Getting Back into Running...

     I know I've mentioned this before, but I hate running.  I hate the way my back aches after about a quarter of a mile and I hate that I get so bored.  I'm constantly trying to think of new ways to make myself run more, because I know it's good for me.  I try to do strength exercises more than cardio, but I also want to increase my endurance.
     A new style of running that I've been doing the past few days has been my own version of interval running.  One form of interval running could be to walk for a distance, jog for a distance, and sprint for a distance.  My own version is to run a quarter of a mile, perform a strength exercise, and run another quarter of a mile.  This gives my legs and lungs a slight break, but I'm not wasting any energy by walking or stopping all together.  This is how I do it:

• Run 0.25 miles, do 15 squats.
• Run 0.25 miles, do 15 pushups
• Run 0.25 miles, 30 sec mountain climbers
• Run 0.25 miles 15 tricep dips (perfect on a park bench)

     What I love about this workout is that it doesn't feel like you're running far, and by the time you're done, you will have run a mile.  Repeat it once and what do you know, you've run TWO miles!  Mixing up your regular running routine by adding in some strength exercises is not only interesting, but it keeps your body moving in ways other than just a constant run.

     If you're looking for a good running app, I use the Nike running app.  I can set a distance goal, and it'll let me know how much farther I have to run.  It also gives you an approximation on how many calories you burned during your run.  I never go on a run (unless I'm on a treadmill) without using this app.

My Favorite Equipment-Free Exercises

     There are several ways that equipment-free workouts may benefit you.  Maybe you don't have a gym membership, or you're not interested in lifting weights to gain muscle mass.  Or maybe you just want to tone up certain areas of your body.  If any of those reasons are your case, keep reading for about 13 of my favorite exercises to do that require no equipment at all.
     Of course, if you have a pair of dumbbells or a kettle bell at your home and want to add some extra resistance to your workout, by all means do so.  Shoutout to my models AKA little brothers for helping me demonstrate these gym-free exercises!

CARDIO
To begin my workouts, I like to do a "4 minute cardio" routine.  Perform the following exercises for 20 seconds with a 10 second break in between, two times.

0:00-0:20 - Jumping Jacks
0:20-0:30 - Rest
0:30-0:50 - High Knees
0:50-1:00 - Rest
1:00-1:20 - Squat Jumps

Make sure you do a nice, deep squat

And explode up off your feet quickly until the time runs out

1:20-1:30 - Rest

1:30-1:50 - Speed Skaters

Remember to keep you knee behind your toe

Explode up and switch sides

1:50-2:00 - Rest

Repeat once for a total of 4 minutes

ARMS 

I'm always looking for alternative exercises for my arms, because push-ups come very difficult to me.  I've been lifting weights to build up more upper body strength, however, most women just want to tone their arms rather than get stronger.  If that's your case, these body weight exercises will be perfect for you.

• TRICEP DIPS (target muscle group- triceps):

Remember to use only your arms to lift yourself up and down, and only use your legs for stability.

• COUNTER PUSH-UPS (target muscle group- chest/triceps)
  
  These are so perfect for someone who can't do a real pushup but wants to get to that point.  Plus, you can do them anywhere.  I'll randomly do these while I'm waiting for something to cook in the microwave or during a TV commercial. 

  

  Perform a regular chest pushup, with your hands spread farther apart and your elbows going out to the sides to work out your..well, chest muscles.

  
  

  

  Keep your hands closer together and keep your elbows by your sides as you do this pushup to work your triceps.

• CLIMBING PLANK (target muscle group- abs/shoulders)

  

  Step 1: start in an elbow plank

  
  

  

  Step 2: Begin climbing.  Use your arms to push yourself up to a pushup position.

  
  

  

  **your hands should be lined up with your shoulders, ignore his form**

  
  

  

  Step 3: Lower yourself back down to an elbow plank and repeat

LEGS

• LUNGES (target muscle group- Quadriceps and Hamstrings

  

  *I have a detailed description of a correct lunge in my post "3  Exercises You May Be Doing Wrong"
  The main point is to not let your front knee go in front of the front toe.

• CALF RAISES (target muscle group- calves)

You can do these on a flat surface or on a step for a deeper stretch.  The three foot positions target different areas of your calves.

Feet straight foward 

Toes out to the side, concentrates on inner calves

Toes pointed in, concentrates on outer calves

• BRIDGES (target muscle group- glutes and hamstrings)
  
  
  

  

  Push through your heels and lower yourself back down (not all the way to the floor) and repeat

ABS

Last, but most certainly not least.  Keep good form throughout all of these exercises and you'll definitely feel the burn.

• LEG RAISES (target muscle group- lower abs)
  

  

  If it makes it easier for you to keep your hands under your butt, that's fine.
  Inhale as you drop your legs, exhale as you bring them up.

  

  Don't let your feet touch the floor!  Keep your core tight.

• CHAIR KNEE TUCKS (target muscle group- all over abs)

  

  Sit on the edge of a chair and keep your back straight.

  
  

  

  Keeping your core tight, pull your knees up to your chest.

• MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS (target muscle group- obliques)

While this can be a cardio exercise, take this one nice and slow to really work your sides.

Start in a good pushup position.

Keeping your hands lined up with your shoulders, take one knee and touch your opposite elbow.

*try not to tilt to one side like Jack is doing here*

• JACK KNIFES (target muscle group- all over abs)

Jack insisted on this one...

Keep shoulders and feet off the ground during this workout!

Don't pull your neck forward, pull your feet and chest together and make
a V-shape, crunching your core.

I hope you all enjoyed these workouts descriptions and I hope you'll give them a try!  

