6-MONTH HOME WORKOUT CHALLENGE: WEEK 7: #BFBODYFIT

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Welcome to #BFBodyFit Challenge Week 7!

We have six workouts and one rest day on the planner this week.

Get out your calendar, mark down your workout days, and keep yourself accountable. If you have a friend that is joining you for the challenge, check in with each other. Having an accountability buddy will help you stay on track.

Virtual buddies count too, so don’t hesitate to tag me in your workout posts on social media.

You can find me on Social Media: @BenderFitness and on Facebook: @MelissaBenderFitness and Jesse is on Instagram: @BenderCrosby1

We love cheering you on and seeing your progress along the way.

You will find the daily workout schedule below. These full length workout videos will help keep you on track each week. Don’t let motivation drive you, you decide to keep showing up and making it happen, even on the days when you don’t really feel like doing it.

People ask: How Do I Stay Motivated? The answer is, you keep doing it even on the days when you aren’t motivated. You make it a habit and show up. Your health is counting on it, and you have the power to impact your overall fitness and wellness levels.

*If you want to help support BenderFitness so we can stay free and sustainable, your donation is greatly appreciated: https://www.patreon.com/BenderFitness 

Workout 1:

Today’s workout is a quick, total body routine. One round takes only 15-minutes, so you can repeat it if you have more time and want a higher intensity workout.

Push yourself on this one! If it feels easy, it’s time to aim for more reps (with good form). You should be sweaty and breathing hard. We are working on building lean muscle, burning fat, and improving our cardiovascular system and overall fitness level.

All Levels: Max reps during each 50 second interval, 10 seconds rest between exercises
Total Time: 15 Minutes
1. High Knees
2. 3 Way Frogger
3. Lunge Jump
4. Burpee
5. Hip Lift
6. Bicycle 
7. Side Plank Hip Lift (right)
8. Side Plank Hip Lift (left)
9. Jump Kick (right)
10. Jump Kick (left)
11. Surfer Burpee
12. Knee Drop Plank
13. Knee Slap Squat
14. Twisting Scissor
15. High Knees

Workout 2:

Workout Day 2 is focused on the core. We are going to work your abdominal muscles from every angle. A strong core helps protect your back, posture, and is key to overall health and wellness.

Repeat this quick routine up to three times on it’s own, or pair it with up to 30-minutes cardio of choice.

Remember, it’s always better to get in some exercise than no exercise. Get moving, and have fun!

Timed:
Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps
or complete this workout HIIT style: 10 rounds of 10/50. 

1. Mountain Climbers
2. Temple Tap Abs
3. Side Jump Abs
4. Oblique Reach (right)
5. Oblique Reach (left)
6. Speed Skater Jump
7. Windshield Wiper Plank
8. Extended Arm Pulse
9. Plank Jack
10. Downward Dog Cross Pushup
Repeat 1-3X

Workout 3:

Time to work the Lower Body! This routine is focused on the large muscles of the lower body: Glutes, Thighs, Calves, and will also get all of the smaller, intrinsic muscles.

You can utilize dumbbells to increase the challenge. I used two 20-lb dumbbells. If you don’t have dumbbells you can grab something from around the house: water bottle, a heavy pan, book bag: don’t be afraid to get creative!

Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps
1. Warrior 3 with Hip Rotation (right)
2. Warrior 3 with Hip Roation (left)
3. Romanian Deadlift
4. Single Leg Hip Lift (right)
5. Single Leg Hip Lift (left)
6. Runners Lunge to Warrior (right)
7. Runners Lunge to Warrior (left)
8. Calf Raise with Extension (right)
9. Calf Raise with Extension (left)
*Weights are optional. I used 20 lb dumbbells. 
Repeat 1-3X

Workout 4:

For the last two days we isolated Glutes and Abs. Today, we are combining both with lots of great compound exercises to get your whole body an amazing workout.

This routine is focused on the Belly and the Booty! Quick, but efficient exercise program.

Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps
Repeat 1-3X

1. Plank Jacks
2. Side V-Up/Hip Lift
3. Side V-Up/Hip Lift
4. Side Kick Stand (right)
5. Side Kick Stand (left)
6. Bow Heel Press
7. Heel Tap Abs
8. Plank Cross Pulse (right)
9. Plank Cross Pulse (left)
10. Temple Tap Abs

Day 5:

HIIT! Don’t Quit! This is a Total Body routine that will get your heart pumping. Challenge yourself to push the pace. Get sweaty, and try to workout at an intensity level of 8-9/10. Don’t be afraid to get out of breath and really sound like you’re working.

Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone will help you improve your overall fitness.

