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Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow.

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20-Minute Treadmill Trek

Full Back Workout

Booty Blast

No-Equipment Ab Workout

Here are five moves that’ll help you get a strong core and sexy, flat tummy in no time!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Sexy Shoulders Workout

Want the appearance of a tinier waistline? The answer may be in working those shoulders! Plus, by tightening and toning your shoulder muscles, you’ll be prepping that body for the tank top and sundress season ahead!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Great Gams

Maximize That Medicine Ball!

Maximize that medicine ball! It’s not only for partner passes and holding during squats. I’ve put together a full body workout to help you make the most of your medicine ball investment.

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Hotel-Room Workout

Multiplier Workout!!!

Tone your whole body in no time flat with our multi joint exercises. Why just move your lower or upper body when you can move both!? Grab a set of dumbbells for even more resistance.

Always living with passion,

Sammie

On the Ball

We’re finally back with our new and improved Workout Wednesday videos. Today we’re featuring the stability ball, it’s good for more than just sitting at the desk or bouncing on in the living room! Here’s a full body workout you can do in the comfort of your own home.

Always living with passion,

Sammie

The Home Stretch

You’ve put your muscles to the test and have worked up a good sweat, but wait, it’s not time to hit the showers just yet! Skipping the stretch at the end of each workout isn’t doing you any favours. Your body’s warm, so let’s take advantage of that, bring your heart rate down slowly, boost flexibility and reduce soreness with a few poses.

Goalpost

Stand in a doorway and bring left arm directly out to side. Place left forearm against wall to left of doorway, elbow bent 90 degrees at shoulder level. Press left palm and forearm against wall for 5 counts; release. Do 5 reps. Switch sides and repeat.

Inchworm

Targets: lower back and hamstrings
Standing with your feet hip-distance apart, slowly bend at the waist, keeping your legs as straight as possible, until your hands touch the floor about 8 to 12 inches from your feet [A]. Walk your hands out to push-up position [B], then walk your feet in toward your hands. Work up to 2 sets of 8 reps. TIP: Your body should form a straight line from your heels to your head.

Standing Wall Calf Stretch

Facing a wall and place palms on it at chest level, elbows slightly bent. Lean forward, step right foot back a few feet to staggered stance, heel on floor so that you feel the stretch in right calf. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat. Do 3 reps per leg. Repeat sequence, this time bending knee of rear leg to target a different set of calf muscles.

Stand on one leg and pull the other foot up behind your bottom. Keep your knees together and push your hips forwards to increase the stretch. Hold for between 10 and 30 seconds. VARIATION: Laying Quad Stretch.

Reverse Lunge with Lateral Trunk Flexion

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides. Take a giant step back with your left foot and sink into a lunge until your right thigh is parallel to the floor (A). Lift your left arm straight up, then lean your torso to the right (B). Lower your left arm back down to your side as you step forward with your left foot. Repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep. Do 4 to 5.

Whole Body Stretch with Ball

Sit on the ball and roll forward until you’re at an incline. Straighten the legs and stretch your body back, arms over the head. Drape yourself over the ball, letting your head relax and your arms hang towards the floor. Relax and breathe, holding for 15-20 seconds. NOTE: Skip this exercise if you feel dizzy or disoriented with your head upside down.

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Total Toner

Arms, legs and cardio, oh my! Here’s my ultimate five-move regimen for a completely svelte physique.

Cross Jack
Reps: 20+ x 2

Stand with feet wide and arms extended at shoulder height out to sides, palms facing ground.

Jump and cross right arm over left at shoulder height in front of you as you cross right foot over left. Jump back to starting position and repeat, crossing opposite arm and foot. Continue, alternating sides.

Squats Supreme
Reps: 12 x 2

Stand with feet wide, toes turned out, band around wrists, arms down. Squat until thighs are parallel to floor, pressing arms out to sides as wide as you can (as shown). Return to start.

Lookout Lunge
Reps: 8 per leg x 2

Stand with feet hip-width apart and extend arms overhead, palms facing each other. Lunge forward with left leg, bending knee 90 degrees, right leg extended behind you. Hinge forward from hips 45 degrees, keeping back flat, so that torso and arms point diagonally up.

Rotate palms out and lower arms to sides, then raise arms again, turning palms in. Maintaining lunge, lower and raise arms 8 times. Switch legs and repeat.

T Push-Up
Reps: 5 x 2

Perform a push-up. When you come up, rotate your body to the right and lift your right arm straight up over your shoulder so that your body forms a T. Bring your right hand back to the floor. Do another push-up, and repeat to the left. That’s 1 rep.

Abs Sprawl
Time: 1 min x 2

Sit with back at a 45-degree angle, knees bent, feet 6 inches off ground, holding knees with both hands to start. Hold for two seconds, then release knees, extending legs and arms (as shown) for two seconds. Return to start for 1 rep. Continue for 1 minute.

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Crunch-Free Abs

Tone your tummy without the help of one sit-up or crunch. This isn’t your normal abdominal workout!

Towel Plank & Knee In
Reps: 12-15

Start in a plank position with one small towel placed under each ball of your foot, legs together. Sliding on the towel bring your left knee in towards the right side of your chest, squeezing your abs. Then, straighten your right leg back out to full plank and bring your right knee in towards the left side of your chest and back out to full plank. Next, draw both knees into your chest at the same time and then slide your legs back out to full plank. That’s one rep.

Bow Extension
Reps: 10 per side

Hold a dumbbell or canned product in both hands above your right shoulder and point your left foot out to the side. In one motion, draw your elbows down to lower the weight as you bend your left knee toward your chest. Reverse the movement to return to start. That’s one rep. Do 10, then switch sides and repeat.

Twist & Drop
Reps: 12, alternating

Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hinge from hips and place hands on floor about 1 foot in front of feet. Keeping head down, engage abs and lift left foot. Sweep left leg in front of right as you turn right foot out to side, bending right knee. Lower hips toward floor, keeping left leg straight. Return to start. Switch sides and repeat.

Make it Harder

Repeat “Twist & Drop” move. Holding this position (left leg straight and extended, right knee bent, both palms on floor in front of you), lift left leg toward right knee, then lower. Do 5 leg lifts, then return to start.

Flat Back
Reps: 20

Sit on floor with lower back against a wall, knees slightly bent and feet planted wider than shoulder-width apart. Place hands on floor between legs and squeeze abs. Press into floor with fingertips and lift feet about 6 inches. Make it easier: Lift and lower left foot; then repeat with right to complete 1 rep.

Lying Oblique Ball Twist
Reps: Alternate sides for 1 minute

Lay on your back with your arms out to each side in a ‘T’ shape, palms facing down. Position a stability ball between your feet and extend both legs up towards the ceiling, just above your hips, knees slightly bent. Gently squeeze into the ball, draw your abs in tight, and press your ribcage into the floor as you carefully move the ball to the right, lowering both legs towards the floor (only go as far toward floor as you can without dropping to the side). Press the ball back up to the ceiling and repeat to the left, alternating sides for one minute.

