Why Pull-ups Are Worth the Effort

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For a very long time I avoided pullups and chinups like the plague. Why? Because they were hard and I couldn’t do them! Once I hit 11 years old they suddenly became impossible for me! I would shake, and try as hard as I could, but nothing happened. Talk about frustrating!

The fact that I could not do a pullup annoyed the heck out of me. However, I haven’t belonged to a gym in years, so it wasn’t like I was around pullup bars all the time.

Last summer my friend’s husband was talking about how much he loves pullups, and I said I couldn’t do it. He told me to try and pointed to his pullup bar, and lo’ and behold I could knock out 5 pullups!

What changed? I started doing high intensity home workouts, along with my yoga and running. All of a sudden I had the strength to do it. I’m not going to pretend they are easy for me. In fact, I don’t do pullups nearly often enough. Maybe it’s time I start.

What are some of the benefits of pullups?

They work your biceps, triceps, shoulders, lats, and traps. They are fantastic for your back, hands, fingers and forearms. They will increase your core strength. They also help prevent muscle imbalances by working the back of your body.

Plus: It will feel great knowing that you can do it! Honestly, that is my favorite part of pullups. It feels like an accompishment, and it’s a benchmark that shows how much I have been able to strengthen my body.

So try it! Keep working at exercises that challenge your whole body, and keep trying those pushups. Even if you move up an inch it’s progress!

Toned and Tight: Melissa Bender Workout

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Hi Everyone,

This is tonight’s workout! It was more of a stream of consciousness workout for me. It wasn’t what I had planned on doing, but instead I went with what I felt like doing. I filmed it after I actually did the workout. The breakdown is below, as usual!

Have a great night!

Melissa

Toned and Tight
B=Beginner
I=Intermediate
A=Advanced

1. Squats (B: 10, I: 15: A: 20)
2. Seated Leg Lift (B: 20, I: 30: A: 50) (per leg)
3. Table (B: 15, I: 25, A:30)
4. Leg Thread Pulse (B: 15, I: 25, A:30)
5. Plank (B: 30 seconds, I: 60 seconds, A: 2 minutes)
6. Down dog/Chatarunga (B: 5, I: 10, A: 15)
7. Standing Kick Back (B: 20, I: 30: A: 50) (per leg)
8. Extended Kick Back (B: 10, I: 15, A: 25) (per leg)
9. Hip Rotations (B: 10, I: 15, A: 25) (per direction)
10. Forward Fold/Mountain (B: 10, I: 15, A: 25)

12 Minute Ab Fat Burn: Melissa Bender (full length video)

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Hi Everyone,

Today’s workout focuses on fat burn, and strengthening your abs/core. If you find some of these moves difficult don’t let it get you down! Whenever I find a workout move that is a big challenge for me I find myself adding it into my workouts more often. I was thinking about this while I was doing the three-way mountain jumpers because I find them especially tough. I was thinking “Argh! Why did I put this in yet another workout! I hate these!” and the answer is that anything that is difficult I want to get better at.

So if you find something especially challenging please don’t give up, or avoid it. Rise to the challenge and continue to do it until you get better at it! That doesn’t mean you can’t modify the activity on the way up (in fact that’s the wise thing to do!), but continue to try and work toward your end goal.

With that said, enjoy the workout! Be sure to push and challenge yourself to your individual level. This is a major fat burner, and it strengthens an area of your body, the core, that is imperative to any other workouts you will do.

Have a great day!
Melissa

All Levels:
Maximum number of reps you can do within each 50 second interval. You get 10 seconds of rest between each exercise.
*I went through this workout twice, and followed it with a cool down walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes.

High Knees
Plank Arm Lift
Jump Squat
Crab Reach
3-way Mountain Jumpers
Weighted Russian Twist (you can do this without a weight as well. My weight was 10 pounds)
Lunge Kick (right)
1,2,3 Abs
Lunge Kick (left)
Pulsing Leg Stretch
High Knees
Ball Rotations

Sweat-acular Workout! Melissa Bender

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Hi Everyone,

As you can see in the picture above (and in the running shots from the video) this workout had me seriously sweaty! I filmed the video and then did the workout, and Jesse decided to get some shots of my cardio bursts in between. 🙂

Jesse did this workout with me, so we alternated 5 minute intervals, and 5 minute cardio on the treadmill. He started out running, and I started out with the reps. You can do it either way, I promise you will feel it!