All Levels: Max reps during each interval.
*Beginners: Start with 30 second interval, followed by 15 seconds of rest. 
*Intermediate: 40 second interval, 10 seconds rest
*Advanced: 50 second interval, 10 seconds rest
1. High Knees
2. Flying Pigeon (right)
3. Mountain Climber
4. Flying Pigeon (left)
5. Russians
6. Frog Hop Squat
7. High Knees
8. Down Dog Lift
9. Mountain Climber
10. Squat Planks
11. Russians
12. Reverse Crunch Rotation
13. High Knees
14. Knee Drop Plank
15. Mountain Climber

Day 6:

It’s a stretch day! You’ve done fantastic workouts all week long. Now it’s time to stretch out! This routine is focused on the lower body, hips and lower back.

These stretches help maintain hip alignment, posture, and range of motion. Don’t skip the stretching!

1. Side Plank Hip Stretch (right)
2. Side Plank Hip Stretch (left)
3. Pigeon (right)
4. Pigeon (left)
5. 1 Leg Forward Fold (right)
6. 1 Leg Forward Fold (left)
7. Down Dog
8. King Arthur Pose (right)
9. King Arthur Pose (left)
10. Hip Opener
11. Runners Lunge (flexed to extended knee) (right)
12. Runners Lunge (left)
13. Back Stretch
14. Back Twist (right)
15. Back Twist (left)


Day 7: Active Rest Day

6-Month Home Workout Challenge: Week 6: #BFBodyFit

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Welcome to this week’s Home Workout Schedule! We have six workouts on our planner this week, so get ready to get in some amazing workouts.

Plan out your workout days, and write them on your calendar to stay accountable and on track.

A couple of the workouts in this week’s schedule require equipment (dumbbells, jump rope and a chair), however, if you don’t have equipment you can do the exercises with Bodyweight only.

There is always a way to modify the workouts to suit your needs! This home workout program is meant to give you a great way to build your strength, endurance, health, and fitness from anywhere, for free.

Accountability is an important part of consistency, so feel free to check in by commenting below, or posting and tagging BenderFitness on your social media posts.

Don’t forget to have fun, push hard and work up a sweat! We are excited to workout with you!

Day 1:

21-Minute HIIT Full Body Workout. For this workout, grab some dumbbells, a chair (or something you can put your feet up on), and a jump rope. If you don’t have dumbbells or a jump rope you can complete all of the exercises with body weight.

Set your interval timer for 21 Rounds of 10/50. 
1. Jump Rope
2. Deadlift
3. Quadruped Leg Raise
4. Jump Rope
5. Warrior Deadlift (right)
6. Warrior Deadlift (left)
7. Dive Bombers
8. Jump Rope
9. Split Squat (right)
10. Split Squat (left)
11. Plank Walkouts
12. Jump Rope
13. Lunge Pulse Press (right)
14. Lunge Pulse Curl (left)
15. Superman
16. Jumpe Rope
17. Plank Cross Row with Floor Tap
18. Folded Twist
19. Jump Rope
20. Curtsy Lunge (alternating)
21. Pigeon Stretch (alternating)
Repeat 1-3X

Day 2: 

This 20-Minute Boot Camp Sculpt doesn’t use any equipment. It’s a great Total Body Workout, and can easily be performed as a LIIT routine. For a LIIT (Low Impact Interval Training) version of this workout complete High Knees Marching for each cardio interval, and do a Plie Squeeze, instead of the Plie Jump.

Set your Interval Timer for 15 Rounds of 30/50. 
Cardio: High Knees or Jump Rope.
*For a LIIT (Low Impact Interval Training) version of this workout complete High Knees Marching for each cardio interval, and do a Plie Squeeze, instead of the Plie Jump.
*Cardio
1. Wood Chopper (right)
*Cardio
2. Wood Chopper (left)
*Cardio
3. Side Lunge Kick (right)
*Cardio
4. Side Lunge Kick (left)
*Cardio
5. Plie Squat Jump
*Cardio
6. Alternating Warrior III/Chair
*Cardio
7. Hip Thrust (right)
*Cardio
8. Hip Thrust (left)
*Cardio
9. Mountain Climber
*Cardio
10. Toe Tap Push-up
*Cardio
11. Plank Crunch
*Cardio
12. Side Plank Hip Lift (right)
*Cardio
13. Side Plank Hip Lift (left)
*Cardio
14. Plank to Dolphin
*Cardio
15. Plank to Lunge
Repeat 1-3X

Day 3: 

This is a Total Body HIIT workout that will get you moving and laughing. Working out with Jesse is always fun!