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Back Booster

During your workouts, do you envision washboard abs, toned arms or a lifted booty? What about a healthy and strong back? Not only will building your back mean you look great from behind (hello backless LBD!), but it also ensures that you have a solid foundation for every movement that you carry out. (PS. If a tight tummy is what you’re after, you must keep your entire core – including your back – in mind.)

Back Extension

Lie facedown, with your elbows bent and your fingertips lightly touching your ears. Slowly lift your chest and shoulders approximately 6 inches off the floor. Hold for 5 seconds, breathing naturally. Do 8 repetitions.

Quadruped

On your hands and knees, keeping your abs tight, slowly extend your left arm out in front and your right leg back until your arm, head, spine and leg form a straight line. Hold for 5 seconds, then change sides. Do 10 repetitions.

Y Raise

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie facedown with belly centered on a stability ball, legs extended behind you, feet wider than shoulders. Extend arms toward the ground to make a “Y,” palms facing each other. Raise weights overhead, lower; repeat. Do 12 to 15 reps.

Bent Over Raise

Holding dumbbells in each hand, bend forward at the hips, keeping your back flat and knees slightly bent. Let your arms hang straight down in front of you, slightly bent, and raise the dumbbells away from your body until they are parallel with your back. Pause for a second and then lower them back down with control, being careful not to swing your arms. Do 3 sets of 15 reps each.

Torso Twist

Sit on ground with knees bent, feet flat, chest lifted. Grip towel widely and raise arms to shoulder height in front of you. Contract abs and tilt pelvis at a 45-degree angle. Maintain contraction as you rotate torso right, bending left arm, with shoulders squared, and extending right arm straight to side (as shown). Return to start and repeat on left to complete rep. Do 8 reps.

Prone Leg Lift

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Slowly raise your knees so they are directly over your hips, at a 90-degree angle. Bring your knees as far to your right side as feels comfortable. Hold for 10 seconds. Slowly bring knees up and repeat on the other side. Do 8 repetitions.

Always living with passion,

Sammie

I’m With The Band

No weights on hand? No problem! If you have a simple resistance band, then you’ve got a powerful toning tool. Here are a slew of exercises to put it to good use.

Squat with Reverse Band Fly

Stand with feet wider than shoulders and ends of band in hands, arms extended in front of you at shoulder height, palms down. Choke up on band until it’s taut. Squat as you bring arms out [shown]. Return to start; repeat. Do 10 reps.

Curtsy Lunge and Sword Draw

Hold one end of the band in your right hand, the other under your right foot. Cross your left leg behind you and drop into a curtsy lunge. Lift your right elbow diagonally, fist in front of your shoulder. Without moving your upper arm, raise your fist. Pause, then slowly lower to start. That’s one rep. Do 10 to 12 on each side.

Triceps Push-Up

Start in modified push-up position (back straight, abs engaged, knees, and lower legs on mat). Place resistance band across back and hold an end tightly under each hand. Put hands about 5 inches apart on mat and lower chest toward floor, keeping elbows by sides. Push back up into band; hold for 4 seconds. Do 10 reps.

Butt Blaster

Loop the band around the bottom of your right foot and hold both ends firmly in right hand as you kneel on all fours. Keeping torso still, extend right leg behind you at hip height, foot flexed. Return to start without letting knee touch floor, and repeat. Do 12 reps on each leg.

Press and Stretch

1 Holding an end of a resistance band or tube in each hand, lie faceup with knees tucked to chest and place center of band around feet. Extend legs up, feet flexed, and rotate thighs, knees and toes out from hips; heels stay together.

With elbows on floor, wrists straight and abs pulled in, inhale and draw knees toward chest and out to sides, keeping knees wide and heels together. Without letting back arch, exhale and return to starting position, extending legs out 45 degrees from floor, heels together. Do 10 to 12 times.

Side Plank Lift

Wrap center of the resistance band around feet and hold end in left hand. Balance on right forearm and outside of right foot, feet stacked and hips lifted so body is straight from heat to feet. Bring left hand next to left side, elbow bent and pointing up. Keeping torso still, raise left leg as high as you can, then slowly lower leg to within a few inches of bottom foot (hips stay up the entire time) and repeat. Do 10 to 15 reps on each side.

X Wrap

Sit on floor with legs in a V position. Wrap band over quads and under hamstrings (forming an X), and hold an end in each hand. Engage abs, keeping back straight and chest lifted, and raise legs about 1 foot off floor. Pull on band as you push legs out to sides, then back in. Do 15 reps without lowering legs.

Bicycle

Attach an end of a resistance band to each ankle so there’s little slack when legs are extended on the ground. Lie face-up with hands behind head. Lift head, shoulders, and feet off the ground. Draw right knee in as you turn your upper body to the right and draw left elbow toward knee. Switch sides to complete 1 rep. Do 15 slow, then 15 fast.

Get Moving!!!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Time Crunch? It’s Crunch Time!!!!

No excuses! Here’s a routine that you can squeeze in when time’s not on your side in 10-15 minutes. Depending on time constraints and your fitness level, run through this workout 2 to 3 times (remember to break for 1 to 2 minutes between each circuit).

Dumbbell Sumo Squat

Grab a heavy dumbbell and hold an end with each hand at arm’s length in front of your waist. Set your feet about twice your shoulder width apart, your toes turned out slightly. Lower your body as far as you can by pushing your hips back and bending your knees.

Pause, then push yourself back to the starting position. Keep your torso as upright as you can for the entire movement, with your lower back naturally arched. Do 10 to 12 repetitions.

Single-Leg Squat

Stand holding your arms straight out in front of your body at shoulder level, parallel to the floor. Raise your right leg off the floor and hold it there.

Brace your core, then push your hips back and lower your body as far as you can, keeping your torso as upright as possible and raising your right leg so it doesn’t touch the floor. Pause, then push through your heel to return to start. That’s one rep. Do 10 to 12 repetitions; switch and repeat on opposite leg.

Jump Lunges

Begin in a lunging position, making sure not to let your front knee go any further forward than your front toes. Lower down to the bottom of the lunge, then immediately push off the ground with your feet to jump up. In the air, bring your back leg forward and send the front leg back (position B below). Land softly in a lunge, and continue alternating until you’ve done a total of 20 jumps. Try to do this as quickly as possible, but make sure you’re maintaining good form.

Plyo Push-Up

Get in plank position with knees on the ground. Bend elbows, lowering chest toward ground.

Push up explosively and clap your hands. If clapping is a stretch for you simply pop up off the ground and land back down as gently as possible.

Perform 15 to 20 reps.

