Here is part 3 of today’s workout! After you do all three parts you should be feeling like you’re worked every inch of your bombshell body. J
So go for it, do the Bombshell Abs portion of the workout, and get a tight little waist!
Afterwards, try the high protein snack I posted earlier today. If you’re ever having trouble finding one of my older posts, the blog archive is at the bottom of the page, and all of my workouts/recipes are listed by date/month. Check them out!
I wanted to take a moment and share with you some information I learned about how to boost your metabolism. I read an article in Fitness Magazine (www.fitnessmagazine.com) about how workouts boost your metabolism both during, and after a workout. I had heard this before, however, what was really interesting was the amount of calories burned after your workout.
For 50 minutes of weight lifting you increase your calorie burn afterward by 14 calories. For a 19 minute session that combines resistance exercises and cardio bursts (sound familiar????) you burn an additional 25 calories afterward. Those extra calories burned add up throughout the day.
In addition, each pound of fat you have in your body burns 3 calories per pound, per day. Each pound of muscle burns 14 calories per pound, per day. So I did the math to find out exactly what that means in the real world. J
Two women who both weight 135 pounds may look very similar but have very different body compositions and metabolisms.
If a 135 pound woman has 21% body fat (which is in the healthy range) they are burning a total of 1578.05 calories per day from their muscle and fat.
A woman who weighs 135 pounds and has 40% body fat will only burn 1296 calories per day from muscle and fat. Many women who look skinny fall in this range. Although they are thin they are at increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues that are linked to higher percentages of body fat.
This also explains why the more muscular person seems to be able to eat whatever they want without gaining a pound, and the less muscular individual may need to watch what they eat to prevent weight gain.
I hope this information was interesting and helpful! Today’s workout focuses on your glutes and core. Tomorrow is going to be a more intensive cardio day. J
Melissa
Hard Butt, Tight Abs Workout
Beginner: 10 reps, 30 seconds timed
Intermediate: 15 reps, 45 seconds timed
Advanced: 20 reps, 60 seconds timed
1.Plank twist (timed)
2.Side Lunge (alternating sides)
3.Boat (timed: alternate holding the pose and scissoring the feet while holding the pose)
4.Forward/Backward Lunge (right)
5.Bicycle (timed)
6.Forward/Backward Lunge (left)
7.Leg Circles (full reps on the right and left leg respectively)
8.Chair pose (timed: alternate pulses on feet and balls of feet)
9.Angel Abs
10.Hydrant Lift (right and left side, full reps for each)
Today we have a new featured guest. Her name is Jessica, and she is my sister (in case you didn’t notice the resemblance!) She did a great job today, and worked really hard. J I hope she comes back soon to do another workout with me.
The Love Handle Loser workout I posted last week was so popular, and I got such great feedback that I decided to do a second one! This one is short, and effective. I hope you enjoy the new exercises I included. Feel free to leave comments below, and have fun with this.
I will have a new workout with Cydney up soon so be sure to check back!
Melissa
Love Handle Loser: Part 2
Beginner: 10 reps, 30 seconds for timed exercises
Intermediate: 15 reps, 45 seconds for timed exercises
If you have love handles or a tummy pouch you are trying to get rid of you are going to love this workout! It will really help pull in your lower abs.
Cydney was with us for her weekly workout. Once again, she was able to do more reps, and is getting great results. Watch the video for her celebration after she does 12 burpees! It’s fabulous! In addition to joining us for our Monday night workout she runs at least 2 miles per day, and includes my workout moves in her gym routine. Instead of high knees or jump roping she runs to get the cardio during her gym days. We started tracking her measurements today. I wish we had started earlier because I can see a difference already.
Enjoy today’s workout. Earlier I posted some healthy recipe options that are great for holiday parties, so be sure to check that out.
