Le Resistance: A Thanksgiving Day Workout

"Gobble till you wobble." I've seen the phrase everywhere – on restaurant marquees, shirts, signs, home decor.

And I despise it, with my disgust growing with each sighting. The idea that you have to eat till you are a roly poly Violet Beauregarde bumping into your aunt's oak hutch is ridiculous. There is just no need. You will eat turkey again. You will have pumpkin pie again. The wine is still at the wine store. You can, and should, enjoy those things if you wish but not to the point of illness.

I was feeling a bit too worked up about it on Tuesday as I was planning my boot camp class. So I made a decision: I would reclaim the phrase. We would gobble till we wobbled but only because "gobble" would have new meaning.

G – Goblet Squat
O – Overhead press with resistance band
B – Bentover row with resistance band
B – Burpees
L – Lunges
E – Elbow to knee crunch

And, while we were at it, we would work out to the rest of the phrase for a total body session that left us dripping in sweat.

The beauty of this workout, too, is that save for one modification the only equipment you need is yourself and a resistance band. Even if you are traveling this week for the holiday, you can throw a band or two in your pack and complete this in your hotel room, grandma's living room or parent's basement.

Personally, I am loving the band set that I recently received from Aurorae. The set comes with five tension options; a set of handles for a quick change and the ability to vary resistance by using multiple bands; ankle straps; door anchor; and carrying case.

The ankle straps and door anchor are particularly helpful in this workout, as you can use them for the one leg kick back and lat pulldown with crunch. Don't worry if you don't have this set – you can still do the workout with a standard band.

During my boot camp class, we rested for one minute between sets and then for two minutes before repeating the entire workout. With a warm up and a cool down, we came in around 40 minutes. Crunched for time? Go through it once or focus on the "Gobble," completing two or three sets – just don't skip the warm up and cool down.

Do you like to workout on Thanksgiving?

Coaching cues/links

Goblet squat: Hold a dumbbell vertically by one end against your chest. Feet should be a little wider than shoulder-width apart and toes turned out slightly (the less mobile the hips, the more the toes will need to turn out). Drop the hips straight down to the floor with the chest open and shoulders anchored down and back. Pretend you are separating the floor with your feet and engage your glutes as you power back up to the starting position. If you don't have a weight, you can hold a gallon of milk or do bodyweight squats.

Overhead press with resistance band: Hold onto the handles of the resistance band and step onto the center of the band with your right foot, placing the left foot behind you. Bring the band to your shoulders; the band should be positioned behind the arm. Press to standing while simultaneously pressing the arms overhead.

Bentover row with band: Hold onto the handles of the resistance band and step onto the center of the band with your right foot, placing the left foot behind you. Hinge slightly at the hips. Choke up on the band so the band is tight. Pull the arms back, keeping the elbows toward the hips.

Burpee: Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body into a squat. Place your hands on the floor directly in front of, and just inside, your feet. Shift your weight onto them. Jump your feet back to softly land on the balls of your feet in a plank position. {Source}

Lunge: Stand with your feet together and your hands at your sides. Take a long stride forward with one foot, pointing your knee and foot in the same direction. Keep your torso upright and your center of gravity directly above your hips. Bend your rear leg until your knee almost touches the ground. Push up and transfer your weight to your forward leg while straightening your rear leg. Don't let your forward knee move past your toes. Allow half your weight to shift to your rear leg as your rear knee bends almost to the ground. Repeat. {Source}

Elbow to knee crunch: Begin by lying on your back with knees bent in tabletop position. Crunch your left knee, while bending it, and right elbow so that they meet at the center of your body. Return to starting position and crunch your right knee to your left elbow

T-plank: Lie face down. Raise your upper body by straightening your arms. Raise your body so that only your hands and toes touch the ground. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your feet. Flex your abs and glutes. Rotate your body so that your weight is on the side of one foot. Raise an arm and form a T shape with it. Hold this position. Lower your arm. Repeat the movement with the other arm. {Source}

Inchworm: Begin in a push-up position with your weight on your hands and toes. Engage your core and keep your back flat. Walk your feet towards your shoulders, keeping your knees straight. Continue walking forward until the stretch in the back of your legs is uncomfortable. Keep your back straight – no arching. Pause at the top. Slowly walk your hands forward with your feet still until you are back in the push-up position. {Source}

Lateral raise with band: To begin, stand on an exercise band so that tension begins at arm's length. Grasp the handles using a pronated (palms facing your thighs) grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. The handles should be resting on the sides of your thighs. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbows and your back should be straight. This will be your starting position. Use your side shoulders to lift the handles to the sides as you exhale. Continue to lift the handles until they are slightly above parallel. Lower the handles back down slowly to the starting position. {Source}

