FUN AND EFFECTIVE CARDIO ROUTINE
- BURN CALORIES AND TONE UP

You don't like running? Neither do I! That's why I've came up with some really fun box jump routine that is super fun, very intense and it's actually great for toning up your legs and your bum.
Cardio exercises are really important part of your workout routine not only for aesthetic purposes but also for keeping your hearth healthy. You can incorporated cardio routine in two ways:

1. Several times per week you do short but very intense bouts of running, jumping rope or the above shown exercises using low height box.
2. Two times per week you do long and continuous routine like running on slow pace, fast walking, jump rope on slower pace, or anything else that will keep your hearth rate up but not leave you without breath while doing the workout.

 HOW TO START WORKING OUT BEGINNERS 

If you are a beginner in fitness, there are few very important exercises that you need to be able to do, before you progress to weight lifting and power exercises.  Here is the top 5 exercises that are best to begin with: ( shown on the slideshow bellow)

1. Squat
   
2. Lunge
   
3. Push-up
   
4. Shoulder press
   
5. Plank 

There are also, few rules to consider:

1.  Working out the big muscle groups before working on a single muscle, is the preferred and correct way of exercising. Ex. Doing a shoulder press before you do a bicep curl or a triceps dip.
2. Before you start doing those crunches to see six pack looking stomach, you need to strengthen the deep core muscles. (The one that you can not see. Transversus abdominis, multifidus, internal oblique, and pelvic floor muscles).

Start by doing 2 sets - 12 repetitions of each exercise, and progress to 3 sets when you feel that you are ready. Once you strengthen your muscles and joints, you can add weights to your routine, or even plyometric exercises, like box jumps, hops and other advanced exercises.

PROTEIN POWDER - ASK THE TRAINER

It's always best  to consume whole foods over processed: lean chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, seeds and nut butters.  But when you are exercising outside of home and you don't have a quick access to whole foods, protein powder may be the right choice. Here is few good reasons why:

1. It is easy to digest, and absorbs much faster than meat. When you are working out really hard, you are tearing the muscle tissue apart.  And after the workout is when the muscle is being repaired and build stronger and bigger. If you don't supply your muscles with the muscle building blocks, protein, aka amino acids, than your workouts will not give you the results you expect. 
2. It is great choice for weight loss. The fact that it's concentrated only with high quality protein without the extra calories from carbohydrates and fats, makes it excellent choice for weight loss.
   

APRIL 19, 2012
WE MAXIMIZE EVERYTHING TODAY - DAY 7

The workout today is cruel but effective, and that's what we care. :)
Warm up as always and do 3 rounds of the following exercises,  MAXIMUM REPETITIONS you can, without taking break. Example, I did 40 squats, you do 50 or more if you can.

• squat with shoulder press
• single leg dead lift with dumbbells ( grab a heavier one)
• walking lunges
  
• single leg floor bridge on hands 
• cross-over lunge to lateral lunge

You can take little break in between exercises but try your best to do high number of repetitions of each exercise without break. And yes, we are done with this bum week. I feel good, and happy with my results, my butt has been really sore, a feeling that I love. :)

 APRIL 18, 2012
POWER UP YOUR BUM - DAY 6

We are almost done. One more day and the glutes torture is over. :) Warm up with 50 low split step ups on each leg. The workout is 3 rounds of the following exercises:

• 10 barbell power clean ( you can do front squat or squat with weights)
  
• 10 forward horizontal jumps 
• 10 barbell high pull ( you can use kettle bell if easier)
  
• 10 lateral horizontal jumps
  
• 10 (each leg) alternating lateral squat jumps on box
  
• 20 barbell row ( you can use dumbbells)
  
• 10 ( each leg) forward to cross-over lunge with barbell

My camera battery died so you did not see my finish my workout, but I really did. :)

YOU JUST GOTTA LOVE THE PLANK PEOPLE!

It might be the best core exercise ever for beginners and advanced. We all need to develop that stabilization system, necessarily for further core training. And plank position ( all of the different kinds plank ) are doing exactly that job: making the deep stabilization muscles of the core strong and ready for the next step. And that next step is using your core and the muscles of the movement system for power and other exercises. Doing any kind of plank for 5 minutes a day, will really make the core muscles (glutes, abdominal muscles, lower back muscles, hamstrings and quadriceps) strong and even more defined.
- Get down now and hold it!!!

