Warm up: 2 sets of 50 jumping jacks, 5 minutes rowing

Michelle Obama Workout Routine: (video below)
- 1 min Wall sit with arms extended
- 10 Plyometric Jumps
- 15 Push Ups
- Glute Bridge March 15 each side
- 15 Diamond Push Ups
- Side Plank 30 secs each side
- repeat circuit 4 times (beginners 3 times)

“I stand here today at the crosscurrents of that history – knowing that my piece of the American dream is a blessing hard won by those who came before me.”
- Michelle Obama
httpvp://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4AB882BCD91DA743

Thanks, Daniel for the great arm workout!

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CrossFit workouts are intense and require you to push your self to your max. This workout is done for time and you can do it as a team or in tandem with only two people. Get ready to sweat, bring the intensity and push your team mate to do the same.

Each team takes EVERY OTHER LINE (I’ve indicated T1 and T2 for teams 1 & 2) and the workout is done for time.

HEL-KEL CrossFit Workout Routine:

T1:  RUN 400M
T2:  21KB SWINGS
T1: 2 ROPE CLIMBS
T2: 400M RUN

T1:  21KB SWINGS
T2:  2 ROPE CLIMBS
T1:  RUN 400
T2:  30 WALL BALLS

T1:  30 BOX JUMPS
T2:  400M RUN
T1:  30 WALL BALLS
T2:  30 BOX JUMPS

T1:  ROW 500M
T2:  21 KB SWINGS
T1:  2 ROPE CLIMBS
T2:  500M ROW

T1:  21 KB SWINGS
T2:  2 ROPE CLIMBS
T1:  ROW 500M
T2:  30 WALL BALLS

T1:  30 BOX JUMPS
T2:  500M ROW
T1:  30 WALL BALLS
T2:  30 BOX JUMPS
httpvp://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D00FD7F93AD0AFA9

*KB = Kettlebell swings
*ROPE CLIMBS = If you can’t do rope climbs, then do 20 pull ups (use band if needed)

Good luck and post your time and results!! Thanks Karen for a great workout!

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- Complete each exercise for 20 seconds
- Use full range of motion and focus on being explosive
- After completing one exercise, transition IMMEDIATELY to the next exercise without resting

Advanced Body Weight Workout Routine:
- One circuit is as follows;
- Ski Jumps
- Spiderman Push-ups
- Hip Thrusts (to the side)
- Bench Dips (1 foot elevated)
- Split Squat Jumps (or jumping lunges)
- Alligator push-ups

- After completing entire circuit, rest 1-3 minutes (depending on fitness level)
- Repeat 1 to 4 times for a quick and effective metabolism-boosting workout that can be done anywhere
- Use this body weight workout no more than twice weekly and focus on decreasing rest time and/or increasing sets as the weeks progress

Thanks for the great workout Brad! How did you do? Share your body weight workout experience below..! To chat with Brad, you can follow him on Twitter or Facebook.

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Let’s take a gamble on today’s workout and play “Black Jack“! 

Warm up: 15 minutes of cardio on treadmill, bike or elliptical then 2 sets of 20 crunches, 10 walking lunges and 10 push ups

‘Black Jack 21′ Full Body Workout:

- 20 bench press reps  & 1 back squat
(both sets with weight; Men = 135 lbs, Women = 45-75 lbs, beginner = no weight)
- 19 bench press  reps & 2 back squats
(both sets with weight; Men = 135 lbs, Women = 45-75 lbs, beginner = no weight)
- 18 bench press reps  & 3 back squats
(both sets with weight; Men = 135 lbs, Women = 45-75 lbs, beginner = no weight)
- 17 bench press reps… and so on

- Go all the way down to 1 bench press and 20 squats… This is a killer workout!
- Beginners can do push-ups and air squats, no weight.
- Post your time and the weight that you used!

“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” – Oprah Winfrey

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Let’s focus on endurance training and start adding a running workout to your routine if you haven’t already.

Warm up: 20 push ups, 20 Jumping jacks, 20 walking lunges do this 3 times

Endurance Workout Routine:

-  This workout is great for runners; outside or on the treadmill. If you can’t run, use the same routine on an elliptical or bike and bring the intensity!

- Warm Up to intensity; 5-7 minutes
- Increase speed from warm up slightly; 5-7 minutes
- Increase speed and incline or resistance; 5-7 minutes (this should take you to your max!)
- Maintain speed and decrease incline/resistance to 0; 5-7 minutes
- Increase speed again and incline/resistance to 1-2%; 5-7 minutes
- Maintain speed and decrease incline/resistance to 0; 5-7 minutes
- Decrease speed and cool down; 5-7 minutes

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I want to share with you Lisa’s favorite customized workout last week. It’s a great full body routine consisting of unique exercises utilizing a variety of exercise equipment. Lisa is 46 years old and is an intermediate exerciser who has been working out consistently for over 5 years. Her initial goal was to lose weight then build muscle mass and improve her overall health – she achieved those successes by consistently working out, using the proper form, weight and exercise intensity. Today her goal is too simply to maintain her overall health and fitness level.

