15 minute workout series: #3 Row, Row & Row

I'm generally not a fan of cardio machines, but and this is a big BUT, I make an exception for the Indoor Rower.

Indoor rowers may look easy but they give an incredible total-body workout. They are great for overall fitness, fat loss and cross-training. It uses your legs, arms, back and abs.

Legs are responsible for 70% of the power in your strokes.

Benefits of rowing:
1. Low Impact on knees & ankles Ideal for people with joint problems. As this is a seated activity, rowing removes body weight and impact from the injury prone joints of the hips, knees and ankles.
2. High calorie burner It uses many muscle groups in your body. You get stronger and maintain a large calorie burn.
3. Functional Incorporates functional, core-strengthening, posture improving movements of the leg-press, hip hinge and row.
4. Engages upper and lower body
5. Also works your back and abs
6. Combines the benefits of cardiovascular fitness and strength training in one workout
7. Suitable for most people to use
8. It's a rain or shine activity

84% of your muscle mass is used when rowing That includes:
-Deltoids
-Biceps
-Brachioradialis
-Triceps
-Rectus Abdominis
-Erector Spinae
-Quadriceps
-Gastrocnemius
-Gluteals
-Hamstrings


How to row?
I found this useful YouTube video showing you the right form and technique for rowing.

Rowing Workouts
To benefit from a 15 minute or less workout, check out these workout ideas for the rower.

Interval Rows
Perform repeats of 500m/750m or 1000m distances. Rest anywhere from 1-4 minutes between the repeats.

Sprints
Race against a friend or have a sprint session on the rower. Popular sprint distances include 250m/500m and 750m.

Long Distance
The most common race distance is 2000m. Elite men & women can do this distance in around 5-6 1/2 minutes. Average people will be able to achieve this distance in around 8-8 1/2 minutes. All dependent on gender, weight and fitness.

Indoor rowing classes
If you are completely new to rowing, an indoor rowing class would be a good place to start off. The will be a teacher to help you achieve good form and get the most out of your time. There are also indoor rowing classes that are created as group challenges. The whole class are divided into separate groups and row against each other.


Have a fit and active day, I'm off to row now.

~Fit Mom

15 minute workout series: #1 Jump Rope

I know that there are many, many busy people out there leading hectic lives but still wanting to be active & healthy. Sometimes trying to fit a workout into your already packed daily schedule is difficult.

So is a 15 minute workout possible and effective? Most definitely!

I think that doing something is better than doing nothing. Also, starting off small and building fitness as a life long habit is great. You'll find that you will start to possibly increase your workout time or make more time to be physically active because of how energized and great you feel.

With short workouts we have to be smart about what we do. By using our time more effectively we can actually get great results as if we were doing a longer workout, and sometimes even better & quicker results.

The number 1 requirement for an effective short workout is Intensity.

The second factor to consider is what you are looking to achieve. Be it strength, muscle building, fat loss, endurance or general fitness.

For the first series of our 15 minute workout posts, we will look at Jump Rope.

Read More --->

Fit mom practicing what she preaches: Hillsprints

I recently found an awesome trail with a 260ft hill last Memorial weekend.

The elevation went from 199ft to 222ft.

You bet I got my hillsprints in and even made it a family affair.

My legs burned but I felt great. And, the hill sprint repeats took less than 15 minutes in total.

Another great & free workout :)


Views from the middle and top of the hill.

Hillsprints: The best conditioning exercise

For awhile I had been hearing the many benefits of incorporating hillsprints into my training program. At first the concept of sprinting up a hill didn't appeal to me. I mean, it's a physically hard & demanding workout. Sprinting on level ground is difficult enough,sprinting uphill is a different ball game. But, you either go hard, or you go home. One of my goals for the year was to get out of my comfort zone and do something that I wouldn't normally choose to do. I want to keep constantly challenging myself.

I like my conditioning & cardiovascular workouts to be intense and short. I cannot fathom being cooped up in a gym going endlessly on an elliptical machine or running longer than 35mins. Hillsprints & I started sounding more like a match made in heaven.

I finally bit the bullet a few months ago and ran up a hill. Now, it's my go-to conditioning exercise. If not one of my most favorite workouts. I even get my husband and daughter to sprint with me. We race each other and it's awesome motivation for me. I also have to say that my body composition has changed immensely. Whilst this can't all be credited to hillsprints, I have noticed my legs looking & feeling stronger since I first started.

What are the benefits of hillsprints?

1. Free exercise - No expensive memebership fees. Just go outside and find a hill, steep incline road, stadium steps or even outdoor steps.
2. Burns fat & improves your body composition - You will be hard pressed to find a conditioning exercise that does this so well. It targets & strengthens every major muscle in your body. Because you are fighting against gravity, your muscles (in particular your hamstrings, glutes, quads, calves) have to work so much harder. To adapt to this, they eventually get stronger. You just have to look at the body of a sprinter compared to that of a long distance runner to illustrate this.
3. Improves cardiovascular fitness - Your lung capacity & thus your stamina will increase as well as your speed & power.
4. Effectiveness - It bridges the gap between strength & conditioning workouts. Thereby, giving you more bang for your buck.
5. Risk of injury is minimal - You can't run as fast uphill as you can on level ground. This is a good thing as you will be less likely to overextend your muscles. Also, because of the incline your strides become shorter, which reduces the impact on your bones.
6. Time saver - It doesn't take a huge chunk of your time to do. 10-15mins at the most as this is a high intensity workout. Awesome for when you're pressed for time.
7. Euphoric Rush - The feeling of knowing you conquered that hill at the end of your workout is definitely a good one.


Tips on hillsprints

1. If you're new to running & hillsprints, take it easy. Don't be overly ambitious. As you get better at hillsprints, you will be able to run longer & faster.

2. Don't forget to warm up. I usually jog 1/2 mile to my preferred hill and add in dynamic stretching to get my body awake and ready for action.

3. Remember the steeper the hill, the harder the exercise.

4. Gauge your sprint distance according to your ability. A nice starter distance would be anywhere between 15-25 seconds. You can always increase your distance after a few sessions & as your body adapts.

5. Bring a stopwatch to time your sprints. This is a good way of managing your progression & improvements.

6. Run as fast as you can up the hill, walk back down and repeat. You can take a short rest at the bottom of the hill before sprinting again.

7. Aim for anywhere between 5-10 sprint repeats.

8. Stretch your muscles after.

Happy Sprinting!

~ Fit mom