Hi friends! Another week in the upside down. How are you doing? Everything is going pretty well over here. The Pilot is back from a trip, the kiddos and I have gone to the pool every single day, and we started working on Liv’s school summer packet.
I live here now.
I hope you guys have been enjoying the extra fitness content lately because life-wise, I don’t feel like I have a ton right now. We do pretty much the same things every single day and I’m reallyyyyyyy looking forward to the time when I can take a barre class and meet up with friends for a glass of wine. (Or even go on a date with the Pilot! We haven’t been on a date since February.) For now, we’re kinda just cranking away. The thought of school and what it will look like is still a significant stressor for me – so I just wanted to say thank you for being here and for making this blog a fun place to hang out. <3
House-wise, we’re painting again this weekend!! A gallon of paint arrived yesterday so I asked the Pilot to get the painter’s tape ready. Of course, I’ll share the details as soon as we’re finished, but it will be fun to have another project. (We’re doing the master bedroom and I’ll see if I can convince him to go after the bathroom cabinets, too. Our kitchen cabinet paint job is here!)
We’re going for a statement color in the master bedroom and I’m looking forward to seeing it come together.
For now, it’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! Here are some of my faves from the week and around the web. I always love to hear your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.
Daily Harvest ice cream. You guyyyyyyyys. If you haven’t tried this yet, you need to do it. I’m not even a huge ice cream person – more of a cake, cookie, or brownie person – but I’m obsessed with this ice cream. It’s vegan, the ingredients are simple, and it tastes like a dream come true. If you haven’t ordered from Daily Harvest yet, use my code FITNESSISTA for $25 off your first box!!
Dry Farm Wines! They sent us some of their clean wines to try out and we loved the red blend. I love that these wines aren’t made without additional chemicals or added sugar. Word on the street is that they will not give you wine headaches or a massive hangover. I cap it off at one or two glasses, so I can’t fully review the hangover properties, but the flavor was awesome. You can check out more about their wines and how they’re made here.
My friend Jess is hosting a virtual Momentum Fest this weekend if you’d like to join in the fun. It starts this morning and all of the classes are virtual if you’d like to check it out. Jess is an incredible instructor (and person!!) and has a talented lineup of presenters this weekend if you’re looking for a wellness-based virtual event to attend.
The “circuit” in circuit training comes from the fact that you do a sequence of exercises back to back to back, and then you repeat the sequence.
And then again.
You cycle through the planned sequence of exercises, or circuit, multiple times.
That’s circuit training.
Generally, you hit each major muscle group during one full circuit. You may do a lower body for one exercise. Then upper body the next.
You’ll find all sorts of different circuit training sequences. Here are some things most will have in common:
Several different exercises. A normal circuit will have five to ten different movements per circuit. You’ll often hear these referred to as “stations.” Overhead press station, squat station, etc.
Little to no rest in between.The goal of circuit training is to keep your heart rate up. Ideally, if you’re physically able, you go from one exercise to another without stopping. Maybe you rest after the whole circuit. Maybe.
Rinse and repeat.Generally, you’ll run through your circuit a few times. Three rounds are common.
Make sense?
The point here is to work different parts of your body with different exercises, and then while those parts are recovering, you’re working on your other movements! This helps build cardiovascular health, while also improving muscular endurance and strength.
More importantly, for somebody with limited time, doing a strength training circuit is more effective at building strength and burning fat than an equivalent amount of cardio.
In other words, if you are trying to lose weight, you should be doing circuit training.
Our Beginner Bodyweight Circuit would be a great place to begin, and you can download a worksheet to help you get started right here:
Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!
Complete this workout at home, no equipment required
Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing bodyweight exercises
Learn how to finally get your first pull-up
Why Should I do circuit training?
Generally, you’ll hear exercise divided into strength training or aerobic exercise (cardio).
What’s the difference, you wonder?
Strength training. Strength training is also referred to as anaerobic exercise, which would be a short burst of energy for movement. Think of a push-up or pull-up. These exercises help build and tone muscle.
Aerobic Exercise.“Aerobic” means “needs oxygen.” Your heart rate increases to get oxygen where your body needs it, thus the word “cardio.” Running, biking, or jumping jacks would be examples of aerobic exercise.
