#40plusfitness Online Training: October 2017

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1 #40plusfitness Online Training: October 2017 Are you building strong a strong foundation? If you ve been a member of this group for awhile, you ll have noticed that I m a big fan of planks, squats, rows and dead lifts. This isn t because I m incapable of coming up with fancier moves :-) It s because they re all foundational movements. Movements that, once mastered, will allow you to move on to more challenging exercises OR continue to get great results by simply adding weight to the basic movements. Not only will building a strong foundation help you reach your fitness goals faster, it will also reduce your risk of injury (both in and out of the gym). The next three months of this program will lead you through a progressively more challenging foundation-building period. Workouts will begin with core exercises, continue on through whole-body strength moves and finish with a little power and explosivity. Even if you ve been consistent with your workouts, don t feel like you need to start with option three of everything. Sometimes choosing a less challenging-looking version of the exercise and really focusing on form and a slower tempo can surprise you by the weaknesses it reveals. Workout Overview: This month there are 2 Strength Workouts. You ll be alternating between them from one strength workout to the next. Aim for three to five workout days per week, combining Strength and Moderate Intensity Cardio (according to the descriptions below). If fat loss is one of your goals, an extra day of Moderate Intensity Cardio in the minute range is a good idea. As are daily, leisurely walks to lower cortisol and increase your non-exercise movement total. 40+ Women s Online Training Program: October 2017 Copyright Tamara Grand of 10

2 Depending on your schedule and the time you have available for exercise, Cardio workouts can either be done at the end of a Strength Workout OR on a separate exercise day. Note, however, that longer, more intense workouts can actually undermine your fat loss goals by increasing your body s production of stress hormones. Pay attention to what is and isn t working for you and adjust accordingly. See Table 1 for a sample of what your week might look like, depending on your work schedule, family commitments and whether you re a beginner, an intermediate or a more advanced exerciser. Note that if you only perform two strength workouts (A and B) in a week, you ll start the next week with workout A. Table 1: Sample Weekly Workout Schedule (note that these are just four of the many possible ways you could structure your week) Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Beginner Rest Strength A Rest Strength B Rest Cardio Rest Int. Cardio Strength A Strength B Rest Strength A Rest Rest Advanced Cardio Strength A Strength B Rest Strength A Strength B Rest Advanced Cardio Strength A Strength B Rest Strength A Cardio Rest 1. Strength Workouts Your first workout of the month will be a Benchmark Workout. This is a short, but intense body weight workout that we ll repeat at the beginning of each of the three months of the session, as well as at the very end. Please download and read the Benchmark Instructions document found on the course web page and print out a copy of the Benchmark Worksheet for recording the details of your workout (see the video link for demonstrations of the exercise). Note that this is the same Benchmark workout we ve done for the past three months; no new moves to learn. 40+ Women s Online Training Program: October 2017 Copyright Tamara Grand of 10

3 The two strength workouts combine core-specific movements, whole-body strength and HIIT finishers. Lots of variation (and lots of instructions to pay attention to). Both workouts are timed. I use the GymBoss timer for iphone. It allows you to specify work and rest durations, as well as the number of cycles of each. Much easier than trying to keep your eye on the clock while you exercise. That means you do as many good form repetitions of an exercise as you can in the allotted time, rest and transition to the next exercise and repeat. If you need to take a break during the work interval, do so. Remember this approach follows the philosophy work until you can t, rest until you can. For most exercises you have three options to choose from; choose the modification that challenges you (i.e., you can get through most of the interval without losing form). In general, Option 2 will be more challenging than Option 1. However, in some cases, Options are equally challenging, but require different tools. Note that you needn t stick to a single level of difficulty for all exercises. You might be able to perform Option 2 modifications for some moves, but only Option 1 for others. That s fine. Our bodies are not uniformly strong unless we train them to be! You can find the video demonstrations here >> OCTOBER EXERCISE VIDEOS See Table 2 for further instructions about work/rest intervals, number of times through each circuit and weekly workout progressions. Detailed descriptions of the strength workouts can be found in Tables 3 an 4. Equipment required: yoga mat, assorted dumbbells, weight bench (or Reebok step or equivalent, resistance band 40+ Women s Online Training Program: October 2017 Copyright Tamara Grand of 10

4 Workout A: Whole-body Strength + HIIT Finisher (see Table 3 for exercise details) Workout A has three components; a pair of core exercises, a four-exercise strength circuit and a Metabolic Finisher All three components are timed Start with a 5-7 minute warmup Set your circuit timer for 4 rounds of 30 s work and 15 s recovery Perform exercise 1a for 30 s. Rest for 15 s. Perform exercise 1b for 30 s. Rest for 15 s. Repeat. Rest for 1 minute Set your circuit timer for 4 rounds of 45 s work and 15 s recovery Perform each of exercises 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d for 45 s at a time, resting for 15 s between exercises. Rest for 1 minute and repeat. Complete the HIIT Finisher (once through is obligatory; twice through is optional) Stretch Workout B: Whole-body Strength + Tabata Finisher (see Table 4 for exercise details) Workout A has three components; a pair of core exercises, a four-exercise strength circuit and a Metabolic Finisher All three components are timed Start with a 5-7 minute warmup Set your circuit timer for 6 rounds of 30 s work and 15 s recovery (exercise 1b needs to be done on each side :-) ). Perform exercise 1a for 30 s. Rest for 15 s. Perform exercise 1b for 30 s. Rest for 15 s. Switch sides and perform exercise 1b for 30 s again. Rest of 15 s. Repeat. Rest for 1 minute 40+ Women s Online Training Program: October 2017 Copyright Tamara Grand of 10