Plank Heel Touch

Get in plank position with feet shoulder-width apart. Bring right heel toward your butt as you reach back and touch it with left hand [shown]. Return to starting position and repeat with opposite arm and leg. Continue, alternating sides.

Repeat for 1 minute.

Star Squat

Stand with feet together, arms by sides. Squat low, placing palms on floor in front of feet, directly under shoulders.

Kick feet straight behind you, landing in push-up position (balancing on palms and toes, back flat, abs engaged).

Jump feet forward to squat.

Immediately jump straight up, bringing arms and legs up and out to sides (like a star). Land in starting position.

Do 10 reps.

Get moving ladies!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

A Little Perk For Your Girls

Whether you want to fight the sag of a larger chest or help boost a smaller set, we’ve got five moves to help prop up your bust.

Push-Up on an Exercise Ball
Repetitions: As many as you can with proper form

1. Kneeling in front of a large exercise ball, rest your torso on top, and extend your arms so they reach over the other side. Slowly roll your body over the ball, and inch your hands forward on the floor until just your thighs are resting on the ball. Your hands should be in line with your shoulders but slightly more than shoulder-width apart. For a printer-friendly version of all steps click below.

2. Keeping your abs contracted and your back straight, bend your elbows, and slowly lower your torso toward the floor. Stop 4 to 5 inches shy of the floor. Hold, then push back up. (For an advanced version, rest just your shins on the ball. If you don’t have an exercise ball or are a beginning exerciser, start with a push-up on the floor with your knees bent.)

Criss-Cross Presses
Repetitions: 8 to 16

1. With a three to eight lbs dumbbell clutched in both hands & lying with back on the bench or a carpet on the ground bending knees with feet placed flattened on the bench. Now arms are to be placed out at the sides, elbows bended so that the upper arm areas are at the height of the shoulders & palm areas to faced forwards.

2. Contracting trunk & pressing dumbbells upwards so that right wrist is crossing on top of the left one. Lowering to the beginning pose. On the subsequent repetition, crossing left wrist on top of the right one. Continually alternate cross-cross moves.

Upper Body Slide
Repetitions: 8-12

Start in a push-up position, hands directly under shoulders, resting on paper or plastic plates (for carpet) or washcloths (on wood or linoleum) as gliders. Keeping arms straight, slowly slide them out in front of you in a V shape to lower chest toward floor (as shown). Hover above floor if possible, then rest on floor. Bend arms to slide hands under shoulders and push up to start.

Cleavage Kickback
Repetitions: 12

Stand on an exercise band, feet hip-width apart, holding an end in each hand. With arms down at sides, squat and bend slightly at waist, keeping back flat. Draw the band behind you, keeping arms straight, squeezing shoulder blades together and feeling chest stretch open (as shown). Slowly release arms for one rep.

Chest Exercise Cable Squat to Punch
Repetitions: 15 on each side

1. Load 10 to 15 pounds on the weight stack, adjust the cable pulley to knee height, and hold handle in left hand in front of chest, elbow bent and right hand on top of left. Stand perpendicular to machine with feet slightly wider than shoulders and move away until there’s tension in the cable (you should feel like you have to work to keep your body facing forward). Lower into a semi-squat.

2. Straighten legs quickly and turn to the right as you punch left arm up to the right, parallel with the cable. Return to the semi-squat and repeat. Do 15 reps, then turn around to face the opposite direction and punch to the left with right arm. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

Do it at home: Attach one end of a resistance tube low on a sturdy object, like a couch leg.

Now get bustin’s those boobies!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

High Intensity Run Intervals

There’s no better functional cardio workout than running. It’s the original workout! Running is a great workout to incorporate into your routine between resistance days. It not only burns a ton of calories but it’s great for shaping the legs and midsection as well!

Turn on some tunes and hit the treadmill, or the pavement for these fat blasting interval runs!

Today I’ve put together two interval circuits for you: One that can be performed from the comfort of your gym or home treadmill, and a second that you can try on a run in the great outdoors. Get runnin’!

Treadmill

WARM-UP: 5 minutes brisk walk or jog.

WORKOUT: 30-second sprint (work interval), followed by 2-minute jog. Perform 6 to 12 intervals, depending on fitness level and time allotted.

COOL DOWN: 10 minutes brisk walk or jog, followed by stretch.

Descriptions

30-SECOND SPRINT: Find a treadmill speed that you can sustain for no longer than 30 seconds. Try to set your speed slightly higher than what you are comfortable with. (NOTE: It may take a few intervals to learn what your 30-second limit is.)

2-MINUTE JOG (OR WALK FOR BEGINNERS): Slow down for 2 minutes. And no, this should not be a crawl. Everyone’s recovery interval will vary depending on their fitness level. Beginners may want to start at 2.5 to 3.5 miles per hour (MPH) at zero incline.

Great Outdoors

WARM-UP: 5 minutes brisk walk or jog. If you have a hill, school bleachers or stair case nearby, head there!

WORKOUT:

Interval 1

30-second sprint/run (If available, run up that hill or stairs for a little added incline!)
2-minute walk (Walk back down!)
Repeat 1-3 times

Interval 2

30-second sprint/run
1-minute alternating lunges
1-minute squats

Repeat 1-3 times

Interval 3

30-second sprint/run
1-minute half burpees
1-minute mountain climbers

Repeat 1-3 times

Interval 4

30-second sprint/run
1-minute push-ups
1-minute crunches

Repeat 1-3 times

Interval 5

30-second sprint/run (If available, run up that hill or stairs for again!)
2-minute walk (Walk back down!)

Repeat 1-3 times

COOL DOWN: 10 minutes brisk walk or jog, followed by stretch.

Now get running!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Get Off errrr ON the Couch and Get Active!

Couch potato? Well, do I have the workout for you! Flee the gym, flip on the tube and get your sweat on with these six sofa-friendly moves.

1.  Elevated split squat (aka elevated reverse lunge)

Stand a stride’s length (or about 2 feet) in front of couch, feet hip-width apart. Extend right leg behind you, knee slightly bent and place foot on top of couch cushion, laces down. Bend left knee until left thigh is parallel to the floor. Rise up to starting position and repeat. Switch sides to complete set. Do 15 reps.

MAKE IT HARDER: Add additional resistance by holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing body.

2. Side plank and row

Loop a resistance band around a low object (think foot of your couch!) and lie on your side facing the band. Hold the handle with your top hand and get into a side plank. Pull the handle to your rib cage, pause, then slowly return to start. Keep your hips raised the entire time (so your body forms a straight line). Do 10 to 15 reps, switch sides, and repeat. Rest 60 seconds, then do two more sets.

3. Cushy push-ups

Begin in push-up position with hands on side of couch, palms under shoulders, legs extended and feet on floor, hip-width apart. Keeping back straight and abs engaged, bend elbows to lower chest toward couch. Push back up. Do 15 reps.

