Why Planks and How to Hold Them Longer

In the beginning I used to think holding a plank sucked beyond belief. How can anyone hold a plank for more than 10 seconds? It’s impossible! ARGH! My belly!

Depending on the kind of plank I’m holding (on knees, on hands, on elbows), I can hold it for a long time with little effort or I can start shaking after about 25 seconds.

It doesn’t seem to matter how long I can hold it without dipping, I always start shaking early on.

But why do a plank at all? If you hate it so much, why not do other core moves? They’re just as useful, right?

Yeah, other moves are useful but planks can blind people with their awesomeness. They work the muscles hiding deep within our core which a crunch can’t boast. Planks also recruit more muscle groups all at once so you’re getting, for example, a shoulder workout along with your entire abdominal section.

Here are a bunch of different kinds of planks you can do. Try them, see how you like them. Mix them up and have fun with them.

Don’t forget that you can always modify them by going down on your knees. Shoulders or wrists hurt? Move to your elbows. There are lots of ways to modify so no one really has an excuse not to do them. Unless they just despise them.

What’s your favorite way to do a plank?

*DISCLAIMER: I’m not responsible for any injuries sustained while trying exercises/routines on my blog. Always consult your doctor before trying any new exercise. Always listen to your body and stop when you feel pain. Injuries are much harder to get through than continuing fitness/health goals.*

How to limber up after sitting in the car for a long time

Ever taken a road trip before and you stop at a rest stop or something, get out of the car and discover you’re all kinky and stiff (not in a sexual sense) from sitting for so long?

I’ve taken loads of road trips in my lifetime (much to my eternal boredom because I get car sick and can only listen to music or sleep to pass the time…or drive now actually except my husband prefers to do the driving because he thinks I get bad gas mileage) and every time I get out of the car, I have to stretch. I look at everyone else coming out of their various vehicles – stretching, yawning, etc.

What happens to me physically when I sit in the car too long?

• my knees and ankles start to lock up
• my back gets sore
• whole body gets stiff

What happens when I get out of the car?

• Snap, Crackle, Pop, Rice Crispies!

Most yoga stretches I found seemed to rely on lying on the ground but I found that super nasty. But this video gave bunches of poses/stretches to do that keep you from getting dirty.

This guy is super flexible – way more than I am. But while I may not be able to bring my legs straight up like he does in the beginning, I can do it outside the car on a bench or something.

And some more of the same if you have a sturdy pole/fence around…

How do you keep limber during a trip?

Tips for Running

Am I a runner? Sometimes I think yes, sometimes I think no.

Times when I think yes:

• When I’m running
• When I’m training for a race
• When I’m wearing my awesome running shoes

Times when I think no:

• When I’m not running

It started out as way for me to lose weight but, when I stopped pushing myself to the puking point every time and started taking it easy, I started to enjoy it. It took a really long time and I swore after my first 5k that I would never put myself through that hell ever again. I thought, “Running is good exercise but I am definitely not a runner because I never want to do this again.”

About a week later I was back on the treadmill and planning for my next race.

For me, running is relaxing, energizing, and therapeutic. That sounds contrary, I know. How can it be relaxing and energizing when I push myself to sprint at times and to run until I literally feel as if I’m going to puke? Afterwards I’m exhausted and that can last the whole day if I’ve pushed myself hard enough. But it makes me feel GOOD!

Zumba and running. Two things I cannot live without.

After awhile I asked an experienced runner friend (who also happened to be a personal trainer at my gym) to judge my running form while I was on the treadmill.

Things I was fine with by that point:

• Loose fists
• Straight back
• Relaxed shoulders (had to consciously work on that one)
• Butt in

Biggest problem:

• Legs crossing in front of each other

Oops! Very bad. Given enough time that would wreak havoc with my knees and they’ve already experienced enough damage from my childhood.

She ran a half marathon some months later and eventually had to go to the doctor to see what was going on with her legs. I forget what it was but the doctor told her she needed to change her running form to land on the balls of her feet instead of her heels (or thereabouts).

It seemed like a good idea considering my own knees so I endeavored to learn toe running. It was a lot harder for her than for me. This could be due to my habit of walking on my toes as a kid. Being on my toes comes naturally to me. After awhile my calves kill and I can only last about 5k before my calves are too tired to continue but it’s becoming less and less of a problem.

Finally, here are some good rules to remember when you run so you don’t get frustrated with your progress or speed and so you don’t get injured.

Do you like to run? Why? Do you do races?

Challenges Update

I don’t know how I’ve managed to keep up with the challenges I assigned myself. Each day I’ve felt like I couldn’t possibly do more than was scheduled for that day. But then the next day I have to do even more and, somehow, I manage it.

In the case of the squats, I thought my legs would fall off at 60 squats. The next day I had to do 90! Impossible! I’m struggling at 60 and they want me to do 90??

But I did it. I broke it up into increments of 30. 30 squats and I rest for about 10 seconds while I shake my legs out. Another 30 and I rest for about 20 seconds. I thought my legs would fall off by the time I reached 90 but it was doable. I think I could have even kept on but I was super glad to stop.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, I don’t know), my new group ex instructor saw me and, given that I could reach 90 degrees with my squats, suggested I try a deep one that has my butt nearly touching the floor.