The entire workout takes 30 minutes (including the cardio) if you are doing it one the advanced level. Obviously I was running on the treadmill (8.5 or 7 min. miles), but you can also jump rope, do high knees, jumping jacks or split up one of the cardio burst workouts.

Try it out, and let me know what you think!
Melissa

Beginner: Max reps during 30 second intervals, 3 minute cardio bursts
Intermediate: Max reps during 45 second intervals, 4 minute cardio bursts
Advanced: Max reps during 60 second intervals, 5 minute cardio bursts

1. Small Plie Jumps
2. Standing Leg Series (left)
3. Standing Leg Series (right)
4. Forward/Backward Lunges (left)
5. Forward Backward Lunges (right)

Cardio Burst 1

1. Heel Tap Abs
2. Leg Circle (left)
3. Leg Circle (right)
4. Bicycle Abs
5. Up/Down Dog

Cardio Burst 2

1. 3 Way Mountain Jump
2. Side Plank Leg Lift (left)
3. Side Plank Leg Lift (right)
4. Spiderman Pushups
5. Flip Flops

Cardio Burst 3

Leap Your Way to Fantastic Abs: Melissa Bender Fitness

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Hi Everyone!

This day only happens once every 4 years, so in honor of Leap Year we are doing the “Leap Your Way to Abs” workout.

In the video I forgot to show the equipment free variation for the ball pull-ins. If you don’t have a stability ball go into a plank position and bring your knee to your elbow before returning to plank. Alternate legs.

Tomorrow starts a brand new month! I love March because it marks the beginning of Spring (plus it’s my birthday month!) So look for lots of new workouts. I can’t wait until it gets nice enough to start filming a few outdoor workouts. 🙂

See you tomorrow,

Melissa

Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps

Bonus: Do 10 minutes of cardio! Check out one of the cardio video workouts, run or jump rope. I ran a mile on the treadmill, and added in some extra jump squats to bring it up to 10 minutes. 🙂

Deep Knee Bend Jumps
Ball Pull Abs
Butt Kick Squats
Side Plank Hip Lift (right)
Side Plank Hip Lift (left)
1 Leg Pulse Jumps (right)
1 Leg Pulse Jumps (left)
Handstand Kick (or down dog pushups)
Ab Series (right, left, through, hip lift=1 rep)
Leaping Mountains
Burpee

Repeat!

Ham It Up! All About Hamstrings: Melissa Bender Fitness

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Hi Everyone,

Tonight’s workout really focuses on your glutes, hamstrings, triceps, arms, shoulders and back. It’s another tough one. I have been really upping the ante with the last few workouts. They are very intense.

After finishing this workout I did one mile on the treadmill (it took 7 minutes, and 4 seconds). I wanted to add an additional quick cardio blast. You can run, jump rope, do high knees, or the 10 minute cardio from the Bombshell Body Fat Burn workout.

Enjoy the workout. Move as quickly as you can from one exercise to the next to really optimize your burn during and after the workout.

Have fun!
Melissa

Ham It Up!

Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps

Add 5-10 minutes of cardio after finishing this workout to really maximize your fat burn.

Tricep Leg Series (right)
Tricep Leg Series (left)
Burpee
Right Pulse Lunge Jump
Left Pulse Lunge Jump
Spin Jacks
Heel Tap Squat Jumps
Hydrant Lift (right)
Hydrant Lift (left)
Booty Push (right)
Booty Push (left)
Cross Step Down Dog (right and left=1 rep)
Lifted Leg Cross Reach (right)
Lifted Leg Cross Reach (left)
Jumping Side Plank
Frog Squat
Tricep Reverse Sit-up

Go Hard Home Workout: Melissa Bender

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Hi Everyone,

Today’s workout is intense! I interspersed the reps with cardio blasts on my treadmill to maximize the burn. I interspersed mile runs in between the reps. If you don’t have someplace to run, or access to a treadmill, I recommend doing the 15 Minute High Intensity Cardio Fat Burn workout, or the 10 Minute Bombshell Fat Burn workout along with this workout. You could also chose to do 5 to 10 minutes of jump roping during the cardio burst sections of the workout.

