I have put together all of the Week 2 Workouts for my 4-Week Fit & Healthy Workout Challenge below for easy reference. I hope you enjoyed the second week of the challenge! We are half way through! Let me know how you feel so far in the comments below!
Remember, you can adjust the workout schedule to fit your needs. If you need to adjust your rest days, you can do that. The most effective workouts are the ones you do. If you make your workouts fit your schedule you are more likely to stick to it and get them done.
Be sure to support your workouts with healthy food choices. You will feel your best, and get the best results, if you are properly fueling your body.
Have fun with this week of workouts! I hope you’re ready for Week 3!
Melissa
Welcome to Day 8, and Week 2, of my Fit & Healthy DietBet Workout Challenge. Today’s workout will take 18-Minutes per round. Aim for a total workout time of 60-Minutes today. You can repeat this up to 3X, or pair 1-2 Rounds with cardio of choice to hit your 60-Minute Workout goal.
Be sure to warm-up before today’s workout, and cool down after the workout. For a warm-up you should do 5-10 minutes of dynamic exercises (jump rope, jumping jacks, jogging, leg swings, etc) to get your body warm & ready to work at a high level of intensity. The warm-up will actually help you increase your calorie burn during the workout.
For your cool down, be sure to do some gentle jumping jacks, or jogging in place to let your heart rate calm down. Then you can finish with some stretching.
This workout is a fantastic cardio burning and muscle sculpting routine. I used two 15-pound dumbbells. You can choose whatever amount of weight is appropriate for you, or perform the exercises with body weight only. The weights do increase the intensity & burn, so I definitely recommend using them if they are available.
Here are links to some healthy recipe ideas for the week:
Have fun with today’s workout! Push yourself & start week 2 of the challenge right! I have been seeing great comments and results in the DietBet Challenge page! It looks like everyone is on track to hitting their goal! My mom and both of my sister’s are competing in the challenge as well, and they are right on track with you all! Keep up the good work!
Repeat 1-3X
Optional: Pair with 30-Minutes Cardio of Choice
High Knees: Run in place, focusing on keeping your core tight and engaged, and driving the knees as high as you can.
Burpee: Part 1: Start in Plank. Hold here or do one pushup.
Burpee: Part 2: Jump your feet forward from plank position. Lift your hands and get ready to spring up.
Burpee: Part 3: Jump as high as you can. Try to touch the ceiling (or sky if you are lucky enough to workout outside!)
Warrior Deadlift: Part 1: Hold Dumbbells in front of you, with your palms facing your body. Keep the core strong and engaged. Extend one leg behind you.
Warrior Deadlift: Part 2: Keep the back flat (most important part of this move!), hinge forward at the hips, let your arms hang in front of your body. Keep your hips closed and your knee & both hip bones pointed toward the floor. Lift from the glutes and hands strings to return to starting position.
Chair to Pendulum Squat & Press: Part 1: Hold a dumbbell at shoulder height. Keep both knees pressing together, and thighs squeezing. Sink your hips backward into chair pose (like you are about to sit on a chair).
Chair to Pendulum Squat & Press: Part 2: Press through your heels to come up from chair pose. Lift your leg into a pendulum swing, keeping your knee facing forward. At the same time, press the dumbbell toward the ceiling. Bring the weight back to your shoulders, and the legs together to return to chair pose.
Runner’s Lunge Lift: Part 1: Start with both feet together. Take a large step backward until you come into a runner’s lunge. Hold a dumbbell between both hands, at shoulder height. For the Runner’s Lunge keep the back leg straight, chest lifted, and your front thigh parallel with the ground.)
Runner’s Lunge Lift: Part 2: From the lunge position lean forward with a flat back. Keeping both feet on the floor, hold onto the weight and place it in front of your foot. Press through the heel of the front leg to lift your back leg/heel toward the ceiling. Use a controlled motion to return the back foot to the ground. Firmly grasp the weight, keeping the back flat, and return to starting position.
Modified Pistol Squat/Sit to Stand: Part 1: Start in standing with your glutes strongly engaged.
Modified Pistol Squat/Sit to Stand: Part 2: Extend one leg in front of you. Press your hip backwards to sit or tap the chair with your butt. Keep the core tight and press through your heel to return to standing.
We are finishing up Week 1 of my Fit & Healthy New Year DietBet Workout Challenge. I hope that you are feeling great and ready to start Week 2 tomorrow!
