Week 1 so far

Hi everyone!

I have started working out again and I’m happy to be back at it. I am doing the 5 week program I did earlier this year, because I needed to start working out ASAP and didn’t have time to look around for other programs. Things have gone well so far. I will try to go into more detail in the future, but below are links for workouts #1 and 2

Workout #1
Fit Test – http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/01/fit-test-2013.html and Workout #1 – http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/01/fitness-transformation-workout-1.html

Workout #2
I redid Workout #1 – http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/01/fitness-transformation-workout-1.html and Workout #2- http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/01/fitness-transformation-workout-2.html

I did one round of each workout.

Blessings!
Jared

Week 4 Workout# 9

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday I started week 4 of the 5 Week Body Transformation series I’ve been doing. I first did a Fit Test to check-in on my progress, and I am going in the right direction. I still have a ways to go upper-body strength wise but my endurance has decently improved. I am planning on posting my results but I am a little short on time this morning.

As I said, I did the Fit Test, but did each exercise one after the other. I probably should have taken a little time between each exercise to get more maximum results but I didn’t do that the first time I did it and I want to be consistent. I was able to do every exercise as it is on the video except the Bent Arm Hang, which was able to find a way to modify.

Fit Test- (http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/01/fit-test-2013.html)

All Levels: Max reps for each exercise in 60 seconds. Write down/keep track of your results. Repeat this workout in 2-4 weeks to see if you have progressed. 
1. Bent Arm Hang (go for max time, keeping your chin above the bar. Try not to let your body swing)
2. High Knees
3. Pushups
4. Jumping Jacks
5. Situps
6. Mountain Climbers
7. Plank (hold for as long as you can and keep track of your time)

Week 4 calls for you to redo previous workouts and I did workouts 6 and 1. I did each routine one time.

Workout# 6- (http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/02/fitness-transformation-workout-6.html)
Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps
1. Plank to Lunge Reach
2.Russian Twist
3. Mountain Climber Pushup
4. Lunge Kick (right)
5. Lunge Kick (left)
6. High Knees
7. Alicia’s Sumo Squat Kick
8. Side Frogger
9. Hip Thrust
10. Reverse Bicycle

Workout# 1- (http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/01/fitness-transformation-workout-1.html)
Beginner: 10 reps, repeat 1-2X
Intermediate: 15 reps, Repeat 1-3X
Advanced: 20 reps, Repeat 1-3X
1. High Knees (60 seconds)
2. Side Plank (right) (60 seconds)
3. Side Plank (left) (60 seconds)
4. Jumping Jacks
5. Bicycle
6. Walking Pushups
7. Sumo Squat
8. Mountain Climber
9. Temple Tap Abs
10. Plank (60 seconds)

Make sure you stretch and cool down afterwards.

Alright I hope everyone has a great Saturday!
Blessings Mates!
Jared

Fit Test and Workout #1

Hi everyone!
I get off work early on Fridays, and decided it was time to finally start putting in the work to reach my goals.

The Fit Test confirmed that I am really out of shape, and since I haven’t worked out in months I wasn’t surprised. Still, you always want to do better than what you actually do. The nice thing is I have something to help motivate me and I can do the Fit Test again after week 3 of the program and I can see how far I’ve come. It is all about taking baby steps, and enjoying the journey.

Fit Test
All Levels: Max reps for each exercise in 60 seconds. Write down/keep track of your results. Repeat this workout in 2-4 weeks to see if you have progressed.

1. Bent Arm Hang (go for max time, keeping your chin above the bar. Try not to let your body swing)
2. High Knees
3. Pushups
4. Jumping Jacks
5. Situps
6. Mountain Climbers
7. Plank (hold for as long as you can and keep track of your time)

I followed the Fit Test with Workout #1 of the Body Transformation Series I am doing. I only did it once, since I did the Fit Test. I am really going to ease into the first couple of weeks. Yes, I need to push myself, but I need to get a good foundation first. I always give max effort, but I know my cardio and strength have a certain limit right now. I don’t want to push myself so hard that my form falls apart, because that leads to long lasting injuries. My #1 goal with this program is simply to finish it and make it through the 5 weeks. Everything is secondary after that…I hope that makes sense.

I did do a few modifications. My left foot started to get tight either at the end of last year or earlier this year. It’s been so long it is tough for me to remember exactly when, so I try to lay off the feet some. Plus, I need to get much stronger in my upper body. So for example, instead of doing High Knees I did Overhead Presses.

