Best Exercises for toned legs and booty

When it comes to leg day, there are too many leg exercises to count. Jump squats, leg press, leg extensions, calve raises, reverse lunge, side lunge, and the list goes on. We cannot possibly do all of these exercises in one day.. You should be doing exercises that will lead to your overall goal. Are you building muscle? Toning? Beginner? I'm going to share my top 3 exercises that I find to tone, define, and enhance my endurance (I do enjoy a good run when the weather permits).

I have chosen these three exercises because they maximize the use of almost every leg muscle. Please not that these are not the only exercises I do on leg day, I am constantly trying to find new ways to keep my workouts interesting. I learned to lift using the app "BodySpace" created by bodybuilding.com. I highly recommend this app. I will write more about the app in another post.

Anyway...
Warm up by walking on the treadmill at speed 3.0-4.0 and jog if you prefer. 5 minutes is enough time but do what feels best for you.

Exercise one is the oh so loved..



Back Squat: Start off by squatting the bar (45lb) for as many reps as you can with good form.

Go up to a weight that you are comfortable performing 8-12reps with correct form.

     Notes: I was never fond of the back squat and avoided it like the plague. You must become comfortable with your form 100% and keep the weight low until you can squat with proper form in order to reduce chance of injury. Do not be afraid to ask one of the employees at your gym for help, that is what they are there for.

Dumbbell Squat: 4 sets 10-15 reps (squeeze glut, slow and controlled). Comfortable weight I used 40lb.

Cable Kick Backs: 3 sets of 8-15
Kick as high as you are comfortable. I will post about hip flexibility soon. Keep knee slightly bent and keep back straight. Perform one leg at a time and use ankle clip if available.

Advanced: more exercises that could be added to this include: walking lunges 3x10-12, Romanian dumbbell dead lifts 4x10-12.


Follow these steps for any squat exercise: GOLDEN RULES

• Keep back straight with chest up.
• Do not let knees pass toes.
• If you are flexible and can squat with your quads parallel than do what is comfortable for you. The safest squat is a squat that does not allow your knee to exceed 90 degrees.
• Do not hyper-extend knees at the end of each squat in order to reduce risk of injury. 

Healthy Sweet Potato Waffles Guilt Free

I was experimenting in my kitchen this morning and discovered a delicious recipe. I had some left over sweet potatoes and wanted to make waffles for breakfast so I threw together some ingredients and Voila!

These waffles are so sweet you do not even have to add any syrup. I made these for my boyfriend and I, let's just say he ate 3 of them. If you like are a health conscious eater like me but enjoy sweets, this is the recipe for you.



Ingredients:

3/4 cup oat flour (blended quick oats)
9 tbsp Egg whites
1 Scoop vanilla protein powder (I used quest)
1 medium-large sweet potato cooked (preferred w/o skin)
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 packets stevia OR (optional) 1 squirt vanilla birthday cake


Blend all dry ingredient in food processor or blender (oats, baking soda, baking powder, protein, stevia) until powder consistency.

Mash sweet potato and mix in the wet ingredients (egg whites, almond milk, sweet potato) until fully mixed and creamy.

Add all ingredients to food processor and then you are ready to pour into the waffle maker! Make sure you spray your waffle maker with some sort of oil to avoid sticking.

Check out the flavoring I used in these waffles. This flavoring is a great way to add 0 calorie deliciousness to oatmeal, pancakes, egg whites, and more! They have recipes and are able to be purchased at www.ISO-SPLASH.com

Quick Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie

I don't know about you, but I love peanut butter. Don't even get me started on peanut butter ice cream. I can't count the times I would break down and eat a half pint of peanut butter ice cream! Worry no more my friends because I have created a recipe for success. The ingredients to this smoothie are:

1 frozen banana
1 cup skim milk or unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp all natural creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp PB2 peanut butter powder (amazing ingredient, more details below)
1/4 cup 100% liquid egg whites (optional extra protein or 1/4 cup water)
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (or chocolate protein for chocolate pb!)

Note: There are two ingredients I will introduce to you. There is nothing more frustrating than finding a great recipe, but are unable to try it because there are ingredients on there that you've never heard of. I am going to show you what PB2 and liquid egg whites are.

