Week 3 – 12 Weeks To A Stronger, Sexier, More Confident You

Hope you’re still hanging in there! Only 8 more weeks to go! This week we’re going to continue with the same exercises only we’re going to ramp things up a bit by turning it into a circuit. That means you’re going to move from exercise to exercise with only 15 seconds of rest in between. At the end of the last exercise (which means the end of the circuit) you’re going to rest 15 seconds and then begin from the top and complete the circuit a second time. For optimal results do this workout 3 times this week, allowing at least one day in between for resting the muscles. Try and get some cardio in on the days that you’re not doing this workout. And remember to give yourself 2 days of complete rest as well.

Circuits are a great kind of workout to do if you’re trying to lose weight, because it helps keep your heart rate up the entire time, which means more calories burned!

The Workout:
Week 3

The Playlist:
– Warm-up
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/intro/id325808192?i=325808197 (The XX – Intro)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/finally-woken/id253350362?i=253350737 (Jem – Finally Woken)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/they/id253350362?i=253350371 (Jem – They)

– Workout
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/well-thought-out-twinkles/id167387718?i=167387804 (Silversun Pickups – Well Thought Out Twinkies **This guy’s voice is mesmerizing. Yeah, it’s a guy!)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/time-to-pretend/id264720008?i=264720018 (MGMT – Time to Pretend)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tear-you-apart/id91431035?i=91431082 (She Wants Revenge – Tear You Apart)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-ghost-inside/id353032605?i=353032615 (Broken Bells – The Ghost Inside **I don’t know what it is, but this song makes me want to move)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/steady-as-she-goes/id205202916?i=205203291 (The Raconteurs – Steady As She Goes)

– Cardio
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/heartbeats/id205108007?i=205108010 (The Knife – Heartbeats **Love the beat. This is my go-to pole dancing song.)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lights-out/id278671865?i=278671971 (Santigold – Lights Out **Another one that makes you just want to move)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/help-im-alive/id307592236?i=307592238 (Metric – Help I’m Alive)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/filthy-gorgeous-original-radio/id23208853?i=23208838 (Scissor Sisters – Filthy Gorgeous)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/big-girl-you-are-beautiful/id219949350?i=219949383 (Mika – Big Girls You Are Beautiful **Play this one twice, because big girls are beautiful – you heard the man!)

– Cool Down
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-believe-in-you/id270788190?i=270788198 (Cat Power – I Believe in You)

** Combine this with my 12 week weight management program to maximize your results. Leave a comment if you’d like some more info.

Week 2 – 12 Weeks To A Stronger, Sexier, More Confident You

If you took the initiative to do this workout last week then I want to say that you’re awesome! The only way to losing weight and getting in shape is by doing what you gotta do to get there. If you found it challenging that’s ok. You always want to feel a bit challenged when you’re working out, because that’s the only way you’ll get better at it. I promise that within 2 weeks you’ll start seeing results in your ability to execute these moves. Things are going to get easier and become second nature. You won’t believe that you ever thought it was difficult. Just remember that consistency is key, so if you’re being wishy-washy with your workouts then your results will be wishy-washy too.

This week we ramp up the intensity a bit by increasing each exercise to 2 sets. You’re going to complete each exercise twice with 30 seconds of rest in between each set before moving on to the next exercise. The idea is increase your endurance, because you can only build strength and tone up if you have the stamina to tolerate the movements. The entire workout will last only 30-40 minutes (which if you think about it is shorter than an episode of Lost or Sex and The City – not too bad!).

Do this workout 2-3 times this week, allowing at least one day in between for your muscles to recover. On days that you are not doing this workout do 30-40 minutes of cardio. Rest is as important as working out, so make sure to give yourself 2 days of complete rest.