The thing about a circuit is, you actually do both categories. Presses and lunges fall into strength training. Jumping jacks are cardio.
And since you aren’t stopping much in between stations, you’ll need more oxygen, and voila. Even more cardio.
With circuit training, you build muscle and burn fat WHILE building stamina.
As Michael Scott would say, “that’s a win, win win.”
There’s some debate on what kind of exercise is better for weight loss: aerobic or anaerobic.
My thoughts?
If you’re limited on time and only can pick one, I would pick strength training: when you strength train, you break your muscles down, and your body needs to work extra hard over the next 24-48 hours to rebuild those muscles (with increased calories burned).
We work with our 1-on-1 Coaching Clients to create programs that combine both strength and cardio in a fun way – it really comes down to a program that you actually WANT to do.
Before and after your circuit training: Warm up and stretch
No matter which circuit you pick, I want you to start with one important thing:
Warm-up!
I cover why you should always warm up in an article found right here. It doesn’t have to be much though, give it about five minutes to get your muscles active and your heart rate up.
This will help you do exercises properly and help prevent injury. You can run in place, do air punches and kicks, or some jumping jacks.
Here is NF Senior Coach Staci (you might know her incredible story) showing you many beginner options you can use to warm up as well:
Did I just tell you to prepare for circuit training, with a circuit?!
If you’re curious, here’s my personal (advanced) warm-up:
Jump rope: 2-3 minutes
Jumping jacks: 25 reps
Bodyweight squats: 20 reps
Lunges: 5 reps each leg.
Hip extensions: 10 reps each side
Hip rotations: 5 each leg
Forward leg swings: 10 each leg
Side leg swings: 10 each leg
Push-ups: 10-20 reps
Spider-man steps: 10 reps
Our goal isn’t to tire you out, instead we want to warm you up.
That’s step one.
Completing your chosen circuit training routine would be step two.
Below, you’ll find 15 workouts you can follow along with! And if you like our style of workouts, you can check out our coaching program where we’ll customize a circuit routine that fits your life and/or travel schedule:
Once you’ve done the above three times, go ahead and put your kettlebell away for your final step: stretches.
If you want a kettlebell worksheet, grab one by signing up in the box below:
Grab Your Beginner Kettlebell Routine Worksheet!
Complete this workout at home or gym with 1 kettlebell.
Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing kettlebell exercises.
Build strength, burn fat, level up your life!
Beginner Gym Circuit Training
If you have access to a gym, you have a lot of circuit options.
If it’s your first time stepping foot in a fitness facility, check out our Beginner’s Guide to the Gym. The gym can be a scary place, but we’ll give you a strategy to get comfy.
We’ll also walk you through each movement for both Days A and B below. I would recommend picking one of our 5 Beginner Gym Workouts, going through the leveled progressions, and working your way up to the circuits below:
Alternate your circuits on different days. Rest in between. “Day A” could be Monday. Rest Tuesday. Wednesday could be “Day B.”
We LOVE helping people get started in the gym, as we’re huge fans of barbell training and helping beginners build confidence with weight training! If that sounds like you…
And you can download our full Strength 101 guide too, which has this routine along with other circuits to help you start building strength today:
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
The Hotel Workout Circuit: For Travelers that Train
Sometimes, you just plain find yourself stuck in a hotel room.Maybe you can find the hotel gym, but I bet it’s terrible! It probably has 2 machines, a broken treadmill, and no free weights.
Ugh.
Instead, how about a workout circuit you can do in the room itself! Utilize the furniture to its full potential.
Gimli “Shall I get you a box?”jumps: 7 box jumps – REALLY explode
Helm’s Deep-Squats: 9 bodyweight squats – get your ass to the ground
Tower of Orthanc Holds: 1 minute (Kick up against a wall and hold a handstand for as long as you can until 1 minute is complete, in as few as sets as possible. Check out ourGuide to Handstands.)
Samwise Gamgee Carries: 1 minute (Demonstrated here byAKLulu carrying me at a NF meetup) A heavy sandbag over the shoulder works too. No sandbag? Just carry two dumbbells around the gym for a minute.
If you can get through a superset three times, consider yourself an honorary Ranger. Nothing found in Mordor can faze you.
