Jun 27 2012

3 Weeks To Awesome – 10 Minute Back, Arms and Core Workout

Today is day 3 of my 3 week program to hit your fitness goal. We are improving your posture and strengthening your core with today’s workout.

Keep in mind that the 3 week program is designed for beginners AND advanced exercisers. This workout is for beginners, but if you are more advanced, you can choose from any one of the awesome upper body workouts here at BPM.Tv.

I will be honest, it has been a challenge for me to regress my own workouts to the beginner level while I recuperate from the car accident I was in a few weeks ago. In my mind, I want to push myself harder. My body needs to heal though. Allowing it to rest is an important part of the healing process.

I truly am at the beginner level until I heal. I am re-establishing the neuromuscular connections between my mind and my muscles. I am doing these workouts in real time right along with you and I am struggling. If you are getting back into exercise after an injury or after a period of being inactive, these workouts are perfect for you. Just make sure you get a health professional’s clearance if you are recovering from an injury.

This workout is for beginners, but it is still going to challenge you. When you challenge your body, you change your body. Let’s do this.

VIDEO: BPM 3 Weeks To a New You – Fitness Program Day 3

VIDEO: BPM 3 Weeks To a New You – Fitness Program Day 3

If you are more advanced, choose another workout from BPM.Tv that focuses on the same muscle group. Today we are focusing on back and core, so if you are more advanced pick a workout from the Lift Yourself Up: Achieving Awesome Arms section or the Back section. You could also choose any of the workouts from Traps section.

This is one of my personal favorite advanced back workouts: As the Sun Goes Down – 600 Rep Back and Abs Playground Workout

BPM Cori Ann Lentz As The Sun Goes Down Back Abs playground workout workouts

Here’s the most important part of this 3 week program. In addition to the workouts, you will also have a super power to develop each day.

Physically working out is not enough to reach a fitness goal, no matter what it is. You must also focus on nutrition, hydration, rest, flexibility, time management, stress level and attitude.

My 3 week program is going to train you in each of these aspects, but you have to do the work. Focus on making fitness your lifestyle, not just something you do. Hit every component, don’t leave a piece of the puzzle out, to truly make this a part of who you are.

We will go over nutrition in more detail during the program, but to maximize the results you will need to back it up with smaller portion sizes and more frequent meals. I know you have heard that before. That’s because it works. I want you to really try it. Not just for a day. Not just for a week. I want you to really try it for the entire 3 weeks, then see if you can keep it going long afterwards.

Eating small portions 6-8 times per day will have a dramatic impact on your metabolism. Take a few minutes to go through the food and diet section of the site to read about nutrition.

Also, make sure to develop the super power I give you during this program each day. No matter what level you are at currently, it truly will be your focus on these seemingly smaller things that will supercharge your fitness efforts.

Finally, if you know anyone who would benefit from this workout – family, friends etc I hope that you will share it with them.

xoxo ~ Cori

BPM 3 week program day 3 e1344450829719 workouts

Workout Breakdown

Time 54x54 workouts Time: 10 minutes.
Workout 54x54 workouts Workout Type: Time challenge.
Count 54x54 workouts Workout Exercises: 4.

Get your gear:

Bars 54x54 workouts BARS
Get your bars here

Buy the same nutrition products as me:

Protein 54x54 workouts PROTEIN
Get your protein here
Greens 54x54 workouts SUPER GREENS
Get your super greens here
PB2 54x54 workouts Peanut Butter
Get your PB2 here
Egg Whites 54x54 workouts EGG WHITES
Get your egg whites here
Tea 54x54 workouts Tea
Get your tea here

BPM.Tv 3 Weeks To Awesome – 10 Minute Back, Arms and Core Workout

Set your interval timer to a total of 10 – one minute – intervals with no rest. Go through these exercises 2 times for a good 10 minute workout. If you can go through it again, go for it. I went through it a total of 2 times. Usually I would do a total of 4 times, but my neck and back are the most injured from the car crash so I took it easy and iced it instead of going through another 2 rounds.

Focus on your form during this workout. Squeeze the right muscles. It’s more important to do the exercise correctly than quickly. The great thing about this workout routine is that it will totally improve your posture and help with any tension headaches you may be getting from working on a computer too often. Once you have better posture and body alignment you will be able to attack to more advanced workouts.

This workout is only 10 minutes. Go through it as much as you can if you’re new to working out. Once you feel stronger, try repeating it. If you’re new, feel proud that you are getting through it just once. We all start at the beginning. Feel proud an accomplished that you have made that first step. Day 3. You got this!