Push yourself and go hard the entire time! Move through the reps as quickly as possible, while focusing on maintaining proper form.

Let me know what you think of the workout, and how long it takes you to get through it. I will post the breakdown the way I did it below. If you are doing one of the cardio workouts I have linked above you can do it at the end of the workout, instead of in between.

Have a great night,

Melissa

Go Hard or Go Home Workout

Beginner: 10 reps

Intermediate: 15 reps

Advanced: 20 reps

Cardio Burst: I did a 1 mile run (7 minutes, 40 seconds). You can do 5-10 minutes of jump roping, or wait and do a cardio workout at the end.

Side Lunge Kick (right)
Side Lunge Kick (left)
1 Leg Deadlift (right)
1 Leg Deadlift (left)
Lunge Jumps

Cardio Burst: I did a 1 mile run (7 minutes, 34 seconds)

Scissor Ab Combo
Angel Abs
Leg Lift/Hip Lift
Butt Shake/Hip Twist
Bicycle Abs

Cardio Burst: I did a 1 mile run (7 minutes, 30 seconds)

Pushups
Oblique Drop (right)
Oblique Drop (left)
Ball Pull In/Glute Squeeze
Rotating Side Plank

Note: I did 3 miles of running during the workout. I maintained a pace that I could hold while talking, but one that still had me working. If you don’t want to run or jump rope try one of these cardio burst workouts:

15 Minute High Intensity Cardio Burn

10 Minute Bombshell Body Fat Burn Cardio

Full Body Beginner Workout: Melissa Bender Fitness

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Hi Everyone,

Marie came over for another workout today. She brought her gorgeous son, Liam with her. When he got tired of watching us, and wanted some attention I decided to include him in our workout. 🙂 He loved it, and I got to play with an adorable baby so we were both happy.

Marie has gotten a lot stronger, and has been losing both pounds and inches since starting her fitness bender. She did a great job in today’s workout, and was able to do the intermediate number of reps for everything except the Lunge Kicks (which she did 10 of). So she has really improved a lot in a short period of time.

If you’re on a more advanced level repeat this workout 2-4 times. It took us 15 minutes exactly to go through this workout once.

Enjoy, and have a great day!

Melissa

Beginner: 10 reps, 30 seconds timed
Intermediate: 15 reps, 45 seconds timed
Advanced: 20 reps, 60 seconds timed

Repeat 2-4 times.

Lateral Jump Squat
Heel Push Right (timed)
Heel Push Left (timed)
Crossing Leg Reach Right
Crossing Leg Reach Left
Lunge Kick Right
Lunge Kick Left
Down Dog Leg Lift Right
Down Dog Leg Lift Left
Zombie Situps (or Baby Situps!) (timed)
V-Scissor Reach
Mountain Climber (timed)
Half Moon Rotations
High Knees (timed)

Special thanks to Marie and Liam for joining us today!

Ultimate Body Weight Workout: Melissa Bender Fitness

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Hi Everyone,

Today’s workout is a tough one! This is a major calorie torcher, and it will help tone your entire body.

It took Jesse and I 31 minutes, and 40 seconds to complete the entire workout. Make sure you warm up before doing this one so you are getting the ultimate burn right from the start. This is a high intensity workout with a lot of different cardio burst exercises interspersed throughout.

The benefit of HIIT workouts is increased calorie burn in shorter periods of time, among other things. I will be writing a blog post about the other benefits of this style of workout soon.

