12 Days of Christmas...at the Gym

I met with my trainer today and we did the 12 Days of Christmas work out. Let me just explain what that entails.

First, I ran a quarter of a mile, as warm up. Then I did 12 of each of the following:

Medicine Ball Toss: Stand 6-8 feet from a wall, hold the medicine ball (10 lbs) over your head and squat and while returning to standing position tossing the ball against the wall and catching it as you return to the squat.

Sumo Dead Lifts: The set up is your feet will be about shoulder length apart with your feet turned out at 45 degree angles. Your back and neck should be straight. Using an overhand grip with hands about 12 inches or so apart you are ready to start. Similar to normal dead lifts, the benefit is with a Sumo you work your inner thigh and ham stings. Your back stays straight as you bend your knees to prepare for the lift. We added a pull to the end where instead of just lifting to chest height, you pull the bar to the chin and the elbows go up and out. This adds difficulty and makes it a more complex work out. We used the 25 pound bar today.

On the Power Plate:

Squat Jumps: Standing on the Power Plate (which provides constant vibration which engages more muscles) you do a deep squat but instead of just standing you jump out of it, landing lightly on the balls of your feet.

Sit Pumps: Sitting on the edge of the Power Plate place hands beside you then lift yourself up and off the Power Plate and use your arms to lift your body weight.

After doing 12 of each of those, you then start at the beginning and do 11 of each, then with each rotation you go from sets of 12 to sets of only one. Finishing with running another .25 miles.

When all is said and done you will have done 78 of each of these.

My tips of the day, remember to breath and keep hydrated. They are the key to success.

What a great way to celebrate Christmas Eve, I think I have a new tradition.