Yea, the weekend is here!  If you live in NYC, check out Summer Streets on Saturday - it's amazing!  If my left ankle holds up, I plan on running from the Upper East Side all the way across the Brooklyn Bridge and then back to the UES.  Running is an amazing way to explore any city, especially NYC.

If you don't plan on running 12 miles or so, give this Quick Workout Of the Day a try.  It'll kick your tush, but it'll be so worth it!

QWOD for Saturday, August 20th, 2011

• 1 minute of jumping jacks
• 8 burpees with pushups
• 10 burpees without pushups
• 1 minute of bridge (on your back, raise your hips)
• 10 burpees with pushups
• 15 burpees without pushups
• 30 second bridge with right leg in air
• 30 second bridge with left leg in air
• 12 burpees with pushups
• 20 burpees without pushups
• BRING IT!!!
  

Fartlek, pronounced fart-lick, is a hilarious word.  It makes me giggle like a little school girl.  (Note: I'd make a very ugly school girl, at 6'1", 190 lbs.)  But a fartlek has more going for it than just humor.  Fartleks are a great way to increase your overall speed and stamina.  Fartlek is a Swedish term meaning "speed play" and is a form of interval or speed training where you basically change the tempo of your run, instead of just going at the same old boring pace.

This weekend Quick Workout Of the Day will require you to put on your minimalist shoes (or just go barefoot), go outside and run!  Keep it intense, and give it 100%.

Have a great weekend, and have a great workout!

PS  True or false: I overly used the word "fartlek" in this post?

QWOD for Saturday, August 6th, 2011

• 1 minute jumping jack (jj's)
• Jog slowly for 1 minute
• SPRINT for 20 seconds
• Jog slowly for 1 minute
• SPRINT for 20 seconds
• Jog at a normal pace for 1 minute
  
• SPRINT for 20 seconds
• Jog at a normal pace for 1 minute
• SPRINT for 20 seconds
• Jog slowly for 1 minute
  

If you're in pain from last night's boot camp, smile and give yourself a pat on the back.  You rock!  If you're not in pain, DO MORE PUSHUPS!!!

Today's Quick Workout Of the Day will focus on keeping your core strong and durable.  Good luck soldier!

QWOD for Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

• 2 minutes of jumping jacks
• 30 second superman
• 1 minute opposite arm/opposite leg (right arm, left leg) - GO SLOW
• 1 minute opposite arm/opposite leg (left arm, right leg) - GO SLOW
• 45 seconds of twisting mountain climbers (keep your butt low, back flat, and bring opposite knee to opposite elbow every rep)
• 30 second superman
• 1 minute bridge or full wheel (feel that burn, keep the hips high!)
  

It's been a solid first week of this Jumpstart! Fitness Challenge and you all should keep up the positive momentum by trying this Quick Workout Of the Day.  Bang it out on Saturday, or give it a go on Sunday, or just be badass and rock it on both days!

If you're awake, say hi to me in Central Park on Saturday morning, where I'll be running nine miles all by my lonesome.  Giddy up!

QWOD for Saturday, July 30th, 2011

• 50 biceps curls with 5-10 lb. weights/soup cans/gallon jugs of water
• 25 dips on edge of chair/couch/bed
• 50 air squats (butt should touch couch every time)
• 25 more dips
• ***REPEAT ONCE*** and then...
  
• 25 burpees with pushups
  

Five minutes is pretty short, right?  Hell yea!  That's as long as it will take to do today's Quick Workout Of the Day.  Go all out and as you're sweating and breathing hard, keep reminding yourself "Hey, Self, it's only five minutes!"

QWOD for Thursday, July 28th, 2011

• Do as many rounds in 5 minutes of:
• 10 pushups
• 15 dips
• 10 side lunges to the right
• 10 side lunges to the left
• 10 jump squats

Leave the number of rounds you did in the comments section.

