Brea Getting Fit » isometrics

Essentrics Legs

breefawn — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:37:10 +0000

When I got home last night, I couldn’t wait to pop in (one of) my new favorite workouts, Essentrics Workout: Arms, Abs&Waist Toner / Legs, Butt&Thigh Thinner intermidiate-advanced level. I’ve been alternating between the upper and lower body workouts (each is 30 minutes long), and yesterday was a lower body day. First, let me say that I am absolutely in love with Sahra’s workouts! That being said…I should probably explain why I love them. The upper body stretch makes me feel SO much taller, and I look forward to the relaxed feeling that comes over me while I’m doing the sequences. Sahra’s cuing is good for both workouts, but I was slightly disappointed to discover that the leg work is not balanced. This is easy to compensate for, just by alternating which leg I start with for the sequences. The lower body workout allowed me to stretch further into my hamstrings and glutes than I’ve been able to do in a LONG time (pun intended). Even with the off-sequencing, I really look forward to the stretches after work. I think that if I had all the time in the world, I would probably do this video (both workouts) every day, just because I feel so great afterwards. I really hope that Essentrics comes out with some additional workouts soon!!

I can do almost anything for 57 minutes

breefawn — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:49:30 +0000

One of my friends has been absolutely RAVING about the BRAND NEW workout from Physique 57…so when I (finally) got my copy of the full body workout, I could not wait to try it…of course, it sat next to the DVD player and taunted me…until this morning. I finally got up the guts to try this workout, and I must say that I’m officially addicted. I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to stick with a rotation for the month…and next month I can change it up. This month’s morning rotation is P57 and The Tracy Anderson Method Presents Mat Workout DVD. After work, I’ll be doing Essentrics Workout: Arms, Abs&Waist Toner / Legs, Butt&Thigh Thinner intermidiate-advanced level, alternating between the two workouts. I am SO excited! I posted a list of things that I wanted to accomplish this year, and I’m already well on my way! Okay…back to my fantastic workout this morning. I have done just about every barre workout there is, and I have to say that I really love the style of P57. Tanya Becker, the creator of P57, was a Lotte Berk instructor for 10 years, and it SHOWS. The “warm up” includes a full sequence of upper-body strength sequence, which targets your biceps, shoulders and back with weights, and then moves to push-ups and tricep dips. I really appreciated that even during the warm up, there was an “advanced” example, as well as a modifyer. After you warm up, and stretch your upper body, it’s on to thighs. One word: OUCH. Tanya has you doing pulses, squeezes and elevators (you actually drop your rear down to your heels and get back up…sounds easy enough, but try doing this when your thighs won’t stop shaking) that make you want to throw the playground ball that the workout uses at the screen. I had to remind myself that I would have to replace the TV…not something i want to do right this moment. The thigh work is broken into two segments, which allows you a short break and then you get right back to that burn. And believe me, this workout will make your muscles SCREAM. But that’s a good thing…it’s what causes those changes that we’re all looking for. I will admit that I had to take a quick break during the second thigh sequence…but I did 99% of it! After thighs, you get to put your rear in gear. This workout has a great standing seat sequence, followed by (my favorite!) pretzel. I like Tanya’s take on pretzel, and my glutes were on FIRE when I was done. The abs segment in the full body workout actually made my abs…SORE. Yup. You read that right. I was SORE. BUT, I think that it was worth it! Most of the abs work is nothing new, but she did utlize a cusion for a large majority of it, which was rather innovative, and definitely takes any pressure off the lower back. After abs, there is a lower back sequence, which is often ignored in other barre workouts. Did I mention the thigh and back dancing? Talk about TOTAL BODY BURN!! The workout does need equipment: you need 2 sets of weights (light and medium), a playground ball (not really optional, but you can find them pretty cheap), a mat (unless you have carpet) and a cushion or thick towel…OH! AND you’ll need a barre or high-backed chair. I know that it sounds like alot, but it is SO very worth it. Currently, you can only purchase the workout directly from the Physique 57 webpage. It’s definitely worth it. I haven’t had this much fun being in pain in awhile!

Want a preview?

In Tanya’s words: “Physique 57 isthe ultimate transformative physical fitness experience. It’s the only exercise program I’ve seen that changes bodies so efficiently. It targets all the major muscle groups so clients see rapid, obvious results. Plus it’s fun, invigorating, and incredibly intense. It makes people feel good.” I defintely agree.

