Shoulder WOD

So the other day I post some videos on Instagram about the shoulder workout that I did at home. What I love about fitness is that you can do it any where! At times it can be frustrating going to the gym because it is crowded and you are unable to follow through with you plan. That is why I like the option of doing a home workout.

Home workouts can be fun and different. I have done no equipment workouts, HIIT workouts, and some weightlifting workouts. So the workouts that I put on Instagram can be done at the gym, and they can be done at home. I used weights for this particular workout, but it can be modified for no weights. You can add exercises that are more plyo (pushups/dips), you can also use house hold products for weight (milk jug anyone?!?!)

So here is the workout, enjoy!

1. Alternating Dumbbell Press (3x15)
2. Barbell Shoulder Press superset Upright Row (3x10)
3. Lateral Raise (3x10)
4. Behind-the-Neck Press (3x10)
5. Rear Delt Raise (3x10)
6. Arnold Press (3x12)

Simple and fun. I put a timer on for 30 minutes...so no dawdling around!!
 

Stress Less

http://tfosuccess.com/stress-management/

Ok, so this post is going to be a little different than normal. I want to talk about STRESS. Stress is one topic that I don't feel is talked about a whole lot in the fitness industry. Stress effects everything that you do.


So how does stress effect the body? How does it effect your fitness journey? The first thing to note is that stress activates the stress response in the body. The stress response basically tells your body that it is in danger and to protect itself (think fight or flight). In the caveman days the stress response would save caveman from lions and starvation. The stress response releases adrenaline and then cortisol (hormones). The adrenaline helps the caveman get to safety and the cortisol is released later to helps the caveman preserve as much body mass as possible. Cortisol also stores any food taken in as fat tissues, this is helpful later as fast energy. The body will "munch" on muscle because it is nutrient dense tissue and save fat for the very last. This process was very helpful to the caveman, you should thank this process because it's probably why you are here reading this post today! But the stress response is constantly activated in our world today, everything from the alarm clock to your busy day at work activates this system. So its imperative that you work on decreasing stress in order to help your body function at its peak.

So this is all well and good, but what does it have to do with your fitness journey? Well stress can derail your journey in more than one way. How you deal with stress is important, are you an emotional eater? Do you skip the gym because you have to much to do? Do you skip meals or just forget to eat at times? Stress can also derail results, you can be putting in work at the gym and at home, but stress will keep fat tissue and hamper muscle growth. All in all, stress can reek havoc on your journey, that is why it is so important to know what it looks like and how to resolve it.

So what does stress look like?!? Well its different for every person, and somethings that stress me out might not stress you out. Here is a list of possible signs and symptoms from helpguide.org.

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive Symptoms	Emotional Symptoms
Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Constant worrying	Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness
Physical Symptoms	Behavioral Symptoms
Aches and pains Diarrhea or constipation Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds	Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

Helpguide.org is a super helpful website that has so much information on stress and ways of coping. I suggest everyone go check it out!

Ok, so the last questions is how do I alleviate stress to help me in my fitness journey? Good questions :-) . This can be done is a number of ways. Meditation and self reflection melt my lil social worker soul...so those are good ones for sure. I also like to use exercise (duh!) to help decrease stress. I do this by switching workouts as well as diet style. I also do things that I like in the gym, I'm not a huge fan of cardio so I don't spend hours on a machine. I try to work in cardio with my weight training sessions. I also try not to worry so much about weight that I'm lifting, all I really focus on is getting a good workout in. It's about quality not quantity.

http://lerablog.org/health/useful-stress-management-tips-to-get-a-grip-of-your-life-in-times-of-financial-crisis/

Another way of decreasing stress is by focusing on what you can control. We get all wound up in things that we have no control over. This also goes for things that have happened in the past. I can't change what happened yesterday, so why stress over it? I use it as a learning tool and move on.

