My New Boot Camp! - Mondays 5:30pm at Ballantyne Corp. Park

I just wanted to make sure you all know about an exciting and FREE opportunity being offered to current YMCA members (regardless of your branch affiliation)!  The Ballantyne Village YMCA is offering anOutdoor Fitness Series starting the week of April 4th!  With the weather warming up, this is the perfect opportunity to take your exercise outside!
All classes will be held in the Ballantyne Corporate Park at the Brixham Courtyard. (The Brixham Courtyard is located adjacent to the future site of the Corporate Park Wellness Center. Look for the big white tent!!!)  Again, these classes are FREE for ALL YMCA members!  All you have to do is pick up an access card at the member services desk at either the Morrison YMCA or the Ballantyne Village YMCA.  (**You must have this access card and a photo I.D. to participate.)
I will be teaching the Monday evening Boot Camp class.  It will be a quick 45 minute blast of strength training and metabolic conditioning (think sprints, burpees, full-body functional strength exercises, jump rope, ladder drills, hill work, partner challenges, etc.).  I promise to make it the most efficient 45 minutes of work you put into yourself each week.  And have you ever walked around the Ballantyne Corporate Park?  I just did for the first time yesterday...it is GORGEOUS!!!...ponds, streams, wooden bridges, grassy fields, a fit trail (pull-up bar, dip station, benches for box jumps and step-ups, etc.), sidewalks, and so much more.  It is such a peaceful environment...and the possibilities for torturous boot camp exercises are ENDLESS!!!=)

The Outdoor Series Classes are being offered as follows:

MON: Boot Camp (Erin)

            5:30 - 6:15pm

TUES: Boot Camp (Andrew G.)

              6:00 - 6:45am

WED: Running Club (Christy Q.)

             6:00 - 7:00am

WED: Yoga/ Stretch (Laurie Pace)

             5:15 - 6:00pm

THURS: Boot Camp (Jennifer Sk.)

                 6:00 - 6:45am

My teammates, the other instructors in the schedule above, are top-notch, some of the Y's very best!

Hope to see you outdoors!  

My Latest "Charlotte Today" Spot

http://www.wcnc.com/charlotte-today/Power-of-Plyometrics-118373089.html

I just appeared again on our local morning news show, "Charlotte Today," to discuss the Power of Plyometrics as a supplement to your weekly workout routine.

What are plyometric exercises?...explosive movements, like leaps, hops, bounds, jumps, clapping push-ups, etcetera.  Anything that makes your body bounce can pretty much qualify as a "plyo."  These exercises force the muscles to work like a rubber band.  The muscle first stretches (an eccentric, elongating contraction), then quickly turns around and recoils (ammortization phase) into a contraction (a concentric shortening of the muscle).

What are the benefits of training with plyometrics?
1) Power: Training plyos makes you more powerful.  Power is the exertion of force with speed.  If you want to run faster or jump higher, plyos are where it's at.
2) Muscle Efficiency: When you ask your muscles to exert force quickly, you are asking your neuromuscular system to work more efficiently.  Unlike strength training, plyo training does not add muscle mass to your frame; rather, it makes the most of the muscle tissue you already have.  Consequently, you get stronger, more powerful, and more toned while staying lean.

Be careful!  Plyometrics can easily be overtrained.  These exercises are tough on bones and joints.  Plyos should be added to your weekly workout routine as a supplement here and there.  I would advise training plyos no more than 2 to 3 times per week, 10 to 15 minutes per session.

Here is a simple sample plyometric workout routine (8 minutes long, minimal equipment required):
*2 min. Jump Rope (regular, high knees, butt kicks, side to side, jack legs, etc)
*1 min. Squat Jumps
*1 min. Lunge Jumps
*1 min. Box Jump to Depth Jump (jump up to a step, then step off and absorb your weight upon landing)
*1 min. Clapping Push-Ups (or alternating shoulder tapping push-ups)
*2 min. Agility Hop (ankles glued together, jump side-to-side, like a slalom in place)

Welcome Back...to Me!