5 Set your circuit timer for 4 rounds of 45 s work and 15 s recovery Perform each of exercises 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d for 45 s at a time, resting for 15 s between exercises. Rest for 1 minute and repeat. Complete the Tabata Finisher (once through is obligatory; twice through is optional) Stretch 2. Cardio Workouts: Perform 1-2 steady state cardio workout each week. This should be a minimum of 20 minutes in duration (but feel free to increase the workout to a maximum of 45 minutes) and at an intensity that still allows you to make (stilted) conversation. If you keep track of your heart rate via a heart rate monitor, aim to keep it between 65 and 75% of maximum heart rate. Check the Facebook group for the recent discussion and Live event about heart rate intensity. Feel free to choose your favourite mode of movement; walking, running, cycling, a cardio machine or a series of calisthenics. A spin or step class would also fill the bill. Aim for minutes of leisurely walking each and every day. This isn t exercise per se, but movement that will help to lower circulating stress hormones and increase metabolism (both of which are great weight loss tools!). Invite your partner, pet, children or a friend to join you; here s your chance to model healthy behaviour to your friends and family. Look for small pockets of time (like lunch-break or getting off the bus a stop or two earlier) to fit this in. 3. General Guidelines begin each workout with 5-7 minutes of light movement; include arm circles, marching in place (both narrow and wide marches), body weight squats, jumping jacks (low or moderate impact), stair climbing, walk out to plank, etc. Your goal is to slowly elevate your heart rate and body temperature in preparation for the work to come. Read this post for more information about the importance of warming up and to see a few of my favourite warmup moves. Check out the following warm-up video and perform it along with me >> Pre-strength warm-up 40+ Women s Online Training Program: October 2017 Copyright Tamara Grand of 10

6 finish each workout with 5-10 minutes of gentle stretching; read this post for information about the benefits of stretching and watch the embedded video for a guided stretch. Remember to breathe while you stretch and hold each pose for 15 to 30 s Make sure you keep track of your workouts. For each workout, note the modification or weight used for each exercise, the duration of your workout and the number of you performed. Video demonstrations of all exercise modifications can be found here >> OCTOBER EXERCISE VIDEOS Please do not share this link as the videos have been created exclusively for clients of Fitknitchick.com. 40+ Women s Online Training Program: October 2017 Copyright Tamara Grand of 10

7 Table 2: Strength Workout Weekly Progressions Week Core Work/ rest intervals Sets (# times through core exercises) Work/rest intervals Sets (# times through each circuit) Change from last week 1 30 s work 2 45 s work Beginners: 2 Intermediate: Advanced: s work 2 45 s work Beginners: 2 Intermediate: 2-3 Advanced: 3 Increase weights on any exercises you can 3 30 s work Beginners: 2 Intermediate and Advanced: 3 45 s work Beginners: 2 Intermediate: 2-3 Advanced: 3 Intermediate and advanced increase number of core by s work Beginners: 2 Intermediate and Advanced: 3 45 s work Beginners: 3 Intermediate: 3 Advanced: 3-4 Increase number of strength by Women s Online Training Program: October 2017 Copyright Tamara Grand of 10

8 Table 3: Strength Training Workout A Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 1a. Forearm plank (from knees) 1b. V-sit with alternating hand drop Forearm plank (from toes) V-sit with weighted alternating hand drop Forearm plank with alternating leg lifts V-sit with weighted core rotation 2a.Stability ball squat Body weight squat Dumbbell squat 2b. Standing resistance band row 2c. Alternating bench step-ups (with or without dumbbells) 2d. Push-ups from knees Bent-over dumbbell row Alternating back lunge Hand-elevated push-ups (from toes) Bench-supported bent-over row Kettle bell/dumbbell goblet back lunge Push-ups (from toes) Body weight HIIT Finisher (once or twice through): Perform each of the following 8 exercises for 30 s each, with little to no rest between. A second time through is optional (and advanced). If you choose to do it, rest for 1 minute before starting again. 1. Fast feet in and out 2. High knees running 3. Two-foot lateral hop 4. Squat jumps 5. Seal jacks 6. Lateral shuffle 7. Hamstring curls 8. Running man 40+ Women s Online Training Program: October 2017 Copyright Tamara Grand of 10

9 Table 4: Strength Training Workout B Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 1a. Bird dog 1b. Side plank (from knees or toes) Bird dog (with resistance band) Anti-rotation resistance band squat Leg-extended bird dog Legs-extended side plank + resistance band row 1c. Switch sides Switch sides Switch sides 2a. Supine hip thrust Hamstring curls on the ball Sumo dead lift 2b. Seated shoulder press Standing shoulder press Multi-joint shoulder press 2c. Lateral resistance band walk Alternating lateral lunge (body weight) Alternating lateral lunge (weighted) 2d. Resistance band lat pull-down (from knees) Resistance band lat pulldown Lat pull-overs Tabata Finisher (once through; 2nd Tabata is optional and advanced) Set your timer for 8 rounds of 20 s work and 10 s rest. Choose 1 or 2 movements from the list below. Either perform 1 movement for all 8 work intervals OR alternate between movements 1 and 2 so you re doing 4 work intervals of each. IF you re performing a 2nd Tabata Finisher, choose a different movement (or pair of movements) 1. Speed skaters 2. Bench power-overs 3. Burpees (with or without a push-up) 4. Long jump (weighted or not) 40+ Women s Online Training Program: October 2017 Copyright Tamara Grand of 10

10 40+ Women s Online Training Program: October 2017 Copyright Tamara Grand of 10

#40plusfitness Online Training: November 2017

#40plusfitness Online Training: November 2017 Consistency and Progression If you were to ask me what I thought the most important skills to master with respect to fitness and nutrition, I d have to say