The last way that I will suggest (google stress management there are a million ways!) is to get adequate sleep. Sleep helps not only repair you physically but mentally. You need to get a decent amount (somewhere between 6-10 hours) EVERY DAY!!! Decreased sleep has been shown in studies to directly correlate to increase in fat intake (junk food) and decrease in motivation and physical activity. Sleep will help your overall feeling of well-being as well, win-win my friends!!

http://www.kryptonitereport.com/episode-27-beating-stress-before-it-beats-you-and/

Have a wonderful (stress free) day guys!! :-)

Shoulder and Back Workout!

Hey Guys!!!!

Ok so yesterday was one of my favorite days, Shoulders and Back!! One of the main reasons I like this day is because working out these two areas are challenging and make me feel stronger! Another good reason to focus on these two areas is because it can create the illusion of an hourglass figure. If your shoulders and lat muscles are well defined than that makes your waist look smaller. Uh, can anyone say win...WIN?!?! :-)



So here we go...

1. Dumbbell Shoulder Press (4x15/12/10/10)
2. Dumbbell Row (4x15/12/10/10)
3. Dumbbell Front Raise (Over head) (3x15)
4. Lat Pulldown (3x15)
5. Leaning Lateral Raise (3x15)
6. Seated Row (3x10)
7. Shoulder Push-Ups (3x10)
8. Reverse Grip Row (5x10)
9. Shoulder Circles (5x10)

-Run - 1 mile





-When doing the first set warm up with a lighter weight, and then move up. One of the things that I do is write down the weight while doing the exercises (in your phone, in a journal, etc.). This is so that you can work on increasing weight in later weeks. Remember the muscles won't grow unless they are challenged.

-With front raises over head, use a dumbbell and start with palms touching your upper leg. Lift dumbbell with front delts. DO NOT ROCK (use momentum) to get the weight up. If you want to try a more advance version of this exercise try using a barbell. It seriously an intense delt burn!!!

-Leaning lateral raises are a fun way on a typical delt exercise. I typically do these when I am near the cables. Place one arm on the cable pole, place feet at the base of the pole, lean (duh!), and then raise the other arm to the side and make a funky looking "T".

http://www.bodyweighttraininghq.com/handstand-push-ups/

-To do a shoulder push-up, place feet on a bench (I am going to use the seated row bench), your body should be in pike position, arms straight, then do a push-up. This should really hit the shoulders. Try not to use your back muscles.

-Reverse Grip Row - you can use a barbell or a smith machine for this exercise. Place your hands the opposite way of a bent row (palms up).

-As far as cardio, I am going to run 1 mile. But you could really do any form of cardio for 10-20 minutes.

I just put up a video on Instagram of my shoulder exercises from yesterday. Also look for more exercises on my Instagram!!

Upper Body Workout

Hey guys!!!

So I posted on Instagram yesterday that I would put up my workout. What I really like about this workout is that it was simple yet difficult. Remember that in order to gain muscle you have to challenge the muscle. You could do 10 lbs. curls till you're blue in the face but your biceps won't grow. You need to increase weight as you become more skillful. So for this workout the reps are decreasing with weight increasing. Really challenge yourself! So without further ado...the workout.


Shoulder/Bicep/Tricep Workout:
1. Bicep Curl (4x15/12/10/10)
2. Weighted Tricep Dips (on bench) (4x15/12/10/10)
3. Shoulder Press (4x15/12/10/10)
4. Barbell Curl (3x10)
5. Bent Behind the Knee Tricep Extension (3x10)
6. Barbell Shoulder Press (behind head) (3x10)
7-9: Circuit (Cables)
- Cable Hammer Curl (3x15)
- Tricep Pulldown (3x15)
- Rear Delt Pull (Face Pull) (3x15)

This workout took about 45 minutes. I really tired to stay focused and pushed it throughout the workout. I did a 10 minute mile and then a little extra walking to cool down. This was one of my better bicep/tricep workouts that I have done. Remember to focus on the muscle to insure its getting the max benefit!

Hope you guys enjoy!!!

Shoulder and Glute WOD

Hey guys!!

I know it has been a while, but life has been so crazy!

So I have decided to start prepping for Bayou Muscle bikini npc contest that will happen in April. So in order to keep myself more sane I am (hopefully) start blogging more workouts and recipes! So here is todays workout, enjoy!