Lateral slide: Fold towel into a small square and place it on the floor under left foot. Balance most of your weight on your right leg. Bend right knee and push hips back while sliding left leg out to side, fully extending knee into a lateral lunge position. Straighten right leg while sliding left leg back in to return to starting position, squeezing through inner thighs to pull the towel. Bend your elbows and let swing your arms naturally to help you keep your balance as you slide in and out. {Source}

Y raise: Lie on your stomach on a mat, with your arms outstretched overhead palms facing one another and your legs outstretched behind you with your toes pointed toward the wall behind you. Engage your abdominal muscles to stabilize your spine. Pull your shoulders blades back and down. Align your head with your upper spine. Slowly lift your arms off the floor, moving your arms into a "Y" formation with palms facing inward. Focus on lifting from the shoulders and not the low back.

One-leg kickback with band: Get on your hands and knees and hold both handles under you chest. Loop the band around the arch of your right foot. Keep your core tight and back flat, contract your butt, and powerfully kick your right leg out as far as possible. Hold it for 1 second and slowly return back to starting position. Complete a full set and switch legs. {Source}

Upright row with band: Hold onto the handles of the resistance band and step onto the center of the band with your right foot, placing the left foot behind you. With the palms facing the back, lead with the elbows and pull the hands right to a point beneath the chin.

Walking high knees: Stand tall with your legs straight and arms hanging at your sides. Bring one knee up as high as is comfortable. Slowly lower to repeat with the opposite side so that each step takes you forward. {Source}

Offset pushup: Keep your abs braced and body in a straight line from your toes to shoulders. Place your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart but place one hand in front of shoulder level and the other hand behind shoulder level Slowly lower yourself down until you are 5 centimeters off the ground. Push through your chest, shoulders and triceps to return to the start position. Keep your body in a straight line at all times. Do 2 reps for one side and then swap hand positions and repeat until time is up. {Source}

Bicep curl with band: Hold onto the handles of the resistance band and step onto the center of the band with your right foot, placing the left foot behind you. With palms facing forward, bend the elbow and lift the palms toward your shoulders and return to the starting position.

Bench dips: Sit down on the edge of the bench or support you've chosen. Place your hands on either side of your hips, fingers overlapping the edge of a bench or chair. Start by moving your buttocks off the edge of the bench, and walk your feet forward until you can lower your hips straight down in front of the bench. Lower your hips 2 to 3 inches and then press up with your arms to return to the starting position. Your torso should stay upright, hips below shoulders, and as close as possible to the bench throughout the range of motion. {Source}

Lat pulldown with crunch: Loop the band around a stable object, like a doorknob. Lie on your back, gripping the band’s handles with arms extended. Raise your legs and bend your knees so your shins are parallel to the floor. Crunch your upper body forward while drawing your arms toward your knees. Roll back to starting position. {Source}

Elbow plank: Start face down on the floor resting on your forearms and knees. Push off the floor, raising up off your knees onto your toes and resting mainly on your elbows. Contract your abdominals to keep yourself up and prevent your booty from sticking up. Keep your back flat – don't let it droop or you'll be defeating the purpose. Picture your body as a long straight board, or plank. {Source}

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Aurorae band set but was not otherwise compensated for this post. I am an ACE certified personal trainer but it is important to discuss your exercise program with your doctor. Perform this workout at your own risk.

Fitness Friday: Total Body Circuit Workout

Heart thumping, sweat dripping, fall-to-the-floor fatigue inducing – that's how you can describe this workout.

Or, as I mentioned in this post, Mark called it one of the hardest workouts he's done in a while.

As he enjoyed it so much, I'd hate to leave y'all out. 

The workout was designed for a 45-minute boot camp class, which includes a warm-up and a cool down. The class warm-up is usually 8 minutes and the cool down is 5 minutes. Do not skip these! Also, this workout is on the long side for the intensity so feel free to leave out a round or two. The key is to make sure you hit all major muscle groups.

Life, y'all, is all about balance!

Exercise demonstrations:

• Squat Jack

• Lunge with bicep curl

• Pulsing lunge

• Plie squat with tricep extension

• Star jacks

• Single-leg deadlift with flye

Scary Workouts: A Frighteningly Fit Halloween

The sky was pitch black save for charcoal clouds gathering. The stars were hard to see through them much less through the ceiling to floor windows in the aerobics studio.