Here we are, going into the last weekend of the Jumpstart! Fitness Challenge.  With two challenges looming for next Thursday, it's time to buckle down and really push yourself to get strong, get toned, get angry!

Give this Quick Workout Of the Day a try over the weekend and be confident for your final exam next Thursday...

QWOD for Saturday July 9th, 2011

• 2 minutes of warmup (jog in place, jumping jacks, burpees without pushups)
• Max rep dips on chair, edge of bed or couch
• 5 more dips
• Max rep assisted pistol squats holding onto a door frame, partner, etc.
• 2 bonus pistol squats
• 15 diamond pushups
• 2 bonus diamond pushups
• 20 single leg squats per leg
• ***REPEAT TWICE***
  

It's Wednesday.  It's hot out.  You're probably sore from yesterday's workout (I know I am.)  You probably have a zillion excuses to not do today's Quick Workout Of the Day.

But you're an animal.  You're a champion.  You have a goal: get ripped and feel great!

So you're going to get off the couch, leave you're air conditioned apartment, and keep up that positive momentum by dominating today's workout.

Go git 'em tiger!

QWOD for Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

• 2 minute warmup (jumping jack, high knees, leg swings, etc.)
  
• Run for 3 minutes
• Stop, do 20 pushups
• Run for 3 minutes
• Stop, do 15 pushups
• Run for 3 minutes
• Stop, do 10 pushups
• Run for 3 minutes
• Stop, do 10 pushups
• Stretch quads and calves for 2 minutes
• Do 10 burpess with pushups
  

It's week two of the Jumpstart! Fitness Challenge, and you're just beginning to get used to the tush whoopings.  Don't get frustrated if you're sore, and don't feel bad if you can count your max rep pushups on one hand.

Keep pushing, keep sweating, and keep doing these Quick Workouts Of the Day!

QWOD for Tuesday, June 28th 2011

Complete three rounds as fast as possible of:

• 100 mountain climbers
  
• 25 pushups
• 100 jumping jacks
  
• 30 dips

**Please post your times in the comments section below**

Get pumped, get ripped, get sweaty, get your Quick Workout Of the Day on!  Have a great weekend!

QWOD for June 25th, 2011

• 50 biceps curls with gallon water jugs or soup cans or up to 5-10lb dumbells.  Do 25 standing on your right foot, 25 on the left
• Plank for 1:23 - keep those arms like railroad track, back flat, glutes squeezed.  If 1:23 is too easy, switch off raining a leg every 10 seconds for the whole time)
  
• Single leg squats - 25 per leg (I'm not going to lie, this will burn!)
  
• 40 shoulder presses (holding the weights in each hand, press the weights overhead, 20 on right leg, 20 on left leg)
• 6 supermans with 10 second holds
• 23 dips on the edge of the couch/chair/bed - keep one leg raised to increase difficulty
• 1:23 jumping jacks
• 20 pick-it-up, put-it-on-the-shelf (aka diagonal squat lifts) per side (Standing in a squat position, pick up a 5-10lb weight by your right foot, bring it up and to an imaginary shelf on the upper left of your head, and then bring it back down back to the right.  That is 1 rep.  Do 20 per side.)
  
• 16 burpees (keep good form on those pushups, and jump nice and high)

Well helloooooooooooo Tuesday!  I don't think Tuesday gets any respect.  It's lost between the dread of Monday and the 50-50 outlook of Humpday.  Well, today Tuesday will be given a Quick Workout Of the Day, aka QWOD.

Enjoy your burpees!

QWOD for Tuesday, June 21st

• With no rest, do the following as fast as possible:
  
• 1 minute of jumping jacks
• 10 burpees with pushups
• 10 burpees with rear leg lifts (no pushups)
• 10 burpees diamond pushups
• 10 burpees with jump knee tucks (no pushups)
• 10 burpees with sumo squat jump throughs, 5 with pushups, 5 without (When hopping your legs forward, hop extra hard so your feet go to the outside of your hands, landing in a sumo squat.  Continue the burpee by jumping up from there.)