APRIL 17, 2012
DAY 5, GLUTES ON FIRE

Warm up with some squats, lunges and jump squats. The workout is 3 rounds from the following exercises:

• 10 horizontal jump to squat to another horizontal jump finish with a squat (use something sturdy and not dangerous) 
• 10 (each leg) elevated leg backwards lunge to knee to chest
• 10 floor bridge with elevated legs
• 10 (each leg) elevated single leg floor bridge
• 10 (each leg) plank to single leg squat
• 10 up and down squats

Drink plenty of water and try your best. If you want to add extra challenge, grab some dumbbells. That will do it. :) Enjoy!

APRIL 16, 2012
DAY 4 , THE DEADLY BUTT WORKOUT

PLEASE, don't get intimidated by the long list of exercises, it's actually very fun. :) All you need is dumbbells and chair. Please warm up before you start . The workout is 2 rounds of the following:

• 10 PLANK TO SQUAT
• 10 (each leg) hip extensions in a plank position
• 10 jump squats
• 10 (each leg) quick low step ups with dumbbells
  
• 10 (each leg) cross over step ups to one-legged dead lift
• 10 (each leg) quick low step ups with dumbbells
• 10 plank to one legged squat
• 10 mountain climbs
• 10 (each leg) hip extension
  
• 10 plank to one legged squat
• 10 (5 each leg) lateral step ups with dumbbells
• 10 (each leg) hip extension in a plank position
• 10 squats to shoulder press
• 20 forward lunges
• 20 backwards lunges
• 10 dumbbell/ kettle bell swings
• 10 (each leg) split squat holding dumbbells

If you are not sweating by the end of the first round, you are in better shape than me. :) Rest between exercises is minimal, and that's why the repetition are minimal. Enjoy :P

APRIL 15, 201
DAY 3, BEST EXERCISE FOR BUTT - STEP UPS

DO YOU WANT TO GET SEXY BY SUMMER? IF YOU DO, grab some dumbbells ( don't be shy on the weights, I used 15lbs each) and get your ass ready for this fun workout!

• 10 (each leg) step ups with narrow grip shoulder press
• 10 (each leg) Bulgarian split squat with bicep curl
• 10 (each leg) lateral step ups ( you can do bicep curl if want)
• 10 jump squats with holding weights
  

As simple as it looks, it's the weights and the height of the step up that makes it so hard. This is another full body workout for strengthening the core, legs, arms and shoulders. Finish 3 rounds on your own comfortable pace and let me know how it went. :)

APRIL 14, 2012    BONUS BUTT WORKOUT
TONE UP YOUR BACK SIDE - HAMSTRINGS & GLUTES

While doing all kinds of squats and lunges, we are mostly working out the glutes and the quadriceps. But we need to do the same amount of exercise for the opposite muscle group as well. In this case opposite group of muscle for quadriceps is hamstrings. Most common exercise for hamstrings is dead lift. Though we are usually doing dead lifts in my workouts, I wanted to give you more choice of exercises for your hamstrings. These might be even more challenging than dead lift. Doing hamstring curls on a swiss ball is really supper challenging. I suggest for every squat you do, you need to do one dead lift or any of the suggested hamstring exercises. This is really awesome workout to incorporate in the other butt workouts. It will not only  tone and lift  the bum and legs, but more importantly, balance the strength of the muscular system, and keep a healthy functional posture and balance. Not get  down and enjoy the ride! :)

• 20 floor bridge on a swiss ball
• 20 hamstrings curls on a swiss ball
• 20 one-legged floor bridge on your hands
  
• 20 single-leg dead-lift to toe touch ( without dropping down leg) 

This is intense but very fun and EFFECTIVE workout. If you don't have swiss ball, use a chair. Instead of hamstrings curls, do single leg floor bridge with elevated legs. That will do it too. :) Please comment and tell me how your workouts are going! :) 


BOX JUMPS ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITE EXERCISE TO DO FOR DEVELOPING POWER IN MY LEGS! THIS WAS MY HIGHEST I'VE EVER DONE AND I'M SO PROUD WITH MY POWER LEGS! :) YOU SHOULD TRY IT!