It was 6:30 p.m. and time for boot camp class at the Y. The only problem? No one was there.

Class size can be hit or miss but I almost always have a handful of regulars. Parent-teacher conferences in the school district and Halloween events had kept them away, I reasoned. As did the chilly, unwelcoming weather I ventured further.

Regardless, I started the music — a Halloween mix for group fitness instructors from Steady 130 — and began the workout. It was full of appropriately named exercises — Frankenstein Walk and Creepy Crawlers. Before you think that I'm amazingly creative, I didn't come up with it on my own. I had help — help from an accredited, reliable source.

When I first began programming the workout for the Oct. 30 class, I did an Internet search for "Halloween Workout" and "Halloween Exercises." Most of the results were from bloggers who had created spooktacular circuits to be pinned by readers and repinned by more readers and repinned by complete strangers who follow those readers on Pinterest. These workouts are a pet peeve of mine, which I'm sure I've said before, as many of the people are not qualified to give anyone a workout, much less a wider audience. Also, these workouts often do not include modifications nor do they factor injuries, fitness levels and special needs.

I digress ... I was beginning to get frustrated because most of the workouts were just scary hard (read: lots of burpees) and didn't have the cute factor I wanted. That's when I got a message in my inbox from ACE, the organization through which I received my personal training certification. There, in all its glory, was a Halloween-inspired circuit workout that used supersets. Supersets include two exercises that are completed one right after another without rest. This workout style allows an exerciser to save time, increase intensity and overload muscles to produce results.

The exercises in the Spooky Superset Workout were great. Not only did they have the creepy names but they were easily modified for different fitness levels and not so complicated that I needed to be an acrobat to demonstrate them. And demonstrate them I did as I had a handful of girls show up just a bit late.

I did change up the workout — ahead of time and on the fly — to accommodate the participants strengths and weaknesses and the class schedule.

Here's what we did:

Four supersets with two exercises each. Each exercise was performed for 30 seconds and four rounds of each superset were completed. Participants rested for about a minute while I demonstrated the exercises in the next superset. A warm up of dynamic movements and stretches was performed before beginning the circuits.

Superset 1
Frankenstein Walk
Mummy Sit-ups

Superset 2
Full Moon
Ghost Fliers

Superset 3
Skeleton jacks (most of us modified the exercise, performing a traditional jumping jack)
Scaredy Cat (I chose this instead of the Count Dracula as achieving the supine plank could be difficult for those with wrist weakness or injury.)

Superset 4
Zombie Walk (Since I took out the spider push-ups, I wanted an exercise that targeted the shoulders. This one is a favorite from my days teaching Bodypump.)
Monster Walk (I wanted something that targeted the glutes and also incorporated some lateral movement.)

Disclaimer: Although I am an ACE certified personal trainer and certified Bodypump instructor, you should consult a physician before starting any exercise program. I am not recommending these exercises to you but merely sharing them. If you choose to do any of the exercises featured on this website, you do so at your own risk.

Step up in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1

I showed up at the gym tonight ready to teach.

Just one thing: BODYPUMP is Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays.

But my name was still on the schedule, and I was still teaching :)

The gym owner had to do some shuffling as one tumbling instructor is injured and another was going on her honeymoon, and she asked whether I'd be interested in putting together a specialty class. The classes improve strength, endurance and cardiovascular health in addition to burning fat. They are often taught in an interval/boot camp style.

My answer? Well, yes, of course.

While I'm not a certified personal trainer (again, an idea), I felt confident teaching a class with the knowledge I've gained going through BODYPUMP training, taking classes and studying fitness in my spare time. My goal was to keep the heart rate elevated while working on strength. I considered doing tabata-style workout but as we have a lot of fitness levels, I didn't think that the style would allow me to adequately demonstrate proper technique. Instead, I went with a circuit workout that allowed participants to learn a move in a modified format then repeat it up to speed later in the circuit.

Note No. 1: I had the regular teacher, a certified PT, look over the workout before leading it.

As one of them said, the workout made her feel her muscles and got her sweating.

Start with a 5-minute warmup - we did a march, heel digs, toe touches, arm circles and front kicks - and then begin the circuit. I did a lot of this on the bench to channel my inner Jane Fonda and maybe have a reason to pick up the clearance leg warmers I saw at Target. Because those would be hot.

Note No. 2: For the arm exercises, repeat as time allows. Feel free to repeat the circuit twice for time or just once for a quick workout. And don't forget to cool down stretch!

I'll be subbing again next week, and I'm excited to tweak this even more, adding some compound movements.

Do you have any favorite circuit exercises?