One more thing…over the weekend I posted a contest for the Pershing Square 2 DVD…and had some wonderful entries. I decided to let an outside party pick the winner (Ish), and he picked Patty, who gave a great explaination as to why she wants the workout. See her winning entry here.

Conquering your fear

breefawn — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:16:27 +0000

I haven’t blogged much since I fell last week…probably because it hurt to workout…my palms literally throbbed anytime my heart rate got elevated. Interestingly, I did do some modified workouts during the week, but I was terrified to run again. Well…this morning I conquered my fear! I ran our 3-mile run (the same route that I fell down running) with Ish this morning and am VERY proud to say that I stayed totally vertical for the entire 30 minutes. I honestly felt like doing the Rocky dance at the end of the run. Tomorrow is a rest day, at least running wise. I am going to take advantage of my awesome gym and hop on the strider for 30 or 45 minutes. Cardio is SO very important, especially if I want to speed up the results of my barre workouts. I have honestly been on cloud 9 all day today! I even wore high heels to work!! I figure that since I’m on a roll…I need to finally get down and dirty and try Pure Barre: Pershing Square 2. I have been avoiding it because the workout involves quite a bit of floor work, and I wasn’t sure that my poor torn up hands could handle the abuse. Thankfully, my palms are healing well, and I think that I am going to go ahead and move past Pure Barre: Pershing Square 1, which is a great workout in and of itself. I honestly don’t think that my thighs have EVER worked that hard!! I was lucky enough to be given a copy of Pure Barre: Pershing Square 2 to give away by Carrie, and will be doing that giveaway in the next two weeks…. Watch for my workout review and the giveaway!! If you just can’t wait…or didn’t win the copy of PS1 that I gave away earlier this month, they workouts are now available at amazon.com! Buy your copy here! You won’t be sorry!! Carrie’s workouts are butt-changing! I can’t wait for my workout tomorrow! (can you tell?)

Pershing Square 1 workout giveaway

breefawn — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:28:38 +0000

In honor of my KILLER workout this morning, I am giving away a FREE copy of Pure Barre’s BRAND NEW workout: Pershing Square 1!! A little bit about this workout: According to the packaging, this workout requires NO EQUIPMENT (if you happen to have a small 5-6″ diameter playground ball, it would be helpful but not necessary). Okay…that’s kind of true. You do need to have a support to hold onto…the back of a couch, a chair…the wall? I am lucky enough to have a barre that I use for this type of workout, but a high-backed chair is a good substitute. If you have hard floors, you will want to be sure to have a pilates/yoga mat for some of the exercises (push ups, seat and abs) so that your back and knees don’t get hurt. Also, the playground ball is a great addition, but you can do the exercises without it. I was very excited to have a new piece of equipment to play with…maybe that’s just me, though. Alright, so set-up out of the way, the workout is fantastic. I’ve been doing this workout for about 3 weeks now, and my legs are starting to get some awesome definition. I do this workout 2-3 times a week, and it does a great job of exhausting the muscles. There is an amazing thigh sequence, that always makes my legs shake, and a great hamstring/seat section as well. The abs section is good, just not my thing…I prefer your traditional sit ups and reverse cruches with a weighted medicine ball. But if you’re looking for no-impact abs, this workout will do that for you. The stretch sequences after each segment are just long enough to help your muscles release (and to stop the shaking!). I honestly LOVE this workout. If you give me a choice between this workout and others that I have, I tend to reach for Pershing Square 1. I love that it’s only 45 minutes, and that the DVD has a section all about proper form, so that you can get through the workout quickly. There is not as much set-up time for each exercise, but I think that it’s because there is so much time spent on form in the form section…honestly, it’s a wonderful idea. You can also choose to do each section (warm-up, arms, legs, seat, abs) separately, although the workout goes by so quickly that I really don’t see a need for it. Can you tell that I’m completely IN L-O-V-E with Pure Barre??

Okay, down to what you want to know: How do I win a FREE copy of this amazing workout? The rules are simple. Just leave a comment after this blog entry. Only one entry per person, please. I will be drawing the winner of the contest FRIDAY JULY 24th, which means that you have 2 days to enter. I will contact the winner by email.