“Oh I can’t do that,” I assured her with a laugh and a shake of my head. “My hip flexors aren’t nearly strong enough for that.”

She gave me a look that I’ve seen time and again when I say “can’t.” It means, “How do you know if you haven’t tried it? I will, however, keep my peace.”

So I had her show me the form again so I didn’t accidentally hurt my knees. It was the same as my regular squat form – legs about hip width apart, toes pointed off to the sides a bit.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN I went!

And almost couldn’t get back up. I joked that it might be fun to just walk around like that, kind of like a duck. If I had used my arms as legs, I might’ve resembled a frog.

Same thing is happening with the sit ups. I’m up to 45 reps and I really don’t know how I even made it to 20. It’s true, I have to “cheat” and extend my arms in front of me but I’m doing it! I can do about 15 with my arms crossed on my chest. When I do them I try to think about anything other than what I’m doing. When I think about my gut I find I can’t get more than my shoulders off the floor.

How I’m going to finish 125 sit ups in one session on the last day is beyond me. Lunges perhaps, but sit ups? Oh my…

The lunge challenge is by far the easiest. No matter how much my legs seem to burn each time, I find I can easily manage the next day.

The arms? Well, that’s somewhere between the squats and the abs – I grit my teeth and bear it…somehow.

How many sit-ups and squats can you do?

One Song Workouts and Running Intervals Playlist

I love workouts that I can put to songs but I never bother to make them myself because I don’t want to put the time in for the creativity. More than likely I’d make it a lot harder than it needs to be anyway.

These workouts are from Buzz Feed. I’m not familiar with the Kanye song (or maybe I am and just don’t know it because I don’t know most song titles) but it looks like a good workout for those out there who do like Kanye.

Those Macklemore and Icona Pop songs are great to run to actually. I have those in my running playlist from Self.com. Icona Pop was a warm-up song while Macklemore was a running-almost-sprinting song. Self.com gave lists of songs for a running intervals routine.

I’ve changed my playlist with a couple songs that weren’t offered on Self.com but it’s basically the same kind of playlist that they were featuring. The point of their feature was that listening to fast-paced songs (that you like) help you run faster longer. The playlist lasts about 37 minutes and is absolutely awesome. It’s true that the faster songs make it easier for me to run faster and keep it up longer.

What kind of music do you listen to when you exercise?

*Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any injuries sustained while trying any of the routines found on my blog. Talk to your doctor when trying new exercises and always listen to your body. If you feel pain, stop what you’re doing. Injuries are no fun.*

Ways To Challenge Myself

My parents are visiting these days so I’ve had to change my gym schedule. This might have caused difficulties in the past but not anymore. It’s been true I’ve neglected my cardio despite having various plans that don’t require any equipment whatsoever as well as a number of DVDs. But I haven’t neglected my strength training.

In fact, the other day while searching through Pinterest I stumbled upon a 30-Day Arm Challenge. Oo! A challenge! 2 sets of only 5 push-ups, a 15s plank, and 5 chair dips? No problem!

The amount of each changes daily and each morning I wake up eager to tackle the latest increase. If you want to see more challenges like this Arm Challenge, visit shrinkingjeans.net

But that’s not the only challenge I found. Next I came across a 30-Day Easy Squat Challenge. Oo! I’m good at squats. I’ll take that challenge!

These first few days it’s comforting to know that I can actually do that many squats. When I think back to when I first started exercising and struggled to do a mere 10 squats, I’m quite proud of myself.

Most of the core challenges I found only had crunches or planks and that’s not very helpful. I mean, they’re great (especially the planks) but I’d get so bored doing only one kind of move the whole time. I have a feeling I’m going to get bored doing a million squats too but I’m hoping my butt looks awesome by the end so I’m okay with the monotony (at least for now anyway).

I looked at this ab challenge and thought it would be too hard because of the sit ups, but the first day I buckled down and cranked out those 15 sit ups. I was shocked at how easy it was! All I could think was when I was in middle school and couldn’t even do 1 sit up. I’ve come so far since my couch potato childhood.

The last challenge I added is the 30 Day Lunge Challenge. Boring to do only lunges, true, but they’re also so great for the butt and thighs.

I wish I could say that 20 lunges means 10 lunges with each leg but I doubt that’s what the creator of this challenge intended. Unfortunately. My legs are still really sore from my own lunge-heavy workout from several days ago but I cranked out 20 lunges with each leg that first day and felt all the greater for it.

For more challenges like the above 3 (squats, abs, lunges), visit www.30dayfitnesschallenges.com

My butt really aches now. My legs feel stronger, more muscular, as do my arms. My core feels fat but that’s because my parents are visiting and my diet always goes down the poop-shoot when I’m with them. Purely my own fault. I need to stop neglecting my cardio so I don’t feel/look so much like a chubby bunny. More like Garfield the cat actually.

What kind of challenge would you be most likely to try?