In addition to tonight’s workout I also ran 3.7 miles outside with Jesse. I have a head cold I am determined to get rid of it. The cool air and deep breathing really helped. For the workout I recommend doing cardio pre-and-post workout. It will help maximize your results. J
Melissa
Lovehandle Loser Lower Ab Workout
Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps
Unless noted otherwise below
Warm-up: 5-15 minutes of cardio (running, jump rope, high knees, or jumping jacks)(Beginner: 5 minutes, Intermediate: 10 minutes, Advanced: 15 minutes)
1.Mountain Climbers
Beginner: 30 seconds
Intermediate: 45 seconds
Advanced: 60 seconds
2.Double Abs
3.High Knees
Beginner: 30 seconds
Intermediate: 45 seconds
Advanced: 60 seconds
4.Double side plank (right)
5.Double side plank (left)
6.Monkey Jumps
7.Tricep leg lifts
8.Sumo Squats
9.Low Ab Hold
Beginner: 30 seconds
Intermediate: 45 seconds
Advanced: 60 seconds
10.Sitting Ab Lift (Cyd did the advanced reps for this! Yay!)
11.Bridge Squeeze
12.Burpee
Cool Down: 5-15 minutes of cardio (running, jump rope, high knees, or jumping jacks)
Cydney joined us for today’s workout. She is doing great! She held strong for today’s workout, which was very tough. She also gave me a great tip about how to get rid of muscle knots. If you have a muscle knot you can rub it out is by using your knuckles in a J motion to massage out any tightness.
Cydney has been making fantastic improvements since she first started working out with me. She is getting stronger and more fit every time. It’s really wonderful to see the changes she has already been able to make. J
Enjoy today’s workout, and feel free to share any changes you are experiencing through your workouts, or healthy life choices. Remember, all the little choices add up to create a healthy lifestyle. Also, if anyone has any great, healthy recipes to share please feel free to send them to me. While I am on winter break (it officially starts December 15th!) I will be sharing more of my own recipes, and photos or some of my favorite foods. I am also planning some fun exercise challenges! Stay tuned!
Melissa
Lower Body and Core Workout
Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps
Make sure you warm up, and get your heart pumping before today’s workout! High knees or jumping rope is a great start. J
Today’s workout is super short (only 10 minutes!) but it’s very intense. It consists of 10 different ab exercises. The trick is that you have a certain amount of time to hit your maximum number of reps. You get a 10 second break, and then you move to the next exercise. Keeping the breaks this short is what keeps the intensity of the workout so high.
If you enjoy this, you can use it 2-3 times per week to really amp up your core work. If you’re going to do this I suggest having a paper and pencil next to you to write down your number of reps during the 10 second rest period. This way you can compare and see your strength increasing every time you do it.
Also, this video is full length for the advanced version of the workout. So you can always play the video and go along with the exercises.
Enjoy,
Melissa
10 Minute Awesome Abs Workout
Beginner: 30 seconds work, 10 seconds rest
Intermediate: 40 seconds work, 10 seconds rest
Advanced: 50 seconds work, 10 second rest per exercise
It’s been a super productive day for us here in the Bender household. Jesse created today’s workout, and he did a great job! He put together a full body routine that will make you sweat, get your heart rate up, and burn body fat. It’s also a lot of fun!
If you follow me on Facebook you may have seen that I posted the following statistic: According to a study done by Tufts University for every additional pound of lean muscle mass on your body, you will burn about 35 to 50 additional calories per day. So if you know someone who is built a lot like you but seems to be able to eat a heck of a lot more without gaining weight you may have just figured out their secret.
The videos I post have exercises that are designed to build muscle while also stripping fat. These workouts will amp up your metabolism and keeps it going at a higher level throughout the day. Also, for each pound of muscle that you add you are burning all those extra calories. 3 pounds of muscle can equal up to 150 calories burned during the day while your body is at rest! Add to that the fact that you also burn even more during your workouts because muscles use more energy than fat, and you are seriously increasing your calorie burn.
Enjoy the workout, and try out some of the healthy recipes I posted!
My personal Bender is going really well. I am very pleased with the results I have had since I started sharing my workouts with you. This should be a fun week. At some point this week I will be sharing a yoga based stretching routine for runners, or anyone with tight muscles. I am also going to include links to some great (and healthy!) recipes, along with the usual fat burning, body shaping workouts.
If you have been following my workouts, and want to share any results or news, please feel free to comment or message me. I have been getting a lot of great feedback, and it’s very motivating for me. I really enjoy helping people, and being able to share my passion for fitness. Anyone can make their life healthier, and the fact that you’re here watching these workouts means that is something you want.
