My favorite exercises!

I feel like I've been posting so much about food lately. Here's a list of my absolute favorite exercises (STRENGTH TRAINING) ... this isn't a treadmill post. You all know how I love my treadmill :-)  I love these exercises because they make me feel STRONG, and I've developed an absolute obsession with seeing my muscles bulge and my veins pop out during my workouts.


--Bicep curl to overhead press (try it standing on one leg on a BOSU for a crazy stability switch) I warm up with 17.5 pound weights, 12 reps, and complete my sets with 20's. I squeeze out 6-8 reps with 22.5's, and I'm up to 4 reps with 25lb dbells. I'm working my way up to 30 pounds!!


--Push-up to plank row: Get in plank position, with your hands on dumbells or really sturdy kettlebells. Do one push-up (Not wide, chest-geared pushups, these are more like tricep/bicep targeted push-ups) , row the right elbow back, pulling the dumbbell toward your hip. Keep your spine FLAT and hips squared. Fire up the lats by keeping them engaged on the pull and descent. Push-up. Repeat left. Push-up. I use 10-15 pound dbells, they get your heart rate UP and shoulders burning!


--suitcase squats: hold 2 heavy dbells/kbells/plates (1 in each hand), feet hips distance apart, parallel. Contract your abs as you sit back into your hips (knees stay over toes!!) and touch your weights to the ground, drive with the hips to come up to stand. I use 30-35lbs in each hand for a challenging 10 reps.


--Deadlifts: These make my rear end feel nice and lifted and tight. It might be small, but it's not flabby! I like to use underhand grip, and maintain a relatively stiff leg, but never locking in the knees. Keep a neutral bend as you bend from the hips. Keep the core engaged and shoulders locked back and down. I warm up with just the 45lb bar, then add 20lbs, then complete my sets with a 25lb plate on each side. I practice a couple of reps with a bit more than my bodyweight (135lbs) after my sets. YOUCH!!! 


--Dip station EVERYTHING. Okay, this isnt a particular exercise. But a myriad! If there's a dip station or a dip/pull-up/chin-up apparatus, USE IT!!! If you're not quite strong enough to do these exercises unassisted, use the assist machine, and gradually use less and less assistance until you think you're strong enough. (You can also hook a strong resistance band on the dip/pull-up/chin-up handles to put your feet in when you practice unassisted. It's like having someone hold your feet or spot you.) 
I usually spend 10-15 minutes on the pullup/dip combo station at the gym doing things like this:
--narrow grip chin-ups: I'm up to 4 reps. I want to do 10!!
--wide grip: um.. I'm working on it. Even holding your bodyweight up in the wide-grip pull-up position is a sick upper back/shoulder burn.
--Tricep dips: YUP, i do them! I'm a girl, but a strong one!
--Tricep dip w/rotating oblique crunch: dip,back up, twist to one side, oblique crunch, dip, back up, twist to other side, oblique crunch
--hanging abs: Hang from the pull up or wide grip and crunch, bicycle, or PIKE your legs up
--L-sit using dip handles: this makes me feel really  strong , like a male gymnast


Seated cable row: SQUEEZE the shoulderblades, keep the shoulders locked and down, straight back, abdominals engaged. I love seeing how heavy I can go!


Toe-touches on bench: Lay with your back on a bench, legs at 90degrees, point feet toward ceiling. Use abs to reach your fingertips to your toes? Too Easy? Do it like me, use 20-30pounds (CoreBall or dumbell) Squeeze out 50 reps (I do 2 sets of 20, 1 set of 10)


Mountain climbers: I hate them and love them all at the same time. Wanna make them harder? Mess with your stability and put your hands on a swiss ball or medicine ball. Warning: you might lose balance and look like an idiot at first)


Glute raises on swiss ball: Heels on the ball, hips to the ceiling, bridge it up, SQUEEZE THE BUNS!! Fires up the booty instantly.


Pike-up and crunch with feet on swiss ball: start in plank, feet on a swiss ball. Crunch the legs in, extend. Then, using your shoulders and triceps to stabilize your upper body, drive the hips toward the ceiling by using your ENTIRE ABDOMINAL REGION. Hits lower, upper, sides, etc. And if you do it gracefully, people will stare and pretty much want to be you.


Reverse fly's on one leg: I use 8s to warm-up, then go with 10s and 12.5s. trying to work towards 15's.
Lat raises: I just LOVE what doing these has done to my shoulders. I use 8s to warm up, then 10s and 12.5's.


I love LOTS of exercises. But these are my all time favorites. Not necessarily the ones i SHOULD be doing all the time, and there are a few that i SHOULD be doing way more since I just complain about my small butt...(ahem, squats of all sizes, shapes, colors...leg press...lunges).. 


TRY THEM!! Adjust the weight according to how strong or weak you are. I always say to start lighter and just move up because there's less riskiness involved. You'd be surprised at what a 10 pound weight feels like if you're new to lifting.


HAPPY TRAINING!!