MAKE IT HARDER: Try a decline! Instead of starting your push-up with your hands on the arm of your couch, get into full push-up position with palms on the floor. Extend your arms, place balls of feet on couch cushion and lift hips so that your body forms a straight line from head to heels.

4. Couch triceps dips

Sit at the edge of the couch with your palms on either side of your body. Move forward so your body is off the couch. Bend your elbows behind you as you lower your body toward the floor. Keep your knees, thighs and feet together with knees bent. Extend your arms to return to the start. Do 15 reps.

MAKE IT HARDER: Straighten your legs.

5. Wood chop

Tie one end of band to couch leg and hold other end with both hands. Stand with feet hip-width apart so that couch is a few feet to your right and you feel resistance in the band, hands by right hip.

Lower into squat, knees bent about 90 degrees, then pull band diagonally up with arms extended from right hip to above left shoulder. Maintain squat as you rotate torso.

Do 15 reps. Switch sides, with couch on your left, and repeat.

MAKE IT HARDER: Squeeze a towel between your knees during this move to add inner-thigh toning.

6. Sofa scissors

Lay on a mat or on a sofa. If you are doing the exercise on a sofa, make sure your booty is at the edge. Do scissors with your legs, the hands are in front of your chest or if you can’t keep balance support with them. Your torso should have 30 degrees angel, keep back straight. Do 20 to 50 reps, depending on core strength.

Have fun transforming into a hot couch potato!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Have You Heard The News?

At long last, after years of ladies from around the world placing requests, we have finally launched our Ultimate Home Edition 2 DVD package for sale internationally online!!! This DVD has always been exclusively available to recruits of the Booty Camp Fitness program (and still is! Register here if there is a location near you)

Those who know my story know that it’s one of my life goals to help influence 1,000,000 women to learn about health and fitness and change their minds and bodies in the process! Now I have an opportunity to do so, by reaching ladies right in their living rooms!

We’d be hard pressed to provide a physical Booty Camp location for each and every lady in Canada, let alone the world, so we filmed an amazing home version of our workouts in Puerto Rico to let these ladies in on the Booty Camp craze.

Shed those stubborn pounds in our 8 week program including 11 dynamic workouts:

• Ab-Salute! Core Vol.2 – Melt fat for a firm & chiselled middle
• Booty Express – Make the most of limited time and squeeze a workout into your busy schedule
• Bounce ‘n’ Burn – Kick up the energy with jump rope for a total body blast
• Burn that Booty – Targeted moves for sculpted glutes and a perfect posterior
• Dynamic Cardio Conditioning – Explosive interval cardio transforms you into a calorie burning machine
• MMA (Major Metabolic Accelerator) – Get TOUGH with this kickboxing workout that knocks out fat!
• Sun Rise Sun Stretch – Loosen and relax seaside with a sunset stretch
• Tank Top Toner – Say goodbye to jiggly arms with this powerful upper body program

PLUS!

• Recruit Camp – A full-body introductory workout designed with beginners in mind
• Basic Training – Pump your workout a few notches up with this intermediate level program
• Special Ops – A highly demanding workout that challenges advanced recruits to push their limits

Check out our new website www.BootyCampDVD.com for full details on how you can get your hands on one of these amazing DVD packages just in time for the New Year!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Time to Get Warmed Up

Stop launching into your workout routine cold! With our quick warm up, you can limber up, avoid injury and prime yourself for a more effective workout!

Below are a few exercises you can do to get loose and lively before you break a serious sweat!

The Mummy

Stand with feet hip-width apart and raise left arm in front of you to shoulder height as you extend right leg forward. Next, extend left arm out to the left side as you bring right leg out to the right [as shown]. Finally, bring left arm forward again as you lean over from hips and extend right leg behind you. Repeat 10 times.

Walking Leg Cradle

Stand with your feet together. Raise your right knee and grab it with your right hand. Then, with your left hand, grab the outside of your right ankle and pull your foot up so the foot is even with your hip.

Keeping your back straight, bend your left knee and lower your butt until you feel a stretch in your right hip. Lower your leg after a second or so, return to the starting position, and repeat on the opposite side. Take a step each time you alternate legs. Repeat for 10-20 steps.

Hand Walk

Stand with feet hip-width apart. Keeping legs straight, bend forward, place hands on floor and walk hands into push-up position. Inch feet toward hands (as shown) to return to standing. Do 5 reps.

Slow Motion Mountain Climber

Start at the top of a pushup (a). Keeping your abs braced, pick up your right foot and slowly bring your knee toward your right shoulder (b). Hold for two seconds, then return to start. Alternate legs until you’ve done 12 to 14 reps (six or seven per leg).

Single Leg Hop

Stand with weight on left leg, right knee bent and arms at sides and squat [A].

Jump up as you reach arms overhead [B]; repeat. Do 5 reps, then switch sides to complete set.

Booty Kicks

This exercise intensely works your hamstrings. You can perform this exercise while jogging in place or jogging over a distance. Keeping your torso erect, begin to jog. As you’re jogging, emphasize your back stride and bring your heel to your butt in an attempt to make contact between the two. If you’re able to make contact, great. If not, just bring your heel up as high as you can. Perform this exercise for one to two minutes.

Jumping Jacks

Stand with your feet together and your hands at your sides (a). As you raise your arms above your head, jump up just enough to spread your feet wide (b). Without pausing, quickly reverse the movement. Continue for a total of 20 to 40 reps.

Now that you’re all warmed up get going and bust that booty with a hardcore workout!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Fit in a Holiday Quickie!

Holidays mean our busy schedules are even busier than normal and fitting in time for ourselves and our health can easily be forgotten amongst the craziness. However, because stress levels are high, it’s even MORE important to take that time to exercise and keep your mind and body fit!

Taking just 10 minutes to squeeze in a quick workout can change your outlook on your day, lower stress levels, and help to maintain your fitness when time is of limited supply. Jump rope has been said to be able to burn 200 calories in just 15 minutes! Why not use this 10 minute jump rope workout to burn a quick 130 calories or more!?

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Yoga for Immunity

Has the sound of coughing and sneezing overtaken your office? Are your little ones trailing runny noses into your house? Believe it or not, yoga can actually help boost immunity and protect against viral invaders. Here are a couple of reasons why from the folks at Gaiam:

- Detoxifies and oxygenates your system
- Balances the hormones you need for a strong immune system
- Releases stress and fatigue, two precursors to lowered immunity
- Triggers acupressure points said to help evict viruses and bacteria from your body

So, let’s get to posing!

Complete Breath

What It Does: Strengthens the lungs and diaphragm by causing them to expand more fully than they typically do. Stretches and strengthens the chest muscles. Increases circulation and lung capacity. Energizes the entire body. “The exaggerated hold of the breath lets your body absorb more qi from the inhalation,” says Strom.