Below I have posted links to all of the workouts we have done this week. Now you will have easy access if you want to repeat these workouts in the future. Remember, you can adjust these workouts to your own schedule and fitness level. There is always a way to modify a workout. Don’t be afraid to try it!
Remember, whether your goals are Weight Loss, Muscle Gain, or for Improved Fitness you need to support your workouts with Food Choices that will help you achieve those goals. Food is your body’s fuel. What you choose to fuel your body with will directly affect your energy and results.
I hope you have enjoyed the workouts this week! Let me know what you think on Instagram or Twitter: @BenderFitness or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MelissaBenderFitness.
Today we have two workouts on our agenda. Both workout videos and breakdowns are below. The first workout is a 20-Minute Low Impact Workout for the Core & Glutes. Don’t let the words Low Impact fool you into thinking it isn’t effective! This workout is designed to create core strength through the front, sides (love handles), and back of your abdomen. This will help align your pelvis, improve your posture, and improve the aesthetics of your midsection.
The second workout is a 10-Minute Intense Cardio HIIT Fat Burn Workout. Go for max reps. The workout is short, but tough, and the goal is to really maximize your fat burn by pushing through the workout.
Our goal is to workout between 30-60 Minutes today. You can do 1 Round of Each Workout for a total 30-Minute Workout, or Repeat each workout 2X for 60-Minutes. You can also choose to do 1 Round of each workout and do 30-Minutes cardio of choice (running, biking, swimming, etc) to hit your 60-Minutes. Combining strengthening and cardio burn moves will help maximize your results and increase your fat burn during this challenge.
Remember to pair your workouts with healthy food choices. Don’t use them as an excuse to make unhealthy choices with your meals!
I love starting out the New Year with a challenge! It may be a little bit cliché, but people have great motivation at the start of the year & you should take advantage of that! There are naysayers that claim no one achieves their New Year’s Resolutions, but that isn’t true! You can achieve anything you set your mind to this year. You just have to do it with determination & consistency.
What you Need to Know: The challenge is to lose 4% of your body weight (as long as that keeps you in a healthy BMI!) over the course of 30 days. How do you figure out how much 4% is? Multiple your current weight by .04 and that is your weight loss goal. For a 150 pound person that is 6 pounds, for a 200 pound person that is 8 pounds.
To join the game there is a $30 investment (my workouts, as always, will continue to be free, but research has shown that people are more committed to achieving their weightless goals when money is involved!) If you achieve your goals you get your money back, plus split the jackpot! Everyone’s $30 is put in a jackpot and split by all players who achieve their goal.
What do you win?
If you achieve your goal you win money! At a minimum you get your $30 investment back, plus you split the pot with the other winners. I will also be adding some surprise prizes throughout the game! One of the Bonus Prize winner’s goes to whoever invites the most friends to the game, so if you know anyone else with a weight loss goal this year invite them to join!
Some fun facts about DietBet:
96% of players who DietBet lose weight, and the average loss is 6.3 lbs.
Dietbetting is a fun social media game, and you are welcome to join if you are over 18.
As of July 1st, players have lost over 1.3 million pounds by competing in DietBet games.
My DietBet will run from Sunday January 3rd-January 31st. Workouts, and healthy eating tips will be posted in the game and here on my blog. Are you going to join me?
Dave’s Results from my first DietBet Challenge
12 pounds lost.
The signs are a way to prevent cheating in the game.
I look forward to seeing everyone’s success! If you have questions about the game let me know! I will be posing more diet samples & ideas in the game, and I will be sharing all of the workouts here on my blog.
Please read my full disclosure statement here. I am being compensated for hosting this DietBet challenge. I would not host this challenge (regardless of compensation) if it wasn’t a program that I believed to be helpful in assisting people to achieve a healthy lifestyle. In the past I have competed in this challenge as well as hosting the challenge. I will not be competing this time around because I am pregnant so weight loss is not on my agenda, but I will be supporting all participations to achieve their goals along the way. I do not promote any products or sites that I do not/will not personally use.
This is a 4-Week Workout Challenge focused on building lean muscle. Lean muscle mass helps improve your metabolism, give your body shape, and improve your strength.
Each Week incorporates 1-2 Days of rest. Rest days are when your muscles build strength. You can choose to add up to 30 minutes of cardio to any of these workouts. Be sure to take at least 1 full rest day per week.
Listen to your body throughout the month and be sure to stretch. As always, consult your doctor before starting a new fitness routine and/or if you have any health/injury concerns.