Good luck to everyone!!

Brea in training (and a smoothie recipe)

breefawn — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:55:53 +0000

Training takes alot out of you, especially if you spent over 2 hours exercising the day before…while I truly enjoyed my cardio (30 minutes), The Bar Method Accelerated Workout (45 minutes), and then a 45 minute walk with Ish, my body is having some issues catching up. What’s strange is that my workout yesterday would normally have been a “light” day by my previous standards. Odd. So, I tried to make sure that today was a shorter day. Ish and I got up early for a 30 minute run, doing 3:1 intervals (3 minutes running, 1 minute walking), which I timed using my Gymboss GB2009 SILVER. Have I mentioned how much I love my Gymboss? It’s one of the best pieces of equipment that I own! It helps me to stay on track with my running, and allows me to push myself without burning out. The timer buzzes when it’s time to change your pace (it can also beep incredibly loudly…but since I normally run before 6 am in a neighborhood, I thought that I would be polite and avoid lound beeping…). LOVE IT! After our run, we walked for another 5 minutes as a cool-down, and I got home just in time to fit in Power Squeeze from Squeeze: The Complete Workout with Tracy Effinger. The Power Squeeze segment is a great 20 minute workout that incorporates arms (pushups and tricep dips), legs (isometric exercises using a playground ball), glutes (pretzel & a back dancing variation), abs (situps using the playground ball) and some good stretching. I love this workout for days where I am genuinely pressed for time OR those days (like today) where I’m sore from my previous workout. I don’t generally workout if I’m in lots of pain, but since I was just achy this morning, I went for it. I also took Mr. Brazier’s advice about fueling withing 45 minutes of finishing your workout and made myself a chocolate/strawberry shake. SO DELISH!! In his book, Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life, Brendan stresses the importance of fueling with the proper nutrients before, during and after workouts. I have noticed that since I’ve started paying attention to what I’m using to fuel my body, I have FAR more energy, and I’m sleeping better…all things that Brendan Brazier promises in his book. Interesting. I’m not sure how far I buy into making your own energy gels…but once I start to increase my distance past 6 miles, I’m probably going to break down and try them. He also has a recipe for some awesome-sounding Power Pancakes…must try those sometime soon…maybe this weekend. I think that the best thing I’m taking out of reading this book is a better understanding of how my digestive system functions and how I can eat the right types of foods to help my system work at its peak. I’m really loving how I’m feeling…and although this smoothie recipe is one of my own creation, it has a nice blend of protein/fat/carbs for a post-workout power boost.

Chocolate-Strawberry Smoothie
(serves 1)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. Chocolate Silken Tofu
3/4 c. Spinach
4 LG Frozen Strawberries
1 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
8 oz Plain Soymilk

Method:

Toss everything in the blender and blend until incorporated. Enjoy!

Oh, my shaking legs!

breefawn — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:38:25 +0000

I absolutely LOVE barre workouts, if you haven’t noticed. I was blessed enough to get to try Carrie’s new Pure Barre workout these past few weeks, and decided that it’s time to write my first review. I have done Pershing Square 1 about 5 times now, and my legs WILL NOT stop shaking!! I am SO very thankful that I’ve been doing her first workout, Pure Barre: Ballet, Dance & Pilates Fusion, prior to attempting her second. Just when I thought that my legs were getting stronger, Carrie proves me wrong. I really enjoyed the total-body warm-up in this workout, which incorporated knee lifts, push ups, tricep dips and even some ab work. Then it’s on to a KILLER thigh segment. I am SO not kidding about that. It’s torture, but in a good way. And Carrie is sweet enough to remind us that “if your legs are shaking, that means that they’re changing their shape”. RIGHT. It just hurts. Carrie leads you through 3 separate thigh sequences, 1 using her playground ball, one in 2nd position and one in 1st. All three of the segments are painful, well executed and just long enough (or short enough, depending on your mood). From thighs, you move to seat work, which also starts with the ball (necessary for this workout), and is AGAIN KILLER! My toosh was SO VERY SORE!! You start at the barre and move to the floor…the barre was similar to Bar Method…the floor made Squeeze Stronger look kind. My legs were shaking so bad that the neighbor probably thought there was an earthquake. The DVD ends with ab work, which is pretty similar to the previous DVD, with the exception of the ball. I enjoyed this workout for something different, and I (not surprisingly) really enjoyed the work with the ball. If I could change two things, one would be more upper body work. I did some bicep and shoulder work from Stronger and Bar Method to finish off my workout. The other change I would make is to have a designated modifier. While Carrie verbally tells you how to modify, there is no actual demonstration. I did enjoy the long stretch at the end. My poor muscles REALLY needed it. This is a great workout, but definitely not for those that are faint of heart. If you are worried about production quality, the girls are all wearing black pants, but the studio is bright and white, which makes for easy identification of the movements. The DVD also has a section on form, which is definitely worth checking out if you’re new to the method. The workout is definitely a keeper, but you may want to build some strength by doing Carries first workout, Pure Barre: Ballet, Dance & Pilates Fusion a bit.