Here is Workout #1
Beginner: 10 reps, repeat 1-2X
Intermediate: 15 reps, Repeat 1-3X
Advanced: 20 reps, Repeat 1-3X

1. High Knees (60 seconds)
2. Side Plank (right) (60 seconds)
3. Side Plank (left) (60 seconds)
4. Jumping Jacks
5. Bicycle
6. Walking Pushups
7. Sumo Squat
8. Mountain Climber
9. Temple Tap Abs
10. Plank (60 seconds)

After the workout I stretch for a while. I always feel better after doing a good stretch, and with my back/hip/ITBS/Gluteus Maximus issues I have to spend time to make sure I continue to improve these areas. Best part of all this is Saturday I woke up and I was sore, but nothing more than that. To wake-up and have recent injuries not bothering me was very nice.

Alright, I am going to do Workout #2 after work. Have a wonderful day everyone!
Blessings!
Jared

Fit Test

The first step of the 5 week Body Transformation program I am doing, is to do a Fitness Test. I did this Fit Test on 11-19-2013

When you do the Fit Test you do Max reps for each exercise in 60 seconds. Write down/keep track of your results. I will retake this Fitness Test at the end of the 5 weeks, but it can be taken at the halfway point if you want to. Below are the exercises I did and my results.

I did a warm-up before the Fitness Test

1. Bent Arm Hang (go for max time, keeping your chin above the bar. Try not to let your
body swing) – I didn’t have a way to do this one, so I did Lying Down Dumbbell Bench Press with 15 pound dumbbells. When I say “Lying Down” I mean I was lying down on the ground completely flat……….. I did 32

2. High Knees- I lost count but I believe it was somewhere between 152-132

3. Pushups- 13 – For whatever reason my right wrist was really hurting while doing pushups, so I ended up putting my hands into a fist. I am by no means saying I would have done a ton of pushups, but I think I could have done 18-22 without the pain.

4. Jumping Jacks- 50

5. Situps- 11 – Not pleased with this, but these situps only counted if you came up with chest all the way to your knees. It might have also helped if I had my feet in a position where they were held tighter(I hope that makes sense). I look forward to crushing this number at the end of this program.

6. Mountain Climbers – 70

7. Plank (hold for as long as you can and keep track of your time)- 30 seconds

I wasn’t very happy with a lot of my results, but I know this is all a starting point. Plus, it gives me something besides a scale number to shoot for!!!!

Here is the link for the Fitness Test Video ( http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/01/fit-test-2013.html )

Back To Working Out!!!

My chiropractor visits have eased the pain of the injury from early October, and I have been sleeping better this week, so I have finally decided it is time to start working out again. It is crazy to think it has been since early October since I last worked out, but to be honest it feels like it has been longer. I have decided to restart the Body Transformation Series (found on Melissa Bender’s website/blog benderfitness.com) I was doing, and I am really, really looking forward to it. I have learned a lot since I started the program in early September. I was doing a great job with my workouts, but I wasn’t eating as healthy as I needed to in order to see the results I wanted.

Last night I got home and was feeling a little tenderness in right knee, hip, and butt area, which is the area where that flared up originally. These are also the areas that I have been having issues with for years, so I was hesitate to do anything at all. I kept thinking that I was going to only make the tenderness worse or possibly completely injure myself. Then it hit me that I would probably feel that way until I actually tested these areas out.

I did the Fitness Test that the program has, but I left my results at home. I will try to post them later tonight. The big thing that came out of the Fitness Test is that I never felt my tenderness get worse, and I haven’t felt any pain today. That is a HUGE win in my book!!

I may try to do the first workout of the program tonight, but probably won’t go full force. I plan on taking it slow the first week and then turn it up a notch or two. The biggest thing I need to do is simply start working out again!!

Fitness Test

I have already started this program and am a little over a week into it. The first step is the Fitness Test.

Fitness Test- Max reps for each exercise in 60 seconds. Write down/keep track of your results. I will retake this Fitness Test for sure at the end of the 5 weeks, but it can be taken at the halfway point if you want to. Below are the exercises I did and my results.

I did a Warm-up and Stretched after doing the Fitness Test.

1. Bent Arm Hang (go for max time, keeping your chin above the bar. Try not to let your body swing) ……………………. I didn’t have a way to do this one, so I held my dumbbells (8 pounds) and held them in the starting position of a Over-Head Press (I stood up and put my arms out in a 90 degree angle above my head) and held the dumbbells in the starting position for as long as I could.    –  24 seconds

2. High Knees- 100

3. Pushups- 11 – I was not pleased with this

4. Jumping Jacks- 43

5. Situps- 12 – Again not pleased with this

6. Mountain Climbers – 63

7. Plank (hold for as long as you can and keep track of your time)- 34 seconds

I wasn’t very happy with a lot of my results, but I know this is all a starting point. Plus, it gives me something besides a scale number to shoot for!!!!

Here is the link for the Fitness Test Video ( http://www.benderfitness.com/2013/01/fit-test-2013.html )