         Image 2
PB2 is pretty much powdered peanut butter. The reason I find it so amazing is because there isn't nearly as much fat in it. You could replace your real peanut butter for this by adding water to the powder and spreading it on toast. 2 tbsp of peanut butter is around 200 calories. 2 tbsp of PB2 is only 45 calories!
Image 1
Liquid Egg Whites are a low calorie way to add protein to any shake. Only 25 calories and it's just protein. Better yet, 5 grams of protein!

Say Good-Bye to Boring Workouts

Most women think that a weight room consists of a bunch of sweaty meat heads, loud grunting, and a feeling of intimidation. What if I told you that you don't even have to step foot in the weight room? Well, you can and I will show you how. Using non-traditional equipment may sound scary but with a little bit of creativity it's fun. You may not know the terminology for this equipment so I have included an equipment list with pictures. Sometimes I like to go in a quiet room and do a muscular fitness workout. I put together a video that will show you exactly what to do.

This workout focuses on Chest/Triceps with a little ab exercise at the end.

Equipment Used:
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• Medicine Ball (Heavier/larger ball increases difficulty)

      
        Image 1
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• Stability Ball (Larger Ball increases difficulty)

      
       Image 2
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• Bosu Ball 

      
        Image 3
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(Watch YouTube Video:VIDEO) Perform each exercise 3 times. Each time you should perform as many repetitions as possible. Do not be discouraged if you cannot do as many reps as you want. Move to your knees if you are too tired to do 90degree push ups. I always move down to my knees at some point during these exercises. Give yourself a minute of rest in between sets as well. You can do jumping jacks if you would like or just take a breather and drink some water! Remember, the goal is to enjoy your workout. Have fun with it!

Comments?

Heart Rate

I learned a little bit about heart rate in my class the other day. The average Resting Heart Rate (RHR) for women is between 60-100 beats per minute. For well trained athletes it can range from 40-60 beats per minute. I tested my RHR and it ended up being between 56-58. It's the little things that make me love fitness. If anyone has questions about Target Heart Rate training, or how to calculate your Target Heart Rate Zone, I'd be MORE than happy to help!

Yoga (Flexibility)

When I first started my fitness journey, I was not very flexible nor stable. I even had trouble standing on one leg when stretching. I have come a long way since then and you can too! Flexibility is also important for our bodies because it reduces stress, decreases chance of injury, as well as decrease pain throughout the day. You should make time for flexibility 2-3 times a week. I enjoy group fitness classes so I usually attend 1 yoga session a week. I then add a 10-15 minutes stretch routine at the end of every workout as a cool down. Find what work for you and stick with it. I have inserted a few links you to videos of some basic Yoga poses.

Warrior Poses I, II, and III

Video 1

How to do a Warrior I Pose:

This video is a 2 minutes instructional video for the warrior I pose in basic yoga. Not only does this video describe the pose, it shows how to warm up in sequence to the ending pose, warrior I. By displaying how to open up the hips, this video shows the correct placement of arms, legs, eyes, feet, and more.

•   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4qaVoAbeHM                              

Video 2

How to do a Warrior II Pose:

The following video is also a quick 2 minute instructional video, but instead of covering warrior I it covers warrior II. In the beginning of the video the instructor shows a sequence, staring with downward dog. She explains critical elements as they relate to warrior II: keeping hips square and using your eyes as a balance tool.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbIrd6onJwQ

                           

Video 3

How to do a Warrior III Pose:

This video accurately explains a few sequences that led up to the warrior III pose. The instructor shows specific critical elements: breathing technique, contracting inner core muscles, lengthening both legs, and more.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S74efRiLo6k

Back and Biceps (Muscular Strength)

There are actually two different categories for muscular composition: muscular strength and muscular endurance. Both are equally important and are concepts of the 5 Health Related Fitness Components. Today was a great day to focus on muscular strength. The difference between the two is simple. Muscular strength is less reps and more weight. Muscular endurance is more reps and less weight.

Since I focused on muscular strength I was only performing 6-8 reps of each exercise. It is good to mix up your routine and reps because our bodies adjust to what we do. By switching it up and trying new things we are making our muscles think and work harder. This allows you to get the best results. Do not be afraid to lift heavy. There are many misconceptions of how women gain muscle mass. Check out this blog by Chris Freytag if you are concerned with becoming too bulky.

Chris Freytag's Blog