ZWOW #40

Oooohhh ... this - was - BRUTAL! Zuzana, you're insane! In a good way, though. The way her mind is able to brutalize everything to the extreme that our muscle scream for mercy and rest is just ... marvellous! ;) This is what she came up with this week:

1. 1-2-3 burpee - 10 reps
2. strict mountain climbers - 20 reps
3. clapping push up - 10 reps
4. air squat - 40 reps
I completed 3 rounds in 14:27 min and I wasn't using any weight! :P It really hurt and I absolutely HATE strict mountain climbers! Gggrrrrrr!!! ;)

Oh, today I'm meeting with my colleague to go through my diet plan and spend some quality time together. Can't wait! And on Monday I'm going to a job interview, so I have my fingers crossed it works! It's one of the last options left to earn some money or to make sure I'll be eaning it from the next month on - otherwise I'm doomed and have no money to live. It sucks, really, but at the same time I'm looking forward to what is about to come.

Another thing - I got blocked from commenting on BR site. It was that butt implant comment that got me kicked out. I'm glad that it happened. If I'm to lead a healthy, satisfied and balanced life, I'm to surround myself with people and circumstances that provide those things. To me, Bodyrock does not represent anything of the above, that is why it's out of my life for good. I'll definately be going back to Zuzana's Bodyrock times, but this is where it all ends. I supported and loved everything BR was, but now times have changed and it's time for me to move on. I'm super glad I did it. This is why I have some new sites and blogs listed on my blog list. Feel free to visit them! :)

My WO#5

Hello! ;)

Today I decided to put together another workout. I didn't feel like doing any other's exercise, so I chose exercises that suited my current mood. This is what I came up with:

1. mountain climbers - 50 reps
2. 3 pulse squat jump - 10 reps (do three pulses in a half squat position and jump up = 1 rep)
3. pull ups - 5 reps (assisted)
4. mountain climbers - 50 reps
5. James Bond lunges - 10 reps
6. leg lift, star crunch, butt lift - 5 reps
7. mountain climers - 50 reps
8. dive bombers - 10 reps
9. side lunge jump up - 5 reps each leg (from a side lunge position drive your knee on extended leg up in front of you and jump up, then return back to side lunge = 1 rep)

Complete 3 rounds (if you feel like it wasn't enough, smash a couple more ;)). I did it in 19:24 min. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I'm currently focusing on keeping proper form and not rushing through workouts. That's why my times are not SO great, but ti doesn't matter to me at all. I am trying to avoid any kind of injury and am willing to "sacrifice" beating my time or completing as fast as possible. This is why I'm choosing time challenges a lot - I can focus on completing certain amount of reps with the best form possible. And because of that I'm willing to make my workouts longer - let's say that I'll more likely complete a workout that a lot of you manage in 20 min, in more than 25 min. If I'm to becaome a personal trainer, I'll have to improve my performance and avoid injuries and apply all that to my work. ;)

Have an injury-free day! ;)

Full body assault

Hi, guys!

New week, new challenges, an old workout. ;) I find it very enjoyable to visit Zuzana's earlier work and try her brutal ideas. ;) Here's another one of hers:

6 rounds 10/30 intervals 5 times through
1. burpees - 8, 7, 7, 7, 7
2. side lunge jump - 27, 29, 29, 29, 30
3. jumping jacks (no rope for me) - 31, 32, 32, 32, 33
4. pull up (military grip, assisted) - 3, 4, 4, 4, 4
5. hanging knee raises - 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
6. ninja jump tucks - 6, 6, 6, 6, 7

Afterwards I had a sort of cool down - 8 min 10/30 jogging.

Today I'm also sending my food journal to my colleague and she will set some recommendations regarding my fat loss and fitness goals. I'm really looking forward to hearing from her. I think it'll help me finally find balance in terms of diet and thus regulate my body fat percentage. I can't tell enough, how excited I am! :)

Bodyrock - bloody mock!

