Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

Boost your cardio and push yourself with this workout. Remember to take short rests between each exercise. Longer rests come at the end of the round! Your heart is a muscle so you want to challenge it when you work out. Alternating between bouts of high intensity cardio exercises and rest gives your heart a tough workout.  Music with higher beats per minute (120+) helps me get through tough cardio workouts. I focus on the beat of the music instead of how many reps I do. This workout doesn’t require any equipment. That means no excuses! You can do this circuit just about anywhere: your home, gym, or a park.

Work 30 seconds, rest 30 seconds, repeat circuit 1 time

• Jumping jacks
• Mountain climbers
• Tuck jumps
• High knees
• Run in place
• Star jumps
• Butt kicks
• Burpees

Do you find it hard to fit exercise in to a demanding workday?  Read this blog post for tips on how you can make exercise a part of your day!  For more blogs like this one, subscribe to our blog to receive them directly to your inbox.  

Circuit workouts are a great way to incorporate many exercises, using cardio, strength, or a combination of the two. Changing up stations throughout the workout will help increase your bouts of cardiovascular activity to increase your heart rate.  You can either choose to use time as an interval or a set number of repetitions. Don’t dilly dally and move quickly from one exercise to the next, only resting after each full round is complete.  Try for at least two rounds, if not three. 

 If you aren't much for timed workouts complete 10 reps at each stations and strive for three times around.

• Bridge
• Alternating lunge
• Plank hop
• Bicycle crunches
• Pike
• Superman
• Fire hydrants
• Leg raises

Check out this blog for another cardio circuit workout and subscribe to our blog below for more great content from NIFS Fitness Management.

It's important to work your core to help improve your balance and stability which can help you to complete every day activities with ease.  The core consists of your abdominal muscles, lower back, hips, and pelvis.  You don't need a lot of equipment to work your core properly, you don't actually need anything other than your own body weight to work on stabilizing and strengthening your muscles.  Want some cool, core exercises that you can use dumbbells with? Look no further! Below is a complete core workout that can be done with or without dumbbells. If you choose, grab some light to medium dumbbells and do the exercises below 8-10 reps before moving on to the next exercise. Repeat the whole circuit 3 times for some core-blasting fun!

Workout

1. Alternating Straight Leg V-ups*
2. V-up Figure 8s*
3. Plank w/ front and lateral rotation*
4. V-sit Around the World*
5. Russian Twists*
6. Plank w/ Reach Unders*

*=R and L side count as 1 rep

This month we are exploring dumbbells and the great workouts they bring. They are fantastic to work with because once you master the technique and movement of the exercise; you can add more versatility in your workout. We will start basic and work our way up to more advanced workouts throughout the month. You can complete 2 to 3 rounds of the exercises listed. Perform 10-12 reps of each exercise paying close attention to correct form. Make sure to choose a weight that is appropriate for you, but also challenging during the last few reps of each exercise. If you find the reps were too easy, bump up the weight.

Workout

1. Walking lunges*
2. Shoulder press  
3. Squats
4. Bicep curl
5. Side lunges*
6. Tricep extension (standing)
7. Reverse lunges*
8. Chest flys
9. Calf raises
10. Lateral raises

*=R and L leg count as 1 rep

Looking for other options?  Check out this past Free Workout Friday cardio blog.

This week we are going to tone and work the upper body while stretching out the lower body.  It's important to remember to stretch your muscles to prevent tightness and improve range of motion through your joints.  As we age and become less active your joints become stiff, if you continue to incorporate stretching into your routine your body will stay limber and help reducde pain and discomfort.  Remember, it's always important to warm up the body before a workout.  

Workout

• R leg hamstring stretch – 30 sec
• Push-ups – 8x
• L leg hamstring stretch – 30 sec
• Push-ups – 8x
• R single leg downdog to pigeon stretch – 30 sec (pic below)
• Slow knee pull push-ups, alternate R/L (knee to elbow) – 4x (pic below)
• L single leg downdog to pigeon stretch – 30 sec
• Slow knee pull push-ups, alternate L/R (knee to elbow) – 4x
• Downdog to R side lunge stretch – 30 sec (pic below)
• Downdog tricep push-ups – 8x (pic below)
• Downdog to L side lunge stretch – 30 sec
• Downdog tricep push-ups – 8x
• Wide straddle stretch – 30 sec
• Frog stretch – 30 sec (pic below)
• Slow tricep push-ups – 4x
• Wide straddle stretch – 30 sec
• Frog stretch – 30 sec
• Slow tricep push-ups – 4x

Exercise Pictures

Single leg downdog to pigeon, 2 pictures

Knee pull push-ups

Side lunge stretch

Downdog tricep push-ups

Frog stretch

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Bodyweight exercises are trending in 2015.  If you missed last week go back and check it out.  Now it's time to crank up your bodyweight workout from last week? We have another workout for you. Before you begin this workout, make sure your form and technique for each exercise is correct first. You want to get a good workout in while avoiding injuries. Watch the video for correct form and technique.

Instructions: Complete 3 sets of each exercise with a 30 to 60 second rest in between sets.