SATURDAY APRIL 14, 2012
DAY 2, EXTREME BUTT IMPACT

The workouts is 4 rounds of the following exercises:

• 20 squats with shoulder press
• 20 dead lifts
• 20 split squats
  
• 20 (each leg) one-legged squats on a swiss ball

It's important to use somewhat heavy dumbbells or barbell,  so it adds up to the intensity of the workouts. That is how we going to break the gluteus muscles and after the workout, you replenish it with some good quality protein. All muscles are involved in this workout: legs, core, butt, shoulders, arms..

FRIDAY 13, 2012        
THE BUM WEEK STARTS TODAY!
DAY 1, TONING UP THE GLUTES
Today is the first day so I will go easy on you guys. Warm up with 10-20 air squats. The workout is 3-4 rounds of the following exercises:

• 20 vertical-lateral jumps
• 20 inclined pushups ( you can do regular to make it harder)
• 20 (each leg) one leg squats holding weights
• 20 (each leg) backwards lunge to toe touch 

It's really not as hard as it looks like. I meant not as hard as the next workouts that are about to come this week. :) Besides toning up the bum, with this workout you are working on your legs , core and your upper body.  Don't forget to back it up with some healthy diet. Quality protein, complex carbohydrates and essential fatty acids.

APRIL 11, 2012
BUTT-LIFTING WORKOUT
Tone, firm glutes are the most desired muscles by the female population. And, since I have it, this means I have credibility to teach you girls. :) Joke aside, the three gluteus muscles can be sculpted firm and round if properly and intensively trained. I say intensively because in order for them to grow, they need to be put under constant and diverse stress. You need to challenge your bum with new workouts everyday. And since I am the Queen of Glutes, every workout I do involves the glutes.  In this workout, we are using a bosu ball ( both side usage ball ) that is unstable, yet controllable. Doing squats and jump squats on this ball requires engaging all muscles because they have to stabilize the body on an unstable surface. Holding weights,  triples the challenge, especially for the core! Yay ! :)
The workout is 3 rounds of the following exercises:

• 40 squats on bosu ball
• 40 alternating jump squats on a bosu ball
• 40 mountain climbs on bosu ball
• 40 dumbbells swings 

Yep, 3 rounds of these! :) Happy butt sweating!

APRIL 7, 2012           
GET A KILLER ABDOMINAL MUSCLES

This workout it's crazy intense. It consist of lots of different exercises that will target all 4 abdominal muscles  from all different angles. You will work on your obliques, upper abs and lower abs. You can either double the repetitions from 10 to 20 and do one single round, or you can do exactly what I did: 10 reps of each exercise and you perform 2 rounds.

• 10  Swiss ball lift
  
• 10  Crunches on a Swiss ball ( advanced w/ dumbbell)
• 10 (Each side) wood chop with medicine ball
• 10  Swiss ball twists
  
• 10 Russian twist
  
• 20 Knee to chest ( supine position) 
• 20 Medicine ball rotations
• 10 Plank on medicine ball with knee to chest 
• 1 minute  plank with elevated leg 
• 10 (each arm) One arm chest press on a Swiss ball
  
• 10 Crunches on a Swiss ball  

Eleven exercises that will help you tone up the abs. And of course, you need to back up this amazing workout with an amazing diet. Diet is really important when it comes to revealing the six pack abs. Lots of lean meats, vegetables, grains, fruits and water. And of course, every day a single dose of a BULLET BODY WORKOUT! :) I hope you can forgive me for my brutal honesty !

APRIL 4, 2012
I'M ADDICTED TO SWEAT !!!

