Hi there! I'm pretty shiny and new to nerd fitness/the rebellion but I've been working on finding my way down my fitness path on and off for a bit now. I've been doing some mix of cardio (walk/jog intervals or stationary biking) and strength training (weights!) since about March or April and just cardio before that since about mid-January (it was a lazy thing and an easing back in thing, I can admit that). But now I have found the rebellion (which is awesome!) and I'm super excited about it! So here's where I need some help. This week I started doing the beginner bodyweight workout. I love it! It gets my heart rate up and gets me sweating, two things I was sorely lacking in the strength work I had been doing. However, I complete 3 rounds in about 16 minutes (as of this morning). While that level of elevated heart rate (approx 144) isn't sustainable for a super extended period for me right now I would prefer to have a longer work out session. I'm looking to extend my work out by about 15-20 minutes overall on my strength training days (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) and would love suggestions for things I can add in for the same sort of set up as the beginner bodyweight routine (i.e., exercises a, b, c, repeat) utilizing the stuff I already have around. I've been adding crunches with a swiss ball (hold ball, bring to knees, feet flat on floor, it's the easiest way for me to not strain my neck doing crunches I've found) and what I call ball passes (passing the swiss ball from hands to feet, lowering both then raising both to pass back per rep) but that's less than 4 minutes of extra work out. Here is what I have to work with: - I own dumbbells, the sort where you can add plates but I only currently have 2.5 lb and 5 lb plates so they max out at 20 lbs each (which is only problematic depending on the specific exercise) - I have a resistance band - I have a swiss ball - I have one of those aerobic steps but it's pretty low and therefore not likely much use for anything - I have a trunk/foot locker that comes up to about my knee (I'm a wee person) which can be utilized - I have access to a sit up bench in my apartment's fitness center (I love inverted sit ups, they are my new favorite thing) - I prefer to stick to fewer reps with more challenge/weight. Goals: - Lose fat/weight - Build strength generally - Build core and upper body strength more specifically to make me less hopeless when attempting a circus arts class (I really want to learn silks and lyra but just don't have the strength for it even on a beginner level yet) - Work toward enough strength to start training to eventually do pull ups (I blame the circus arts drop in class I did for this drive) - Be able to do real push ups with good form again! (I used to be able to do 20 in a min, now my form sucks after 4) - Join the kickboxing circuit training gym when it opens (9 Round) for extra strength and sweat-inducing fun - Be awesome Other points: - I do my best to get 8 hours of sleep a night. Sometimes I can't fall asleep quite early enough because there's still light out. - I wake up around 4:30 to work out normally (so I can work out, make breakfast, eat, etc. without being in a rush and therefore feeling like I need to sacrifice this due to time) - On Tuesdays and Thursdays I do sprint intervals (15 sec sprint, 45 min walk for 10-15 mins followed by walking - depending on the route I took - and jogging down the hill home because I *like* running/jogging down that hill and that whole stretch back to my apt) - I follow sprint intervals with a 13 stretching DVD which is sort of a yoga meets pilates kind of a thing. - I might add sprint intervals and stretching on Saturdays too depending how much I feel like I need the work out vs the rest - Sunday is always a rest day though filled with walking and cooking and errandy things. - I eat pretty much eggs, meat, fish, seafood and vegetables. - I snack on roasted seaweed snacks. Sometimes on coconut chips but I try not so since those have quite a bit of added sugar. - I rarely eat fruit right now even though I do love it. I mostly indulge with a handful of berries at breakfast when I have them. - I don't eat any starchy carb vegetable at the moment and I'm considering that maybe I should with breakfast since that's my post-workout meal - I started drinking bone broth in the morning (made my first batch this week!) Sooo....given all that (possibly excessive) information, any thoughts, opinions, ideas?
