Dynamic Body Workout

Hi Everyone!

Happy Halloween! I hope that you all had a great weekend. Mine was very busy so I was excited to have time to do a real workout tonight and share it with you!

The workout breakdown is below. This week along with workouts I am going to be talking about diet. I don’t mean going on “a diet.” Believe it or not a diet isn’t a thing you go on. It is just a combination of everything that you eat. It’s a lifestyle. Whether you chose to have a healthy or unhealthy diet is up to you.

So what is healthy? There is a lot of contention on this topic. A lot of experts have come up with a ton of conflicting views. We will be talking about it this week. Let me know what you do to eat healthfully!

Enjoy the workout!
Melissa

1.       Cardio burst-Jumping Jacks

Beginner: 30 seconds

Intermediate: 45 seconds

Advanced: 60 seconds

2.       Sleeping crab: Both sides=1 rep

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

3.       Dynamo push up

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

4.       Dynamic squat

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

5.       Elbow twist abs (boat position): both sides=1 rep

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

6.       Cardio burst-High Knees

Beginner: 30 seconds

Intermediate: 45 seconds

Advanced: 60 seconds

7.       Tripod leg swings (right and left)

Beginner: 15 reps per side

Intermediate: 20 reps per side

Advanced: 25 reps per side

8.       Single leg pump (right and left)

Beginner: 15 reps per side

Intermediate: 20 reps per side

Advanced: 25 reps per side

9.       Roll up situps

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

10.   Scissors

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

11.   Shoulder bridges with bent knee

Beginner: 15 reps per leg

Intermediate: 20 reps per leg

Advanced: 25 reps per leg

12.   Cardio burst-High Knees or Jumping Jacks (in the video I did jumping jacks, when I went through the workout afterwards I did high knees)

Beginner: 30 seconds

Intermediate: 45 seconds

Advanced: 60 seconds

Tight Body Fat Burner Workout

Hi Everyone!

Today’s workout kicked my butt! You’ll be able to tell by how sweaty I am at the end of the video! J We had a special guest tonight. Stephanie worked out with us, and did a great job. As usual, move quickly between the moves to keep your heart rate up and maintain the fat burn. Make sure you have water nearby and you push yourself the whole time!

I have been keeping up with my “veggie with every meal” plan! I have to say I have way more energy, and feel more satisfied throughout the day. I am even drinking less coffee!

Anyway, enjoy the workout. Let me know what you think. Feel free to share your comments or concerns.

Melissa

Tight Body Fat Burner Workout

1.       High Knees

Beginner: 30 seconds

Intermediate: 45 seconds

Advanced: 60 seconds

2.       Mountain Climber pushups (each pushup counts as one rep)

Beginner: 15

Intermediate: 20

Advanced: 25

3.       Side Squat Touch

Beginner: 15 pet side

Intermediate: 20 per side

Advanced: 25 per side

4.       Elbow Twist (both sides=1rep)

Beginner: 15

Intermediate: 20

Advanced: 25

5.       Plank Steps (forearms, step out, straight arms, step in=1 rep)

Beginner: 15

Intermediate: 20

Advanced: 25

6.       Leg pull in (with or without ball)(Without ball-right and left knee come in to = 1 rep)

Beginner: 15

Intermediate: 20

Advanced: 25

7.       High Knees

Beginner: 30 seconds

Intermediate: 45 seconds

Advanced: 60 seconds

8.       3 step situps (legs go up, V, situp, legs come together, hip lift, down=1rep)

Beginner: 15

Intermediate: 20

Advanced: 25

9.       Plank Side Drops (right and left)

Beginner: 15 (per side)

Intermediate: 20 (per side)

Advanced: 25 (per side)

10.   Speed Skater (reach to both sides for one rep)

Beginner: 15

Intermediate: 20

Advanced: 25

11.   Burpee

Beginner: 15

Intermediate: 20

Advanced: 25

12.   Up/Down Dog

Beginner: 15

Intermediate: 20

Advanced: 25

13.   High Knees

Beginner: 30 seconds

Intermediate: 45 seconds

Advanced: 60 seconds

I Want Six Pack Abs! Workout

Hi Everyone!

When you scroll down to view today’s workout breakdown you will notice that this one has a few exercises with higher reps than the previous ones I have posted. Don’t worry! You can do it! Take breaks if you need too. J Move from one exercise to the next as quickly as you can, and don’t forget to take a few quick water breaks! I don’t want anyone dehydrating out there!