How to Do It: Sit cross-legged with your spine tall. Breathing through your nose, inhale and hold your breath, then exhale and hold your breath — all for an equal amount of time (three to seven seconds each; don’t strain). Continue for one to three minutes.

Fierce Twist

Come into Chair, or Fierce pose with your knees bent, feet together.

Inhale and lengthen your spine. Exhale and twist to the right, hooking the left elbow on or around the right knee. Press your palms together and roll the top shoulder onto your back. Keep your knees even, navel drawn in, especially on the exhales.

You’re connecting to the Sea of Energy here, two finger-widths below the navel. When this is stimulated, your digestive system is said to benefit, along with giving you a more awake, energized body.

Take 5-10 breaths on this side, then either forward fold in-between with bent knees and relax like a rag doll, or move directly to the opposite side.

Wall Splits

When you invert, as you’ll be doing here, it provides you with a full body cleanse, assisting your lypmhatic system to sweep out those pesky toxins. If you really firm your fingertips into the floor and hug arm muscles to the bones, you’ll activate the points all along the hands and arms that are thought to help release pain, joint compression and boost immunity.

Come into Down Dog facing away from the wall. With squared hips (watch that the top hip and leg don’t roll open), lift your right leg up the wall, foot flexed.

As you lift the leg higher, walk your hands back until you feel a stretch in the legs, and a fiery strength in the arms. Widen and drop your shoulders, and relax your head. If you want a deeper stretch, bend your elbows back towards the wall.

Breathe here for 5-10 breaths on each side; rest in Child’s Pose in-between.

Bow pose (dhanurasana)

Bow pose puts pressure on the belly, making the digestive system stronger and healthier by increasing blood flow to the abdominal organs. And because the digestive system is full of lymphocytes, the small white blood cells that fight invaders, strengthening it boosts your overall immunity and health as well.

Lie down on your belly, keeping your arms alongside your body. Tuck your chin toward your chest to lengthen your neck. If comfortable, rest your forehead on the mat. Bend your knees and reach for your feet or your ankles. Smoothly and slowly, lift your head up off the floor, raising your chin and chest. Press your feet back into your hands, gently lifting your knees off the floor. In the full posture, the knees and the chest come up to the same height off the floor. Breathe slowly and deliberately into your belly. If your breath is short and choppy, you’re overstraining. Once your muscles begin to tire, after five to eight breaths, release the pose slowly. Rest on your belly, turning your head to either side. Repeat two more times. As a gentler alternative, you can replace this pose with bridge pose (setu bandha sarvangasana).

Shoulderstand (salamba sarvangasana)

The shoulderstand pose puts pressure on the thyroid gland at the base of the throat, stimulating the endocrine system, which works with the nervous system and the immune system to help the body cope with stresses and fight invaders.

Practice this pose on a soft surface to protect your neck and upper back. Carpet, a folded mat, or a blanket will work. If using a blanket, fold it carefully and place it under your shoulders, upper back, and the base of your neck letting the length of your neck extend beyond it and your head rest on the floor. Lying on your back with your arms alongside your body, raise your legs up toward the ceiling. Pressing your arms into the floor, smoothly swing your legs up overhead. Let your legs hang over your head or knees rest on your forehead. Place your palms on your back to support the weight of your body. Inch your elbows closer together on the floor and lift your legs straight up toward the ceiling. It’s not necessary for your legs to be perfectly straight. Just keep reaching up gently with the feet, breathing naturally, and mindfully noticing your blood flow. If you need to cough, sneeze, or swallow, slowly come out of the pose. Stay for one to five minutes. To come out, slowly lower your legs over your head into plow pose (halasana). Place your arms down by your sides. Using them as brakes, slowly with control roll down one vertebra at a time to lie on your back. Take a few breaths on your back to notice the effects of the pose.

Stay healthy!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

(sources linked in pose titles)

Plank Challenge

I must first apologize for my blogging tardiness. It’s been a bit of a hectic week with lots of unexpected and exciting turns that have prevented me from staying on top of my game

I decided to combine “Motivation Monday” and “Workout Wednesday” into one post to make up for it lol! And shush I realize it’s Thursday…..

This week I’m challenging you to take some of your tv or computer time in the evenings and incorporate the almighty plank into your commercial or surfing breaks. A few planks each night and you can tighten and tone your midsection effectively! In case you’re all set with your argument that planks are boring I’ve put together a video with 10 fun variations. Enjoy!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Moving on the Move

I’m headed out of country this weekend to check out our next potential DVD filming site and I started to wonder exactly how I will workout when I am away. I’m going to be at a location without a gym so I’ve got to get creative and use the minimal time I will have on hand to squeeze in a quick sweat session.

I plan to use a couple of lightweight pieces of equipment like gliders and a resistance band to keep moving on the move so I don’t fall off track

Here’s a quick full body circuit workout I’ll perform.

I plan to do each exercise for 45 seconds before moving to the next. Then I will rest for 2 minutes and do the full circuit one more time.

Exercise 1 – Squat Press (Exercise band)

Stand on middle of band, feet shoulder-width apart, one end of band in each hand, arms down. Do a biceps curl, then rotate wrists so palms face forward and straighten arms overhead. Squat (as shown), then stand and lower arms to start.

Exercise 2 – Wall Squat

It’s definitely easy to find a wall unless you are camping (then you use a tree).

Lean against a wall, with your feet 1.5 to 2 feet away from it, shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly and hold that position for 5 to 10 seconds. Bend deeper and hold. Repeat until you’ve hit five different positions; go as low as you can.

Exercise 3 – Diamond Push-Up

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend right?

Get into traditional pushup position, but place your hands directly under your chest with your index fingers and thumbs spread and touching; that’s the diamond. Keep your back flat throughout the movement. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches your hands. Pause, then push your body back up to the starting position.

Variation 1: Put your knees on the ground for a lower intensity option.

Variation 2: Elevate your feet on a bench, chair, or bed for a higher intensity option.

Exercise 4 – Supine Row

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and arms at your sides with elbows bent 90 degrees. Pinch your shoulder blades together as you dig your elbows into the mat and lift your head and torso a few inches off the floor. Lower and repeat.

Exercise 5 – Gliding Reach (Using Gliders)

Kneel on all fours, wrists directly under shoulders with disks under hands, knees under hips. Engage abs and slide arms straight out as far as you can while keeping back flat and hips lifted (as shown), then slide arms back to start.

Exercise 6 – Gliding Mountain Climbers (Using Gliders)

Begin in plank position with wrists under shoulders and feet on Gliding discs. Bend right knee in toward chest. Extend right leg behind you as you bring left knee in to complete 1 rep. Try to switch legs as quickly as possible.