Enjoy the workout, and have a great day!
Melissa

Ultimate Body Weight Workout

Beginner: 10 reps, 30 seconds timed exercises
Intermediate: 15 reps, 45 seconds
Advanced: 20 reps, 60 seconds
*Unless otherwise noted

Burpee (Beginner: 5, Intermediate: 8, Advanced: 10 reps)
1 Leg Jumping Pushups (Beginner: 5, Intermediate: 8, Advanced: 10 reps)
High Knees (timed)
1 Leg Squat Right (Beginner: 5, Intermediate: 8, Advanced: 10 reps)
1 Leg Squat Left (Beginner: 5, Intermediate: 8, Advanced: 10 reps)
Lunge Jump (timed)
Mountain Climber (timed)
Bow Pose Kicks/Prone Hamstring Curls (Beginner: 15, Intermediate: 25, Advanced: 30 reps)
Jump Squats (timed)
Runners Lunge to Balance/Warrior 3 (right)
Runners Lunge to Balance/Warrior 3 (left)
Pendulum Squat
Oblique Drop (right)
Oblique Drop (left)
Plie Jumps (timed)
Side Plank with Leg Lift (right)
Side Plank with Leg Lift (left)
3 Part Abs
High Knees
Diagonal Lunge Reach
Burpees (Beginner: 5, Intermediate: 8, Advanced: 10 reps)

My reps for the timed exercises (60 seconds)

40 Lunge Jumps

130 Mountain Climbers

46 Jump Squats

32 Plie Jumps

Total Time: 31 minutes and 40 seconds

Keep track of your time, and number of reps so you can see yourself advancing, growing more fit, and stronger each time you repeat this workout!

Fat Meltdown: Melissa Bender Fitness Workout

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Hi Everyone!

I upped the ante with today’s workout. I increased my reps from 20 to 30 and it felt great. I was really energized today so I decided to go with it.

In the video I had trouble balancing on the Speed Skater exercise, so I did it more slowly during the workout. Adding the balance made it a bit more challenging for me. Also, the leg series on the ball was tough so I split it up (15 reps right, 15 reps left, 15 reps right, 15 reps left). I forgot to time it, so I can’t tell you how long it took, but I do recommend timing it so you can challenge yourself to beat your time when you repeat this workout.

Jesse and I followed our workouts with a delicious dinner of veggie stuffed omlettes.

Enjoy the workout!
Melissa

Beginner: 10-15 reps, 30 seconds timed exercises
Intermediate: 15-20 reps, 45 seconds
Advanced: 25-30 reps, 60 seconds

Burpee
Table Kick (right)
Table Kick (left)
Russians (timed)
Side Situp (right)
Side Situp (left)
Squat Tuck
Leg Series (with or without ball) (left)
Leg Series (right)
Speed Skater
Rolling Pushups
Jump Around (timed)
Plank (timed)
Ball Pass Abs
High Knees (timed)

Home Yoga Flow: Melissa Bender Fitness

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Hi Everyone,

Today I filmed a yoga workout. It’s a basic, full body routine. Yoga is amazing (for a multitude of reasons!) but one of my favorite things about it is that it helps correct any imbalances in your body. You work your entire body, and strengthen areas that you didn’t know were weak. It also helps keep your muscles long and supple.

In addition to this yoga flow I also ran two miles today. So I did about 15 minutes of cardio, plus the 25 minute yoga workout.

Enjoy and have a great night.

Melissa

Cardio: 15 Minute High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Melissa Bender Fitness

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Hi Everyone,

Today’s workout is a high intensity interval cardio blast. The entire workout only takes 15 minutes. You can use this one alone, or you can use it as cardio with any other workout. If you don’t have the opportunity to run or jump rope this workout is another option for you.

It really kicked my butt today. I slowed wayyyyyyy down toward the end of the workout. You are going for maximum number of reps during each 50 second interval, but don’t forget to focus on form. It’s better to do fewer reps with perfect form.

Feel free to post the number of reps that you did in the comments section below. It’s really good to keep track, because it’s very motivating to try and do more next time.

Also, if you need to take breaks during the workout do it. There are several times in the video that I paused to shake out my legs or catch my breath. The next time I go through this I will be trying to increase my reps and rest less. J

Enjoy the workout, if you’re feeling up to it pair this one with any of my other workouts for a super intense sweat session.