I enjoyed today’s workout, and I hope you do too. As part of my fitness journey I have decided to incorporate more vegetables into my diet. I love veggies so this isn’t really a problem for me, but it’s been interesting. I have been trying to have at least one veggie with every meal. (IE scrambled eggs with spinach, a sandwich with a side of broccoli, etc). If you’re like the majority of the world you probably aren’t getting enough vegetables either. Did you know half your plate should be veggies, ¼ meat and ¼ starch to meet the recommended guidelines?

I would love to hear about some fun veggie recipes, so feel free to share!

Melissa

I want 6 pack Abs Workout

1.       Snowboarder

Beginner:  20

Intermediate:  30

Advanced: 40

2.       1 leg elbow touch push ups

Beginner:  20

Intermediate:  30

Advanced: 40

3.       Sideways abs

Beginner:  20

Intermediate:  30

Advanced: 40

4.       Tricep pushups (right and left)

Beginner:  10 per arm

Intermediate:  15 per arm

Advanced:  20 per arm

5.       Side plank leg lifts (right and left)

Beginner:  10 per leg

Intermediate:  15 per leg

Advanced:  20 per leg

6.       Forward/backward lunges with hop

Beginner:  10 per leg

Intermediate:  15 per leg

Advanced:  20 per leg

7.       Double leg lifts

Beginner:  20

Intermediate:  30

Advanced: 40

8.       Bending kickbacks

Beginner:  10 per leg

Intermediate:  15 per leg

Advanced:  20 per leg

9.       Superman hold (5 count)

Beginner:  10

Intermediate:  15

Advanced:  20

Fast Fat Blast - Melissa Bender Fitness

Hi Everyone!

If you look at today’s workout list it looks long, but it’s just because we have cardio bursts in between all of the workout moves. This will keep your heart rate up, and burn fat throughout the workout (and the rest of the day!) This workout has a lot of emphasis on legs, butt and thighs. Remember to use correct form and give it your all. The more you put into your workout the more you get out of it!

Also, during the “High Knees” portion of the video make sure you are lifting your knees as high as you can. I filmed the complete workout, and then went through it full speed a second time, and realized that I was pushing my knees a lot harder the second time around (and getting more out of it!)

As usual I welcome feedback and comments!

Thanks for working out with me!
Melissa

Workout Breakdown:

1.       Diagonal Leg Cross (left)

-Beginner: 10

-Intermediate: 20

-Advanced: 25

2.       Diagonal Leg Cross (right)

-Beginner: 10

-Intermediate: 20

-Advanced: 25

3.       High Knees

-Beginner: 30 knee raises

-Intermediate:  50 knee raises

-Advanced: 75 knee raises

4.       Scissor Sit-ups

-Beginner: 10

-Intermediate: 20

-Advanced: 25

5.       Mountain Climbers

-Beginner: 30 jumps

-Intermediate:  50 jumps

-Advanced: 75 jumps

6.       Squat Jumps

-Beginner: 10

-Intermediate: 20

-Advanced: 25

7.       High Knees

8.       Chair Pose

-Beginner: hold for 30 seconds

-Intermediate: hold for 60 seconds

-Advanced: hold for 90 seconds

9.       Mountain Climbers

10.   Ball Squeeze Sit-ups

-Beginner: 10

-Intermediate: 20

-Advanced: 25

11.   High Knees

12.   Side Lunge Jumps (Do both sides for this to count as one rep)

-Beginner: 10

-Intermediate: 20

-Advanced: 25

13.   Mountain Climbers

14.   L Leg Lifts (right)

-Beginner: 10

-Intermediate: 20

-Advanced: 25

15.   L Leg Lifts (left)

-Beginner: 10

-Intermediate: 20

-Advanced: 25

16.   High Knees

17.   Knee Touch Jump Squats

-Beginner: 10

-Intermediate: 20

-Advanced: 25

18.   Mountain Climbers

19.   Push-up/Side Plank (alternating sides)

-Beginner: 10

-Intermediate: 20

-Advanced: 25

20.   High Knees

If you are at an advanced level (or just feel up to the challenge!) complete the whole series a second time.

Standing Yoga Flow for butt, thighs, legs and back

Hello Everyone,

This workout is a Standing Yoga Flow. It focuses mostly on the lower body: thighs, butt, legs, and back. However, there are still benefits for your arms and abs.