Exercise 7 – Plank to Pike (Using Gliders)

Start in push-up position with hands slightly wider than shoulders, disks under feet. Lower body toward floor, push back up to start and slide feet toward hands so body forms an inverted V (as shown). Slide back to start.

For cardio I’ll run outdoors or do a stairwell run workout! Stairs are killer and so accessible!

This workout also does not have to be exclusive for travel. It’s a great living room workout as well Get sweating!!!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Senzo Self Massage

Since we are focusing on taking care of yourself and paying yourself first this week, I decided to swap out your workout with a wicked explanation of self massage techniques by the beautiful Monique Savin. She’s developed a technique called Senzo and takes me through a full body self massage in our video today

For more info on Senzo check out Monique’s free preview here! This is a great technique to use to work out all those sore muscles from Booty Camp!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Sexy Strapless Arms

Believe it or not the holiday season is creeping up on us fast. If you’re looking to make some changes with your body before slipping into that sexy LBD (little black dress) NOW is the time to start.

It actually takes about 4 weeks for any major changes in tone and definition on your body to begin to show. So jump on the opportunity to get into a fitness regime now and feel great this holiday season!

Today I’ve put together a quick upper body workout to help you get svelte arms for your strapless dress. Give it a try 2-3 times a week to see changes in your arm definition

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Booty Shaker Awaker

We’re focused on mornings this week so I thought I’d present you with a quick 10 minute circuit to shake off the sleepies in the morning!

This workout is quick, efficient, will wake you up and get you started burning calories and revving up your metabolism for the day ahead. Best part is it’s simple and will be over before you realize you’ve even started!

All you need to know is 5 simple exercises (listed below) and the pattern in which to use them (at the end of the post). You will need an interval timer or clock to do this workout. If you are on a smartphone there are some incredible interval timer apps that will cue changes while playing your own music selection in the background.

Jump Rope

This exercise is pretty self explanatory. Be sure to adjust the length of your rope so that it comes up to your armpits when you step on the center. Since it’s warm up simply use both feet on the ground and no need for fancy footwork. If you don’t have a jump rope simply simulate one with your hands. Remember to keep the core tight and shoulder blades back.

Burpees

This is one of my favourite exercises because of the sheer number of muscles it recruits. It basically combines a squat, plank and vertical leap into one cardio packed move! If you’re unsure how to do a burpee watch my video here with it’s many variations!

Mountain Climbers

What a wonderful exercise for the core and the arms. Putting the body into a high plank position, arms straight, core tight and body in one straight line, begin to run with the legs, bringing the knees into the chest one at a time. This move really engages the core and gets your heart beating!

Jump Squat

Adding a jump to a standard exercise is a great way to increase the heart rate and recruit even more muscles in your move. To perform a jump squat, keep the core tight and lower the body from standing into a squat position (legs at 90 degrees, knees behind the toes). For a jump squat, instead of slowly standing you stand with “explosive force” and jump straight up off the ground a few inches. This will really get your legs fired up. Land lightly on the feet and immediate lower back to a full squat. Repeat.

High Knees

High knees consists of running on the spot but bringing the knee up to the chest each and every step. Doing do raises your heart rate higher and engages the core, quads and hip flexors making your body burn that many more calories in the process.

The circuit:

1 min Jump Rope – Warm-Up
40 s Burpees
20 s Rest
40 s Mountain Climbers
20 s Rest
40 s Jump Squats
20 s Rest
40 s High Knees
20 s Rest
40 s Burpees
20 s Rest
40 s Mountain Climbers
20 s Rest
40 s Jump Squats
20 s Rest
40 s High Knees
20 s Rest
1 min Jump Rope – Cool Down

Give this quick “Booty Shaker Awaker” a try one morning this week and see how you feel for the remainder of your day. A quick morning workout can put a spring in your step for the whole day ahead of you

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Workplace Workout [Video]

This Motivation Monday I challenged all of you to get up from your desk once every hour at work and move your body a little bit. This week’s workout video highlights just a few of the exercises you can do in your office space!

P.S. how have your workplace workouts been going so far this week?

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Grab a seat…..for your workout!

The fall is one of my favourite times to run and workout outdoors. It’s the perfect temperature, there’s no bugs and humidity, the air is crisp, cool and fresh! I love everything about fall workouts.

I especially love heading out for a fall run and stopping by a gorgeous park where the leaves are starting to turn and fitting in a full body workout using nothing but a bench as my workout tool.

Here’s a basic bench workout that you can incorporate into your fall walks or runs in order to get some full body conditioning and toning in the great outdoors

Now get outside and enjoy the weather before the snow comes lol!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

For the Love of BURPEES!!!

Love ‘em or hate ‘em burpees are one of the most complete exercises out there and fantastic for conditioning, toning, weight loss and pure cardio fun!

This week I’ve compiled 10 versions of the burpee for you to add some excitement to your workouts. These are just 10, for my Booty Camp recruits, I’ve got even more versions in my back pocket

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Workout of the Week: Hill Circuits

I’m launching a new section on my blog this week for workouts. I’ll be updating you with a new, fun and efficient workout each week!

This week I got to use my favourite outdoor tool, the HILL!

Hills are excellent for fat blasting workouts that are efficient and offer new interesting challenge if you are used to working on flat ground. Check it out and enjoy!

P.S. We’ll be using different camera and audio equipment moving forward so we can increase the quality of these videos moving forward.

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Fun Holiday Fitness

The holiday season is jam packed with family events, shopping, parties, socializing and preparation. It’s often hard to find time to get to the gym and stay focussed on being active when your calendar is so full! But, staying active over the holidays doesn’t necessarily have to be difficult. You can keep moving WHILE spending time with the family and friends, or in shorter bursts, so that your fitness isn’t forgotten during this busy season.

Winter Workout Wonderland

Here in Canada the holiday season brings cold weather and if we’re lucky some of that pretty white stuff. Snow!!! What a great natural workout wonderland. Here’s 3 ways to stay active outdoors with your friends and family this season!

Strap Some Blades On

Skating is a wonderful way to enjoy the cooler weather. Whether it’s on a romantic date, or out with the kids, getting on the ice works a variety of muscles and can provide a great cardiovascular workout. Working the core for balance, the glutes (booty) and thighs with it’s pushing motion, you can glide around the rink at any speed you are comfortable with and burn off some of those treats! 30 minutes of moderately paced skating can burn approximately 195 calories!

As an extra health conscious option choose to carry a wonderfully flavourful loose leaf tea, like Chocolate Chili Chai from Davids Tea, in a thermos to warm up your insides instead of indulging in rich sugary hot chocolates.

Go for a Sleigh Ride

Well, a toboggan ride to be specific! But not this fancy ski lift snow tubing stuff lol. Find a good hill in a park or in your neighbourhood where you can head out with your pals/kids and go sledding like when we were kids! Lug that tube, sled, GT, or crazy carpet UP THE HILL between rides. Dragging your ride uphill works your legs (your biggest muscle group in your body) which burns a lot of calories. It also get’s your heart pumping. It’s a great workout! 1 hour of tobogganing burns approximately 530 calories!!

