Anyone else a little pressed for time this week with the holiday and all?

I’m willing to bet you can still squeeze in a little gym time.

Today my workout was all over the place compared to my usual routine, but it was nice to switch things up.  I did upper body in physical therapy this morning – lots of external rotations, lateral & front raises, band work, ball work, and modified push ups.  Who would ever think I would be sore from a MODIFIED push up!?  Gah I’ve lost so much strength since August.  But I have to keep looking on the bright side of things – the good news is that my physical therapist says my shoulder inflammation has gone down.  More good news is that last week was the first week I went a whole week without being in any pain.  Please keep your fingers crossed for me for some more solid improvements!

Anyways, tonight I couldn’t make it to the gym right from work (aka no Ed’s Spin Class), and I also have a lot of bills to pay / things to get in order before I get to bed (clearly procrastinating that with this blog post), so I squeezed in a quick workout at the gym.

Here’s a speedy workout for a 20 minute treadmill blast, followed by 20 minutes of leg and ab toning.

The whole thing will take you no longer than 40 minutes, and I promise you’ll be sweaty even if you only do part of it!

20 Minute Treadmill Blast

• Minutes 0:00 – 2:00 –> Walk at 4 mph, incline 0
• Minutes 2:00 – 3:00 –> Walk faster at 4.5 mph, incline 0
• Minutes 3:00 – 5:00 –> Light jog at 5 mph, incline 0
• Minutes 5:00 – 6:00 –> Faster jog at 5.5 mph, incline 0
• Minutes 6:00 – 10:00 –> Tabata Intervals, alternating between 20 seconds of higher intensity at 6 mph followed by 10 seconds of lower intensity back at 5.5 mph.  You will repeat this 8 times for the total of 4 minutes.  Incline 1.
• Minutes 10:00 – 11:00 –> Short recovery at 5 mph, incline 1
• Minutes 11:00 – 12:00 –> Faster jog at 5.5 mph, incline 2
• Minutes 12:00 – 16:00 –> Repeat the Tabata Intervals, this time alternating between 20 seconds of higher intensity at 6.5 mph followed by 10 seconds of lower intensity back at 6.0 mph.  Again, repeat this 8 times for the total of 4 minutes.  Inline 2.  This will be the part of your workout where your heart rate should be the highest.
• Minutes 16:00 – 17:00 –> Recovery at 5.5 mph, incline 2
• Minutes 17:00 – 18:00 –> Recovery at 5.0 mph, incline 2
• Minutes 18:00 – 19:00 –> Cooldown (fast walk) at 4.5 mph, incline 1
• Minutes 19:00 – 20:00 –> Cooldown (walk) at 4.0 mph, incline 0

20 Minute Abs & Legs Tone
What you need:  Swiss Ball & Mat Optional

• One legged lunges with back leg on ball:  3 sets of 10
• Regular crunches on ball:  3 sets of 10
• One legged lunges with other leg back on the ball:  3 sets of 10
• Regular crunches on ball:  3 sets of 10
• Hamstring / Calf Ball Pull Ins:  1 set of 10, hold 5 seconds, 2nd set of 10, hold 5 seconds
• Sitting lower & lifts holding ball:  3 sets of 10
• Hamstring / Calf Ball Pull Ins:  1 set of 10, hold 5 seconds, 2nd set of 10, hold 5 seconds
• Sitting oblique twists holding ball:  3 sets of 10
• Squat Series:  3 pulses and a squat jump (10 reps), regular squats (10 reps), squat hold (10 seconds)
• Hamstring Extensions:  Extend & flex right leg while balancing on the left 10 times, then hold 10 seconds.
• Abs on Ball:  Hold plank with feet on ball for 30 seconds, 10 jackknife reps (should take 20 seconds), and hold plank for final 10 seconds = 1 minute total.
• Repeat Squat Series
• Repeat Hamstring Extensions on the left
• Repeat Abs on Ball
• Stretch

If you have any questions on any of these moves, let me know!

Don’t forget about my Naked Pizza $20 gift certificate giveaway.

Fine, I’ll go do the things I need to do now!!

Have a great night.