*Disclaimer: I’m not responsible for any injuries sustained while trying any routines/moves from my blog. Always consult your doctor before trying new exercises and always listen to your body. If you feel pain, it’s your body telling you to stop.*

What to do if you’re pressed for time

My plan the other day was to go to the gym to run and strength train.

Problem: my parents are visiting and, long story short, my dad would’ve had to wait 1-2 hours at the gym.

Solution: combine cardio and strength training for some circuit training!

That was the routine I did. It took 30 minutes and I burned 404 calories. Woo!

This particular workout doesn’t have a whole lot of moves that combine different muscle groups but those kinds of exercises burn the most calories and save a lot of time.

For example: A squat can be combined with a bicep curl and a shoulder press. This way you’re working your whole body with technically only move. How much time is saved by doing this one move for 12 reps instead of each individual move resulting in a total of 36 reps. Your whole body is working harder due to the weights and the continual movements as well so you’re burning more calories.

Sounds good to me!

Adding in spurts of cardio every now and then also helps to elevate your HR so you get an even better workout.

The routine can even be modified for whatever level a person is whether they be beginner, moderate, or advanced. All you need to do is increase or decrease the amount of effort you put into it.

Choose the resistance band appropriate to your level and dumbbells that are the right weight for you.

*DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible for any injuries that may occur while trying the exercises found on my blog. Always consult your doctor before trying a new kind of exercise. Always always always listen to your body and stop if you feel pain. Injuries are no fun.*

Back Pain = Extreme Boredom

With a perfectly good excuse to stay home and do nothing, you’d think I’d be happy and content to relax in my recliner watching movies. Sitting at a desk hurt my back after a short amount of time. Walking hurt a bit. Lying down felt fine…usually. After a mere two days, however, I was bored out of my mind.

I did some hip/butt/thigh work while waiting for the school bus with my son. Nothing big, just some standing work.

• Glute Raises – 15r 2x
• Hip Adductions – 15r 2x
• Hip Abductions – 15r 2x

Not a big deal. But I want to work my core and I want to do heavy squats to unflatten my butt.

The reason I started exercising was to have a couple hours away from my son and get out of the house; it helped his social skills as well (he was sorely lacking). But that ceased to be a real reason a long time ago. Now I exercise every day for 3 reasons:

• Self-image/self-esteem
• Health
• Emotional stability

Without my daily exercise Prozac, my mood is all over the place. Ugh.

This has been the hardest time for me with eating too. Growing up, I ate all the time out of boredom. It was a habit that stayed with me for most of my life and was super difficult to break. Even now it crops up whenever I’m bored for prolonged periods of time…like now.

So I’ve been kicking my heels waiting, waiting, waiting. Staying at home lying in a recliner or lying on the floor sucks after the first day!

What do you do when you’re bored? Do you turn to food when in need?

Collisions and Quick Workouts

I didn’t have anything prepared for today because I was in a car accident yesterday and didn’t feel up to sitting and thinking much less sitting at a desk and preparing a new blog post.

My husband was driving and my son and I were in the back. We stopped at a stop sign before merging into traffic and the guy behind us stopped as well. The hubby started to go but stopped again to let a speeding car whoosh past so we wouldn’t end up as creamed pancakes.

The guy behind us saw us start and immediately looked to his left at the oncoming traffic to find his own opening for merging. Took about 2 seconds for him to be satisfied with the lane’s availability. He stepped on the gas and…

CRUNCH!!!!

We were still sitting there because the speeding car had just passed us. The bark was worse than the bite though as there was minimal damage done to either car. The other driver had scuff marks on the top of his bumper near his hood and we had a crack on the underside of our bumper. Yes, his car was so small that it almost fit under ours.

My family is fine. I was the only one who felt any kind of discomfort – my back and neck started hurting. Saw the doctor though and she said I was fine, no injuries. Just some normal muscle spasms that are going to potentially cause a lot of pain.

I have muscle relaxants and was directed to take ibuprofen if the pills didn’t take care of the pain. I’m doing fine though. I expected a super amount of pain today but I’m mostly just stiff. Sitting hurts more than walking so my back is hurting a bit more now from sitting here writing this. Nothing I haven’t felt before though.

Unfortunately, this means I’ll have to skip out on the Circuit Fusion class tomorrow. Sucky! But I really need to take it easy. I don’t want this to become an injury because I’m too stupid to take a break to heal.

Am I worried about losing muscle or gaining weight or getting out of the habit of exercise while I recuperate? Nah, not in the least. I’ll take it easy for a little while then gradually get back into everything. I’ll probably end up even stronger than I was before due to really paying attention to my body and taking care of myself.

Remember the saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Considering my back is what’s hurting, I’m going to delve into the world of Yoga for moves that will help strengthen one’s back.

Here’s something to help you with lower back pain. They can be really helpful in gradually strengthening your back.

These moves will help stretch out the muscles in your back. Yay for yoga! I love doing these after a back-extensive workout.

These are great stretches to help improve the flexibility in your back. Don’t force your back to stretch too far though or you’ll end up injuring yourself. You’ll be back to square one with the first that first set of moves for back pain if that happens. No fun.

Have you ever injured your back in any way? What do you do to help heal yourself and gain back the strength and flexibility?