Aim to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of desired weight. IE Goal Weight=135 lbs. Aim to consume 135 grams of protein per day.
You must consume enough calories to build muscle. Remember, calories are units of energy. You have to consume enough calories to build muscle and power your workouts.
Hi Everyone! Below you will find all of the moves for my 30-Day Instagram Bonus Workout Challenge. You can follow me on Instagram at @BenderFitness. For full length workouts: the full HIIT the New Year Hard Workout Challenge exercise list can be found HERE. I am getting ready to start my February Lean Muscle Building Challenge, and will be having a new Instagram Bonus Challenge. Have fun with the challenges! Melissa
Workouts: This workout list will be updated throughout the course of the Challenge. You can join the DietBet Challenge at www.dietbet.com/BenderFitness. 30 Day Instagram Bonus Move Challenge: @BenderFitness The full list of Bonus Moves can be found HERE. The Bonus moves can be done in addition to your workouts, or as a stand alone challenge. If you are joining me for the challenge don’t forget to check in on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. The check in posts are a great way to stay motivated and on track. 🙂 During the challenge, please remember to listen to your body. If you need a rest day take one, and then continue with the program. You can also alternate an active rest or yoga day for one of the workouts.
Hi Everyone! We are down to the last two workouts of the Diet Bet challenge! Today is Day 29. Hopefully you have seen changes in more than just your weight, and are feeling healthier, stronger, more endurance, and more fit overall. I hope you’re ready to sweat with today’s workout! This workout utilizes a lot of fun and challenging plyometric movements. Plyometric exercises have been shown to improve your speed, muscle power, endurance, and have a high caloric burn. This is a great workout for burning fat, and improving strength, overall athleticism, and power of movement. As always, focus on form throughout the routine. You can repeat this workout up to 3X or pair it with 30 minutes cardio of choice. I hope you all enjoy tonight’s workout!
Melissa Check in on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to let me know how you’re doing with your goal! PS My sports bra is the Spider Back from Affitnity. I’m an Ambassador for Affitnity so you can get 15% off at checkout by using the code BenderFitness. 🙂
Welcome to my DietBet Workout Program. This is a 30 Day Program to help you achieve your goal of losing 4% of your body weight during the month. Weigh in starts on Sept 1-2, the game officially starts September 3rd, but you can join up to 2 weeks into the game.
I will be updating this list daily with links to each workout for the month so you will have an easy reference point to access each workout.
For those of you joining the DietBet I am also including four brand new specialized workouts throughout the month. You will receive special access to one new workout per week to use in addition to the program listed below.
Enjoy the challenge and the workout program! I can’t wait to see everyone’s progress pictures as we achieve our goals together! You can check in throughout the challenge:
Check in on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter throughout the month to let me know how you’re doing with your goal! You can share your progress pictures/results or keep them private, but it’s a great way to keep track of your success during the month.
Melissa
Week 1:
The Links will be activated daily throughout the month so you can easily find each workout for the challenge. Bookmark this page for easy access!
***Be Sure to Weigh In and Take Progress Photos If You Are Joining the Challenge****
This one is a little bit different, but I think it is going to be a lot of fun.
I am hosting my first DietBet Weight loss challenge. The challenge is to lose 4% of your body weight (as long as that keeps you in a healthy BMI!) over the course of 30 days. How do you figure out how much 4% is? Multiple your current weight by .04 and that is your weight loss goal. For a 150 pound person that is 6 pounds, for a 200 pound person that is 8 pounds.
To join the game there is a $30 investment (my workouts, as always, will continue to be free, but research has shown that people are more committed to achieving their weightless goals when money is involved!) If you achieve your goals you get your money back, plus split the pot!
What do you win?
If you achieve your goal you win money! At a minimum you get your $30 investment back, plus you split the pot with the other winners.
By joining the game you also have a chance to win:
-$50 Gift Card to Affitnity for Fashionable Fitness Clothing (plus don’t forget to use discount code BenderFitness for 15% off!)
-A BenderFitness Workout Program hand selected by me (Melissa Bender) based on your goals
-A Brand New BenderFitness Workout designed especially for You
-“I Bust Mine So I Can Kick Yours Tank Top”
*Keep an eye out because I may be adding more prizes!
Some fun facts about DietBet:
96% of players who DietBet lose weight, and the average loss is 6.3 lbs.
Dietbetting is a fun social media game, and you are welcome to join if you are over 18.
As of July 1st, players have lost over 1.3 million pounds by competing in DietBet games.