Set Your Interval Timer for 15 Rounds of 30/50.
*30-Seconds Cardio before Each Exercise*
Squat Jump
Superman to Push-up
Lunge Lumps
Side Plank Reach Through-Right
Ninja Jumps
Side Plank Reach Though-Left
Single Leg Squat Jump-Right
Spiderman Push-up
Single Leg Squat Jump-Left
Leg Scissors
Over the River (Mat) Jump Squats
Reverse Plank Hold
Single Leg Calf/Heel Raise
Rock the Boat
Single Leg Calf/Heel Raise
Repeat 1-3X

Day 4: 

This is a quiet, low impact, standing workout. You don’t need any equipment, but you will get a great workout for your core and glutes.

Swaying Goddess-Right
Swaying Goddess-Left
Tip Toe Single Leg Pulse-Right
Tip Toe Single Leg Pulse-Left
Tick Tock Goddess-Right
Tick Tock Goddess-Left
Trunk Rotation
Back Stretch to Flat Back
Star Tap-Right
Star Tap-Left
Leg Abduction/Rotation-Right
Leg Abduction/Rotation-Left
Repeat 1-3X

Day 5:  

Tighter Tush and Abs workout. When I filmed this workout, I combined it with running one mile mid-workout. Another great option is to pair it with my 10-Minute Jump Rope Workout for a bonus cardio burst.

All Levels: As many reps as possible for each minute of exercise. The numbers in parenthesis are the number of reps I managed for each exercise my first time through. I was talking the second time, so I didn’t count for that round.
1. Plank Lift (I did 28)
2. Plank Leg Lift (alternating legs) (48)
3. Heel Pulse (86)
4. Bridge Pulse (67)
5. Bicycle (107)
CARDIO: I ran a mile, other alternatives are 10 minutes of jump roping, or one of the cardio workouts in the cardio tab above. Riding on a stationary bike, high knees, and jumping jacks are other great options. 
1. Rib Push (46)
2. Leg Lift/Hip Lift (20)
3. Oblique V-up (right) (27)
4. Oblique V-up (left) (26)
5. Butterfly sit-up (14)

Day 6: 

23-Minute Yoga Fitness Flow. Don’t skip yoga! This great stretch and strength flow will help prevent injuries. Flexibility is an important part of fitness.

Thanks for working out with me! Have fun this week, and let me know which workout is your favorite! You can follow along with the workout video playlist above, or the individual workout breakdowns below.

❤

 Melissa

PS You can find me on Social Media: @BenderFitness and on Facebook: @MelissaBenderFitness and Jesse is on Instagram: @BenderCrosby1

For my non-fitness related posts, I am on Instagram as @Melissa_Bender_Life

PPS If you want to help support BenderFitness so we can stay free and sustainable, your donation is greatly appreciated: https://www.patreon.com/BenderFitness 

40-Minute Total Body Workout: No Equipment, Great Results! Fit Pregnancy-Low Impact Exercise

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Hi Everyone!

Welcome to today’s workout! You will find the real time workout video and photo tutorial below.

This is a fun, total body workout routine. You don’t need any equipment, so you can do this workout anywhere. I’ve done it at home, and I taught this workout in my group Body Blast class.

If you want to amp up the workout intensity you can do so by adding some resistance bands or some dumbbells to some of the exercises.

Remember, exercise is about challenging your individual body. So the right modification for you, is the one that is challenging but doable. You will progress to the more difficult modifications with time and consistency. You should also be learning to listen to your body, and recognize when some of the low impact modifications are best for you.

I can’t wait to be back to full steam, once I am cleared to workout again postpartum, but in the mean time I am modifying everything from my Cardio Workouts to HIIT, LIIT, and Yoga. It’s a great way to remind myself to check in with my body, and stick to the things that are going to contribute to my overall health and well-being.

Cardio Workout:
1 Mile Run 5.5 MPH
.5 Mile Walk 4.0 MPH
1 Mile Run 5.5 MH
1 Mile Walk 4.0 MPH

I am almost 27-weeks pregnant, so I am working out at Moderate Intensity. That means that I can talk throughout my workout. It’s totally fine to sweat and breath more quickly, but I make sure that it’s still a talking effort. If you are not pregnant, you can push yourself to a higher intensity effort, think 8-10 effort on a scale of 1-10. Breath heavy, sweat and push yourself.

My pregnancy has gotten exponentially better and more enjoyable, now that I am back to consistent workouts. My energy and mood are significantly improved, and I feel more like myself.

26-Weeks Pregnant

Have fun, and make healthy choices today! Let me know what you thought of the longer workout, and if you had a favorite exercise move!