1. Shoulder Press (4x15, 12, 10, 8) w/ Speed Skaters (15 each side)

• You can do shoulder press with free weights, barbell, or smith machine. I suggest doing whatever you feel most comfortable with. I like to use the smith machine because I can increase the weight and not worry so much about dropping it :-P

2. Leg Press (5x 15, 12, 10, 8, 8) w/ Pop Squats (10)

• A pop squat is where you go into a regular squat (bodyweight) and "pop" into a narrow squat (bringing feet almost touching). Remember to go low, and this movement should be pretty quick and fluid. I love this move because it gets the heart rate up!

3. One Legged Leg Curl (4x12, 10, 10, 8) w/ Jumping Lunges (10)

• For the one legged leg curl use whatever machine you have available. I have been using the extension machine lately because it forces me to use more glute and hamstring during this motion. I tend to use to much of my quad when I do it on the seated hamstring machine. If you have a lying leg curl, that would be my suggestion!

4. Leg Extensions (4x 15, 12, 9, 9) w/ Jumping Jacks (30)

• Leg extensions - I put it in multiples of 3 (wide, regular, and narrow). Doing extensions in this three forms forces you to use different areas of the quad. Remember you quad is made of four muscles (who would have thought right?!?!!) so you want to target each. 

5. Arnold Press (5x10) w/ Shoulder Circles (10)

• I have a video on Instagram of shoulder circles. Basically, start with a lighter weight palms out resting near your legs (you should be standing), bring the weight up in a circle, weight will touch at the top above your head. Go through this motion slowly. This will target all of the shoulder and it will be quite a workout believe me!

I followed this AMAZING workout with 10 minutes on the elliptical. Should take between 45-65 minutes. Try to keep the pace high (keep heart rate elevated therefore burning more calories) If you have to rest, do it for 15-30 seconds between each set. 

(If you aren't already, take a gander at Instagram and give me a follow @fitcassie_88)

Motivation Monday

Happy Monday Guys!!!

So this Monday was a difficult one for me. I had a hard time getting started and really just wanted to lay in bed today, so I didn't get to do yoga this morning which was disappointing to me...but I'll live ;-)

So why do I think that I felt this way? Well over the weekend I wasn't very focused on my diet. I didn't eat my meals when I should have, I ate foods that I shouldn't have...but you know what? I'm human...it happens. I took the way I felt today and I was determined to be focused on the gym and my meals!

So to get me back in the mood I did my favorite workout...SHOULDERS :-)

WOD:
1. Military Press (front) superset Barbell Curls (4x12-15)
2. Military Press (back) (3x10-15)
3. Front/Lateral Raise (10 each) superset Reverse Curl (3x10)
4. Upright Row (3x12-15)
5. Arnold Press superset Dumbbell Curls (4x12-15)
6. Shoulder Circles (burnout)

Trust me when I say this is killer. Try to go as heavy as you can...OBVIOUSLY using PROPER form and doing FULL reps. If you can only do 10 reps that's fine...just make sure they are good solid reps!

You should feel it in your shoulders by the end!! Cap your workout off with some cardio. I did a few medium level sprints (8.0x10) and then 10ish minutes of an incline walk. Felt pretty good...would give myself a solid 8.

Hope all of you had a great Monday! And come back for more workouts, recipes, and fitness motivations.

Plyo WOD

Happy Thursday everyone!!! I have been nursing a left hamstring sprain and I thought I could stretch it out...but I have decided that I should actually taken some time away from the weights (only for legs) (and only like 1 week) ;-)

So today I thought it would be fun to do a little Plyo workout. Plyometrics are exercises that use only body weight but you do them quickly and get that heart rate up!! So here's my leg Plyo workout:

1. Box Squats - start on box, jump down and squat low. Your butt should be close to touching the box. 

2. Walking Lunges - find spot A and spot B....lunge there and back.

3. Kickback - on a box or on the floor.

4. Step ups - make sure to switch legs!

5. Burpee Squats - do a modified burpee and instead of coming up and jumping you are going to go into a jump squat.

6. Burpee Lunge - same as above except lunge (both legs)

7. Box side to sides

8. Mountain climbers ( box or no box)

9. Toe taps

If you are unsure how to do an exercise I tried to put some of them into a video on Instagram that you can check out. I have a link at the top of the page! :-)

Do each of these 3 times with 10-15 reps. Try to do as many as you can do...get that heart rate up!!!!