My DietBet will run for the month of September. Workouts, and healthy eating tips will be posted in the game and here on my blog. Are you going to join me?
PS You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Jesse has also been posting Sneak Peek workout videos on his Instagram account.
Disclosure:
Please read my full disclosure statement here. I am being compensated for hosting this DietBet challenge. I would not host this challenge (regardless of compensation) if it wasn’t a program that I believed to be helpful in assisting people to achieve a healthy lifestyle. I will be competing in this challenge as well as hosting the challenge. I do not promote any products or sites that I do not/will not personally use.
Below are links to 30 different workouts from my original 30 Day Workout Challenge!
You can find this challenge, links to the New 30 Day Workout Challenge and the 30 Day Sculpted Abs Challenge HERE.
Don’t forget to check in and let me know how you’re doing, and if you’re keeping up with the challenge! You can check in on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
I will be posting new workouts and challenge moves through the month, but this is a great reference list to bookmark and use so you never miss a day.
Below are 30 Different Core/Ab Focused Workouts. You can add any of these workouts to your normal routine or use them as your workout for the day.
As always, listen to your body. Even through this challenge is focused on the core I will be incorporating full body workouts throughout the month. A strong core is the foundation of your strength. Take rest days as needed throughout the month, and focus on making healthy food choices.
Don’t forget to have fun! You can check in with your progress during the challenge on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. A strong core will make you more effective during all of your workouts!
Hi Everyone! This is a quick link to the New 30 Day Challenge workouts. I will update them throughout the month so they are easy to bookmark. You can find the original 30 Day Challenge workouts HERE. I love feedback on how the challenge is going for you so be sure to let me know or share your photos with me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Thanks for joining the challenge! Melissa Day 1: Full Body
Hi Everyone! It’s Day 28 of the 30 Day Workout Challenge! We are winding down with the challenge, but I am excited to start a new challenge next month. 🙂 Today’s workout is all about the lower body. I used two 20 lb dumbbells in this workout, but you can select a weight that is appropriate for you, or even complete this workout with body weight only. I also used a bench to step up onto, but a sturdy chair would work as well. This workout combines plyometric movements and strength training moves in a HIIT format. It’s a great workout for burning fat and building lean muscles. I hope you enjoy the workout! Melissa PS Don’t forget to check in on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. 🙂
10/50 Second Intervals. 10 Seconds Rest, 50 Seconds Max Reps. 1. Jump Squat 2. Dumbbell Squat 3. Side Lunge Jump 4. Weighted Side Lunge 5. Hip Thrust 6. Romanian Deadlift 7. Lunge Jump 8. Lunge Lift (right) 9. Lunge Lift (left) 10. Plie Jump 11. Goblet Squat 12. High Knees Toe Taps 13. Step-Up 14. Warrior Deadlift (right) 15. Warrior Deadlift (left)
Hi Everyone, It is the first day of the month and I am starting a new challenge. For every day this month I am committing to working out for a minimum of 15 minutes per day. If you are joining me in this challenge I want to hear about your progress. Before and After pictures are also welcome! I am sharing a video below. It’s a Ted Talk on trying something new for 30 days. I found it very motivational and inspiring. I think that making small changes can lead to big results. This is especially true in a month that is notorious for weight gain and missed workouts. I love the month of December, but I have a lot of additional chances for over-indulgence in sweets and missed workouts. I have birthdays for four of my favorite people, Christmas Eve party, Christmas Day with two families, and all of the associated cookies and cakes that I inevitably get sent home with and are delivered to the rehab department where I work. Add Christmas shopping, and friends/family visiting from out of town and it can be difficult to make time for working out. With that said, I think we can all find time for at least 15 minutes of exercise. Keeping yourself moving can help you stay physically fit, improve your energy, reduce cravings, and improve your diet choices. Exercise helps regulate your blood sugar (which is why exercise is such an important component of regulating diabetes). Regulating your blood sugar also decreases chances of over-eating and giving in to cravings. 15 Minutes per day to improve your health, fitness, and reduce your cravings. Who’s with me for the next 30 days? Daily check-ins here, on facebook, on instagram, or on twitter. I hope you’re joining me! I am including links below to 30 of my 15-25 minute workouts for easy reference during the month. I will also be posting my workouts as usual. 🙂 Melissa
This is Month 1 of the workouts that I have done to prep for my bikini competition. This is the order I completed the workouts in, with 1 month progress pictures below. Day 1: Full Body Fitness Makeover