Tanya’s Full Body Workout Routine targets Legs, Chest, Back, Shoulders, Biceps and Triceps:

- Leg Lifts standing on Bosu: stand with left foot centered on the round side of Bosu, right foot forward with heel touching the Bosu for balance, keep left knee soft (hold support if necessary) After 10-15 reps switch feet.

- 90 degree Chest Press with dumb bells: Lie on your back (on a mat or a bench) with legs in the air and knees bent at 90 degree. Hold dumb bells with an overhand grip and palms facing away, extend the arms up over chest and repeat.

- Bent over Row with tube or band: stand with feet hip distance a part and tube secured under feet, knees slightly bent, abs tight and upper body bent to 45-90 degrees with a straight back. Hold tube or band handles with palms facing each other, exhale and pull tube or band handles up and back using the back muscles.

- Upright Row with Tube or band (or Sumo High Pulls): again stand with feet hip distance a part and tube secured under feet, knees soft and abs tight. Keep palms facing in and close to the body, lift up the band and raise the elbows high above the shoulders and repeat.

- Kneeling Hammer Curl on Bosu: kneeling on the round side of the Bosu, keep back straight, abs tight and chest lifted. Holding dumb bells on each side, keep the palms facing in, elbows in and hammer curl up then repeat.

- One arm Tricep Extensions (or Skull crushers): Lie flat on your back on a bench with your feet on the floor. Hold the dumbell with your arm at a 90 degree and palm facing in, extend the weight up to the ceiling and repeat. After 10-15 reps, switch arms.

During your workout routine, follow these exercise guidelines:

• 1 to 3 sets of each exercise
• 10 to 15 reps of each exercise
• Moderate weight & light to moderate intensity
• 30 to 45 seconds rest between sets
• 2 to 3 full body strength training workouts per week (non consecutive days)
• Cardio – 5 / 6 days per week – 30:00 to 1 hour

Lisa exercises at home and owns a variety of exercise equipment, she loves the diversity and challenge of how each piece of equipment is incorporated into her workouts. Her ever changing personal workouts eliminate boredom, break through exercise plateau and give her the best possible results because they are created for her!

Remember to warm up before you exercise and stretch and cool down when you are finished.  Always stay hydrated and listen to your body! Enjoy Lisa’s Workout!

Thanks Tanya for a great workout routine. Did you enjoy the workout? Post your comments and results below:

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After Iron Man, Downey had slimmed down to 151 pounds for his role in Sherlock Holmes. Downey had to quickly gain an additional 20 pounds of muscle in 3 months for Iron Man 2. Celebrity trainer Brad Bose created a non conventional workout routine for a shredded Downey and got him back up to 175 pounds for Iron Man 2.

Bose shares his intense 6 week fat burner below.

The workout program consists of four blocks; five minutes on the stair climber followed by five exercises you do for one minute each. Repeat the workout three times a week, and on alternate days pick your favorite form of cardio to perform for up to one hour. Stretch thoroughly before and after training, limit your calories between 1600 and 200 a day, get eight hours of sleep per night and you should notice incredible results in a flash.

BLOCK 1

PUSH-UPS
Place your hands on the floor, about shoulder-width apart, and extend your legs straight behind you. Your body should form a straight line from your heels to your head. Keeping this straight line, lower your body until your torso is about one inch off the floor, and then complete the rep by pushing yourself back up to the starting position.

ROWS
Attach a straight bar to the pulley of a cable station with a bench. Sitting on the bench, knees slightly bent, place your feet flat on the platforms. Grab the handle with an overhand, shoulder-width grip, and pull it toward you just enough so that there is tension on the cable. Now row the bar to the lower part of your chest, and then complete the rep by reversing the motion to return to the starting position.

DEAD-BUGS
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tightening your abs, raise both legs together, maintaining a 90-degree angle at the knee, and freeze when your shins are parallel to the floor. Holding this position, straighten your arms and raise them above you until they are perpendicular with the floor. This is the starting position. Using slow, controlled movements, lower your right arm behind you (like a backstroke) while lowering and extending your left leg, allowing neither to touch the floor. Hold for a second, and return to the starting position to complete the rep. Now do the opposite arm and leg.

BEAR-CRAWL
Get on your hands and knees with your hands shoulder-width apart. Keeping a straight back, lift your knees no more than an inch off the ground and make sure that your weight is evenly distributed between your hands and feet. Now, focusing your eyes on the space between your hands, begin crawling forwards one leg at a time, keeping both knees inside your elbows.