Let me know if you tried these exercises!

Twitter/Instagram- @shaynerw

Should You Run Every Day?

        I have this secret insecurity about running around other people.  As my last name suggests, I am not a runner, nor do I have a lot of endurance when it comes to running.  So when I go to the gym and all of these girls are running at 7 mph for 30 minutes to an hour, I get pretty self-conscious.  However, I hear girls complaining about how they are always running but not losing any weight.  This makes them run even more.  Well, if you are one of those girls, I'm here to tell you that “running until you don't jiggle” might not be the way to get the results you want.  Once again, I'm no expert, these are just some things I've learned and changed about my workout routine.  So grab a snack, sit back, and get comfortable.  Hopefully I won’t ramble too much…

Change up your routine

Our bodies are very adaptive to the exercises we do. So just like you would do a variety of leg exercises and not just squats, maybe a little change in your cardio routine could be beneficial to you. Instead of jogging for an hour, jog/walk for 4 minutes, sprint for 1.  Do this until your workout is complete.

Space out your workouts

Running is a high impact cardio workout on the body. Think about it: you're constantly pounding on your leg muscles and bones, not to mention your entire spine as well. While running is important and is a great way to stimulate muscles all over your body, doing something that is so high impact every day for long periods of time is not giving your muscles enough time to heal.  After a high impact/high intensity workout, it can take your body at LEAST 3 days to heal.  But you don’t want to wait for more than 6 days before you repeat your cardio workout, or do another type of cardiovascular exercise.  

        What I like to do (take it or leave it), is to work my legs on Mondays and Fridays, arms/back Tuesdays and Thursdays, and cardio Wednesdays and Saturdays.  That is, if I get in every workout that I plan.  You might be wondering how I manage to keep up my amazing 6 pack (lol right).  I work out my abs every day that I think about it.  According to the strength and conditioning coach at Troy University, you can work out your abs and calves every day if you wanted to.  These muscles are really thick and can heal quickly. 

Slow it down!

There is a difference between cardio and fat burning exercises. While cardio workouts CAN burn fat, they will not maximize the potential fat burn. You can actually alter a few things from your normal cardio workout to make it a fat burning workout. During a steady run, your heart rate will be around the 180 bpm range. At this point, your body is in “cardio mode”. Your body is gaining the ability to take in more oxygen and is improving your lung, heart, and blood vessel functions. However, when your heart rate stays between 120-140 bpm, your body is in “fat burn mode”. The best way I've found to keep my heart rate in this range is to walk on the treadmill at about 3-3.5 mph (enough to keep you breathing slightly heavy) with a 4+ incline. Something that helps me know that I've reached the fat burning point of my workout is when my stomach sweat is cold. Gross, I know. If you get to this point, don’t quit!

Let me know if any of these tips have helped you, or if you have any of your own.  Also, if you have any suggestions or ideas of things I could write about, feel free to comment below or let me know on any of my social medias.

3 Exercises You May Be Doing Wrong

        For many exercises, quality is more important than quantity.  Using the correct form when working out is important for injury prevention and muscle conditioning.  The lunge, crunch, and plank are three exercises that are commonly performed incorrectly.

LUNGE

Lunges are a great way to strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.  One of the most common mistakes while performing a lunge is actually lunging too far forward (pictured) where the knee is lined up with or in front of the toe.  This puts unwanted stress on the knee, rather than the leg and butt muscles. 

When doing a lunge, not only should you remember to keep your lower leg at a right angle with your foot, but you should also keep your head and chest upright, with your shoulders back.  Keeping good posture will help ensure that the right muscles get worked out and reduce muscle strain.  When bringing yourself back UP from a lunge, remember to use your front leg to bring your weight up.  The lunging leg is the one your are working at the time.

CRUNCH

I see this mistake so often.  When performing a basic crunch or situp, it is common to keep your hands behind your head.  After a few crunches, your core becomes tired and you want to find ways to make your 100 reps easier or faster.  Pulling on your head like I've demonstrated above is putting stress on your neck rather than your abs.  In a way, your arms are doing all of the work for you, while crunches are supposed to work your core.

Instead of pulling on your neck, simply rest your head in your hands and focus on squeezing your core to pull your body up.  To perform a simple crunch, only go up far enough to lift your shoulders and upper back off the floor, lower yourself (not all the way back to the floor), and repeat.  Keep your elbows out, look up, and keep your chin off of your chest.  Imagine that you have a grapefruit fit under your chin while you're crunching.  Also imagine that you have a string attached to your breast bone and someone straight above you is pulling on that string to lift you up.

If you find it too difficult to keep your elbows out to your side, and you frequently catch yourself pulling your head rather than using your core, try crossing your arms over your chest while keeping good form with your head as well.
*Try to keep your feet on the floor as best as you can while crunching.  If your core isn't strong enough yet, find a partner who can hold your feet down or something to fit your feet under so you aren't relying on your feet to pull your body up*

PLANK

The plank is a great move to throw in your workout because it doesn't just work your abs.  Your entire body is working hard to hold this difficult position.  Remember to keep your butt down and your back as flat as possible and keep your forearm and upper arm at a right angle to ensure that your shoulders are getting a good workout as well.  This move is HARD, but so good for you.  Keep breathing during your hold and try to keep your core as stable as possible.

While this is technically a plank because I'm still holding my body off the floor, I'm putting the majority of my weight on my elbows and toes because I am leaning forward so far.  Try not to let your back cave in, but let it be like a flat shelf from your shoulders to your butt.

Keep your weight evenly distributed between your elbows and toes and keep your arms lined up with your shoulders.