Melissa

All Levels: Max reps during each 50 second interval, 10 seconds of rest.

No Equipment Necessary. The numbers in parenthesis are the number of reps I completed during each interval.

High Knees
Jump Kick Right (25)
Jump Kick Left (25)
3-way Double Mountain Climber
High Knees
Squat Jump (25)
Mountain Climbers
Lunge Jumps (18)
Lunge Kick (right) (12)
Lunge Kick (left) (15)
High Knees
Surfer (21)
Burpee (6)
Low Jacks (40)
Pendulum (60)

Whole Wheat Nutella Brownie Bites

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I had a sweet tooth tonight, and I got the idea for these brownie bites from a post I saw on pinterest. The original recipe came from Laura’s Sweet Spot. Of course I changed it up to make it a little bit healthier. I substituted whole wheat flour for white flour, and was beyond thrilled with the results! Also, for half of them I crushed up dark chocolate M&M’s and sprinkled them on the top. I am sending those to work with Jesse tomorrow. I thought they were sweet enough without the extra chocolate.

The recipe is super easy, and took only 15-17 minutes from start to finish. It makes 12 brownie bites.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Nutella

2 Eggs

1/2 cup and 2 Tablespoons of whole wheat flour

Pre-heat Oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake liners in a muffin pan. I used re-usable cupcake liners.

Step 1:

Mix the eggs and nutella. (I measured out the nutella and then microwaved it for about 15-20 seconds before mixing to make it easier).

Step 2:

Mix the flour until it is just mixed in, and spread throughout the nutella/egg mixture.

Step 3:

Scoop the mixture evenly into the liners. They were slightly more than half way full.

Step 4:

Bake for 12-15 minutes. If you want a gooey center bake for 12 minutes, if you want them more cooked throughout go for 15 minutes.

The results are delicious, and healthier than a traditional brownie. They are also an appropriate size for an indulgent treat. Remember, being healthy is not about deprivation. It’s about learning how to find a balance. You should still be able to enjoy food, but it shouldn’t leave you feeling sick or guilty.

Double Trouble: Melissa Bender Fitness Workout

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Hi Everyone,

Cydney is back for today’s workout! She was at the gym doing cardio before she came over for today’s workout. She ran 1 ½ miles. I power walked three miles on the treadmill with the incline turned all the way up. I was reading a really good book that I didn’t want to put down while I worked out, so I improvised and got in a great cardio burn while I was reading. I set the treadmill on 4 and the incline on 12. By the time I was done I was dripping sweat.

Cydney and I used Kettlebells for a couple of the workout moves today, but as always I showed the bodyweight variation for the exercises. Hand weights can be used just as well, or even soup cans.

I am planning some high intensity workouts this week. There will be some high intensity interval training, and lots of fat burning. Be sure to check back!

Melissa

Double Trouble Workout

Beginner: 10 reps, 30 seconds mountain climbers

Intermediate: 15 reps, 45 seconds mountain climbers

Advanced: 20 reps, 60 seconds mountain climbers

1. Kettle Bell Situps

2. Side Plank Leg Lift (left)

3. Side Plank Leg Lift (right)

4. Hip Lift

5. Mountain Climbers

6. Plank Punch

7. Squat Reach (left)

8. Squat Reach (right)

9. 3-way Lunge (left)

10. 3-way Lunge (right)

11. Reverse Situp

12. Sumo Pushup

Add on 15-30 minutes of cardio and you have a high intensity, full body, fat burning workout. J

Full Body Toning: Melissa Bender Fitness Workout

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Hi Everyone!

I have a cold so excuse me if I sound a little funny in today’s video. It affected my breathing a bit so I got out of breath more quickly than normal, but it still felt great to workout.

In addition to today’s workout I did an outdoor run. It was 4 miles, and it took around 30 minutes. Jesse and I just ran at a nice comfortable “talking pace.” By that I mean you should be able to talk to someone the entire time that you are running.

Enjoy the workout, there will be a new one today. This one is actually from last night, but it took forever to upload to youtube!