As the holiday’s approach it is especially important to maintain your fitness. So challenge yourself, and make the commitment to go on your own Fitness Bender.
Melissa
PS In between each rep exercise today I did a timed exercise. I used my interval timer, but you can use a stopwatch or oven timer as well. This type of workout is known to burn more fat, and continue to burn calories throughout the day after your workout. So burn off that fat to reveal the awesome abs and butt you are building!
Cydney joined us again for today’s workout. She has already improved since last week! Last week she did her Burpees from her knees, and this week she did the full pushup. I love seeing and hearing about improvements! It feels great to work hard, and know you are getting better.
Today’s workout includes intervals, and has plenty of cardio fat burn. I used my Gymboss interval timer to keep track of the sections of the workout that are timed, but you can use a stopwatch or oven timer. Weekends can be a tricky time for workouts/eating. Just be sure to stick to what you are doing, and make time for your fitness. If you stick to it you will get results so much faster!
Enjoy today’s workout. I am going to be posting links to some great and healthy recipes later today!
Melissa
1.High knees or jump rope
Beginner: 30 seconds
Intermediate: 45 seconds
Advanced: 60 seconds
2.Backward heel taps
Beginner: 30 seconds
Intermediate: 45 seconds
Advanced: 60 seconds
3.Mountain climbers
Beginner: 30 seconds
Intermediate: 45 seconds
Advanced: 60 seconds
4.Heel tap abs: Lift and Lower your legs for 1 rep
Today’s workout is the Butt Kicker Workout. When you watch the video you will see why! I had a lot of fun doing this workout and after the Terrific Tummy Toner workout the other day it felt great to get off of my arms, and focus on my legs, butt, core and back.
Yesterday, someone very close to me told me that they would never be able to do my workouts. They said that the workouts are too hard. My response was that if you can even do one or two of each exercise to start that is enough. It doesn’t matter what level of fitness or what shape you are in now. If you decide to change that for the better you can do it! If you’ve overcome a challenge, or have a fear about working out that you would like to share post it below in the comments.
Also, the number of reps below is a guide for you. If 15 is too much then push yourself as hard as you can go with each repetition. As long as you are challenging yourself you are getting a great workout. Just make sure that if you start out with one rep of each exercise this week, next week you are going for 2 reps of each. Just like anything else in life, you get out what you put in. I’m sure you work hard for a LOT of things in life (work, school, family, etc.) Take a moment to remember that YOU are worth working hard for.
Let me know what you think of the workout, and if you have any thoughts on what I have written.
Until next time,
Melissa
“I’ve always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you’ve got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles on route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish.” -Chuck Norris
For all of these exercises (unless otherwise noted below) reps are as follows:
Beginner: 15 reps
Intermediate: 20 reps
Advanced: 25 reps
1.Forward Lunge Kicks (right)
-Remember, front knee never goes past your toes. Front thigh should come parallel with the ground. Back knee should be almost touching the floor, but not quite. Form is far more important than speed or how high you can kick.
2.Forward Lunge Kicks (left)
3.Side lunge with Kick (right)
4.Side Lunge with Kick (left)
5.Roundhouse Kick with chair (right)
6.Roundhouse Kick with chair (left)
7.One leg squats with chair (right)
8.One leg squats with chair (left)
9.Ab roll on ball
-If you are doing Plank Pose as an alternative to this position hold the position for 30 seconds if you are a beginner, 45 intermediate, and 1 minute if you are advanced. Take a break in between and repeat this 3 times.
10.3 way sit-ups on ball
–One rep consists of all three movements (right, middle, left). If you watch me in the video I turned it into a 4 movement series (right, middle, left, middle=1 rep). The flow of these 4 movements felt more natural to me. Try both and see which works for you.
11.Leg Circles (right)
-Remember, switch the direction you are circling your foot half way through the reps.
12.Leg Circles (left)
13.Angel’s abs
-Start by dropping your knees to the left, go around, and up to the right, back down and around to starting position for one rep.
14.Super swim
-Beginner: Do this movement for three 30 second intervals (with a rest in between each rep)
-Intermediate: Do this movement for three 45 second intervals
-Advanced: Do this movement for three 1 minute intervals