I decided to write this post just because I want to spread the word about BR being a complete farse and exploiting hosts. I found Lish's new FB website and decided to follow her. She put some interesting stories about her not getting paid, treating hosts and more on her FB wall.

Reading that stuff I was horrified, angry and at the same time glad Lish had the guts to come forward and slap that BR threesome into the face.

There was something interesting I found out - all that "hard work" and "late night posts" etc. is just a sharade and a consequence of their partying, late night drinking and immature behaviour. You can see what happens if too much money goes to people who don't deserve it - by "deserve" I mean working hard to earn it and take corresponding amount of responsibility that comes with it. If anything, they act very irresponsible despite being in a position of "role models" and "changing people's lives".

The latest messages they managed to portray through their posts, films and behaviour is: "you are only as good as the amount of money you spend on correcting your "imperfections" through medical procedures, chronic undereating and moving your ass". You simply cannot get as skinny as Lisa unless you are thrown under constant undereating or either some serious eating disorder. She shows obvious signs of an eating disordered mindset through ways she treats her body, message she spreads amongst people who follow her and being on the verge of tears when she's not as fit as she thinks she should be. She even has "fat days" as she calls them! You'd have to be seriously deluded to claim you're fat having her body. She CANNOT be a role model unless she makes up her mind and embrace herself the way she is, full stop!

On the other hand, the "spoiled brat duo" dictate payments, aesthetic ideals and sexual content, which is undeniable a part of BR. Some people mind it, some don't, in the end it all comes down to what BR trully is - a money making machine that doesn't care about people.

It's an angry post, some of you might not agree with me, but at least check Lish's story before you judge and make up your mind. Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/FreeFitWithLish. Have a great weekend!

ZWOW #39

Here's Zuzana's newest ZWOW:

1. side hops - 50 reps
2. spider - 20 reps
3. lunge hops - 10 reps per leg
4. lunge press - 10 reps per side
Completed 3 rounds in 11:54 min using 7 kg weight. Awsome!

At the end I decided on a very masochistic move - 2 min elbow plank. It. Hurt. Badly. :O OUCH !!!!!!!!!!

Sucker for sweat

In terms of timeline, this is one of Zuzana's "paleo" workouts. ;) She did this one back in 2010, nearly three years ago (2,5 years to be more accurate). This is the first time I did it and it was quite a challenge, because I haven't worked out two days in a row for a while now. It's intense, but I like it. :)

Here's the workout breakdown:
36 rounds 10/20 intervals, complete one exercise 6x in a row, then move forward
1. snowboarder - 16, 16, 12, 12, 12, 11
2. hanging knee raises - 4, 5, 6, 5, 5, 6
3. one leg elevated lunges - 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8
4. high knees (no jump rope) - 42, 49, 45, 46, 42, 46
5. elevadte push up - 7, 6, 5, 4, 5, 5
6. side plank lift - 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5

I think it's fun to visit exercises in the BR archive (i.e. ones before Z left). This makes me wanna get up and move more. They have the right spirit to motivate me to push harder and to never give up. That's the spirit I'm after. :)

Diet decisions ...

As promised, here's the diet post.

I got The paleo solution by Robb Wolf as a birthday gift from my boyfriend and it was literally THE BEST birthday present EVER! My heart was beating with excitement and I wass hugging and kissing him like crazy. It took only once to mention I wanted the book and that they have it in one of the bookstores and it was enough for him to remember and get me one copy. He's so sweet and caring I can't tell you enough. I consider myself a lucky bastard. :) This means I'll be reading this book for a while now and put my Whole30 aside. Let me explain this decision.