Today's workout is 3 full rounds of the following exercises:

• 30 SQUAT JUMPS
• 20 DECLINED PUSHUPS (ELEVATED LEGS)
  

• 2 MINUTES OF CARDIO (ALTERNATING FOOT STEPS OR JUMP ROPE)
• 20 LATERAL LUNGES (ALTERNATING)

For the third exercise please use heavy medicine ball or something sturdy. My ball was rolling too much and that can be little dangerous. But I love danger! ;)

Don't forget to hold on to your dumbbells. :)

APRIL 3, 2012
MY SUPER WOMAN WORKOUT

Everyone has been asking me about tire workouts and why I do them. So here is my story. :)
While playing basketball in Flamingo Park on South Beach, I saw this man with the most incredible body I've ever seen. He didn't even look real. He reminded me of the blue men from the movie, Avatar. He was long, super duper lean, and perfectly defined. In envy, I had to go up to him and ask him what the heck he was doing to have such a textbook physique! The first thing he said was flipping tires. His second response was weighted jump roping and third was eating lots of lean chicken. Simple as that!
So the next day, I went to the store and got myself a new, weighted, jump rope. Then I also found me an old, ragged, heavy tire and began flipping. I call it my "super woman workout" because when I do it, I feel powerful and strong.
START FLIPPING TIRES! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! It's the best total body workout because it requires tremendous power from the core. Start with a lighter one, then to a heavier one. Send me your videos and let me know how it goes. We can even have a tire challenge to see who is the biggest and sexiest tire-flipping superhuman. :)

APRIL 2, 2012
SO YOU WANT THE SIX PACK ABS...

So does everyone else in the world! Are you ready to earn those six pack abs is what I want to hear? Get your snickers ready for this intense 20-30mins workout.

Push yourself as hard as you want those six pack abs to feel like!

The workout is 2 rounds of the following back to back exercises:

• 10 (each leg) EXTERNAL-INTERNAL HIP ROTATION WITH  SHOULDER ROTATION
  
• 20 REPS PLANK WITH LATERAL KNEE TO CHEST
• 10 TRICEPS DIPS
• 20 PLANK WITH ALTERATION SIDE ROTATION
  
• 10 TRICEPS DIPS
• 10 (each leg) LATERAL STEP UP WITH KNEE TO CHEST
• 20 ONE LEG PLANK WITH ROW 
• 10 PUSHUPS
  
• 10 VERTICAL JUMPS
  

As you can notice I love holding my purple 5lbs dumbbells. :) I know, 5lbs sounds pretty light. But by the end of the workout, you will think you were working out with 20lbs dumbbells.  This is great example of how a real six pack workout should feel like. Yes, the road to six pack abs is painful but there are hundreds of rewards of owning that flat stomach with that precious muscle definition.

APRIL 1, 2012
KICK THE FAT IN ITS FACE

Besides you now, do you know who else is scared from my kickboxing skills? THE FAT!! :)
Kickboxing it's an amazing cardio workout that will raise your hearth rate and make you really sweat. If you don't have a punching bag and gloves,  make yourself believe that you do. :) If you have never done it before, it's even bigger reason to start doing right now just because the muscle doesn't like when you challenge it with some new moves. That's when the muscles grow bigger and stronger.  I DARE YOU TO DO KICKBOXING TWICE A WEEK FOR AT LEAST 20 MINUTES. YOUR BODY WILL ONLY BENEFIT, I PROMISE YOU THAT.
(I love kickboxing. Especially when I am angry and I have lots of energy. It is a great outlet to get it out. You should try it, it's a great trick that works the majic.)

MARCH 31, 2012 
TOTAL BODY MELTDOWN
Warm up good before you start this workout. It's going to kick you in the butt like no other workout. :) Deep air squats, lunges and drawn in maneuver (cat-cow exercise) are great examples of warm up. For the workout I used that brick as weights because I did not have heavy medicine ball,  dumbbell or kettle bell. This is a great example that as long as you want to do a workout, there is no space for excuses. You can always figure out ways to modify the exercise, like I did. :) Use at least 15lbs weight so it's challenging. The workout is 2-3 rounds of the following:

• 10 FORWARD LUNGE WITH A TWIST
  
• 30 reps LATERAL LUNGES WITH ALTERNATING HIGH PUNCH
  
• 20 reps KETTLE BELL/DUMBBELL/MEDICINE BALL SWINGS  ( I used brick so I couldn't swing it) :)
  
• 10 reps ROW ( I used again the brick)
  