I followed this workout with some sprints. I literally almost died during my workout....but in a good way :-)

FitCassie's Five Favorite Things

So last night I was thinking about all the things that I use that help me stay on track with food, fitness, life in general. With the holidays coming up I thought I would pass along my favorite things that you could put on your wish list or get for that special someone! :-)

1. Jawbone - this is a handy little tracking device that I have been using for a little over a month. The reason that I like it so much is that it tracks your sleep as well as steps. It calculates about how many calories you burn which is a HUGE help when trying to lose weight. Its light weight and doesn't get in the way when I work out. I also like that it has a large range of exercises that you can add to your day (yoga, weights, cross training, run, elliptical, etc.). If you every wanted a starter tracking device I would highly suggest this one.

 

2. Six Pack Bag - if you don't already have a meal bag I highly suggest looking at one. They are great for keeping you focused on eating all your meals. I know that with work and kids it can be hard to stay on track but having a nifty bag helps keep your mind organized as far as food. I have two 6 pack bags that I absolutely love. I recently got the Renee Tote to bring to work and no one is the wiser that its actually a huge lunch box!! I have another bag that I use for trips to store lots of food. There are a couple companies that have good bag at various different prices. I have always been super impressed with 6 pack bag and that's the company I would recommend!

3. Muscle Relief Bubble Bath - recovery is one of the over looked parts of fitness. This goes for sleep as well as stretching and various others ways of taking care of yourself. One of my routines is to whiten my teeth and do an avocado mask weekly. I also recently found this bubble bath at CVS for muscle recovery. It has peppermint and eucalyptus that helps soothe sore muscles. I like to use this after a heavy day of lifting not only is it physically relaxing it is also mentally relaxing. You have to give yourself time to recover if you want to make serious gains ;-)

4. Yoga Starter Kit - I recently started doing yoga. I started because of friend of mine said it would help with stretching and flexibility. One of the best things that you can do for yourself and to get stronger is to make the muscle more flexible and this comes from stretching. Yoga is a great way to do this as well as get mentally centered. I am not very good at it yet...but I am trying! I got a starter kit from Gaiam and it came with a mat, a block, a strap, and a beginners DVD. This was super helpful and now I have started branching out to other yoga videos and books.

5. Foam Roller- this is also an important tool for muscle recovery. A foam roller is designed to help push lactic acid out of the muscles as well as give a gentle massage in order to soothe soreness. There are different types of foam rollers, some are more firm and some have different grooves to hit muscles differently. I have a small one and it is great! I use it on my legs, back, and shoulders mostly. I find it helpful to use it on areas that I can't reach or that tend to get sore faster. They come in a variety of different lengths and colors!

***Bonus: Wish List Items***

So here are a couple things that I have put on my wish list for the holidays. These are super neat items that will definitely help me stay focused in the gym!

1. Wireless Beats Headphones - I have a pair of Beats and I think they are amazing. One draw back - the cord. I am constantly fooling with it and it is constantly getting twisted. I know this is not the end all be all of my workout...but is definitely something that I would like to add to my workout attire! :-)

2. FlipBelt - When I first started working out I would use an arm strap to hold my phone. I started to notice that it was causing problems when doing upper body exercises, so I stopped using it. I think started tucking my phone into my waist band (multiple things went wrong with this idea). Then I had a friend buy me a belt from Forever 21. I have since lost that belt :-( but I was reading a fitness magazine and came across a new belt! It is the FlipBelt....and it looks AWESOME!!! It can hold your key (great for outdoor runners) as well as your phone. It comes in a variety of colors and seems lie flat against your abdomen. I would love one of these for Christmas!! :-)

Well I hope you liked my list of fitness inspire 5 favorite things. Have a great day, and kill it in the gym!!! :-)

Motivation...Where do I get some of that?!?!!!

