How Many Burpees.....?

.....Could you do if you just fixed your mind on a number and got determined to get there no matter how big that challenge seemed and how long you had to take?

Check out my effort at 100 from a few weeks ago!



Burpees are a great whole body movement that demand a large amount of energy and effort!

If you are going to do a lot of them it's worth getting very familiar with the movement first and make sure your back feels good doing them.

Adapt to your own fitness levels, take out the press up and the jump if you need to. Also, hands can be on a raised surface to make easier.

As your ability increases work harder and faster for an intense fat burning exercise!

Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk

Pumpkin Workouts For Fat Loss And Fitness?!

It's a bit of fun and something a little different! Our Bootcampers enjoyed this experience last year so we thought we would do more of the same this year.

We're doing 2 different pumpkin workouts this week and most people seemed to select the right size for them - something around 3 - 8 kgs depending on strength and ability seems ideal for what we have been doing.

The great thing is i've had loads of comments today about how the Bootcampers are really feeling the work they did yesterday!

As they are only used to doing mostly bodyweight movements, adding some load soon makes a difference. Having said that people were able to translate their good technique and core strength easily to working with a load.

One of the favourites seemed to be the pumpkin burpees and pumpkin planks (feet on top)!

Watch out, we may include more useful tools in the future! In fact we've just ordered some brand new kit to try out thouroughly to see if it can enhance our boot camp sessions.

More on that soon.

Speaking of fitness and fat loss, i'll be posting my 100 burpee challenge as soon as i've got the time!

Enjoy your fitness and health,

Steve

Restoration - Rest Week or Simply Back Off Week??

Last week after what was a good 7 or possibly 10 weeks training (don't have my diary in front of me to check), it was time for some recovery.

A couple of ways you can approach this and the choice really depends on what you've been doing and how you are feeling.

Firstly you could take a week completely off any training - a good option if you have not done this for a long time and are feeling a bit run down or beaten up from heavy training. Obviously light activity is going to be good.

A back off week can also be a great option. If you are still feeling pretty good but know it's going to be healthy to have a bit of a change, then go for it. With this, you are still going to do some training, perhaps with less volume, less intensity, less duration, different activities etc.

I like the back off week to get in some play time. Some of the things i never get around to doing enough of when i'm in the middle of a more focused and potentially draining routine.

I was actually feeling pretty good. I'd had 4 weeks of 2 strength sessions instead of the usual 3, some different exercises, and then 3 other conditioning sessions. So, my body had already benefited from a bit of a change.

Looking at the back off week, i'm wondering if it was more than many people's training weeks! I managed to fit in:

- A brief, fun, and challenging 2 kettlebell workout, simply stinging together some great whole body movements.

- A brief session of barbell complexes which become very hard very quickly.

- A circuit session which involved a 100 burpee challenge, sprints and pull ups.

- A hard spinning class. A mini core emphasis circuit.

- A heavy lifting session, just with less sets and fewer exercises than normal.

A few of these sessions were pretty short. A big change is taking off any mental pressure to improve anything specific. It therefore feels less intense even if a lot is still being accomplished.

One thing i'd do better at next time is a few less late nights which can make all the difference in actually feeling rested after a 'rest' week.

Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk