Crazy butt and thigh workout!

Last week I did what I thought was a normal workout for me on Tuesday morning. I could not workout again until Friday morning because I was too sore and needed to let my body recover! Even Friday, I had to do a light, 30 minute cardio day on the elliptical because I was still sore! I cannot remember the last time I was that sore from a workout, it was almost kind of a nice reminder...until I had to attempt going up or down stairs. Anyways, this workout is not for the faint of heart, so if you are not an avid exerciser or do not usually do intense workouts, definitely scale this one back and do only 1 or 2 sets of each superset, only do 2 of the 3 supersets or omit any weights and use just body weight for the exercises, and build up to performing the entire workout.

Superset 1

1. 20 bosu single leg lunges with 10 lb. kettlebell (flip bosu so flat side is up, place foot in middle and perform 20 split squat lunges holding weight at chest, then switch legs)

2. 20 jump lunges

3. 20 weighted (10 lb kettlebell) glute bridges with upper back on bench, feet flat on ground and weight on hips

Superset 2

1. 15 around the world squats with 10 lb kettlebell(begin in squat position with weight on outside of left foot, stand up, raising weight overhead then squat back down bringing weight down to outside of right foot)

2. 20 jump squats, tapping feet together as you jump up

3. 20 back extensions on the ball

Superset 3

1. 15 opposite leg toe touches with 5 lb weights in each hand(stand on left leg, reach down to touch toes with right hand, kicking right leg back behind you, raising left arm out to side, repeat 15 times, switch legs)

2. 30 skater lunges

3. 15 dead lifts with 15 lb. dumbbell in each hand

Make sure to do a 5-10 minute warm-up and cool-down and stretch afterwards!

One warning I want to mention: I rarely evre perform dead lifts and really dislike them overall as an exercise but did do them this one time so did not want to substitute something different and be honest with the exact workout I did! So I do want to say, please be careful when performing them and really focus on your form and definitely do not go overboard with the weight, start very low or even with nothing at all (it will still work the hamstrings and glutes)!

Myth behind the 'Fat Burning Zone!'

I constantly hear about how you will burn more fat calories if you keep your heart rate low, in what is called the 'fat burning zone.' Low meaning 60-70% of your maximum heart rate which is equal to 220 minus your age. For example, my fat burning zine is: 220-31 = 189. 189 is my maximum heart rate. 60% = 113.4 and 70% = 132.3 so my zone is keeping my heart rate between 113.4 and 132.3. My heart rate usually averages around 160 while working out, much much higher than the dedicated zone!

The idea behind the fat burning zone is that if you keep your heart rate in the designated area, you will burn more calories for energy from fat. The myth comes from the fact that your body is burning a higher percentage of calories from fat; around 50% of calories. If you were to work out at a higher intensity, 70-90% of your maximum heart rate, you will be burning a lower percentage of calories from fat (around 35-40%)and more from carbohydrates, but you are burning more calories overall. This total caloric burn is what is most important because it still ends up averaging more calories burned from fat even though the percentage is lower because the overall burn is higher.

So, for example, my typical workouts burn about 400-450 calories overall, in a 30 minute period. Using both lower numbers to get the minimum amount burned: 35% of 400 is 140 fat calories burned. If I kept my heart rate low, in the fat burning zone, I would burn only about 200 calories (at most) in that same amount of time, and 50% of 200 is only 100 fat calories burned. So as you can see, you are still burning more fat overall doing higher intensity workouts rather than lower intensity or 'fat burning' workouts.

Case in point, the whole 'fat burning zone' for heart rate is really misleading and will not help you reach your goals. I always recommend using a heart rate monitor and keeping track of your heart rate throughout your workouts, aiming for at least 70% of your maximum heart rate.