Ouch.

breefawn — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:28:27 +0000

After coming home from vacation, and losing my job, I realized that everything happens for a reason…at least I realized that yesterday morning when I decided to do the NEW Pure Barre workout. I realized that my definition of continuing exercise is NOT the same as continuing my DVD workouts that I love so much. IT HURT. So, today I decided to go back to Carrie’s original workout: Pure Barre: Ballet, Dance & Pilates Fusion. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be as difficult as the new workout…I was very, very wrong. It’s a great workout, and every time I do it, I enjoy it a little bit more. The things that bothered me at first don’t seem like such a big deal, and I do enjoy that Carrie uses two sets of weights for the upper arm exercises in this workout, whereas the new workouts rely on push ups and tricep dips…I get tired of doing the same thing. I do like that the new workout uses a small playground ball…but you could easily modify her orginal workout to use it as well. I highly recommend this workout, especially if you’re a Tracy Effinger fan. I absolutley adore the leg work in Tracy Effinger’s Squeeze Stronger (fitness workout) & Tracy Effinger’s Squeeze Lower Body Challenge DVD (which many of you received recently thanks to my very FIRST free giveaway…dont’ worry if you missed it…there are many more to come!!)…. That being said, there isn’t a barre workout out there that makes my thighs shake and work like Pure Barre. It really is amazing how “in shape” I think I am, and then every time I do one of Carrie’s workouts, I get my thighs handed to me. I think it’s just a reminder that there is always, always room for improvement.

Exhale Spa has a NEW workout

breefawn — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:53:32 +0000

One of my very favorite people, Denise was lucky enough to get the NEW Exhale workout, Exhale: Core Fusion – Glutes & Thighs, before it’s available on amazon! When she told me, I was a tad bit jealous, and asked her to write a review. After reading it, I now HAVE TO HAVE the workout!! Here’s what Denise had to say about Exhale: Core Fusion – Glutes & Thighs:

This workout is broken into (5) 10 min sections. All of them start off with a brief one minute warm up of raiding your legs and arms.

The 5 sections include:
1. Turned Out Thigh
2. Parallel Thigh
3. Standing Gluteal Tone
4. Kneeling Gluteal Toner
5. Pretzel

I thought the whole workout was great and challenging. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a solid lower body workout. I love how it’s divided into sections that you can mix and match. My two favorite sections were the Parallel Thigh and Pretzel. With the different variation of squats done you can feel your thighs shaking and when they add the towel in between the legs, my inner thighs were shaking! The pretzel section was a really challenging section for me. I have been doing Fluidity, Callanetics and other barre type workouts for more than a year and find this move super challenging still. They do different angles and give you so many good tips on the pretzel than instead of dreading it I actually look forward to doing it again. When Elisabeth changes the angle of the back leg you can feel the different muscles being worked. I’m planning to add this section as an add on to other workouts.

The instructors are Fred deVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp, and they are excellent in this workout. They give very clear instructions and show proper form for the entire workout. They are also very encouraging if you don’t have the same flexibility as they do. One of them usually shows a begginer’s pose.

The workout also has a 5 minute bonus section called Leg Lift Thigh Strengthener. They have also included sections from their previous workouts Core Fusion Body Sculpt and Core Fusion Pilates Plus.

I have a lot barre/fusion type workouts and this one is a great addition to my collection. I am really looking forward to more releases from Exhale.

You can pre-order the workout now, which is scheduled for delivery on July 25th: Exhale: Core Fusion – Glutes & Thighs!

