Monday, August 19, 2013

100 rep KILLER (in a good way) leg workout!

I have found my new favorite leg workout and am slightly (very) obsessed with it. Disclaimer: it will sound crazy to those who haven't tried it...but I promise it made my legs feel better than they ever have after a leg workout. I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing this twice a week, but it's definitely worth it to sub it in for your usual routine once in awhile to switch things up!

100 back squats with barbell:
I did 10 sets of 10 reps to get to 100, and used a weight that was challenging enough to make my legs wobble, but not so hard that I couldn't complete a set fluidly. For me this means 65-70 pounds (my current 1 rep max weight for back squat is 165). I rested for 45-60 seconds in between each set, and about 3 minutes after all 100 reps before moving onto the next exercise.
*Muscle group worked= core, glutes, hamstrings, back, quads
 



The following exercises use machines:

100 standing glute kickbacks:
I did 10 sets of 10 each leg; doing 10 on the left and then immediately doing 10 on the right to complete a set before taking rest. Rest was 60 seconds!
*Muscle group worked= glutes, hamstrings, lower back.

100 leg extensions:
I did 5 sets of 20 to get to 100 for this exercise, and used 40-50 pounds resistance. Rest between sets was 60 seconds.
*Muscle group worked= quads, hamstrings, core

100 seated leg curls:
I did 5 sets of 20 with 40-45 pounds. Rest was 60 seconds!
*Muscle group worked= hamstrings, glutes, core

I went into the workout prepared to come out the other side feeling tired and definitely expected to be sore the next day...but was super pleasantly surprised that none of the above were true...other than my legs feeling like jello temporarily while walking back to the car, I felt even better than when I walked into the gym an hour earlier! It really refreshed my legs and left me feeling better in general.

On a slightly different note: I got my first personal training job! I will be working at the University of Iowa rec center and could not be more pumped to start!!!! If you live in the area (or know anyone that does) and want to try working with a personal trainer I'd be more than happy to take you on as a client!


♥MK

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

My love-hate relationship with Pinterest.

I first got my Pinterest account about a year ago. Since then, it has been a nifty way for me to spend my time, especially if I am bored, have an internet connection, and have time to kill. I have found endless craft and DIY ideas that I want to try, some that I have! Ways to better spend your money, beauty tips that you would have never otherwise heard of....pictures of romantic getaways and ideal weddings. What's not to like, right?!
Well, not all that glitters is gold.

The more aware of health and nutrition I become, both from being a Health Studies major, fitness/health enthusiast, and personal trainer...the more aware I am of false claims and advertising about these topics. Pinterest specifically fuels these false claims by allowing anyone to post anything that they please. This is why mine, and probably many other Pinterest-ers' feeds are speckled with Pins such as: How to Lose 10 Pounds in 3 Days the HEALTHY Way! Stop right there folks: there is no healthy way to do this. 10 pounds in 3 days would mean losing over 3 pounds per day, which is INSANE. And even if you do lose this weight, do you really think it'll stay off? Probably not. These claims have you thinking you can lose that pesky 10 pounds by starving yourself or eating nothing but hotdogs and cucumbers (yes this is seriously a claim out there) and that'll be the end of it. DO NOT KID YOURSELF. The only way to lose weight and KEEP it off is to make a LIFESTYLE change. Stop thinking of it as "dieting", and start thinking about it as changing your eating habits for the better. I promise, you will feel more fulfilled and rewarded than ever before. Instead of depriving yourself, you are treating your body with the respect it deserves by fueling it with wholesome foods... and you know what happens when you eat healthy, non-processed foods? YOU LOSE BODY FAT...BONUS!

Celebrity trainer Barry Jay, founder of Barry’s Bootcamp, who has put the likes of Kim Kardashian and Katie Holmes through their paces, offers three fitness moves to attack that muffin from the top, bottom and the middle!...NO.

I used to be totally guilty of buying into these ads too...nobody is perfect. I even started a cleanse last spring after I tore my hamstring during outdoor track season and was feeling really down about not being able to workout. But do you know what happened? I got so sick that I was vomiting nearly all day long, and had to stop before day 1 was even over. Consuming nothing but melons and water for an entire day? WHAT? WHY?! Once I stopped looking for a quick fix and decided to make a lifestyle change, the results started showing.

When you lead a clean eating lifestyle, you are not "on a diet"...you "HAVE a diet"! It is a part of your everyday routine, and you will be healthier and happier because of it.

(Rant over)
♥MK

PS- I still LOVE Pinterest and visit it multiple times a week...I'm just advocating smart consuming of pins!!!
Seriously...who could NOT pin this face?!
those ears.