 1,2 kg in somatic muscle mass
• Lost 2,6 kg in fat of which:
• lost 1,2 kg fat around my waist
• lost 0,8 kg fat aroung my glutes and thighs

Now this is why I don't use a basic scale at home. My total weight loss in two weeks is just 0,7 kg, which is OK, but not awesome. My total body water amount is really high at the moment (+ 2kg compared to the results two weeks ago), and I bet it's just because I spent a really tough afternoon at the gym yesterday.

According to my InBody results printout, I'm overweight (no surprise there!). However, my muscle mass is a whopping 6 kg above average levels (compared to average 24y women). Screw you, body mass index ;)

As I've said before, I'm still really far from my goals, but I'll get there.. The InBody helps me set new (realistic) goals for the next few weeks. I keep track of my goals and progress with a motivational diary, which also holds all my InBody results sheets. I use the diary to document my feelings during my workouts, to collect inspirational and motivational pictures and quotes and sometimes as a nutritional diary.
I'll write an article on how to set realistic goals (and how to reach them!) in a few weeks, so stay tuned.


Have a great weekend!

Stay focused,
/Ulrika

My leg workout

Hi.

Just wanted to share my newest leg workout with you guys. This workout suits me perfectly at the moment, because it challenges me, every time! Some of the guys at the gym look a little worried when they see me jumping around like a maniac, but you know what? It's totally worth it. I'll be doing another InBody-measuring on myself on Friday morning, so I need to be focused.

I keep myself motivated by doing a body composition analysis every two to three weeks. It keeps me focused on my goals (which I'm still far from) and working really hard. I need to see some change every time!

One major thing in my process is changing my workouts regularly. I grow easily tired of the same workout routines, and I need a challengein every workout. I do legs twice a week (sometimes three times a week), always keeping 48 hours between leg workouts to let the muscles recover. My leg workout consists of supersets/circuit training. I use heavy enough weights to allow me the desired amount of reps with good form. Never compromise good form for heavier weights!

Ok, so this is a long workout - it takes about an hour to complete this, with short water breaks. I can't stress this enough, this is not a beginner workout! I've been going to the gym regularly for quite a few years now, and this is the most challenging workout I've done so far. I wanted to share this to give you ideas for your own workouts. In case you've been gymmin' away for a few years, try this out. Start off with 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps, resting 30 secs between sets. Work your way towards heavier weights as you get used to the movements, minimizing rests between sets.


Start off with a 10 minute warmup on the stairmaster/treadmill/stationary bike/cardio machine of your choice.

A1 3-4 sets, 8 reps Sumo squat with barbell across shoulders*
A2 3-4 sets, 15 reps V-ups on a bench*
A3 3-4 sets, 30-45 seconds Bench jumps

B1 3-4 sets, 8 reps Lunge with the back leg on a bench, barbell across shoulders*
B2 3-4 sets, 1 minute Side plank with pulse*
B3 3-4 sets, 45-60 seconds Jumping jacks

C1 3-4 sets, 8 reps Deadlift*
C2 3-4 sets, 10 reps Cable glute kickback

D1 3-4 sets, 15 reps Incline reverse abdominal crunch*
D2 3-4 sets, 30 seconds Burpee
D3 3-4 sets, 10 reps Seated hip adduction

Sumo squat

Get Ready: Stand with your feet wide, toes and knees pointed slightly out. Set a barbell across your shoulders, resting on the muscles (not pressing on the spine!). Brace your abdominal muscles.

Go: Squat down, keeping your back straight, bending only at the waist and knees. Push through your heels to standing position. Slowly lower yourself back into a squat and repeat.

V-ups on a bench

Get ready: Sit in the middle of a bench with your knees and feet together. Grasp the back of the bench and lean backward, making sure your shoulders are pulled back. 

Go: Lift your knees toward your chest and then extend them back out. Make sure to use your arms to support your body and maintain balance.

Lunge

Get ready: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell across the shoulders. Make sure the barbell is resting on the muscles of your upper back. Always keep your back straight, chest out and shoulders back.

Go: Step forward with one foot. Slowly descend toward floor, allowing your knees to bend. The idea is to make sure that the thigh behind you is perpendicular to the ground while your leading thigh ends in a parallel position. Do not allow your knee to touch the floor. Push back up to starting position through the heels. Repeat with same leg for desired reps. Beginners can begin with no weight and arms crossed at chest.

Side planks

Lie on your side and support your body between your forearm and knees. Hold your spine in a neutral position (normal curves)— avoid letting your back sag during the exercise. Do this exercise on your left and right sides. Try to hold the plank position for as long as possible, starting with 15 seconds. As you increase fitness, support your weight between your forearm and feet and add a pulse, lifting and lowering your hips during the exercise.

Deadlift

Get Ready: Using a weighted bar or dumbbells, stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Keeping your knees slightly bent but locked throughout the exercise. Hold the bar in front of you with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Engage the core the whole time!

Go: Keeping your back straight, head up and chest out, slowly lower the bar, bending only at the hips. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings and glutes. Squeeze your glutes to help raise your body back into start position. Repeat.

Incline reverse abdominal crunch 

Get ready: Lie on decline bench. Grasp bench behind your head for stability. 

Go: Raise legs to sky and extend fully, pulling your hips off the bench. Slowly lower to starting position and continue for desired reps.

Let me know what you think, I love hearing from you guys!

/Ulrika

Monday motivation

Hi.

Just wanted to share my workout schedule for this week.


Monday Gym time, baby! 60 minutes of sweat and tears. Glutes, hamstrings, quads, abs and lower back.

Tuesday Group fitness day. 4 hours of group fitness instructing: 2 Zumba classes, one Functional training class and one Pilates. 1 class = 55 minutes of fun ;)

Wednesday Functional training at home with my TRX and a 7½ pound medicine ball. Focusing on upper body strength and core. (Normally this would be my gym day, but I want to stay home with my doggy).

Thursday Group fitness classes: One Functional training class and Stretching for 60 minutes. The functional training class is basically a bosu class with a touch of kettlebell workouts. And maybe a little TRX if my class is up for it.

Friday Gym time! I'm going to beat the sh*t out of myself. Glutes, hamstrings, quads, abs and lower back.

Saturday Vinyasa flow yoga 90 min.

Sunday HIIT - run, baby, run! My main goal is to run as fast as I can for as many intervals as I can until I throw up. Sounds perfect, doesn't it?


Now, before you go off critisizing my workout schedule, please remember that I know what I'm doing. I'm a group fitness instructor, and to be honest I could be instructing a LOT more classes than I am now. Since I'm a fitness manager at a fitness club I have to work a few hours behind a desk, so no time for instructing more..

My goals in fitness are to be as fit as possible (almost super-human ;)) and to feel awesome about myself. In the past month I've dropped a few pounds and two jeans sizes (gained a lot of muscle mass, too).
What motivates me? Seeing the changes in my body and in my workouts. Yesterday I could do full sets of cross back lunges and split jumps, just like I wanted to. Now that that feels easy, I'm going to challenge myself somehow - by adding a step board or extra weights.

Hope you're having the best of Mondays,

/Ulrika