Remember to post your scores! POST YOUR HOW MANY REPS YOU GOT THROUGH IN EACH INTERVAL! POST HOW MANY TIMES YOU WENT THROUGH IT! Keep track of your workouts so you know when you’re making progress! I want to know how you did!

Just remember that no matter how hard you workout, it is the super powers that will ultimately get you to your goal. You can find the super powers I want you to focus on at the end of each workout in the 3 week program.

Warm Up:
The warm up is built into this workout.

Prone Mid Trapezius Activation (Hands Behind Head):
1 minute
Lay face down on the ground, on a bench, on an ottoman, or even in bed.  Your arms are bent and your hands are at your ears, lightly touching the back of your head. Make sure you are not pulling down on your head and neck.

Make sure to keep your neck aligned with the rest of your spine. No looking up. No looking down. Align your neck, notice where you’re eyes are looking once you’re aligned and keep them there. Again, do not pull on your head with your arms.

Lift your chest. Lift your elbows slightly, squeezing your shoulder blades together in the back. Visualize the middle area of your trapezius flexing and squeezing hard. This will be harder than it looks. These muscles are typically underworked in the gym and elongated from day to day activities, so it may be difficult to feel them flexing.

Don’t let your elbows fall to far forward. Focus on squeezing your shoulders blades together first before you lift your elbows each time. Try to lift your elbows to about the height of your shoulders, or to your ears if you have the flexibility and the strength to do so. Go slow and focus on squeezing every muscle fiber. Go for one full minute.

Prone Lower Trapezius Activation (V Position):
1 minute x 2
Same position as above, but raise your arms overhead and outstretch them in a V. Make sure to keep your neck aligned with the rest of your spine. No looking up. No looking down. Align your neck, notice where you’re eyes are looking once you’re aligned and keep them there.

Lift your chest. Squeeze your shoulder blades together in the back, then pull them down. Don’t let your arms fall. Try to keep your elbows at about the same height as your shoulders, or even your ears if you have the flexibility.

Visualize the lower area of your trapezius muscle squeezing hard as you lift your arms and pull them back. Again, go slow and focus on squeezing every muscle fiber. Go for one full minute.

Single Leg Tuck and Row with Bars:
1 minute right
1 minute left
Row yourself up. Straighten out one of your legs and keep it up. Try not to let that leg touch the ground until the minutes is up. Each time you straighten out your arms, raise your leg and bring it into your chest. Squeeze your abs. Each time you row yourself up, lower that same leg until it hovers above the ground. Don’t let your back sway or arch excessively. Keep your abs tight throughout. Breathing out forcefully each time you row up helps.

Don’t rest! If you absolutely have to drop your leg down to the ground and finish out with just rowing, that’s fine. Just keep going! Switch after 1 minute.

Hip Thrust to Row to Assisted Pike Chin Up with Bars:
1 minute
These are so tough. Hip thrust. Grab the bar. Row yourself up to the bar, but as you do raise yourself vertically and raise your chest to the bar, in a chin up position. Straighten your legs. Squeeze your back and lift yourself just a little higher. Come back to the hip thrust. Repeat. Go for a full minute.

Repeat the entire routine again, then you’re done! If you feel good and you want to try to go through it again, go for it!

Post your scores. Try to come up with a way to make the exercises even more challenging! Try to have better form than me! I’m injured right now from the car crash I was in a few weeks ago, so I fully expect you to beat my numbers!

Invoke Your Super Power: Measurements and Pics

The past 2 days we have focused on hydration. Today I want you to understand the power of taking measurements and keeping progress pics. I teach you how to take your own measurements properly here: Guide to Taking Measurements

BPM Cori Ann Lentz Guide To Taking Measurements workouts

The first super power that you invoked was proper hydration. The next one is taking measurements.

There is a reason why I have you taking measurements on day 3 instead of day 1.

In my experience, sometimes taking your own measurements can be quite an eye opener. It may be difficult to come to terms with where you are currently at. You may have been in denial. If you take measurements on day 1 and it is a brutal awakening, it can be more demotivating that motivating.

Now you’re 3 days into it. You’re drinking more water. You’re exercising. You’re feeling strong. You’re committed. It is easier to come to terms with the reality of where you are starting from when you have a little momentum going for you.

Take your measurements. If you’re feeling brave, post them on the Guide to Taking Measurements blog post right under mine. You can update them as you take them. It’s a great way to hold yourself accountable.

Follow Through

I like to post something about cardio and nutrition at the end of every post because it is important.

