Butt & Gutt!

Welcome to Saturday! Had an excellent night's sleep last night for the first time in a long time! :D Now awake, fed, and dressed for 10am Butt & Gutt at The Boxing Club. I'll see if I can remember the workout well enough to post it when it is done. Until then, have an amazing weekend!

Alrighty then! Let's have a rundown of this morning's class with Miss Ashley "Crunchy Frogs"! This is a 60 minute class concentrating on core, upper legs, and (you guessed it) butt.  We warmed up with 10 minutes on the new spin bikes (they ride like a dream....) and then hopped right into our stations. There were 8 gals in attendance this AM so 8 stations. My workout ran like this:

1. With heels in the TRX Suspension trainer, laying on your back, you lift your hips off the ground and bring your feet in towards your butt, keeping your knees/lower legs bent at 90 degrees. Extend your legs out and repeat for 45 seconds. We got 15 seconds between sets. Second set is lift your butt, bring your knees in to 90 degrees, lift your butt higher and hold for 45 seconds. 3rd and 4th sets repeat 1st and 2nd.

2. Spin bike cardio - 4 - 45 second sets.

3. Ball passes - lay flat on back, lift large balance ball between your lower legs, at the same time crunch up with your upper body, grab the ball with your hands, lower arms and legs until they are parallel with but not touching the floor, repeat and pass ball back to your legs, lower arms and legs, repeat. 4 sets of 45 seconds.

4. With feet in the TRX, facing down like in a pushup position, proceed to do hip adduction move - basically open both legs out to the side, bring them back in, yes, while suspended. 45 seconds, 15 seconds rest. 2nd set is pikes, in same push up position (yes, feel suspended), pike your butt to the ceiling and back to pushup position. Sets 3 and 4 repeat sets 1 and 2.

5. Fire hydrants or donkey kicks - Get on hands and knees. 1st set is bringing your right knee in to your right elbow and kicking straight back. Repeat for 45 seconds. 2nd set is doing the same with your left leg. 3rd set is bringing your right knee to your right elbow and they kicking straight out to the side, repeat by keeping knee at elbow and moving just knee and lower leg with your kicks. 4th set is the left side. (If you don't feel it in the butt, you aren't doing it right!)

6. Back extensions & Cross-wise crunches on the balance ball. Back extensions are done by placing feet against wall, ball under your pelvis (facing down), and leaning down over the ball, pulling yourself back up to start and repeating. Cross-wise crunches are done by placing your feet against the wall, ball under your hips (facing ceiling) and crunching up while bringing left elbow to right knee and then right elbow to left knee on the next crunch. Sets 3 and 4 repeat sets 1 and 2.

7. 1st set is Russian Twists (holding a weight or not) - Sit on the floor, bend your knees in front of you, lean back slightly (if you can hold your feet of the ground, do. I can't without strain on my lower back) now twist to the left with your upper body, then to the right. 2nd set is CRUNCHY FROGS (again hard for my lower back so I keep my feet on the ground). Sit in the same position as Russian Twists, extend feet out in front of you as you lean back. Bring feet in towards you as you lean in and pull your arms around your knees. Repeat move (basically a crunch in the V position but very hard).
Sets 3 and 4 repeat 1 and 2.

8. Weighted squats - holding ball, squat low - 45 seconds. 2nd set is side lunges with weight. Sets 3 and 4 repeat sets 1 and 2.

It is a very killer workout, I can honestly say that I cannot complete every single set for the full 45 seconds but I'm getting closer which means I'm getting stronger. Right now I HURT but in a good way. :D Ashley is a super terrific trainer who knows how to keep the class energy up, keep you working, and gives great encouragement to everyone. LOVE HER!

Tomorrow the story of my new bike saddle and RoadID! Bike training will be an easy ride today as I am tentatively signed up for a (up to) 4 hour endurance spin class tomorrow at 6am. Can I get out of bed that early? We will see...
And of course, don't forget to sponsor me on my ride!