I have not posted a thing on this blog in AGES.  I know that my grandparents are now checking it out occasionally, so at least for their benefit, I will try to post more frequently than once every 4 months.

I have spent the day searching the Internet for new exercises to use with my P.T. clients and in my weekly group exercise classes at the Y.  I am in awe of the inventiveness of Brian Devlin at www.briandevlin.com.    In the privacy of my home gym, I will be trying the following tomorrow morning (then possibly in my Weight Training class Wednesday morning):
     *Single-Leg Wall Climbs: lay down on your belly with your feet up against a wall, do a push-up to a plank position, then walk your feet up the wall, so that you end in a handstand position with your belly up against the wall, climb down; if performing the wall climb on a single-leg, hop your way up the wall using only one leg.
      *Pistol Series: a Pistol is a single-leg squat; may be performed by single-leg squatting your way to a seated position on a box or a step, then returning to a standing position on that same one leg; the Pistol Series is three different pistol exercises performed in series:
3 x thru:
1) 5 x ea. leg: Pistol to Fwd. Lunge (challenge: dumbbells in hands)
2) 5 x ea. leg: Pistol to Crossover Fwd. Lung (challenge: DBs in hands)
3) 5 x ea. leg: Pistol to Single-Leg Hop Fwd. x 2; Single-Leg Hop Bkwd. x 2
     *Tricep Trifecta: a series of tricep exercises done in series
3 x thru:
1) 10 x Semi-Piked Plank (w/ hands atop 5-8 lb. DBs) Tricep Push-Ups (elbows stay narrow/ in close to body)
2) 10 x Supine (on back) (w/ bent legs in air) Tricep Extension (DBs held overhead, bend and extend)
3) 5 ea. arm x Semi-Piked Plank (w/ hands atop 5-8 lb. DBs) Single Arm Rear Row to Rear Tricep Extension (elbows in narrow)

"Charlotte Today" - Back on TV I go!!

I appeared this morning on "Charlotte Today" once again as their fitness expert.  I had a goofy time chatting about how to exercise your way to better cleavage.  I'm not sure how much helpful information I really got out there...lots of silliness and joking around predominated.  Below is the online link to my clip.

http://www.wcnc.com/charlotte-today/How-to-get-a-sexy-cleavage-103292539.html

"Charlotte Today" Live Stage Show at Southern Women's Show

I spent this past Saturday morning at the Southern Women's Show, a convention full of beauty and shopping booths, freebies, auctions, beauty pageants, food, etc.  The television show that hosts me monthly for a fitness segment had me join its live stage show held on the main stage at the big event.  Colleen, the host of the show, and I (in my Britney Spears-like headset microphone) got to lead a gaggle of ladies in a series of exercises. The theme of my gig was exercises you can do at home or in a hotel room, without any real equipment or skill, in order to fry up a whopping number of calories in a matter of minutes.  It was a long day full of lots of waiting around, but I had a ball, and it was totally worth the wait.

Enjoy the below photos of the event taken by professional photographer/ videographer, Julio Barriga, of JBvideoandphotography.com.

My Latest TV Appearance...How to Get Flat Abs (post-baby, too)

http://www.wcnc.com/charlotte-today/Flatten-your-abs-99240279.html

Strength Training with Speed

AMRAP  (As Many Reps As Possible) in 20 minutes:

*10 x Squat Jump (w/ 10 lb. med ball held steady at chest level) Up to a Bench (6 risers high on ea. side) (land atop bench in squat, then step off, repeat)
*10 ea. side x Single Arm Squat Thrusters (w/ one 15 lb. dumbbell)
*10 x Tricep Dip - Swing Back - Push-Up (done between 2 benches (12 risers total for ea. bench) w/ one hand on each bench)
*10 ea. side x Lunge - Bicep Curl - Touch Floor - Switch Legs (w/ set of 15 lb. dumbbells)