The Return of Jillian Michaels

Hello and welcome to Try-Athlete, the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. As I stated last week I was in a bit if a fitness rut, I decided to YouTube workout videos and found an old Jillian Michaels workout. 

It was a 30 minute circuit training workout and since I hadn't done it before I was intrigued and able to go all out. I didn't know what was next because it was a new workout so I couldn't pace myself like I had been doing with Insanity. 

I like Jillian's style because it is similar to Insanity and she kind of rides you like Shawn T. At the end of the workout, after she rides you, she tells you how great you did and what an accomplishment it is that you finished the workout and that you should be proud of yourself. She also tells you to take that sense of accomplishment and use it in every aspect of your life. It's kind of incredible. I enjoyed my experience so much I decided to do Jillian Michaels workouts all week. 

I did Killer Thighs and Buns one day and Six-Pack Abs another. I worked different muscle groups each day and I felt like I was working just as hard as when I did Insanity. I live in Palm Springs and it has been extremely hot here, over 90 degrees in the house and that is where I have been doing the workouts so I have been dripping sweat. Have you heard of hot yoga? Well I'm doing hot interval circuit training. At the end of these workouts every body part is covered in sweat. It's kind of cool because I feel like I'm working really hard, but you also need to hydrate even more when you are sweating that much.

 

I'm glad I have shaken up my workout routine with a week of Jillian Michaels because it's always good to work other muscles that you aren't used to working so you don't plateau. I definitely am going to finish out this week with Jillian Michaels and gauge my results. I may continue for the rest of June if I see the results I want. 

I am in this six-pack challenge with a co-worker and our halfway point is coming up June 10th, so I have to make sure to be on point with that. June 10th we are having a work pool party so it is important for me to look my best as everyone knows me as the girl who eats healthy and works out all the time, can't let my reputation change. So I need to work extra hard until then. Until next week stay strong and stay fit!

Catching Fire: 30 day Challenge

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diets trends so you don't have to. For the past 9 days I have been doing the Daily Hiit Catching Fire 30 day Challenge. Each day is 12 minutes of high intensity interval training, usually 4 or 5 moves repeated in a series three times. 

Since I am also still doing Les Mills Combat I decided I could incorporate this challenge into my life. It is only 12 minutes so it doesn't take a huge time commitment but it's tough and I can feel it changing my body. I start with the Hiit Challenge workout and then finish with the Les Mills Combat workout. I sweat way more during the second workout because I worked so hard during the 12 minute Hiit workout. My metabolism is on overdrive and I can already see changes in my body and it's only been 9 days.

The first couple days weren't so hard I could do both workouts and enjoyed both of them. As the days have progressed the Challenge workouts have gotten harder and harder. Yesterday's workout (Day 8) had me out of breath and on the floor at the end of it. With moves like 180 degree ninja tuck leaps and side push-ups my boyfriend had to cheer me on during the workout so I had the motivation and strength to finish. 

On Day 6 I was challenged by jumping rope during the rest periods but enjoyed the challenge. I only had one complaint the instructor stopped a few times during the workout because she was tired and I'm not used to that. I like watching someone who never gives up because it motivates me to not give up. When she came back on day 8 she had read my mind because she kicked it up a notch and she didn't stop. 

Everyday this workout is bringing an intense full body workout and I'm really enjoying it. I am already seeing changes in my body, my abs are more defined and legs and arms are looking more toned as well. I have been sore almost everyday but I think that means my body is changing. I definitely recommend this workout, it's tough but short and totally worth it. So until next time stay strong and stay fit! 

Hiking Runyon Canyon

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week I hiked, I'm still doing the workout T25 but I switched my day off so I could hike Runyon Canyon.
Runyon Canyon is a State park in Los Angeles, CA located right in Hollywood. It has amazing views and hiking trails. If you're ever in the area you must hike it.