I'm not sure, if I mentioned that I'm currently going through an education process to get a personal trainer licence. I decided on taking part on this course, because I am cooperating with a training studio that literally adopted me and wants to continue working with me in the future. SO lucky to be in this position nowadays! People are extremely nice and willing to help where they can so that we could fully start our business partnership. So the owner of this studio offered me help with my diet. She knows about my paleo oriented ways of eating and I even lended her my copy of Mark Sisson's The primal bluepint. I'm now on a day one of writing down my diet schedule (it will take me a week before I can send her my notes) and when I'm done, she will analyze it and present me with some guidelines on how to achieve my fitness and health goals inside primal guidelines. All this free of charge! Yay! :)))) This is why I'm ditching my intentions to start this Whole30 programme - I want a proffessional oppinion and support to sort things out once and for all. I had a bit of a roller coaster with food in the past and since then haven't found the middle ground and struggled with it for several years. Since I'm starting a career as a personal trainer (and therefore a role model for all my future clents), I feel it's the right time to put things into perspective and prosper from the steps I'm taking. If anything, I want to set myself for a fruitful future. :)

I'll leave it here. There's a lot of things going on in my life right now and I haven't managed to reduce stress levels yet. Though I can't tell how I'll manage all the changes that are occuring, I'm optimistic about my nearing fitness journey.

Vivace #52

After a week end of celebrating my boyfriend's and my birthdays it felt so good to make a cut with Chelsea's latest Vivace workout. :) It was an intense one and had to take a few short breaks doing it just to catch my breath and concentrate on my form again and again. Here's the workout breakdown:

1. sandbag swing - 20 reps
2. elevated push up & diagonal knee tuck - 10 reps
3. high knees - 100 reps
4. woodchops - 20 reps
5. elbow plank reptile - 20 reps
6. high knees - 100 reps
7. pike press - 10 reps
8. pike foot cross over - 20 reps
9. high knees - 100 reps
10. side plank oblique turn (R) - 10 reps
11. squat jumps - 20 reps
12. side plank oblique turn (L) - 10 reps

There are two rounds in the workout and I did them in 18:28 min using 7 kg weight for every "weighted" exercise. I'm pleased with my result and am off to stretch myself and have a warm shower. :)

I'll make another post about my weekend and diet later today, but for now that's all, folks! :)

ZWOW #38

I'm so glad this moment, because I managed to beat Z's time for this workout! :))) All I can say is I used approx. the same weight as her and concentrated on proper form and at the same time pushed myself as hard as I could. Here's the workout breakdown and my scores:

1. 5 jump lunges & burpee - 8 sets
2. dumbbell swings - 20 reps each arm
3. side crunch - 20 reps each side
Managed 3 rounds in 14:48 min using 7 kg weight (a bit more than 15 pounds). I'm sooo happy, yeah! ;)

Now I have one more thing to "confess". Yesterday I tried a bit of buckwheat bread and had some sweet stuff (cake). Today I don't feel so good and my digestion is messed up. What is more, I had quite s lot of dairy product in my diet this week and a few bars of dark chocolate (my period is comming, sigh). I found out that dairy really isn't that good for me and grains are a big no no. A month or more ago I'd be sooooo angry with myself for eating something sweet and "forbidden", but this time I can easily say no to the stuff I tried yesterday and move on with my plans and with doing what I know is right for me. I consider it as a small victory and am quite proud of myself. :)

So, that's it, I hope I'll be back with another routine again soon, but it depends on my period (how nasty it will be). ;) Have a great weekend!

Body on fire

Today I did one of Bodyrock's older workouts ptu together by Zuzana. I've never done it before and I must say it was great fun doing it! :) I liked it so much I added an extra round at the end just to do six exercises six time through. Here's the workout breakdown:

3 rounds 40/40 intervals
1. over and under (left to right)
2. over and under (right to left)
3. happy dancing crab
4. tripple knee tucks
5. pistol & Kozaček
6. swimming push up
Repeat 5 times for a 20 min workout. Wit an extra round I completed 24 min routine and had fun with it. :)

One other thing - I'm thinking of doing Whole30 chalenge. I'll probably give this to myself as a birthday gift (it's on Saturday). ;) I find Mondays as great opportunities to start something new and this will most likely be it. I just have to gather as many info as I can before I start doing it. If anyone has any experience with it, please be welcome to write it in the comment section below any post.

