Sweating My Way Through

Who needs a gym membership? Really? Because with a little digging through google and a tiny investment in weights, circuit training at home is a breeze. For a poor person like me, this is a good thing. With our tough personal circumstances, I think the only thing keeping me sane and fighting off depression has been to throw myself into an exercise regime. Sadly, I think that same stress has countered every burned calorie and any weight loss has been slow if not nil.

BUT! (And this is a good but) For the first time in years, I can see tone beginning to peek through the flab. My arms have muscle, and if I can lose any of that stupid fat there will be a killer six pack of abs underneath. Progress is slow, but at least it's still progress. That progress has everything to do with upping my game these past couple of months: strength training. I no longer just go for runs and call it good. I now incorporate all-around training from head to toe and it has already had a nice affect on my running. No more sore knees. At least not as bad anyway.

I'm not prone to being a quiz taker, but the other day I saw one that claimed to calculate your "happy weight." The weight at which you are the healthiest, and therefore should be the happiest. Now, I'm pretty sure I have a good grasp on what I should weigh for my height, and that would be what I was back when I was 22. I wasn't model thin, but I was definitely a good 25 lbs. less than I am now. This has been my personal Everest for years. The quiz piqued my interest though, because I wondered if maybe my aspirations were too high (or low for that matter). Being a fresh 22-year-old was a decade ago for me, so perhaps my goal weight, let alone my happy weight, was unreasonable. It's not like we ladies don't have a tendency toward unrealistic goals.

I entered all my information and clicked, "Calculate."

Damn it.

Right there in front of me was the same number I would see on the scale ten years ago.

Well, at least I was right. I have pretty healthy expectations of what I should be and what I should keep on truckin' towards. Which brings me to my own cardio routine. I see so many of these out there on Pinterest, but I feel like none of them incorporate enough action to keep my heart rate up like I feel running does. So, I combined the two. This might seem pretty simple at first, but let me tell you, by the third round on the treadmill, I want to die. I will keep this in my weekly rotation until it gets too easy. Then I'll either ramp up the intensity or run longer. Not sure which. I personally only do this once a week because I have other things I do, but I'm sure anyone could take the gist of this and switch around some of the exercises, such as adding more abdominal targeted moves, and do it more than once a week. It works well for me when the weather is terrible and I don't want to leave the garage where my treadmill lives. I'm sure when the snow melts, I'll modify it to run blocks around the neighborhood and do the other exercises in my yard. In all, no matter how you do it, you will definitely sweat!

Killer Kardio

Comments

ChrissyBee said…
Thanks a lot, I need some of your self-motivation:)
Amber said…
Thanks ChrissyBee. You can do it!
Anonymous said…
I tried this yesterday and it KICKED MY BUTT! great workout
Maureen said…
Just did this! It was great, but tiring. Didn't have a jump rope so I faked it and just did the motions. Will be adding this to my workout rotation. Thanks!
Amber said…
Thanks everyone! I know this kills me, so I had hoped others might find this routine useful.
Anonymous said…
You do all 3 sets in one day?
Amber said…
^ To answer Anonymous ^
Yes, 3 sets in one day. It works out to be about a 50 minute workout, give or take.
Unknown said…
Ok ladies, I'm reading this, and I too weighed my ideal weight 10 years ago when I was 22... Three kids later...I have some toning up to do! I know I will not make it through this the first day, no treadmill so I will be running in this 100 degree Texas heat! Maybe not 10 minutes yet! I encourage anyone who reads this to go ahead and try it. For yourself! We can do it!
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the post, I have been looking for something just like this. This is designed to do all in one setting, correct?
Amber said…
^ Yep! I am even able to use the front of my treadmill to do the tricep dips.
Anonymous said…
Do you know about how many calories this burns?
Anonymous said…
Thank you so much, I've been trying to work out lately but haven't had a good workout laid out like that to help motivate me. :)
Anonymous said…
Don't forget to stretch before and after, or you'll be so sore in the morning!
A great workout indeed, although a bit trying/tiring (as some others have mentioned).

Thanks for sharing. :)
Unknown said…
Just set 1 and I got busted!