One of my best friends (a wonderfully talented poet named Rose) challenged me to create a yoga flow that consisted solely of standing poses. I had to keep it short enough to post on youtube so I limited the number of poses I used. This is the result. It’s a short workout (about 15 minutes). You can even do it with the Kick Butt workout or another one of the workouts on my website after doing this one.

Let me know what you think, and be sure to check out Rose’s blog: www.arosewithoutthorns.blogspot.com

Melissa

Butt Kicker Workout - Melissa Bender Fitness

Hello Everyone,

Today’s workout is the Butt Kicker Workout. When you watch the video you will see why! I had a lot of fun doing this workout and after the Terrific Tummy Toner workout the other day it felt great to get off of my arms, and focus on my legs, butt, core and back.

Yesterday, someone very close to me told me that they would never be able to do my workouts. They said that the workouts are too hard. My response was that if you can even do one or two of each exercise to start that is enough. It doesn’t matter what level of fitness or what shape you are in now. If you decide to change that for the better you can do it! If you’ve overcome a challenge, or have a fear about working out that you would like to share post it below in the comments.

Also, the number of reps below is a guide for you. If 15 is too much then push yourself as hard as you can go with each repetition. As long as you are challenging yourself you are getting a great workout. Just make sure that if you start out with one rep of each exercise this week, next week you are going for 2 reps of each. Just like anything else in life, you get out what you put in. I’m sure you work hard for a LOT of things in life (work, school, family, etc.) Take a moment to remember that YOU are worth working hard for.

Let me know what you think of the workout, and if you have any thoughts on what I have written.

Until next time,

Melissa

“I've always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you've got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles on route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish.” -Chuck Norris

For all of these exercises (unless otherwise noted below) reps are as follows:

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

1.       Forward Lunge Kicks (right)

-Remember, front knee never goes past your toes. Front thigh should come parallel with the ground. Back knee should be almost touching the floor, but not quite. Form is far more important than speed or how high you can kick.

2.       Forward Lunge Kicks (left)

3.       Side lunge with Kick (right)

4.       Side Lunge with Kick (left)

5.       Roundhouse Kick with chair (right)

6.       Roundhouse Kick with chair (left)

7.       One leg squats with chair (right)

8.       One leg squats with chair (left)

9.       Ab roll on ball

-If you are doing Plank Pose as an alternative to this position hold the position for 30 seconds if you are a beginner, 45 intermediate, and 1 minute if you are advanced. Take a break in between and repeat this 3 times.

10.   3 way sit-ups on ball

-One rep consists of all three movements (right, middle, left). If you watch me in the video I turned it into a 4 movement series (right, middle, left, middle=1 rep). The flow of these 4 movements felt more natural to me. Try both and see which works for you.

11.   Leg Circles (right)

-Remember, switch the direction you are circling your foot half way through the reps.

12.   Leg Circles (left)

13.   Angel’s abs

-Start by dropping your knees to the left, go around, and up to the right, back down and around to starting position for one rep.

14.   Super swim

-Beginner: Do this movement for three 30 second intervals (with a rest in between each rep)

-Intermediate: Do this movement for three 45 second intervals

-Advanced: Do this movement for three 1 minute intervals

15.   Back sit ups

Terrific Tummy Toner Workout

Hi Everyone!

Today’s workout is tough, but you are going to feel so great after you do it! I created this one to focus on abs, but as usual it’s still a full body workout. To get the most out of this workout make sure that you are using proper form, and moving from one exercise to the next as quickly as you can. That said, there were a few exercises that I needed to take a few seconds before continuing. Be sure to push yourself, but listen to your body!

I would love some feedback on what you thought of today’s workout and how it went for you. Feel free to leave a comment below.

Also, I just made a twitter account to keep people updated so they know when new workout videos are up. I’m new to twitter so I am just getting used to it, but if you’d like to follow me my name is FitnessBender.

Enjoy!

Melissa

Terrific Tummy Toner:

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

1.       Tricep sideways leg jumps (remember, 2 jumps=1rep)

2.       Plank forward jumps

3.       Side plank drops with elbow touch (right)

4.       Side plank drops with elbow touch (left)

5.       Forward/Backward lunges (right)

6.       Forward/Backward lunges (left)

7.       Sumo Squats (right and left side=1rep)

8.       Bicycle abs (right and left side=1rep)

9.       Leg lift abs with hip twist (right and left=1rep)

10.   Walking push ups

11.   Superman alternating plank

12.   Crab kicks (2 kicks=1rep)

13.   V abs

Rest and Muscles

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday was my rest day. It's very important to take rest time and allow your body to heal after hard workouts. If you don't give your muscles time to heal they don't rebuild properly. Having muscles is the key to having a great metabolism, and aging well.