Have a great day, everyone! :)

ZWOW #37

This was quite lovely today. ZWOW #37 followed by 12 min 30/30 skipping and jogging. Such a nice way to start a day and a new week. :) Here's the workout breakdown:

12 rounds 30/30 intervals
1. Santana push ups (managed approx. 8-4 per interval)
2. side hops (managed approx. 24-15 per interval)
3. Santana push ups
4. squat jumps (managed approx. 15-10 per interval)

Really nice burn and relaxing 12 min cardio afterwards. Aaaaahh, ready to kick-start my day! :)

Vivace #50

Ooooh, another 32 min one! Chelsea, you're nuts! :) I had a great workout, great cardio & strength routine that'll left you feeling like jello. Even though there were two exercises "missing", I was trully grateful for that. However I did consider doing two extra intervals of high knees, but I REALLY had enough. :) Anyway, here's the workout breakdown:

48 rounds 10/30 intervals
1. Ninja Tuck Jump - 8, 5
2. One Arm Pike Press - 7, 5
3. Bicycle Crunches - 12, 10
4. High Knees . 82, 71
5. 2 Forward/2 Back Squat Jumps with Ugi - 5, 4
6. Dive Bombers - 7, 6
7. Sde Plank Lifts (R) - 19, 15
8. Flying Jacks - 18, 16
9. Jump Lunge Kick Up - 8, 8
10. Elevated Push Up - 10, 9
11. Side Plank Lifts (L) - 16, 15
12. Jumping Jacks - 32, 28
13. Dynamic Jump Squats - 20, 15
14. Diamond Push Ups - 7, 6
15. Accordion Abs (substituted for knee hugs) - 14, 12
16. Wacky Jumping Jacks - 64, 57
17. Side Jump Lunges - 29, 28
18. Push Ups - 9, 10
19. Sliding Pikes - 8, 8
20. Pendulum - 37, 44
21. Crab Toe Touch - 20, 18
22. Dynamic Push Ups - 6, 7
23. Leg Lift Toe Touch with Ugi - 7, 8
24. Chair Hops - 30, 32
I used 4,5 kg weight for this workout and a cloth for sliding pikes. For elevated push ups I put my legs onto a chair. Again, great routine! Keep 'em comming! :)

ZWOW #36 & Re ZWOW #26

First let me appologise for not posting since friday. I was sick and had to lay down a bit to cure my sore throat and overall being. I'm OK now and decided to combine two recent ZWOWs. Here are their breakdowns:

ZWOW #36
1. 4-point hops - 10 reps
2. 4-point punches - 10 reps
3. supergirl plank - 10 reps
4. thrusters - 10 reps
Completed 3 rounds in 10:57 min using 2 x 4,5 kg weights for punches and thrusters. 5 min later followed, ZWOW #26 which I did once before and you can find its breakdown here. Although this time I did not do any skipping. :)

I also finished my first Primal Blueprint 21 day challenge. It was a pleasant experience, though I did not stick to it 100%. I did not eat any primal non-approved types of food, but on days I ate more fruit than recommended and this meant higher carbohydrate intake than desired. I also had two picnics during this time and I did not fall off the wagon once, I just had more wine than I should, especially since I was getting used to this kind of eating and living, actually. As the end result - did I become fat adapted? I couldn't say that, but to me I made an impressive start to someting ew and exciting in my life. I still have a long way to go - maybe the next 21 days will be the ones that I'll finally grasp and make the best out of them.
Most desired side effect was weight loss. It didn't happen and that made me angry and wanting to quit it alltogether. But my boyfriend said that he can see changes in my body composition, my skin got better and apparently this poses something I'm not used to - working to achieve my goals, be patient and believe in the process and myself to be able to achieve what I want. Wanting something RIGHT NOW is so modern-like attitude, but the truth is - I like my personal growth alongside physical changes and adaptations. Now I consider it as a journey, a marathon (yes, I still have some goals) and am looking forward to discovering what I'm capable of and what kind of person I can be.
So, thanks, Mark Sisson, for your primal advice and enthusiasm!

It's good to "be back", to harness yourself, take controll and go where you want to. And at the same time learn the art of patience and determination. It really feels good. :)