Hey Guys!! I hope you are having a fabulous start to your week. I am feeling good, I am on track with my diet so my energy levels are great, I'm sleeping well, and I am having great workouts! But...this isn't how I feel all the time. Sometimes I think we get caught up in the "hoopla" of other people and become discouraged. We see that "so and so" is always happy, always thin, always motivated and we get angry at ourselves for not feeling this way all the time.

I'm going to be real with you guys...sometimes I just want a big cookie, ice cream, brownies, and a glass of wine and sit my happy butt on the couch! I won't pretend that I have good gym days, or that I don't mess up on my diet at times. I won't pretend that I am always happy, but what I can tell you is that I work for those things constantly. I already talked about my views of happiness...it was a pretty good post if I don't say so myself, go and have a gander.

So the question becomes...how to do I keep my motivation up when I feel it going down. WOW what a GREAT question ;-)

I once had a client ask me about motivation...so I obviously gave them the definition...the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something : the act or process of motivating someone (Merriam-Webster). But what does this actually mean? How can we increase our motivation so we stay focused and on task even when we don't want to...well I'll help you out with a few of mine (and with the help of another blog, you can check it out @ http://zenhabits.net/get-off-your-butt-16-ways-to-get-motivated-when-youre-in-a-slump/).

1. Set one goal - often times we get ahead of ourselves and set lots of goals. Unfortunately the human mind and body rebels against a lot of change at one time. Take one goal and make it your primary focus. For example most people set the goal to get healthy for a New Years Resolution. That's great...but being healthy encompasses a LOT of stuff. So set one goal, maybe get active 3 days a week or eat health 5/7 days, or not eat fast food. Once that becomes a permanent change (2-3 months) create another goal.

2. Find people that inspire you - you can do this is lots of ways. Social media is amazing (and not so amazing) with connecting people of similar mind sets. When I started my fitness journey I followed every fitness model/bikini pro/gym rat I could find...if they were out there I followed them. They helped me with new and different exercises, recipes, and motivation. I eventually weeded out some and only followed people that really inspire me. If you have Instagram, you can follow me @fitcassie_88 you can also look at my page and see the people I follow. :-)

(One of my faves, Amanda Latona is an IFBB Pro Bikini Athlete)

3. Think about it Daily - When you want sometime bad enough you should think about it all the time. Goals are meant to challenge you, that being said you want to find one that you have to think of new and creative ways to crush it. I haven't been doing the same fitness routine for the last two years...I change it up...challenge my body. I read articles and magazines everyday to learn more about fitness and nutrition. I talk with my friends everyday about it...probably to the point that they want to shoot me in the foot :-P But doing this makes it your primary focus.

4. Support - you want to have people around you who inspire and help you through this time. Whatever your goal may be, it will be challenging, you will want to quit, be with people who will force you to stick to it. I have a friend that I talk about prep with...she isn't doing a competition, she doesn't have the same fitness goals, but she pushes me and gives me that nudge when I don't want to do something (cough cough cardio).

5. Start small...super duper small - I know what it is like to have a big dream. Problem with big dreams is that sometimes getting there can be overwhelming and we eventually give up. It's better to start off small (with a larger goal/dream in mind of course) and celebrate small successes. Say you want to lose 25 pounds...wow that's a lot of weight...for anyone. Instead of focusing on the 25 pounds all the time...focus on 1 pound, keeping one pound off, keeping two pounds off...etc. That way you are happy with progress you have made and don't become discouraged by not reaching your 25.

6. Lastly...think about the benefits - being healthy is hard. I won't lie...it was so much easier to be fat and unhealthy. I didn't think about the food I was eating, I didn't care about how much weight I could squat, I didn't really care about calories...problems is I was unhappy...probably bordering on depressed about my weight. I had poor self esteem. Being healthy makes me happy on the inside and outside :-) it has pushed me to try new things. I have made new friends, pushed myself to get a new job, and to get on stage in a tiney tiny bikini in front of hundreds of people!! It may be a pain to weigh/measure all my food and exercise 5-6 days a week...but it's MUCH BETTER than the alternative!

(Progress pics for week 2)