Melissa

PS You can find me on Social Media: @BenderFitness and on Facebook: @MelissaBenderFitness and Jesse is on Instagram: @BenderCrosby1

If you want to help support BenderFitness so we can continue to share and create Free Workouts, your donation is greatly appreciated: https://www.patreon.com/BenderFitness

PPS I recently created an Amazon Shop. It includes some “Must Have” workout equipment, kitchen tools, books I’ve enjoyed, fashions I love and fun household decor items. This is an affiliate link: that means BenderFitness makes a small commission when you purchase an item. If you would like to check it out you can do so here: www.amazon.com/shop/benderfitness

Interval Timer Set: 28 Rounds of 35/50

Total Workout Time: 40-Minutes

  1. Squat and Reach
  2. Side Kick-Right
  3. Side Kick-Left
  4. Warrior III-Right
  5. Warrior III-Left
  6. Elevated Leg Adduction-Right
  7. Elevated Leg Adduction-Left
  8. Reverse Plank Leg Lift
  9. Heel Slide Abs
  10. Transverse Ab Squeeze
  11. Tricep Pushups-Right
  12. Tricep Pushups-Left
  13. Table Top Dips
  14. Sumo Pushups
  15. Baby Bear Crawl
  16. Speed Skater
  17. Side Gorilla
  18. V-Slip
  19. Table Kick-Right
  20. Table Kick-Left
  21. Goddess Elbow Tap
  22. Wood Chopper-Right
  23. Wood Chopper-Left
  24. Side Plank-Right
  25. Side Plank-Left
  26. Hydrant Heel Press-Right
  27. Hydrant Heel Press-Left
  28. Jumping Jacks
Squat and Reach: Part 1
Squat and Reach: Part 2
Side Kick
Warrior III
Elevated Leg Adduction: Part 1
Elevated leg Adduction: Part 2
Reverse Plank
Heel Slide Abs
Transverse Ab Squeeze
Transverse Ab Squeeze: Part 2
Tricep Pushups
Table Top Dips
Sumo Pushup or Plank
Baby Bear Crawl
Speed Skater: Part 1
Speed Skater: Part 2
Side Gorilla: Part 1
Side Gorilla: Part 2
V-Slip: Part 1
V-Slip: Part 2
Table Kick: Part 1
Table Kick: Part 2
Goddess Elbow Tap: Part 1
Goddess Elbow Tap: Part 2
Side Plank
Hydrant Heel Press: Part 1
Hydrant Heel Press: Part 2
Jumping Jacks
Low Impact Jumping Jacks Modification

Two Total Body Workouts You Can Do Anywhere: One Week Home Workout Schedule

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Last week, my BFF sent me a fitness request. I don’t know about you, but when my best friend asks for my help to make some health and fitness lifestyle changes I jump at the opportunity to help.

Rose’s request: A workout she could repeat on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, that could be done inside or outside, and that she could follow along with even if she didn’t have internet access. Instead of a video, she wanted a list of exercises she could complete to build strength as she re-starts her fitness journey.

She also requested a Tuesday/Thursday Workout, So that she could have a full week of workouts planned and ready. She finds that knowing exactly what to expect for her workouts, helps her stay on track.

Do you remember Rose? She has guest starred in some of my workout videos!

While I absolutely love variety in my workouts, some people do better with a more structured routine. It helps them to recognize and track their progress. It can also be easier to stay accountable, when you have a set schedule.

If you would like to follow Rose’s Fitness and Weight Loss Journey check it out here: www.mychangeforaten.com 

You can also find rose on Instagram: @rosebrunobailey

Workout #1: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Level 1: 10 Reps

Level 2: 15 Reps

Level 3: 20 Reps

Equipment: Something to step up onto (a sturdy chair, bench or step will work).

Repeat up to 3 Rounds and pair with 15-30 Minutes Cardio of Choice.

Workout #2: Tuesday/Thursday


Level 1: 10 Reps

Level 2: 15 Reps

Level 3: 20 Reps

Equipment: A yoga mat.

Repeat up to 3 Rounds. Pair with 15-30 Minutes Cardio of choice.

Modifying and Intensifying:

As you become familiar with these workouts you may decide that you want to increase the intensity. A great way to increase the burn of your workout, is by adding resistance.

You can grab Dumbbells, a resistance band, or a weighted vest to add some bonus muscle sculpting to these routines.

Remember, the workout should challenge you. If you repeat these routines often enough that they start to feel “easy,” it’s time to switch it up and increase the intensity.

Amp up your workout by adding some weights!

I hope you enjoy these workouts! Do you like the List format? Let me know in the comments below!

Melissa

PS You can find me on Social Media: @BenderFitness and on Facebook: @MelissaBenderFitness and Jesse is on Instagram: @BenderCrosby1

If you want to help support BenderFitness so we can continue to share and create Free Workouts, your donation is greatly appreciated: https://www.patreon.com/BenderFitness

PPS I recently created an Amazon Shop. It includes some “Must Have” workout equipment, kitchen tools, books I’ve enjoyed, fashions I love and fun household decor items. This is an affiliate link: that means BenderFitness makes a small commission when you purchase an item. If you would like to check it out you can do so here: www.amazon.com/shop/benderfitness