Barbell Deadlift / Dumbbell RDL / Banded Good Morning / Regular Good Morning: 10 reps
Medicine Ball Slam / Quick Downwards Bodyweight Squat: 10 reps
Push-up to Renegade row (push-up, row left, push-up, row right, repeat): 5 Rows per side
Transverse Lunge and Chop: 5 reps each side
How many times do you do this circuit? AMRAP, or, As Many Rounds As Possible. I suggest setting a 12 minute timer and getting to work. Be careful though, because only Wolverine can heal automatically.
You’ll need actual rest.
Boom!
There are your nerdy circuits.Feel free to rock the soundtrack of the referenced movies during your workout. If you own a cape, now’s the time.
Complete List of Circuit Training Exercises
You can do any of the workouts in this article and get a great workout, but if you want to build your own workout, you can totally do that too!
Here is a list of exercises you can use to create your workout.
Simply pick a few, and do one after the other in as many circuits as you want!
Do 3 circuits with 10 reps of each exercise, one after the other!
Have fun and keep things interesting. And if you don’t want to build your own workout, that’s cool too! We have 15 free workouts in this article, and we can also do all the heavy lifting for you.
Well, not literally DO the heavy lifting, but you know what I mean. We create custom workout solutions for busy people just like you in our 1-on-1 Coaching Program. Let us create a workout and help you make better food choices.
It’s like having a Yoda in your pocket (again, not literally).
How to Stretch After Circuit Training
Once you finish your workout, the final step (three) would be stretching and cool down. No matter what circuit you go through, stretch after a workout. It can help a lot with muscle recovery.
Scope this video for an awesome stretching sequence to follow:
You could also do some yoga poses. For stretching, find what feels good and take your time. Let your heart rate come down while you stretch.
You could even do some foam rolling too if you’re a glutton for punishment!
Getting Started With Circuit Training
There are all sorts of different ways to do circuit training.We just showed you fifteen.
YOUR MISSION:Complete one of the above circuit training workouts! If you don’t know which one to pick, start with the Beginner Bodyweight Circuit. It’ll get you used to the idea of hustling from one exercise to the next.
And you can do it in your living room!
If you’re looking for more hands-on instruction and customized guidance, check out our 1-on-1 Coaching program.You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who get to know you better than you know yourself, and then build a workout program that is specific to your exact goals.
Simply put, we tell you exactly what to do every day, and how to eat. And then, we check in with you regularly to make sure you’re doing it!
If you got this far in the article, I really want you to try one of these workouts.Right NOW. I always mention the most important step in a fitness journey is starting it. Today, start circuit training.
Once completed, I’d love for you to share your story with the community in the comments:
How’d it go?
Did you get through three full circuits?
Which routine did you pick?
Find a circuit you’re comfortable with, and do it.
Hi friends! Hope you’re having a lovely morning. We’re just taking it easy here and looking forward to another tie dye blitz this afternoon. The girls have gotten so good at tie dye lately and have been dyeing pretty much any white article of clothing in the house.
For today’s post, I thought I’d share a WIAW-style post. To be honest, my eating hasn’t been very stellar since we’ve started this whole “stay at home” thing a few months ago. We’ve been cooking even more of our meals at home, which is a good thing, but I find that because I’m juggling so much more – it was even more intense when we were doing the distance learning thing – I’ll sometimes go for dips into the chocolate chip bag instead of real meals. When I feel stressed, I tend to feel pretty blah about food. I make the girls delicious and balanced meals, but when I need to put something together for myself, it just doesn’t sound as appealing.
I’m a believer in giving ourselves grace, especially during such an unprecedented time. In the future, I’m sure I’ll be back to my meal prepping and organized ways, but I’m just over here flying the seat of my pants most days. I probably should have taken pictures of the kids’ meals because they were a bit more exciting lol but here we are: a full day of eats.
8:30am: We all sleep until 8 (!) so I eat a few Enjoy Life protein balls while I start the coffee maker and make the girls their favorite fluffy pancakes with scrambled eggs and strawberries.
The Pilot is telecommuting today (wahoo!) so we sit on the patio and drink coffee together while the girls eat their breakfast inside.
(Decaf coffee with monk fruit, almond milk, and a scoop of Vital Proteins collagen)
The girls are playing with their dolls and having fun together, so I get in a quick work blitz: I answer emails, respond to Beautycounter skincare surveys, respond to blog comments, and schedule four podcast interviews for the next month.