Any tips for improving stamina?
Anonymous said…
For health benefits, don't forget to mix in strength training. Strength 3 days, cardio 3 days, rest 1 day. Ladies, forget the scale...use a mirror. Don't get fixated on a number but rather great health. All the best to you all!!
Anonymous said…
I agree! Who needs a gym membership that costs 10 dollars or more a month??? Sifting through google to find exercises that YOU like is wayyy better than trying to limit yourself at the gym! I like your logic :)
papermoon said…
This looks fantastic! Thanks so much for putting this up, I can't wait to try it. Been really trying to get back into shape, so this is definitely gonna be added to my routine. Cheers!
Anonymous said…
I think I can do this. I posted it to my fb page. Thank you. You are a encourager.
Anglia O Skaggs Smith said…
I'm Anglia O Skaggs Smith. I didn't mean to not attach my name. I've never wrote to anyone else. Just in reading your blog I was very encouraged. Thank you motivator.
AKA Angie
HepburnHippo said…
Great workout....you can also combine & do EIGHT (instead of three) 20/10 rotations to create your own Tabata workout. ....(removing the running). A 20/10 is 20 seconds hard & fast, doing as many repetitions as you can, then rest for 10 seconds. Rest for 1 minute between rotations.
It might look something like this:
***Rotation 1***
Jumping jack, 20 seconds, intense
REST: 10 seconds
Tricep Dips, 20 seconds, intense
REST: 10 seconds
High Knees, 20 seconds, intense
REST: 10 seconds
Burpees, 20 seconds, intense
REST: 10 seconds
Mountain Climbers, 20 seconds, intense
REST: 10 seconds
Butt kickers, 20 seconds, intense
REST: 10 seconds
1 MINUTE BREAK, walk around, baby sips of water.
(for a total of 4 minutes each rotation)
THEN, REPEAT FOR 7 more rounds or rotations.
Please remember, you have to do a full body stretch before & after....totaling a 45 minute workout. Its great to tally each exercise & try to add 1 more each rotation.
HepburnHippo said…
Oh yeah....Check out tabatasongs.com ; ) I am in NO WAY associated with this site; it's only used as a reference! ; )
Unknown said…
Hi Fantasmo, I'm trying to create little workout cards for myself. What tool did you use to create this image? Those figures are cool.


Thanks for your help.
jane said…
Now THIS is a workout. I lasted right after the 1 minute butt kicks because it ended up kicking my butt. The irony. For the treadmill, how would you suggest 'restarting' the belt? I turn mines of before I do the next exercise and start it back on and it seems like a hassle. Not sure if I'm using the right treadmill or not for this. Maybe a manual one would help.
Badu said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Badu said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Badu said…
I saw this post and it has inspired me to test this workout, because this is exactly what I wanted ..
It has re-motivated me.
I started it from the beginning of September and I hope that this workout will be able to help me lose weight.
At the same time, I try to pay attention to what I eat.
I'll tell you what the results are within two months.. Thank you again for this training :)
(excuse my english)
Anonymous said…
Hi all, i have been coming back to this blog a few times now and i see a lot of appreciation for the workout given here. however, can anyone confirm how well it has worked for them? (assuming they stuck to the workout for a month or two)
would really appreciate some testimonials. thanks!
Anonymous said…
How did you create those InfoGraphic Vector images of the exercises?

Thanks,

Justin
http://www.workoutanywhere.net
Anonymous said…
good
Abby said…
This workout is great! I love how it breaks up the run and still provides extra cardio!

I just wrote a post about it on my blog and I would love it if you checked it out :)

http://bigcitydreamsbyabby.blogspot.com/2014/08/killer-cardio-arm-workout.html
Unknown said…
I just finished part of this workout and it is killer! I will get through this all at once in the next weeks. Thanks for this post!!
Anonymous said…
This is AWESOME! Thanks for this workout love it!
Ijin share ya bro, kalau memang gak sayang kagak usah bilang cinta percuma saja akhirnya menyakitkan.. goyang asyyiiikkkk

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Rose Blackpink said…
Your article had provided me with another point of view on this topic. I had absolutely no concept that things can possibly work on this manner as well. Thank you for sharing your opinion

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