We tend to lose 2% of our muscle every year after the age of 40. This loss of muscle is what slows down our metabolism (and you thought it was just part of getting older!) So here's an idea, keep working out, maintain your muscle mass, and maintain your metabolism! Also, working out strengthens your bones, helping to prevent other problems associated with aging, such as osteoperosis.

My field (occupational therapy) is focused on helping people to continue doing whatever is important to them in their lives, often after some type of injury or illness. There are things in life that sometimes happen that we can do nothing to prevent (accidents, natural disaster, etc). One thing that I can tell you for sure is that the more physically fit you are the higher your chance of recovery is. Plus the healthier you stay the more you decrease your chances of illness and injury in the future!

So start your personal fitness journey now. If you have any personal experiences or thoughts you would like to share post them in the comments below. I love to hear from you. I thought the quote below was relevant to today's talk.

There will be a new workout up today so be sure to look for it a little bit later!

Thanks for reading!
Melissa

What fits your busy schedule better, exercising one hour a day or being dead 24 hours a day?

Randy Glasbergen, Cartoonist

Work That Body - Workout

Hello Everyone! Today’s workout is a tough one, but it’s completely worth how great you will feel afterwards. I want to thank you for starting (or continuing!) your fitness journey with me. So many times people have goals that they want to start “tomorrow.” You only have one life to live, so why wait to live it? Enjoy.

Melissa

Up/down dog

Beginner:  15 reps

Intermediate:  20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

5 burpee

Lunge jumps

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

5 burpee

Right plank leg lift

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

5 burpee

Left plank leg lift

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

5 burpee

Leg lift sit ups

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

5 burpee

Superman

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

5 burpee

Tricep leg lifts

Beginner: 15 reps

Intermediate: 20 reps

Advanced: 25 reps

5 Burpees

Cardio Fat Burn

Hi Everyone! Today is a cardio day. For me that meant a 30 minute easy run. Watch the video for some alternative options for getting your cardio in. Feel free to leave a comment about your favorite cardio workout! Note, in the video my jump rope is too long. You shouldne't need to flail your arms quite so much while you jump rope.

Below is the link for Sun Salutations. You can use them as a warm-up or to get your full body workout for the day.


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Work it All Out- Glute Bender

Today's workout is the Glute Bender. It's a full body workout that incorporates plenty of abs, core and butt work. I believe that you should use your workouts to get the most out of them, by using movements that use more than one part at a time. Each step of the workout is explained in the video. The reps of each are listed below.
*Note: I repeated this workout in a full length video: Work it All Out-Glute Bender Take 2

Start out with the Warm-up!

1. Plank Pose-Knee to elbow with leg lift
Newbies: 10 reps per leg
Intermediate: 15 reps per leg
Advanced: 25 reps per leg

2. Warrior 3 with Squat
Newbies: 10 reps per leg
Intermediate: 15 reps per leg
Advanced: 25 reps per leg

3. Heel Tap Leg Lifts
Newbies: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 25 reps

4. Leg Series (Typically I do 10 of the lift, 10 drops, and end with 10 combined per leg. That's 30 per leg. For a description check the video)
Newbies: 10 reps per leg
Intermediate: 15 reps per leg
Advanced: 25 reps per leg

5. Ball Leg Lifts
Newbies: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 25 reps

6. Butt Ball Lifts
Newbies: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 25 reps

7. Plie Jumps
Newbies: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 25 reps

8. Squating Leg Lifts
Newbies: 10 reps per leg (20 total)
Intermediate: 15 reps per leg (30 total)
Advanced: 25 reps per leg (50 total)

9. Wall Sit Leg Lifts
Newbies: 10 reps per leg
Intermediate: 15 reps per leg
Advanced: 25 reps per leg

10. Side Plank Drops
Newbies: 10 reps per side
Intermediate: 15 reps per side
Advanced: 25 reps per side

Warm-up/Cool Down- Sun Salutations

All good workouts should start with a warm-up. It doesn't matter what type of workout you are doing after your warm-up, Sun Salutations work every muscle in your body. They can also be used as a cool down, or a full workout (just vary the reps). For todays workout I recommend doing 2 full Sun Salutations to start, and 2 for cooldown.