Melissa

Full Body Toning Workout
Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps

1. Russian Twist

2. Jump Kick Right

3. Jump Kick Left

4. Side Burpee

5. Runners Lunge (right)

6. Runners Lunge (left)

7. Surfer Plank

8. Sumo deadlift

9. Ball Pull-in

10. Starfish Abs

Repeat!
Finish your workout with 15-30 minutes of cardio (walking, running, jump rope, high knees, or the Bombshell Fat Burn).
If you aren’t going to do the extra cardio repeat the entire workout 4 times.

Tight and Toned Workout

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Hi Everyone,

Here’s tonight’s new workout! I also posted a healthy, high protein snack that I tried out tonight, and really liked. Be sure to check that out as well. J

I am going to continue filming “how to” videos, and I want to add a home cardio section so everyone has a variety of home cardio workouts to do. So keep checking back for some of the changes I have in store!

Have a great evening, and enjoy the workout!
Melissa

PS I will also be posting pictures and a recipe for my favorite omelet (I am sure you’ve noticed I really like eggs!)

Tight and Toned Workout

Beginner: 10 reps, 30 seconds of high knees

Intermediate: 15 reps, 45 seconds high knees

Advanced: 20 reps, 60 seconds high knees

Warm-up: 5 minutes of cardio. Jump Rope, Running, High Knees, Mountain Climbers, anything that gets your heart rate up!

1. High Knees

2. Oblique Lift (left)

3. Oblique Lift (right)

4. 1 Leg Pulse (left)

5. 1 Leg Pulse (right)

6. Jump Squat

7. Criss Cross (right)

8. Criss Cross (left)

9. Booty Push (right)

10. Booty Push (left)

11. Burpee

12. 3 Way Double Mountain Climber

13. Tricep Jump

14. Leg Lift Reach

15. Leg Lift/Hip Lift

Tuna Stuffed Egg Whites: 21 Grams of Protein

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Looking for a super easy, low calorie way to feel full and get plenty of protein? Try this!

All you need to do is hard boil a couple of eggs, get rid of the yolk, and stuff it with tuna. I used lemon pepper tuna because I love the flavor, and you don’t have to add anything else to it.

To boil your egg put eggs in a pan, and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil, and then lower the flame. Allow eggs to boil for about 1 minute. Cover and remove from heat. Leave covered for 10-13 minutes. Drain the eggs, and cover with cool water. You can refrigerate the eggs or eat them as soon as they are cool.

Quick, easy. 94 calories for two eggs stuffed with tuna. 21 grams of protein.

How to do Warrior 3 Pose/Single Leg Deadlifts with Modifications from A…

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How to video for Warrior 3 Pose/Single Leg Deadlifts. Variations from beginner to advanced.

How to do a Burpee with Modifications from Advanced to Beginner

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How to do a Burpee, with modifications for all levels. If you have questions post them in the comments below!

Melissa

Lady Lump Workout: TIme Challenge

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Hi Everyone!

Today’s workout is a repeat. I am working on some new projects for my blog so I didn’t have time to film a brand new workout, but here is one of my favorite older workouts. If you’ve done this workout before time yourself and see if you can beat your previous time! The first time I did this workout the rep portion took me 20 minutes and 21 seconds. I am going to try to beat that time today. As soon as I finish the workout I will post my time, and we can see if I improved.

If this is your first time through time yourself, and save it so you have a goal for the next time you do this workout!

Enjoy,
Melissa

Lady Lump Workout

Warm-up/Cardio Burst: Jump Rope or high knees

Beginner: 5 minutes

Intermediate: 7 minutes

Advanced: 10 minutes

Reps:

Beginner: 10 reps

Intermediate: 15 reps

Advanced: 20 reps

1. Twisting Warrior

2. Right Twist Kick

3. Left Twist Kick

4. Split Squat (right)

5. Split Squat (left)

6. Squat Jacks

7. Down Dog Leg Lifts

8. Side Plank Drop (right)

9. Side Plank Drop (left)

10. Burpees

Cardio Burst: repeat your warm up

Be sure to stretch after your workout! A round of Sun Salutations is a great cool down.