Warm beverage recommendation for a day amongst the pine trees? How about Santa’s Secret from Davids Tea. It’s peppermint and spice flavours will spread that holiday cheer throughout your body

Hit the Slopes

If you are a winter sports enthusiast, or you are just looking for some adventure, try taking a weekend or weeknight to hit the slopes at the nearest ski resort. Skiing and snowboarding are both incredibly fun and physically challenging sports. Grab a lesson with an instructor and learn how to safely maneuver yourself downhill using your core strength and your legs. Both methods really engage almost your entire body in their movements! 1 hour of downhill skiing burns a whole 673 calories.

Not to worry, if you are fearful of the slopes strap on a pair of cross country skis for a gorgeous trek through a beautiful snowy forest. 1 hour of cross country skiing is a great cardio exercise and burns approximately 877 calories!!!

Keeping warm at the cottage or chalet after your workout! Opt to pack some Winterberry Wine tea from Davids Tea to indulge in that warm spicy mulled wine flavour without all the calories!

Staying Warm Indoors

If you’re not so inclined to head outdoors into the chill (trust me I understand), or if you really don’t have time to head to a snow covered hill north of your city, there are ways to stay active without even leaving your home. Remember, every little bit helps when it comes to being fit and active so even short bursts of activity help to keep you on track when you’re strapped for time. Here’s 3 ways to stay active indoors this holiday season.

Awaken Your Holiday Spirits

Stress levels often rise during the holiday season and can lead to a lack of energy and some Scrooge like behaviour. A wonderful way to lower your stress levels and awaken your holiday cheer is to indulge in a short (or long) yoga session first thing in the morning. They call them Sun Salutations for a reason, because it’s a great way to say good morning and wake up your body. Learn a short yoga routine from an instructor or purchase a yoga dvd set to guide you.  Yoga improves flexibility, challenges your muscles and balances your energies. 30 minutes of yoga burns approximately 337 calories.

Skip the coffee after your yoga, the caffeine may increase the strain your holiday anxieties put on your adrenal glands. Instead help keep the stress at bay with some Lavender Zen tea from Davids Tea.

Kinect With Your Family

We’re in a wonderful time where video games have brought us together for fun while keeping our bodies on the move. If you have a gaming system like xbox or Wii why not have some giggles with your kids or friends while jumping around in your living room. Play some sport or dance games during the holidays with everyone and you’re sure to get a cardiovascular workout without even noticing! 1 hour of active video games can burn approximately 437 calories.

Want a warm drink you can share with the kids? Have some naturally sweet and caffeine free Creme Brulee tea from Davids Tea.

TV Trainer

When all else fails, instead of plopping on the sofa, pop in a fitness DVD! There are some High Intensity DVD programs that allow you to do a workout in a shorter period of time. At Booty Camp we have a “Cardio Quickie” workout on our fitness DVD that gets you out of your living room in less than 15 minutes and burns a whole 189 calories! Keep your eyes peeled for fitness DVD’s that appeal to you and keep you excited about your workout so that you can easily motivate yourself to fit in a quick activity session!

Before starting your workout steep some Three Wishes tea from Davids Tea and toss it in the fridge with some ice! It’s crisp and sure to refresh you after you get nice and sweaty exercising indoors!

Inside or out taking the time with your family or on your own to stay active during the holiday season will reduce your stress levels and keep you on track with your fitness goals for the New Year!

Here’s to a Happy Healthy Holiday Season!

Always living with passion,

Sammie

These legs are made for walking…walking lunges that is :)

My legs are honestly my favorite part of my body. I know….way to start off the post conceited… but they really are! Minus the bum of course which needs some work to grow, it’s my trouble spot. So it only makes sense that I LOVE training legs AND glutes!

I really get pumped up on leg days, the large muscles are so strong, it makes me feel so powerful and it burns a whole heck of a lot of calories working such a large muscle group. I’m always anxious to deadlift a higher weight or leg press more plates, it just gears me up.

This week we worked legs and core together in somewhat of a circuit. Each “set” consisted of a leg exercise, followed by a plyometric (jumping/dynamic) or cardio exercise, followed by a core exercise. All of the core sets were performed to “failure” in other words till I wanted to puke and couldn’t do any more!

Here is the exact workout below.

Set 1

Squats (Giant set) 10 body squats, 10 prisoner squats, 10 jumping squats
Jumping Jacks – 1 minute
Hanging leg raises – to failure

Set 2

Olympic Bar Squats – 15 reps
Mountain Climbers – 1 minute
Hanging Knee Tucks – to failure

Set 3

Hamstring Curls – 15 reps
Jump Rope  - 1 minute
Hanging Leg Raises – to failure

Set 4

Leg Press – 12 reps
Jumping Jacks – 1 minute
Scissors – to failure

Set 5

Stiff Leg Deadlift – 20 reps
Jump Squats – 1 minute
Crunches – to failure

Set 6

Walking lunges – weight room length (about 15 paces each direction)
Jumping Rope – 1 minute
Decline Crunches – increasing in difficulty to failure (see video)

Set 7

Plyometric Step Ups – 20 reps
Jumping Jacks – 1 minute
Bicycle Crunches – to failure

Set 8

Leg extensions – 15 reps – light weight my legs are wrecked at this point LOL
Jump Rope – 1 minute
Crunches – to failure

Finished it all up with 2 sets of 25 calf raises and some belly breathing.

This workout rocked my world! I can’t wait to film for next week. Seb and I are going to Ottawa tomorrow to meet with the girl who will be making my competition swimsuit and themewear, I’ll blog about it once we’ve set a plan. If we have some spare time we may hit up a park for some field training to feature on the blog next week

Always living with passion,

Sammie

Kickboxing is a kick booty workout!

Week one of getting on track and prepping for my competition is now over and I ended it with a bang….literally. I’ve decided to affectionately dub my journey “Operation Bootyfication”

I had a blast Sunday at Riverdale Fitness with Seb whipping my booty into shape with a good ‘ol fashioned kickboxing workout!

Watch a video of part of my workout here!

I love kickboxing because it gives me the amazing tools to slim down, burn fat and tone my body. If you watch me move in my video you’ll see that I use my whole body behind my movements for power, I’m constantly engaging my core and breathing because my heart is beating fast!

Kickboxing is my sport of choice because of the intense cardiovascular workout and the incredible stress release that it provides.  There is something unbelievably rewarding about “hitting the pads” and feeling the strength behind your kicks and jabs. I find that kickboxing really brings a different level of confidence and poise to those women that participate in it.  I know that I feel powerful knowing that my roundhouse could crumble an assailant if I was ever in a threatening situation.