Workout

1. 20 jump squats
2. 15 burpees
3. 10 broad jumps w/ squat thrusts
4. 15 downdog push-ups
5. 10 tricep dips w/ leg extensions
6. 60 sec plank
7. 15 single leg squats (both right and left sides)
8. 60 sec bridge march

It's importatnt to stay hydrated when working out. Make sure your water bottle is close by; you’ll need it!

Looking for a relatively simple workout? Try a workout that only uses your body weight as the resistance. It’s nice because you don’t need to know how to lift heavy weights to begin. You will let gravity be your friend (or foe, it will seem like during the workout). You can use your bodyweight to do any exercise that will work most of the major muscle groups. Actually, it’s recommended to start with just your body weight until you get the mechanics of the exercise then to add weights as you progress. The great part about body weight workouts is you don’t need a gym to do the workout; just yourself and adequate space. Take a look below for a fun, basic, bodyweight workout:

Instructions: Perform 2 to 3 sets of 10-15 reps for the following exercises. You can rest for about 30 seconds in between each set you complete.

Workout

1. Squat
2. Mountain Climbers or Knee Tucks (slower version of Mt. Climbers)*
3. Alternating Reverse Lunges*
4. Push-ups
5. High Knees*
6. Tricep Dips
7. Glute Bridge
8. Superman

Don’t forget to add your favorite music to your workout! It makes it more fun. Check out this previous blog post about using music to move more!

*=R and L leg count as 1 rep

As much as a proper warm up and cool down and flexibility, cardiovascular, and strength training are essential to an effective workout regimen, so are progressive overload and periodization. Progressive overload ensures that the program continues to challenge you over long periods of time in order to meet your specified goal. It is important to match any increase in training with an increase in rest and boost strength prior to increasing the overall load. Periodization refers to the planned variation of a program over time. You can’t expect to continue to get results if you do the same workout over and over again. It can be really easy to change up your workout. For example, refer to this previous blog. Repeat the same strength exercises but in a different order and add 3 more repetitions for each one. To mix up your cardio routine, choose a piece of cardio equipment you haven’t used in a while. If you’re cramped for time, don’t worry! A rowing machine is a great way to get a strength and cardio workout at the same time.

Check out this site for an overview of Progressive Overload Training. Every peak (shown with a downward pointing arrow) symbolizes a training session or a workout. Directly after each workout, performance drops while your body recovers. Once it has fully recovered, you are in your peak performance time. Follow this with another difficult training session; performance drops again while your body recovers. As you can see in the graph, your performance increases over time using Progression Overload Training.  Keep it up and join us next month for Free Workout Fridays!

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We kicked of the new year with tackling the components of a workout.  Flexibility is often overlooked, but is needed in everyday activities. Not stretching properly or a sedentary lifestyle can negatively affect one’s flexibility and range of motion. Without appropriate stretching and activity, our bodies’ posture and movement patterns can change overtime reducing range of motion. There are two kinds of stretching: dynamic and static. Dynamic stretching uses controlled movements that bring muscles through their full range of motion. Static stretching involves taking joints through a range of motion to a comfortable end point, holding that position for a period of time (at least 10 seconds).

Self-myofascial release, commonly used with a foam roller, is another method to increase flexibility. In this technique, one uses a foam roller to assist in self-massage to release muscle tightness or knots. Foam rollers are available in different densities. At the beginning, the process may be uncomfortable. A softer roller is ideal to start with. Foam rollers are available for purchase online or in any store that provides basic to advanced fitness equipment.

For dynamic stretches, check out our blog about warming up which includes dynamic stretching.

Static Stretches:

• Arm hold across the body
• Triceps overhead
• Upper back
• Chest
• Obliques
• Inner thigh
• Hamstring and calf
• Quadriceps

Foam Rolling: (demonstration video)

• Hamstring
• Calf
• Glute maximus
• Glute medius
• Piriformis
• IT Band
• Upper back (1)
• Upper back (2)
• Lats
• Quadriceps

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It's important to fit exercise into your daily routine and both cardiovascular and strength training are recommended by the CDC to be incorporated weekly. One hundred fifty minutes of moderate aerobic activity is recommended for cardiovascular training. To strengthen and ton your muscles, strength training should be done at least twice each week and include all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abs, chest, shoulders, and arms). Cardio stresses your heart and lungs making you breathe harder, while strength training focuses on muscle strength, power, and endurance. It’s okay to enjoy one activity more than the other; most people have preferences, but a proper balance between cardiovascular and strength training is what is important.  Check out the following suggestions.  Pick one or two of the cardio activities, break it up into 15-20 minute bouts.  Complete the strength exercises to tone and improve muscular endurance.  Strive for 12-15 repetitions of each exercise using moderate weight.  

Cardio:

• Running
• Bicycle
• Brisk Walk
• Treadmill
• Elliptical
• Arc Trainer
• Row Machine
• Stair Master
• Recumbent Bike
• Upright Bike

Strength:

• Shoulder Press
• Squat
• Lunge
• Chest Press
• Bicep Curls
• Tricep Extension
• Reverse Fly
• Leg Raise
• Back Extension
• Plank

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