The workout:
http://bit.ly/12wks2

The Playlist:
– Warm Up
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jackals-vipers-in-envy-man/id261403046?i=261403593 (Jackals and Vipers – In Envy of Man Part 9)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jackals-vipers-in-envy-man/id261403046?i=261403646
(Jackals and Vipers – In Envy of Man Part 10)

– Workout
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/loser/id19820272?i=19820274 (Beck – Loser **None of the words make any sense, but I love this song!)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/family-affair/id328629?i=328605 (Mary J. Blige – Family Affair)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hysteria/id314261338?i=314261453
– (Muse – Hysteria)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/here-it-goes-again/id81285385?i=81285361
(Ok Go – Here It Goes Again)

– Cardio
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bandits/id305499589?i=305499594 (Buck 65 – Bandits)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/howlin-for-you/id370968823?i=370968869
(The Black Keys – Howlin’ For You **I absolutely love this band! Just discovered them and I play them on repeat)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/technologic/id263279298?i=263279797
(Daft Punk -Technologic)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gone-daddy-gone/id152471339?i=152471414 (Gnarles Barkley – Gone Daddy Gone)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bamboleo/id553662?i=553568 (Gipsy Kings – Bamboleo **In the summer while Spinning in my studio I like to open up all the windows and blast this song. That’s how I know summer is really here.)

– Cool Down
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/too-afraid-to-love-you/id370968823?i=370968916 (The Black Keys – Too Afraid To Love You)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-story/id250112717?i=250112772 (Brandi Carlile – The Story **This one gives me chills. I love to listen to it while I’m running up the steep hill in the park. Makes me feel like anything is possible)

** If you want to really change your lifestyle and lose weight, combine this with my 12 week weight management program. Leave a comment if you’d like some more info.

12 Weeks to a Stronger, Sexier, More Confident You! – Week 1

If you want to really lose weight and keep it off then at some point or another you’re going to finally decide to take the plunge and begin working out. Now is as good a time as any to start, so what are you waiting for? Actually, I challenge you to start now and prove to yourself that you can do it. For the next 12 weeks I’m going to take you from couch potato to confident. I will be posting a new workout every Monday (I know, today is Tuesday) with a playlist to keep you invigorated and excited. These are all songs that come from my personal playlist and have helped me through the hardest of workouts and kept me going when I really didn’t want to anymore. If you’ve never worked out before or are trying to get back into things this program is for you. We’re going to progress in baby steps – every week builds on the last – so you will be able to increase your stamina and strength without feeling like it’s too difficult. We’ll start off slow, so there’s no need to be scared 🙂 This first workout will take you less than 45 minutes.

All songs can be downloaded from iTunes by simply clicking on the links.

The first goal of this workout is to build a solid foundation of basic movements that are the underlying base for all other exercises. The second goal is to build a strong core, which consists of your abdominals, back, and lumbo-pelivic hip complex (which is just a fancy name for your lower back, pelvis and hips). You can compare it to the foundation of a building – without it, the entire building would collapse.

Do this workout 2-3 times this week, allowing at least one day in between for your muscles to recover. On days that you are not doing this workout you should be doing 30-40 minutes of cardio. Rest is as important as working out, so make sure to give yourself 2 days of complete rest.

Click on this link to see the workout. Images and instructions are included to help you through each exercise.

– Warm Up
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/m-g-jack/id287077545?i=287077716 (Alias – M.G. Jack)

– Workout
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stronger/id263305063?i=263305080 (Kanye West – Stronger **One of my anthems when starting to train for my first 1/2 marathon)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lose-yourself/id1018049?i=1018037 (Eminem – Lose Yourself)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cowboys-aliens/id25514364?i=25514354 (Gram Rabbit – Cowboys and Aliens)

– Cardio
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/alpha-beta-gaga-mark-ronson/id23393065?i=23393054 (Air feat. Mark Ronson – Alpha Beta Gaga)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/thats-not-my-name/id280390218?i=280390220 (The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lost-with-jay-z/id296910095?i=296910102 (Coldplay feat. Jay Z – Lost)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/one-more-time/id49269321?i=49269291 (Daft Punk – One More Time **This is it – finish strong!)

– Cool Down
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cold-wind/id70862455?i=70862395 (Arcade Fire – Cold Wind)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/son-of-a-preacher-man/id257837795?i=257837972 (Dusty Springfield – Son of a Preacher Man **easily one of my favorite songs of all time!)

P.S. I might have put an extra song or two in there to make sure that you have enough inspiration in case it takes you a little while longer to get through the workout 😉

** Combine this with my 12 week weight management program to maximize your results. Leave a comment if you’d like some more info.