CLEAN & JERK
Set a barbell down on the floor in front of you. Bending your knees, crouch down and grab it with hands shoulder-width apart. Your lower back should be in its natural arch. Explosively stand up and shrug the bar, coming up onto the balls of your feet. As the bar rises to chest level, flip your wrists over so that your palms face the ceiling and your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Allow your knees to bend as you absorb the force of the bar at your shoulders. Take a deep breath. Keeping pressure on your heels, dip your body slightly by bending your knees, and then explode upwards, driving the weight above your head. As you lock out, split your feet in one fast movement with one leg in front of you and the other behind. Your front foot should be flat on the floor with your shin perpendicular to the ground. Your rear knee should be slightly bent with your foot on its toes. Complete the rep by bringing your back leg forward and front leg back into a normal standing position, lowering the bar back to shoulder position and returning the weight to the floor.

BLOCK 2

PULL-UPS
Grab onto a pull-up bar with hands shoulder-width apart. Hang from the bar with your feet off the floor. Squeezing your shoulder blades together, pull your body up until your chin is over the bar. To complete the rep, reverse the motion and return to the starting position.

KETTLE BELL ALTERNATING ARM SWING
Holding a kettlebell in your right hand, lower yourself into the squat position, allowing the weight to hang down but not touch the ground. Make sure to keep your back arched and head up, looking straight ahead. Explode upwards, pushing your hips forward as you swing the kettlebell forward and up, keeping your arm straight. Just as the weight reaches eye level, grab the handle with your left hand, letting go with the right. Return to the starting position, absorbing the force of the kettlebell by bending your hips and knees. Repeat the movement with your left hand.

PLANK
Get into pushup position. Then, bending your elbows 90 degrees, rest your weight on your forearms, keeping your entire body in a straight line. Hold the position.

BOSU BALL STANDING SIDE RAISES
Put a BOSU ball on the floor, flat side down. Standing in front of a mirror will help you keep an eye on form. Taking one dumbbell in each hand, step onto the BOSU ball with both feet and let your arms hang at our sides. Keeping them straight, raise your arms simultaneously until they are parallel to the floor. Your body should look like a giant letter T. Hold the position for a second. To complete the rep, reverse the motion, returning your arms to your sides.

WALKING LUNGES
Step forward with one leg and lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Imagine your shin and thigh forming a 90-degree angle and don’t allow your knee to go past your front foot. Your back leg should be bent so that your knee hovers about two inches from the floor. Push off from your front leg and step forward with your other leg, repeating the movement.

BLOCK 3

HYPER-EXTENSIONS
Set up on a Roman chair with your heels hooked under the rear foot pads and the main pad resting just below your hips. Straighten your back so that your entire body forms a straight line. Fold your hands in front of your chest, with your right hand touching your left shoulder and vice-versa. Bending at the hip, slowly lean forward until your upper and lower body form a 90-degree angle. Return to the starting position, making sure not to arch your back at the top

SWISS BALL DUMBBELL CHEST PRESS
Grab a dumbbell in each hand and sit on top of a Swiss ball. Walk your feet out in front of you, keeping your hips up so that your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Maintaining this position, press the dumbbells straight up, just like you would in a regular bench press. Complete the rep by lowering your arms back to the starting position.

BIRD DOG
Get on your hands and knees with your hands shoulder-width apart. Keeping a straight back, brace your core as you extend your left arm forward while extending your right leg back. Both should be parallel to the floor. Hold this position for 10 seconds before returning to the start position. Repeat the movement with the opposite arm and leg.

ALTERNATING ONE-LEG PRESS
Find the leg press machine at your gym that allows your legs to move independently of one another. Sitting on the seat with your back flush against the back pad, grab the handles on either side and place both your feet flat on the platforms. Make sure that your knees and feet are in line with one another and then press one of your legs out as far as possible without locking out. Bring your leg back to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.

STANDING LONG JUMPS
Get into some space. Stand with your feet slightly less than shoulder-width apart. As you begin shifting your weight forward, bend your knees and draw your arms back past your hips. Swing your arms out in front of you as you explode forwards with your legs. Land with both feet at the same time, bending your knees to absorb the impact.

BLOCK 4

BOSU BALL PUSH-UPS (RIGHT, CENTER, LEFT)
Place a BOSU ball on the floor, flat side down. Set up in push-up position, and with your left hand on the floor and your right hand in the center of the BOSU ball, perform a push-up. When you return to the starting position, move your right hand over to the right side of the ball and place your left hand on the opposite side. Do another push-up. Lastly, put your right hand on the floor to the right of the BOSU ball, move your left hand to the center of the ball, and do another push-up.