11:30am: I have official breakfast while I make the girls lunch. This is a smoothie with the girls’ leftover breakfast strawberries (I hate tossing fruit, so I just put their leftover breakfast fruit in the fridge until I make a smoothie at some point during the day), almond milk, chia sees, almond butter, frozen cauliflower rice (you can’t taste it but it gives it a great texture and nutrient boost), cocoa powder, maca, spinach, Truvani protein powder, and monk fruit.
For the girls’ lunch, they have avocado toast with a side of cotton candy grapes, hummus, and carrots
I also start the sourdough for the following day and let it rest.
12:30pm: We head to the pool and take our giant inflatable donut with us. We meet up with some friends and the girls all play in the water wearing mermaid tails, while my friend, the Pilot, and I chat in the tanning ledge area. I also practice a bit of swimming with P – she’s getting so good at swimming without her puddle jumper!
3:30pm: We’re at the pool for a few hours and since I haven’t officially had lunch yet, I’m getting pretty snacky and so are the girls. They split a cheeseburger with fries, while we all share chicken wings and jumbo shrimp cocktail. (The shrimp are the size of my hand and SO good.)
I originally planned to make a giant salad for lunch but when we get home from the pool, I know dinner will be pretty soon and don’t feel like chopping anything, so there ya go.
4:00-6:00pm: Another quick work blitz while the Pilot hangs out with the crew downstairs. I have a conference call, pre-write the meat of this blog post, answer emails (my inbox is a black hole of sadness), make a couple of quick workout graphics, schedule my coschedule content for the week, and brainstorm content for the following week.
6:00pm: Mexican food takeout from El Charro. I order the chicken tacos on corn tortillas with rice and beans.
and eat approximately 1400 chips with salsa.
We take a family walk, give the girls baths and do the nighttime routine, and they’re both crashed by 9pm.
9:00-10:30pm: I watch Tombstone with the Pilot while typing up the rest of this blog post and getting everything to go for the following day. Before bed, I sip on a golden milk latte and shape the sourdough loaves and pop them into the fridge.
We also go out to the balcony to take pictures of the fire. It’s moved east but has grown exponentially and isn’t even a quarter contained.
11:15pm: Lights out and ready to do it all over again.
What I liked about this day of eats: I really love the shrimp cocktail at the pool, so any day that includes that is a win. Also Taco Tuesday = another win. Even though I kind of skipped lunch in favor of snacks, I definitely would have hit my protein goal for the day. (I stopped tracking macros a while ago, but still try to make sure I have protein in every meal and snack.)
What I didn’t like about this day of eats: It was a bit lower on the veggies and nutrient front that I would have liked. I usually try to get in some type of fresh fruit and/or veggies with every meal, but lately, this hasn’t been happening as often. I’m just rolling with it and waiting until inspiration strikes again. Every week I say I’m going to make more of an effort, but some weeks have felt pretty blah, ya know? If you’re feeling the same way, please know you’re not alone.
What was the best thing you ate yesterday? Favorite place to get takeout right now?
Summer Shape Up Giveaway, 8 week fitness challenge
We are so happy Summer Shape Up 2020 is finally here and we know you girls are too! These 8 weeks are going to be all about connecting with your body, building that inner confidence and making new friends within the #TeamLSF community.
We’re so excited to partner with GT’s Kombucha to help you #LetYourLightShine this summer! And these Summer Shape Up Giveaways are going to get you even more motivated to crush it!
Okay….are you ready to hear all the incredible prizes you could win and how to win them?? Take a seat. Buckle Up. Let’s get into all the deets for your Summer Shape Up Giveaway! There are lots of them!!!
(1) Grand Prize Winner:
We are choosing 1 grand prize winner who shows up everyday for herself and for the Team LSF community! She is that girl that is constantly checking in, giving us all the inspiration and wears her heart on her sleeve!
Prize Package Includes:
$1,000 Cash Prize to create your own at home oasis (ummm can we come over?!)
iPhone 11 + Free year to the app! Keep bringing those sweaty selfies all year long!
$500 in Swimwear from Dippin’ Daisies, get ready to rock your bikini body, girl!
