Complete 3 rounds, 10 reps each!

MMA Treadmill/Sidewalk Series:  3 Rounds

Typical of an MMA fighter’s match, this workout consists of three 5 min. “rounds” separated by 1 minute exactly of rest.

Round 1:

• 45second treadmill sprint: set the machine at a speed roughly 75% of your maximal sprint speed.  The speed increases with each and every sprint.  So set it and push it up from there. [Tip: if you are comfortable, don’t cut the treadmill off between sets—use the rails and jump off to the sides while it is still moving. Do so at your own risk!]
• 15 Squats
• 45second treadmill sprint
• Reverse Lunges [8 each leg]
• 45second treadmill sprint
• 15 Plea Squat

Rest 1 minute exactly

Round 2:

• 45second treadmill sprint
• 15 Push-ups
• 45second treadmill sprint
• Plank with Knee Taps [15 each knee, 30 total]
• Hold in a plank and drop your left knee cap to touch the ground, then return it to plank position. Drop your right knee cap. Keep alternating as quickly as possible.
• 45second treadmill sprint
• 15 V-Up’s

Rest 1 minute exactly

Round 3:

• 45second treadmill steep incline power walk
• 10 Burpees
• 45second treadmill side shuffle [left foot leads] on a medium incline
• 10 Jump Squats
• 45second treadmill side shuffle [right foot leads] on a medium incline
• 10 full situps

Ever wonder what’s true and and what’s false? Well here are a few myths in relation to fitness and the facts about the matter.

Myth: Doing crunches will get rid of belly fat.
Fact: While doing crunches strengthens the muscles in your midsection and helps improve posture, being able to see the definition has to do with percent body fat. If you don’t lose the belly fat, you won’t see the ab muscles. Unfortunately you cannot chose where you’d like to burn fat, but by working out using both cardiovascular and strength training elements will help decrease overall body fat content, including your midsection.

Myth: If you’re not working up a sweat, you’re not working hard enough.
Fact: Sweating is your body’s way of cooling itself, not an indicator of work exertion. It is possible to burn a significant number of calories without breaking a sweat.

Myth: No pain, No gain.
Fact: While you should have some soreness a day or two after your workout, this is different than feeling pain while you are working out. If something hurts (this is a different feeling from an exercise being hard) then you are either doing it wrong or you already have an injury. When it comes to “working through the pain”, experts say that if it hurts, you should rest it and see if the pain goes away. If it doesn’t go away or if it starts to increase after you begin your workouts again, see a doctor.

Myth: Women will get bulky if I lift weights.
Fact: Women do not have the genetic make up to get big and bulky like a male does. We have trace amounts of testosterone naturally in our body. Without supplements and VERY aggressive training, it is unlikely for a woman to pack on the muscle and “bulk” up.

Myth: Muscle weighs more than fat.
Fact: If I were to put 5 lbs of muscle in front of you and put 5 lbs of fat right next to it, they would both be 5 lbs right? Muscle does not weigh more than fat, it just takes up less space because it is more dense. Therefore, it is possible to not lose weight but lose inches. This is why you can fit into that pair of jeans you’ve had hidden at the top of your closet!!

Myth: I don’t have time to work out
Fact: You don’t have to spend every session going to the gym. Try to use your time wisely and perhaps you could kill two birds with one stone. Take your kids to the park or ride bikes together. Go for a hike, take your kids swimming, or even play tag in the back yard. Try to work short spurts of walking into your day rather than spending an hour or more at the gym. Get up and walk on your lunch break. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther away when you go shopping. According to WebMD, “Recent U.S. government guidelines says that to lose weight and keep it off, you should accumulate at least 60 minutes of exercise a day. But, half an hour a day is all you need to reap the health and disease-fighting benefits of exercise.”

Myth: Stretch before you exercise
Fact: Studies show that it more effective and safer to stretch after you work out because your muscles are warm. It is beneficial to warm-up before you exercise (which is why we do a dynamic warm up at SGF). Leave the static stretching for after.

Myth: You will burn more fat if you exercise longer at a lower intensity.
Fact: The most important factor in exercise and weight control is not the percentage of calorie burned but the total number of calories burned. The faster you walk, bike, swim, etc… the more calories you use per minute. Although you will be burning fewer “fat calories”, you will be burning more total calories which in turn leads to losing more weight loss.

Do you have a winter cross-training plan? As we move into the winter months, you better get one…

Styles Group Fitness is offering all runners a FREE MONTH membership (12 FREE sessions) (a $240 value) to our small group personal training gym. We have two programs: one exclusive to women, the other exclusive to men. To sign up:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dERBQXBXeEFNNkVrRjRLVjhyeENwbnc6MQ

Our gyms aren’t what you would imagine… there is no machinery, no tv’s attached to ellipticals, no “group exercise” room. Instead, our gyms are complete with turf and our toolbox includes: TRX Training, plyometrics, undulation ropes, functional running drills, medicine balls, kettlebells, free weights, and more. Heck, we even have a tractor tire in here! It is our philosophy that there is an athlete within each one of us… it is our coaching staff that helps our members discover, solidify, and train in that mindset. Many of our members use our program for cross training and find it helps shave off significant time in races! It couldn’t be a better cross training program for runners. Simply put: Imagine having a personal trainer working with you on your goals within a small team of 2-5 others.

The gym is not “come and go as you please” either. Everyone schedules three sessions a week to work with a small group (2-6) other athletes and are assigned a coach. In this way, our workouts allow our members to get the benefits of a personal trainer at 1/5 the cost! (Of course, this would all be free to you runners.) Groups are assigned by gender, ability, and schedule. We offer over 60+ sessions 7 days a week, and we even include yoga free to all of our members.

This membership  includes:

• One month free, no commitment, no obligation. Pure goodwill to my running community!
• 12 essions total (most members attend 3 sessions a week)
• Each session is one hour of strength and cardio, mixed together in a functional and yet very challenging
• One Free yoga session (as it is available per the schedule)
• Free “Essentials Class”: A once weekly class where members can come in and walk through the technical parts of any movement they are working on
• Free Wine & Dash membership [run club that meets on Tuesdays/Thursday to run and then socialize with wine, free food, and live music at Cafe Caturra]
• …and then some
• Here is the link to sign up for the free membership: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dERBQXBXeEFNNkVrRjRLVjhyeENwbnc6MQ#gid=0
• Two locations: Libbie & Grove and Innsbrook
• Open to men & women

See you in the Gym!

So, what is a Benchmark Workout?

These will be very short, but intense mini-sessions designed to:

• Breakdown basic movements that are vital to a strong foundation in exercise
• Instruct you on proper form, function, and technique
• Challenge you to push yourself
• Provide a baseline to build on

The last workout of the week for the month of April will start with a warm-up and then your benchmark workout. After the group has completed the benchmark session, a revised SGF workout will resume.

You will conduct your April’s benchmark workout a total of four times with your group, each time trying to beat the session before. In this way, you can create a baseline and develop throughout the month. So, not only are you competing within your group (and the other locations!) but yourself from week to week.

Good luck ladies and KICK-BUTT!