Cross Training- Arms and Legs

I made a mistake a couple of weeks ago, I intended to write a post for this blog, but it actually was posted to my family blog. It was about how and why I'm pretty much going to be working out 60 minutes a day 5 to 6 times a week for the rest of my life, and why I'm okay with that. But I think that was probably a good thing that it posted there since not many people know about this blog and chances are people will see it there that would have never run across it here.

And today I had that 60 minutes in mind and I added a couple of 10 to 15 minute workouts that I found online to my regular cross training day. Normally I've been doing a 20 minutes of leg and hip strengthening exercises that my Sister in Law Tiff showed me, she learned them from a physical therapist who was helping her rehab an injured knee. I don't have any links for this and I'm not sure how well I can explain them, but basically.....

....while standing, 1) lift your straight leg out in front of you then bring it back down, 10 reps,  4 sets per leg. I usually start with my left then do my right, then back and forth until all 4 sets are done for both legs. I do that back and forth left 10 reps, right 10 reps, left 10 reps for each standing exercise.  2) Lift your leg out to the side 10 times, repeating 4 times for each leg.  3) Bring your leg across the front of your body 10 times, repeating 4 times for each leg. 4) Lift your leg straight back behind you. If you don't feel very stable standing on one leg while moving/lifting the other leg, use the back of a chair to stabilize yourself. But if you can remain stable without using a chair you will find that your standing leg gets a pretty great workout during these standing leg lifts, possibly even more of a work out than the leg that's moving at the time, this is a good thing.

Next do all 4 leg lifts while laying down. 1) I start on your back and do the front leg lifts, easy enough- you just lay down and lift your leg up! 4 sets of 10 each leg. I go back and forth between left and right with this one too.  2 & 3) turn onto your side. Lift the top leg straight up, this replicated the side leg lift you did while you were standing. NOW, if we were going to do the side leg lift for both legs we'd be rolling over A LOT and so at this point I do the cross the body leg lift with the leg that is on the floor. How, I take my top leg, bring it forward and put my foot on the floor then I lift the leg on the floor as far as I can towards the ceiling. I 4 sets of 10 reps for each leg THEN I turn over so that I am laying on my side with my other hip on the floor and do the same exercised, top leg up towards the ceiling, then top foot on the floor, lower leg towards the ceiling, 4 sets each leg, 10 reps each set, and you've replicated the side leg lift and cross the body leg lift that you did while you were standing.  And Finally- 4) roll onto your belly and lift your legs up towards the ceiling, 4 sets each leg 10 reps per set, alternating legs.

This takes me 20 minutes. Eventually, when I don't feel the burn anymore I'll add elastic workout bands.

A few weeks ago I saw this 15 Minute Upper-body/Shoulder workout and BOY was I glad I owned 2 pound weights the first time I tried this workout. Like I said, I've been doing this 2-3 times a week for about 3 weeks, I'm feeling those 2 pound weights still! By the time I hit the end of the 3rd set I scream a little, just a little, a soft little scream so as not to scare anyone but WOW. I think it's a good workout.

This weekend I found this 15 minute Arm and Shoulder workout. So I added it in today. My little 4 year old was home from preschool when I started this part of my workout. He asked me to watch him play, I told him sure as long as I could exercise while I watched him. He agreed but he looked at me like I was CRAZY when I started doing the "Bear Crawl". The explanation of the Bear Crawl says that your kids will probably join in with you and start crawling around like a bear, my son didn't. In fact he told me to go away, that I was scaring him. Oh well.

So after all that I had done 50 minutes of exercises. Normally I would just hop on the exercise bike and finish out the 60 minutes. Today it would have meant 10 minutes, other days it's been 35 minutes. But today I didn't feel like riding the bike, and on the website where I found the previous workout I saw a little box proclaiming "10 minute butt lift workout" and so I said, 10 minutes, I'll try it!

And so I rounded out my 60 minutes with what I shall call a 10 minute glute workout. I may have done some quite screams during this workout as well, but I'm pretty sure I got a good glute workout.

I'm going to be trying to get some good core workouts in on my cross training days as well, but for now, arms, shoulders, legs and glutes it shall be!