SWISS BALL SIDE CRUNCHES (RIGHT)
Grab a Swiss ball and find a wall in your gym where the wall and floor meet at a 90 degree angle. Standing with the ball on your right side and the wall on your left, angle your right hip into the ball and use the base of the wall to anchor your feet, bottom leg forward, top leg back. Straighten your legs so that your entire body is in a straight line, forming a 45 degree angle with the floor. Cross your arms in front of your chest, with your right hand touching your left shoulder and vice-versa. Keeping your body sideways, and your feet wedged firmly between the wall and floor, lower your torso until it is parallel to the floor. To complete the rep, reverse this movement, coming up just past the starting position.

SWISS BALL SIDE CRUNCHES (LEFT)
Grab a Swiss ball and find a wall in your gym where the wall and floor meet at a 90 degree angle. Standing with the ball on your left side and the wall on your right, angle your left hip into the ball and use the base of the wall to anchor your feet, bottom leg forward, top leg back. Straighten your legs so that your entire body is in a straight line, forming a 45 degree angle with the floor. Cross your arms in front of your chest, with your right hand touching your left shoulder and vice-versa. Keeping your body sideways, and your feet wedged firmly between the wall and floor, lower your torso until it is parallel to the floor. To complete the rep, reverse this movement, coming up just past the starting position.

SWISS BALL SQUATS (WEIGHTS OPTIONAL)
Standing up, place a Swiss ball between your lower back and a bare wall. Staring straight ahead, keep your back straight and your hands at your sides with your feet slightly forward, shoulder-width apart. Keeping your feet planted firmly on the floor, tighten your core and lower your body by bending your knees until the ball is between your shoulder blades and your thighs are parallel with the floor. To complete the rep, reverse the motion by pushing off the ground with your heels until you arrive back at the starting position. To add intensity, hold a dumbbell in each hand, keeping your arms straight at your sides.

SUMO SQUAT
Holding a dumbbell with both hands, stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder-width apart, your toes turned slightly outward. Take a deep breath and, keeping your knees over your toes, bend your hips and knees to lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. As you exhale, explode upward back to the starting position.

*Beginners should attempt every exercise to failure, taking the remainder of the minute to rest*

Brad Bose and Robert Downey Jr. are also known for their unconventional workouts. Bose said, “We went out and bought truck tires, and we used sledgehammers — anywhere from, two 4-lb. sledgehammers in each hand, all the way up to a full 20-lb. sledgehammer — and we were just beating tires with it. We used fire hoses that we filled with sand and water… and we’d drag and whip them to build the shoulder muscles and pecs back up. Downey Jr. also navigated through an obstacle course while pushing “a custom-built wheelbarrow that we modified with 600 to 700 lb. weight stacks,” said Bose.

The workouts they used were functional, training the body in different planes of motion and simulating how the body moves in real life. Read more about Downey’s workout routine in Men’s Fitness and some of  Bose’s unique workouts for Downey in WebMD.

Picking a few unconventional exercises you can do in your home, or outside, is a good way to keep your workouts exciting.

Have you ever tried any non-conventional exercises in your workout routine? Share your comments below…

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Get ready to burn some serious calories with this workout!

Warm up: Jog or run 400 meters (or once around the track) and 2 minutes of jump rope, then repeat.

Full Body Intensity Workout Routine:

- 10 jumping lunges
- Medicine Ball push ups (beginners no bounce off the ball)
- 5 dead lifts; Men 225 lbs, Women 85 – 125lbs (beginners 45-65 lbs)
- 10 burpees (clap hands on the jump)

Repeat 3 rounds and post your time!

httpvp://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C28C7BE79BC12D93

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Warm up: 10 walking lunges, 10 air squats, 20 sit ups, x 2 rounds then run 400 meters at 60%

CrossFit Workout Routine:

- Body weight squats (round to the nearest 5 LBS, beginners 50% of your body weight on the bar or less. Remember an Olympic bar weighs 45lbs) Back Squat; hold the bar behind the head

- Pull ups

- Do both each round. Here are the reps: 21, 18, 15, 12, 9 6, 3, 1

This is a timed event. Post your time!

Here’s a pic of  Jason Khalipa, a tough condender at the Crossfit games. For more CrossFit workouts find a CrossFit affiliate near you and be a part of the CrossFit family. You will be in for some of the best workouts of your life!

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Warm up: 4oo meter run (or 1 lap around the track) 25 push ups

Stimulus Package Workout Routine:

- 1 minute Box Jump (Men = 24″,  Women = 18″)
- 1 minute  Push Press (Men = 95 lbs, Women = 45 lbs)
- 1 minute Burpees
- 1 minute Jumping Lunges
- 1 minute Mountain Climbers
- 1 minute rest
*- for advanced add 1 minute Hang Power Cleans (Men = 95 lbs, Women = 45 lbs) to the circuit

Do this circuit 4 rounds and post your total reps and weight!

httpvp://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F21AD50B201199F8

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