The Good:
This hike has amazing views and vista points you can see the whole city of Los Angeles and it is truly breathe taking. I usually workout alone or with a group of people in a class but no one is taking. I went on this hike with my sister and we had a great time catching up and chatting about everything and anything. It was nice to have her with me and we were outside in the middle of a city working out.

The Bad:
This hike is very popular which isn't necessarily a bad thing but we did have to stop a few times to let people by and that was kind of annoying because I wanted to get my sweat on. As soon as we got to the higher part of the trail there wasn't as many people and that was more peaceful and I enjoyed that.

The Unexpected:
I was surprised when climbing the steepest part of the trail I was out of breathe, unable to talk and had to stop. I consider myself to be in great shape so I'm always shocked when something is working me to the point I need a moment to catch my breath and this was just a hike! But elevation and incline can really do that to anyone.

Recommendation:
I would recommend this hike to anyone! It is a great way to break up your workout week by adding something different and getting a break from your usual gym routine. You are outside and soaking up nature and getting a workout. For a challenge I would run it next time. This hike was definitely a different kind of workout than what I'm used to but I enjoyed the change of pace, so until next time stay fit!

Trampoline Hot Mess

Welcome to Try-Athlete, the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week I tried working out on a trampoline. I signed up for a trampoline class at the trapeze school in Los Angeles, CA. One of my friends had told me about a trampoline class she had been to and it sounded tough but fun. When I signed up for this trampoline class I didn't realize it wasn't anything like the class my friend had been to.
When I got to school it was located on the Santa Monica Pier. It was outside so tourists and onlookers could watch you. Since it was located on the pier it smelled like cotton candy and popcorn. The trampoline was an Olympic size trampoline and the class ended being learning tricks on the trampoline. Usually each class had about 4 people in them and each person worked on a trick and then the next person would go and the others would observe and watch.
In my class it was just me, I was the only one who signed up that day. I was super excited because that meant the whole hour would just me learning tricks on the trampoline. My instructor had me stretch out to start, when I got on the trampoline he had me learn basic jumps. How to jump the correct way and then had me do jump turns the correct way. He taught me how to stop myself if I got out of control and how to always be safe.
After I had learned the basics he taught me how to do different kinds of jumps. When I had all 4 down he had me do series with all of them together. This was about the time of the class when I started to get tired. The sun was out and it was hot, I was sweating a lot. Then we moved on to back-flips, the instructor put a harness on me to protect me during the backflips. Backflips look really fun and I was very excited to try them. I did 2 of them and I was exhausted. You use almost every muscle to do a backflip and I was already tired before I started the backflips.
After the backflips I got a much needed break. I was sweating and the sun was beating down on me and I was tired. I workout all the time and do hard workouts everyday so I didn't know why this was effecting me in such a way. I couldn't believe I had 20 minutes left in the class and I wasn't sure if I could finish the hour class. After the break I started doing the jumps I had already learned and then moved on to a jump where you fall back, your back hits the trampoline and bounces back up. On one of the attempts of this jump I did a backwards summersault on accident because I got to much bounce and I hurt something in my neck. I probably should have stopped at that time but I wanted to finish the class and it was just sore it wasn't hurting when I moved it. The last 10 minutes of the class where the hardest I had no energy left and I was so hot. The class ended with going over everything I had learned and I really had to use my mind to get through it because I was so exhausted.
When the class was over I felt nauseous and fatigued. I realized if their had been other people in the class it would have given me more breaks I wouldn't have gotten so worked. I would recommend this class to someone who was adventurous with their workout and wanted to learn new things. I would say make sure for your first class that you aren't the only person in the class. Even though I had a somewhat bad experience I would try this class again. I would take a friend with me and make sure other people had signed up for the class. Have a great week and until next time stay fit.