• 10 reps SQUAT TO PRESS

HOPE YOU ENJOY AND DON'T HATE ME THE NEXT DAY WHEN YOU ARE SORE. :)

MARCH 30, 2012  
CHALLENGE YOUR CORE EVEN MORE

Core workouts are the ideal way to get that total body lean physic. But how  core workout will get you six pack abs? Because the abdominal muscles are part of the core. Also, the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and lower back muscles are all part of the core. So every time you do a core workout, you are using all this muscles. This is really hard workout. We are using unstable but controllable surface ( the ball ) that will challenge your core and you balance that much more. This is a great workout for  building the  deep core muscles from the  stabilization system, before you go on to the the movement system.  It is absolute torture but  it feels great! :) You must prepare your core so you don't injure yourself. Good core warm up exercise  is the one I show here, cat-cow stretch. The workout is 3 rounds of these exercises:

• 20 REPS OF PLANK ON UNSTABLE CONTROLLABLE SURFACE WITH ALTERNATING LEG EXTENSIONS
• 20 REPS OF FLOOR BRIDGE ON UNSTABLE CONTROLLABLE SURFACE WITH PRESS
• 10 REPS ( EACH LEG) SIDE PLANK WITH KNEE TO CHEST

ALWAYS ALWAYS STAY POSITIVE AND BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN DO IT. YOU ARE CAPABLE OF FINISHING THIS WORKOUT. FIND THE STRENGTH IN YOU, FIND YOUR MOTIVATION THAT WILL PUSH YOU AND NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM. YES, YOU CAN HAVE MILLION $ BODY!

MARCH 29, 2012
OVERDOSE OF EXERCISES FOR BUILDING LEAN MUSCLE

Do you want a workout that will make your legs shaky and feel the burn in the muscles? This is it, no need to look further. Overdose of exercises!!
Break the muscle tissue,and the muscle will be forced to build its self stronger and bigger for the next time. That's how you build lean muscle tissue. If you don't feel the pain, you will most likely see no gain. I did 2 rounds from the workout, and you need to do full 3 rounds:

• 10 pushups to vertical jump
• 20 walking lunges
• 20 squats to one leg dead lift
• 20 dumbbell/kettle bell swings
• 20 mountain climbers
  
• 20 ( 10 each leg) lateral lunges

Warm up before starting the workout and stretch after the workout. Push your self, imagine the body you want to achieve, scream if you need to, and soon the only extra weight you will be carrying are dumbbells.

MARCH 28, 2012  
TONING UP SHOULDERS, ARMS + CARDIO

Another full body workout but upper body intensified. Summer is here so lets get our body prepared for the fun that's about to come. Grab your dumbbells and start moving.
The following is one round and it should be preferably finished without taking any long breaks:

• 20 ( each leg) step ups with biceps curls to shoulder press
  
• 20 hand stand pushups
• 20 quick burst up your stairs

The workout is very intense and it will make you sweat after the first round. For beginners, take a slower pace and go strongly. Rest few seconds if needed and continue. Take a few minutes break between rounds. You need to finish 3 rounds before you are done with this workout.  Don't forget to stay hydrated, warm up before the workout and stretch after the workout.

March 27, 2012     TONING UP BUTT, LEGS  AND  CORE
This workout will really work all three gluteus muscles, the quadriceps, the hamstrings, calves and your core! This is how one round should look like:

• 40 SQUATS WITH KNEE TO CHEST
• 20 ( EACH LEG) STRAIGHT LEG DEAD-LIFT TO BACKWARDS LUNGE WITH BICEPS CURLS
• 20 PLANK TO SQUAT 
  
• 20 ( EACH LEG) EXTERNAL-INTERNAL HIP ROTATION 

Each of these exercise is targeting multiple muscles from different angles. This workout is really intense, but that is the only way to build muscle: Tear up the muscle, and the muscle will have to grow bigger and stronger!
Try to finish 2-3 rounds with water break only between rounds. Pick up a constant pace where you are not without a breath, but you are still working hard. Nothing comes easy, and so do perfectly rounded glutes.
YOU HAVE TO EARN THEM!!! ;)