$500 in from FACIALWORKS skincare, glow baby glow!
$500 to Victoria’s Secret
Summer Shape UpGiveaway Runners-Up
You know we couldn’t just have one big prize! There are so many of you that will be crushing this challenge, we had to add in more amazing prizes.
2nd Place:
A Theragun to massage all those hard working muscles! ($600 value)
$250 in from Dippin’ Daisies so you are ready to show off all your hard work from this challenge!
$250 in FACIALWORLS skincare to give you an at home spa session!
$60 to Summer Water to celebrate crushing your goals!
6 month subscription to LSF the App! Let’s get your sweat on even after the challenge!
$250 to Victoria’s Secret
3rd Place:
A FitBit to track even more of your progress in the LSF App!
$250 in Dippin’ Daisies swimwear so you can strut your stuff!
$250 in FACIALWORKS skincare to totally pamper yourself this summer!
$60 to Summer Water to bring the party to you!
3 month subscription to LSF the App! We want to see you continue to crush your workouts!
$250 to Victoria’s Secret
….and even more Runner Ups!
For this Summer Shape Up giveaway, these babes will be winning our favorite skin care and beauty products, plus exclusive LSF goodies!
Sweaty Selfie Queen: This babe posts tons of sweaty selfies & totally owns her sweaty self after crushing her workouts in the LSF App!
Hydration MVP: For the girl who sends the water chug challenge left & right, keeping us all glowing and feeling our best!
Master Chef: This girl knows how to cook guiltless and knows how to capture that photo that makes us all want to come over for a dinner party! She loves using her LSF Meal Plans!
LSF Bad*ss Mom: This woman is the ultimate multitasker. Crushing workouts, being the best mom ever and showing how important it is to take care of yourself, too!
OMG Transformation: This girl worked her booty off and it SHOWS. She followed the meal plans, workouts and showed up for herself each & everyday.
Energizer Bunny: This girl is the ultimate Team LSF Cheerleader! Her energy is absolutely electric and her number 1 priority is spreading positivity, sharing everyone’s progress, commenting and being there if you need a friend.
Fierce & Fabulous Front Line Worker: This woman is still getting her sweat on while being a selfless essential care worker!
Cutest Furry Workout Friend: This babe has the cutest furry friend that is always popping into her sweat seshes and it totally makes our day!
Studious and Working it: For the girl that is crushing college classes & checking off workouts everyday!
Extra AF: This girl is always making her workouts as extra as possible! She does every bonus move, app workout, video, Live, and Daily 10.
Wanna win this amazing summer prize?! We’re giving you the how to plus extra tips below! Stay committed for 8 weeks and YOU could be the grand prize winner!!
Take your “before” photos on day 1 and just wait…. You’ll never believe the progress you’ll see at the end of this challenge when you take your “afters!” Find an easy “how to” guide here.You’ll share your before and after pics on the last day of the challenge so we can see those amazing #lsftransformations! Crush your Summer Shape Up challenge and have the ultimate transformation and YOU could be the Grand Prize winner!
Follow @LoveSweatFitness + @TeamLSF on Instagram and tag us in your daily #LSFRollCall check-ins! Pssst, don’t forget to use #LSFSummerShapeUp too! Be the girl that cheers for all your Team LSF babes success throughout the challenge and keep that IG active af!
Build lean muscle, burn fat, and feel amazing in your beautiful body with the perfect fitness program! Complete your LSF Premium Workouts, Daily 10 and Bonus moves every day in the LSF App! Share those cute sweaty selfies and your workout success on the gram!
And don’t Forget…
Make your LSF IG account. Follow @LoveSweatFitness + @TeamLSF on Instagram and make sure you’re tagging us in your daily check ins! Pssst, don’t forget to use #LSFSummerShapeUp as well!
HINT: We’ll be doing mini giveaways throughout the challenge to motivate girls who have been following their printable calendars from the SSU Sweat Starter! So keep that IG active AF!
How are you doing? Everything is going pretty well over here. The Pilot is back from a trip, the kiddos and I have gone to the pool every single day, and we started working on Liv’s school summer packet.
The “circuit” in circuit training comes from the fact that you do a sequence of exercises back to back to back, and then you repeat the sequence.
If you have access to a gym, you have a lot of circuit options.
