Free Range Fitness
  • HOME
  • Workouts
  • Philosophy
  • Community
    • Connecting as an individual
    • Group Classes
    • Presentations
  • Contact
  • TV
  • Blog

The Burpee Burn

5/29/2014

0 Comments

 

How to sneak 112 burpees into a workout!

Hunter Boulevard, Seattle
We're so lucky to have this lush stretch of grass right in the neighborhood!
Location: Hunter Boulevard, so grassy and lush this time of year!
Weather: Cool and overcast, perfect burpee weather!
Buds: 2, Teresa and Marty
Willing Buds: Zero!
High points: Hellos from Gretl and Erin!

Today we did a bastardized Tabata workout (What are Tabatas? Check out our Tabata video, here!). We used the Tabata timer to complete 9 sets,  followed by three sprints. The emphasis, as you can see, was burpees. In the end, we managed to do 112 burpees. OMG. I'm so proud of us!

Tabata Sets:
1.  All burpees
2.  twizzlers and hip thrusts
3. Burpees and push ups
4. Jane Fonda leg lifts (various)
5. Burpess and mountain climbers
6. Lunges and squats
7. Burpees and ski-skates
8. Jane Fonda leg lifts (you're welcome, Teresa!)
9.  All burpees

I don't want to belabor the point, but that's 112 burpees.  112. Did I mention, one hundred and twelve burpees? Right off the bat, I told Marty and Teresa that maybe I wouldn't give them the entire rundown of the workout up front, because really, who wants to know that they're about to do 112 burpees?

The Trick
Instead, I asked them (and myself) to do just 4 burpees for each 20-second period. A Tabata has 8 periods so we did 32 burpees in the first and 7th Tabatas and 16 in the 3rd, 5th and 7th Tabatas. Voila! 112 burpees!

Notes
It would be crazy to attempt 9 all-out Tabatas. In fact, we used the Tabata timer but paced ourselves through those burpees, doing just 4 per 20-second period. Also, we chilled by doing things like Jane Fonda leg lifts between sets. (Still, we did 112 burpees. Yes!)

Warning
Don't rush out and do 112 burpees. Also, it's important to do burpees right. Take a look at this from The New York Times.
0 Comments

The Brutal Bowl

5/27/2014

0 Comments

 

A NATURAL (AND BRUTAL!) Hill-sprinting Loop!

Okay, folks! Here's the latest from my workout log. The Brutal Bowl is a hill sprinting workout that takes advantage of a quirk of Seattle geography: streets that run alongside a hill that, instead of running strictly parallel, form more of a bowl shape. This creates an awesome loop for running, because you have a long, intense hill on one side, An even longer flat recovery jog, and a rather steep, somewhat shorter recover walk back to the lowest point of that hell hill! It makes for a great HIIT workout. Marty and I did five of these and finished with a few sets of arm moves featuring a glorious view of a very sparkly Lake Washington. Whew!
Picture
Have you got bowls where you live? Try the Brutal Bowl and report back for some hearty congratulations!
0 Comments

The Imperial Fan of Happiness

5/23/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Date of Workout: May 22, 2014
Type: Hills + Moves
Weather: Gorgeous and sunny, the grass is still so green in Seattle!
Group or Solo?:  Group of three: Me. Teresa and Marty

Gabbing: Mostly about kids and books

The idea for this workout came to me when I first woke up this morning. What if we fanned our way, up a variety of stairs and hills that sweep up from Lake Washington, but converge in basically the same place. How fun would that be?


All you really need for this workout is a hill. But it was lots of fun to move from street to street, and staircase to staircase running up each one (sprinting the short ones and going steady up the long ones), then doing moves at the top. (Notice how we added a move each time. Fun!)

Hill #1: Staircase Sprint
Moves: 
10 jump squats
20 ski-skates
10 push ups

Hill  #2: Medium Steady Hill
Moves:
10 jump squats
20 ski-skates
10 push ups
20 standing crunches

Hill #3: Hill Sprint
Moves
10 jump squats
20 ski-skates
10 push ups
20 standing crunches

20 mountain climbers

Hill #4 Long Steady Hill
Moves:
10 jump squats
20 ski-skates
10 push ups
20 standing crunches

20 mountain climbers
Core moves

Fan Complete! Whew!

BONUS!!
As we walked home, (cooling down) we paused, and I said "let's do lunges all the way to that garbage can". We did 32, but who's counting?!


THE GOAL IS TO WORK HARD...
Not to complete the workout in 3 minutes or to barely survive, or to beat your friends. Stop that! Instead, dial in to how you feel. Sweaty? Good. Breathless? Awesome. Can't complete a full sentence without a little gulp of breath? That's how I felt, too! And that's how I knew I worked out today.


Modify by running harder, or walking the hills. Add reps (especially if you get to the top first). Make the push-ups easier by doing them against a wall or bench; or lowering your knees.

What do you think of the Imperial Fan of Happiness?
0 Comments

    HOT
    TOPICS

    Picture

    The Workout Menu

    We went out and did the workouts you see here. Grab one and give it a whirl, or get inspiration to make your own. 
    Tip! Looking for a beach workout? Something you can do at a track or the playground? Peruse Categories, below!



    Picture

     Cage-FREE  FITNESS

    Choose wide-open, natural spaces over the claustrophobic confines of the gym and you'll set yourself free! Look for my series of posts on the many ways we can be cage-free for health and fitness under "Cage-Free" in Categories.

    Categories

    All
    Abs
    Community
    Gear
    Hills
    Intervals
    Playfield
    Push Ups
    Sand
    Stairs
    Tabata
    Tabatas
    Workouts

    Archives

    June 2014
    May 2014
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    RSS Feed

Picture

Why Would a Screenwriter become a fitness philosopher?

I love outdoor workouts. They allow me to touch moss and mud and sand and grass; to recognize the richness of life, and to be connected to my friends, the seasons, and my world. Free Range Fitness is my commitment to help others ditch the gym and get a better, happier, more effective workout that will transform their lives.  I believe this deeply. I invite you to join me, in being cage-free!
About    Contact Us    Disclaimer
© 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Free Range Fitness, All Rights Reserved.
  • HOME
  • Workouts
  • Philosophy
  • Community
    • Connecting as an individual
    • Group Classes
    • Presentations
  • Contact
  • TV
  • Blog