Cardio and nutrition are going to be two of the most important parts of achieving your results, no matter what what your goal is. You can not work off your nutritional decisions with exercise. What? You can’t eat a donut, then just do 2 hours of cardio and *poof* it will be like it never happened? That’s what I’m saying. Come on. No. You can’t.

Your body doesn’t work like a simple addition or subtraction problem. It is not calories in vs. calories out. What you eat has a chemical effect on your body. Even if you do cardio to ‘burn it off’ the chemical effect is still present. Different sugars have an affect. Different proteins have an effect. Different fats have an effect. When you take a vitamin, you understand that it has an effect in your body that cardio will not ‘work off,’ right? Food works the same way. Different foods have positive and negative chemical effects within our body. You can’t just work them off.

You have to unlock and unleash the body fat by working with your body in every aspect. Your body works in harmony like a symphony. When one instrument is off, the entire song doesn’t sound right. A good steady drumbeat can’t make up for a guitar that’s out of tune. 2 hours of cardio cannot make up for a donut. Or pizza. Or macaroni and cheese. Or wine and a baguette. Got it?

Cardio

I recently cut my cardio to a minimum of 30 minutes of stairs with intervals as cardio 5 days per week.

When I’m trying to lose fat I usually do two separate 45 minute cardio sessions a day, but one session is really more like light activity and less like cardio.

I love my cardio and I like to stay conditioned. I personally prefer to do a little more cardio than the average figure competitor, then also eat a little more. It takes more time and effort, but I feel the pay off is well worth it.

The pay off is that I feel awesome. It might take me a little longer to build muscle because I do love my cardio, but it’s the cardio that helps me to keep focused and positive for the long haul. It’s important to know what keeps you motivated for the long haul too. I feel energized by cardio. I love it.

Post Workout Nutrition

When I was trying to gain muscle I finished every workout with a protein shake, animal protein, and some complex and simple carbs. These are healthy choices for gaining or for performance. These are not the right choices for me for trying to lose fat, define and sculpt muscle. Trying to define and sculpt muscle is different from gaining muscle. This means I need to eat something different.

When I am trying to lose fat and sculpt muscle, I am much more strict with my diet. Only true food sources. No protein powder.

I finish up every workout with lean protein from true food sources (a little red meat, white chicken, white fish and egg whites are best) and some dark green veggies or Super Greens mixed with water only. Again, no protein powder. If you are a vegetarian you would most likely need to supplement with protein powder. If you are not, let me say again that true food sources work best for losing body fat.

Even when I am trying to lose fat, I still FEED my body.

Want more information about nutrition? Check out BPM.tv Nutrition 101.

BPM Cori Ann Lentz Nutrition 101 workouts

You can also look at my current personal fat loss diet in order to get ideas on how to develop your own nutrition plan.

Cori Ann’s Prepping Fat Loss Diet:

BPM Cori Ann Lentz Nutrition Fat Loss Diet Plan1 workouts

You can click on the image above to link to my fat loss diet to get details about what works for me, but here is the basic breakdown.

This is my meal plan while I am trying to lose fat and define muscle. My carbohydrates come from complex sources only and are kept to about 100 grams per day.

My sugar is kept at about 18 grams per day. That’s it. That is less than what is in one banana. That means fruit is not in my fat loss nutrition plan. My sugars come from minimal amounts that naturally occur in veggies and in the complex carbs I eat each day. No matter what your goal, I highly recommend you watch your sugar intake, even ‘healthy’ sugar like fruit, and moderate it to a minimum based on your own personal goals.

My protein is kept at about 250 grams per day and comes from high quality, organic, free range (or wild) lean animal sources. My fats are kept at about 40 grams per day and come from my protein and complex carbohydrate choices (not additional plant sources like olive oil, coconut, nuts, or avocado).

That equals about 1800 calories per day. I don’t drop it much lower than that.

I eat natural, organic, whole foods that I cook myself, or if possible I eat them raw. I drink 1 to 2 gallons of water and a couple cups of either coffee or tea. There is no mysterious, magical diet. If you want to lose bodyfat you need to eat a fair amount of lean protein and A LOT of green veggies at every meal. Period.

BPM Cori Ann Lentz Cod Arugula Sweet Potatoes workouts

Did you like this post? Tell me in the comments!

Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments. Don’t be shy! Your comments may help to inspire another. Your questions may help someone else who has the exact same question, but is too shy to ask. I love hearing from you!

Try to come up with a way to make the exercises even more challenging! Try to have better form than me! Let’s inspire each other.

By Cori Ann Lentz • Workouts • 11 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,