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strength training

Fast and Efficient Strength Training Workout

December 9, 2011 by gracefulfitness 10 Comments

Sometimes I use strength training as my main form of exercise for the day.  On those days a strength workout is usually a 30-45 minute, sweaty, panting, full-body affair complete with high intensity exercises that make my muscles quake and my heart rate soar.

Other days strength training is more about maintenance and on those days my routine can be as short as 10 minutes.

Here’s a look at a typical Fast and Efficient Strength Workout, Gracefulfitness style.

Push ups.  Slow and steady with tons of focus on form.  Push ups are a great warm up exercise.  I usually start a little shallow and maybe on my knees then begin to go deeper as my shoulders and back warm up.

(source)

  •  abdominal wall
  • neck long and in line with the rest of the spine
  • shoulder blades actively drawing together and down the back
  • fingers spread wide with weight into the knuckles and fingertips
Lunges with bicep curls (stationary lunges, front lunges, or walking lunges)
(source)
  • front knee never goes further forward than the front ankle
  • stable torso-shoulders stay over hips throughout the entire movement
  • NO movement in the upper arm during the curl, stabilize from shoulder to elbow
  • focus on slowly lowering the weight in the curl, resisting gravity
Plie squats with triceps extensions
(The two actions below happen simultaneously but I couldn’t find a good image of this exercise)
(source)
(source)
  • just as in the bicep curl, stabilize the upper arms throughout the whole exercise
  • shoulder blades slide down the back as the weights move up and down
  • lengthen the elbows completely at the top with out locking the joint, triceps work the hardest in the last little bit of straightening
  • to keep your knees safe and get deeper in your squat make sure your legs are nice and wide
  • think of squeezing your inner thighs together as you stand up
Plank with row
(source)
  • perfect form in the plank, the body is a long line from the knees or heels out the top of the head
  • elbow draws towards the hip rather than straight up
Squat with overhead press
(source)
  • take a look at your feet while you squat-your knees should never hide your toes.  If they do, you need to sit your hips further back.  Bending the knees too far forward puts more pressure on them than is necessary and could lead to injury.
  • always keep the weights slightly in front of you as you press them overhead to keep your shoulders in a safe range of motion
  • draw the shoulder blades down as the weights go up
  • think of keeping the spine long from the tailbone all the way out the top of the head as you squat and stand
  • engage your core to protect the low back
Do each exercise for about a minute then move on to the next exercise.  Complete twice for a full body workout in about 10 minutes.
Finish with a few stretches for the hamstrings, quadriceps, hips, shoulders, and triceps.
Whether you strength train for 10 minutes or 100 minutes you are boosting your metabolism in two ways.  First, muscle requires more energy than fat does so the higher percentage of muscle you have the more calories you must eat to maintain.  Second, strength training  takes calories to recover from, so for about 24 hours after a lifting session your calorie needs are elevated.
Strength training is increasingly important for anyone over 25, as it gets harder and harder for the body to build and maintain muscle with each passing year.
P.S this routine is not easy but is appropriate for beginner strength trainers if you use light weights, light repetitions (8-12), and focus on form above all else.  It can be made harder by using heavy-for-you weights, working on each exercise for a full minute, and maybe adding in any progressions you may know.
P.P.S Of course, you should always consult with your doctor/use your own common sense when approaching any new exercises.

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Posted in: workouts Tagged: strength training, weights, workouts

High Five High

December 6, 2010 by gracefulfitness 3 Comments

I did it!

I high-fived a fellow runner!

My “Praise Your Fellow Runner” mission started back in October.  Since then I haven’t written much about it but I have continued to give huge grins, thumbs up, and “great job” encouragement to every runner I pass.

But I was still working up the nerve to go in for the high five.

The stars must have been aligned on todays run.  Tate and I had already passed this one women a few times (more on that later) and she had given an open smile in response to my grin so I had a hunch she would be receptive.

As we approached each other I worked my way into position.  Then I gave her a heads up by putting my hand up a few strides ahead of time and…

CONTACT MADE!

The best part was, she high fived Tate as she passed him just after me!

I did a little victory dance and proclaimed to Tate, “you don’t know how happy that makes me!”.  His response? “You don’t know how much I love you because that makes you happy!”.

It was a good run.

We did the Monticello-Saunders Trail, which is an awesome 4 mile up and back (you may recall it from Thursday’s post).  At the turn around point Tate and I had the following conversation.

She said: Sometime I want to run this route twice.  I think it would be an easy 8 miles because your last two miles are downhill.

He said: Want to do it today?

She said: Kinda, not really.

He said: Let’s do it! Come on, what else do we have to do?

She said (reluctantly): Alright…

A mile later we stuck a compromise.  We decided to turn around and head back up a 1/2 mile from the parking lot.

This was an excellent idea because

  1. 7 miles seemed like a more reasonable undertaking given my milage lately
  2. I did, in fact, have other things to get done today
  3. The first 1/2 mile from the car is the steepest!

I was a little overdressed but overall it was perfect!

The 7 miles took us 64 minutes and that includes a few minutes of walking on the second time up.

My  pre-run strength and Pilates workouts came courtesy of Exercise TV.  Both workouts were super straight forward (a little boring) but challenging.

The 10 minute Pilates routine can be found here.  It is definitely an intermediate workout.  It’s fast paced and challenging but nothing more than the basic 6 or so Mat Pilates moves (very few variations).

The 20 minute strength workout can be found here.   Although the workout is kinda boring, I did really appreciate the trainers language and explanations of exercises.  I am going to start using the cue to “blow yourself away from the floor” when doing a push-up in my classes!  It’s a great reminder to exhale during the exertion and provides awesome imagery to help make it a little easier.  Also, his “baby biceps-big biceps” (or something close to that) curl is killer!  You’ll have to do the workout to find out for yourself. 😉

Dinner time!  Happy 5th night of Chanuka!

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Posted in: goals, workouts Tagged: exercise, exercisetv, goals, Pilates, push up, strength training

I am Faith Levine, a movement instructor, home gardener, mountain biker, hiker, pickle maker, closet poet, and best of friend to some of the most amazing women in the world.

I’d love to hear from you,
gracefulfitness@live.com

Header photo: Meredith Coe

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Hi, I'm Faith! New? Check out I Am for my story, I Cook for recipes, and I Move for some motivation to get moving! I'd love to hear from you, e-mail me gracefulfitness@live.com
Header photo: Meredith Coe

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