Overall, kickboxing can transform not only your body but your mind.  The benefits for women participating in kickboxing include:

• Increased strength
• Amazing cardiovascular endurance
• Increased self-confidence and self-empowerment
• Toned and firm arms, legs, core and booty
• Rapid weight loss
• Explosive power
• Improved balance

And for the brave woman, a little “light and friendly” sparring is not only a challenging, killer workout but it’s also fun and empowering. On that note you can enjoy watching me kick Seb’s booty during our sparring session

There’s nothing like a good fight to bring two people closer together

Always living with passion,

Sammie

P.S. xoxo to Seb for being my training partner, Jess for helping me edit my videos and Lisa for coming up with the title “Operation Bootyfication”

Staying fit while on vacation!

I’ve just returned from four wonderful days in the Bahamas with Sebastien.  I certainly needed the time to refresh my mind and body.

One of the important things to remember when on vacation is that it is actually placing more stress on your body both while you are away and when you return if you completely fall off your exercise regime for the week, two weeks or however long you are gone.  Any dramatic changes to your lifestyle actually CAUSES stress.

It’s really quite simple to stay active while you are away.  There are many choices you can make, whether it’s playing beach sports (volleyball), swimming, running or taking a long walk on the beach with your sweetheart or actually using the gym facilities provided by most resorts and hotels.

I was actually quite pleased that the resort we were staying at had very simple gym facilities because there are not many hotels with fancy fitness rooms.  This made me and Seb get creative with our workout.  The gym at our resort had a multi-station universal machine like most gyms along with multiple pieces of cardio equipment.  So we got pumped up and made up a circuit that involved both resistance training and some plyometric cardio.

I took lots of pictures so here we go, here is your travel circuit recruits!!

We both started out with about 10 minutes of warmup on our cardio machines of choice.

We then started a multi station circuit…..All exercises are performed for 15 reps and the circuit repeated 3 times.

STATION ONE:

Box Jumps OR Step-Up Switches

BOX JUMPS

Begin by standing in front of the bench feet shoulder width apart, abdominals pulled in and shoulders back, back straight.

Swinging your arm up slightly for momentum jump with a straight back to land with both feet on the bench. Make sure to get height on this jump bringing the knees up towards the chest and land in a slight squat position.

Step or jump back down to the ground and repeat

STEP-UP SWITCHES

Begin with one foot up on the bench (be sure the whole foot is on the bench).  Pull in the abdominals and maintain a straight back.

Straighten the leg on the bench to lift your back foot off the ground.  Push hard with some momentum to lift off the bench and enable you to switch feet on the bench in the air landing with your feet in the opposite position. Repeat rapidly for 15 reps each leg.

STATION TWO:

Shoulder Press

SHOULDER PRESS

Have a seat with abdominals pulled tightly in at the shoulder press station.  Be sure to adjust the weight to a reasonable load for you to successfully complete 15 repetitions (I chose 30lbs).  Open the chest, elbows should begin just below shoulder level.  Simply complete the exercise by “pressing” the weight (extending the arms upwards and straightening the elbows). Return to the start position (without allowing the weights to make contact on the equipment) and repeat.

STATION THREE:

Jump Squat

JUMP SQUAT

Begin in a squat position, belly pulled in towards the spine, knees bent at 90 degrees, legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart.  (I chose a photo with my arms in the air to demonstrate a flat back and tight abdominals)

Straighten the legs and push up off the floor so that your feet actually leave the ground and you “jump” into the air.

Be sure to land lightly (like a jungle cat) back into the squat position before repeating.

STATION FOUR:

Chest Press (If not available substitute push-ups)

CHEST PRESS

Begin seated at the chest press machine with your feet firmly planted on the ground, abdominals pulled in and chest open.  Elbows should be slightly behind the shoulders in the starting position to ensure a full range of motion.

Push the weight in a forward motion (press) to extend the elbows before returning to the start position.  Again be sure to select a weight that you can successfully complete 15 repetitions (I used 30lbs)

STATION FIVE:

Jump Lunges

JUMP LUNGES

Begin with your legs in a lunge position.  One foot forward, both legs bent to a 90 degree angle, back straight and adbominals pulled in to the spine.  I place my arms in the air for an increased challenge and to ensure I engage my core for this exercise.

As  you straighten the legs use some additional force to “jump” up off the ground and switch legs in the air.  Landing with the opposite leg in front and dropping into the lunge position again. Be sure to land lightly like a jungle cat

STATION SIX:

Leg extensions

LEG EXTENSIONS

Begin seated at the leg extension machine.  Back should be straight, abdominals tight and adjust the back rest so that you can comfortably sit firmly against the back rest and NOT arch your back.  Hold on to the side handles firmly to brace and hold firm your upper body.  Slowly extend the legs until they are straight, flexing the fronts of the thighs, and return to the starting position (without allowing the weights to make contact).  Be sure to select a weight you can repeat for 15 repetitions (I used 40lbs).

STATION SEVEN:

Mountain Climbers

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

The starting position for mountain climbers is the plank position.  Body is in a straight line, arms extended, hands flat on the ground, and as per usual stomach pulled in tightly to the spine.

To perform a mountain climber simply “run” the legs or bring the knee into the chest before switching to the other side.  This is an abdominal and cardio intensive exercise so be sure to keep the tummy pulled in tight and remember to exhale each time you bring a knee into the chest. Perform for 15 reps EACH leg.

STATION NINE:

Row

ROW

Have a seat at the “lat pull down machine”.  I chose to use the row extention for this exercise to really exercise my mid-back. Knees should be tucked firmly under the knee braces and feel planted firmly on the ground.  Back straight and chest open, tummy pulled to the spine and arms extended upwards.

Pull the weight in towards the upper chest while squeezing the shoulder blades together. Elbows should stay close to the body and shoulder blades should squeeze tightly together (lots of pics here)

Extend the arms back upwards until almost fully extended before repeating.  Try to keep the torso stationary and just use the arms and back muscles for this motion. (I used 40lbs)

STATION TEN:

Sit ups (substitute floor crunches)

SIT UPS

Our hotel had a great bench where you could secure your legs into a 90 degree angle as though you had your hips and knees up in the air.  We decided to make use of it for some abdominal work to finish up each circuit.  Starting lying flat on the bench be sure to pull in the abdominals and prepare for the exercise.

Using your abdominals bring the upper body to an upright position while exhaling.  Be sure to pull the “tummy” in tightly to the spine and maintain a straight back.  Slowly return to the starting position using control (do NOT crash back down to the bench) before repeating.

And there you have it.  Your travel circuit!  Be sure to stretch your legs and back before heading off to the shower or the sand and ocean.  Stay hydrated and enjoy a healthy revitalizing vacation!

Always living with passion,

Sammie