SQUEEZE YOURSELF STRONGER GIVEAWAY

breefawn — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:46:36 +0000

Getting fit is a journey, and it takes time, energy and a LOT of effort. In order to make real change, you have to make a real commitment. I am someone who likes variety in my workouts, especially if I’m not seeing results. Reflecting on this, I realize that I’ve had quite a few workout “phases”. The one workout that I keep coming back to is Squeeze. I starting using Squeeze Stronger because I enjoy barre workouts, and it looked like a huge challenge. I was NOT disappointed. The DVD has 3 preset workout options, which provides variety: full workout, lower body and abs or upper body and waist. The full workout is over an hour, and there is NOT a muscle that doesn’t get worked. The first time I did Tracy Effinger’s Squeeze Stronger (fitness workout), I was sore for almost a week. Not sore in a bad way, but the muscles that hurt were new to me. I’ve since figured out (for me, at least) that alternating the upper and lower body workouts every other day seems to work best. I absolutely LOVE the shoulder work in Squeeze Stronger! I have yet to use more than 3 pound weights, though. IT IS TOUGH!! My favorite segment for lower body is the pretzel/clam combo. It targets your glutes from EVERY angle. Not kidding. The stretching afterward is WONDERFUL, too!! I am finding that I am increasing my flexibility as a result of these workouts, which was a nice (and unexpected) bonus. I love this workout so much, I wanted to share it with everyone. When I asked if I could possibly give a copy away, Tracy Effinger (the creator) said YES! AND the giveaway includes a copy of her amazing book: The Squeeze Down e-book! The Squeeze Down includes diet tips, with a focus on clean eating. It also details out a 5 week, change-your-body rotation. The book is INDISPENSIBLE! Diet is a huge part of changing your body. When you combine clean eating with Tracy Effinger’s Squeeze Stronger (fitness workout), you WILL see results! Tracy’s advice is easy to follow, with lots of great whole foods choices (which I get REALLY excited about). Now that you absolutely HAVE TO HAVE this great combination, you’re probably wondering what you have to do to be entered in this amazing opportunity…and it’s pretty simple:

To enter to win a FREE copy of the ebook The Squeeze Down AND Tracy Effinger’s Squeeze Stronger (fitness workout), simply respond to this post with the reasons behind your motivation to Squeeze…. Do you want to lose weight? Tone up? Start a new workout program? Improve your diet? Share your goals! And be detailed…why do you need to Squeeze yourself STRONGER?

…now for the technical stuff:

1. Contest is open Sunday, June 21st, 2009 @ midnight EST through Sunday, June 28th, 2009 @ midnight EST to all US residents 18 and older.
2. Eligible entries will include a short essay, story or comment about why you want the Squeeze Stronger workout DVD and Squeeze Down ebook.
3. Tracy will be picking the winner after all eligible entries are submitted.
4. Winner will be notified by email and announced on the website July 5, 2009.
5. No purchase necessary, only 1 entry per person, please.

Pure torture

breefawn — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:20:09 +0000

I haven’t been terribly motivated to workout lately, and this morning was no exception. Ish woke up at 5:15 all ready to run and I just rolled over and went back to sleep. (In case you haven’t been reading my blog for very long, that is NOT normal behavior) I did end up getting up about an hour later and decided that I should probably stop feeling sorry for myself (otherwise all my clothes won’t fit!), so I got up and decided that I needed a good tooshie-kicking. I decided on Pure Barre: Ballet, Dance & Pilates Fusion. I love barre workouts, and this one is BY FAR the most difficult one that I have. Yeah, Tracy Effinger’s Squeeze Stronger (fitness workout) is tough, but it’s NOTHING like the thigh work that is incorporated in Pure Barre. I think that I really just needed a workout to severely kick the shiitake out of me. I honestly have to say that I wish I would have run this morning, but if I had, I may not have been able to walk! My legs ache, my abs hurt and my shoulders feel like they’re gonna fall out of their sockets…but I think that a few more workouts like this will definitely help me refocus. If you enjoy any of the Bar Method workouts, I think you’ll really like Pure Barre: Ballet, Dance & Pilates Fusion. It’s a good “step up” for intensity, and even though the instructor keeps asking for “two more, please”, it’s worth it. Trust me (and my shaking legs!).