The Daily Hiit

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week I tried a website called The Daily Hiit. The Daily Hiit is a website that has different workout videos uploaded daily. Hiit stands for high intensity interval training, each video is 2-5 minutes but you repeat it many times to get maximum results.
I heard about this website from a friend who used to do it when it was called Bodyrock.tv but it has now transitioned into The Daily Hiit. I was interested to see if I got the same results from a 12-15 minute workout than from a 45 minute Insanity workout. The first Daily Hiit I did was a HiitLite workout but let me tell you this workout was anything but lite. We did triangle push-ups, tricep dips with weights, tricep kick-backs with weights, fly bridge, and squat curl with weights. We did each exercise for 30 seconds with a 10 second break between each move. The first round was good I felt strong and in control of my body, but I was suppose to repeat the workout 5 times the second and third rounds were a bit harder the weight started to feel real heavy. The fourth and fifth rounds were a lot harder I was sweating like crazy but I held on and finished the last round. I was surprised I could already tell that my muscles were going to be sore and it was only a 15 minute workout.
The next day I returned for HiitCore this workout was five moves each for 50 seconds with a 10 second rest between each move. This core workout was intense I was sweating on the first round the moves included step out half burpee, in and out abs with ski abs, chuck and tuck, sit-ups with weight and push-ups. This workout was considerably harder than the HiitLite workout and I had to repeat it five times. In and out abs are my krptonite and that was the part of the workout I struggled with. I could not believe how much I was sweating at the end of the five rounds! I was exhausted and my abs and thighs were killing me, let me restate that every muscle I had used in this workout which was almost every muscle was killing me. I had worked hard and only worked out for 25 minutes not the hour I was used to. I was literally dripping in sweat.
The trainer who is doing the exercises with you is British and I lover her accent their is something about a British accent that just works for me. I listen to her more attentively than I would if she was American. Her body is also rocking, every muscle is lean and toned and I feel like she is inspirational to watch because I can connect with her but she also inspires me to push harder so I can look even better too. It's nice to follow her in these workouts because she does all the moves she isn't just telling you how to do it and watching others do it, she is doing it with you. The moves she comes up with are tough and work the appropriate muscles to guarantee a great workout in a short amount of time.
The rest of the week I was challenged everyday by each Hiit workout. I was sore and also excited to go back to the site each day for a new workout. Overall I would say I'm really enjoying the workouts on The Daily Hiit, they are challenging and target all the muscles I want to work. I like how they switch it up each day and how each day focuses on something different i.e. core, body, lean, reps and many more. I would definitely recommend this website as a great way to get or stay in shape, if you are just starting out you can do the HiitLite videos and move up from there. I'm excited to continue with this workout and see the long term effects so until next time stay fit!

Ode to Asylum

Beachbody has created one of the most popular workout DVD sets with P90x and Insanity. After completing Insanity and working out to those same videos for about 2 years I decided it was time to try Asylum the next series after Insanity with the same trainer ShaunT.
Asylum intrigued me because it's about training like an athlete. The workouts consist of interval training with moves that professional athletes do. One morning I was sucked into the Asylum infomercial with Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno and I was hooked I called and ordered the series immediately . The basic version is the 30 day program their is a deluxe version but I wanted to start with the 30 day program.
When I received the DVD set in the mail I was so excited, and started immediately. I had been working out here and there but now I was committed to the Asylum 30 day plan. The first couple of days kicked my caboose, I could barely finish certain moves like walking push-ups. I continued day by day even though it as tough and the sweat was dripping off me everyday.
One of the videos is called Speed & Agility an intense cardio interval 50 minute workout harder than any other workout DVD I had done. It quickly become my challenge that I needed to overcome. Throughout the 30 days I got better and better at Speed & Agility and moves called "bear-crawl" and "in&out abs". Gradually I started to get stronger and more toned.
At the end of the 30 days I took my after photos and could see a change and more that that I felt a change inside. My mind was clearer and I felt like I could do anything. I completed this very tough workout out and felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Overall I would recommend Asylum to friends and other fitties because its a great workout that focuses on cardio and strength. Committing to a 30 day workout plan and finishing it makes you feel really good about yourself. Until next time stay fit!