Boot Camp: Week 3

Week 3 Monday Morning 1/21: Step, Step, Step it Up!  

Here we are! Week 3 complete! Let me start off by apologizing for non iPhone pic documentation of Monday morning workout {I woke up late, which is precisely why I lay my clothes out the night before which i plan to discuss in a later post} With a room full of boot-campers eager to get our sweat on post Monday morning weigh in blues, 36 of us to be exact we all rushed the corners of the room to grab our steps, mats and dumbbells ready to shed some weekend lbs! Lined from wall to wall and double up were are steps, facing a partner, dumbbells hand in hand and ankle weights tightly secured for the remainder of the hour we were up and down plank to push up, on our mats legs up donkey kicks, leg extensions, mountain climbers on the step, burpees using the step... we did NOT stop!

Wed 1/23 

Things Not to Forget to Bring to Boot-Camp... Your Ankle Weights and Your Brain:

While it was clear that Wednesdays workout took some serious thought and effort to come up with, I was unfortunately a part of the unlucky few who "forgot their brains at home" Wednesday morning and was abruptly kick out kindly asked to leave the workout before we were able to launch into parts 2 and 3. Without going into elaborate details about how the morning unfolded, let me just remind everyone {myself included} of something I said about Yardo's Boot-camp Week 1: Boot-camp is a group which is based on commitment, forged by good friendships  and undoubtedly bound in camaraderie... One thing that sets this 6 am workout apart from all others is that we do things TOGETHER! I don't think this is something any of us will forget to be mindful of from here (or should I say last Wednesday) on out!


It Never Rains in Southern California 1/25:

In the words of Toni Toni Toni It Never Rains in Southern California, but when it does, what do us crazy boot-campers do? We celebrate Marks Birthday and head out for our OG Downtown Run. But not before we work up little sweat first. In can you cant see the pics clearly above, Fridays workout was broken down into 3 parts.

Part I: Adams Apology

After how Wednesday unfolded an apology was delivered but with a reminder to all of us what boot-camp is about!  

Part II:  Start with 5 burpees and then every 2 mins on the 2 min mark drop and do 5 burpees all the while working to complete completing 4 rounds of the following with 30lb Barbell

20 Thrusters 

20 Sumo Squats 

20 Push Press

20 Dead Lifts

20 Squats

{We be up in the gym just working on our fitness}

 

{Running in the Rain OG dtla run!}

And there you have week 3 concluded... 3 more to go!

Duped by Doping: Armstrong's "Confession" Session

Vindication... Frustration... Forgiveness... For months I have beenmesmerized by the unraveling details within the storyof seven-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong and his use of performanceenhancing drugs. I am actually rather conflicted in regards to how I feel (or how Ishould feel) about Armstrong’s situation… (if you're not familiar with the story check it out here. Or even check out the 91 page affidavit here) Should I follow my internal empatheticinstincts and continue to feel sorry for him Or should I be cringing at the very thought that I ever donned aLIVESTRONG bracelet on wrist (and yes, I did ha!) As I said, I have been mesmerized by thecomplexity of this story and this Thursday, the recently taped 2 part interviewbetween none other than Oprah Winfrey and this transcendent sports figure isset to air on OWN. Its rumored that the disgraced cyclist will come cleanduring this interview, that he will finally admit to using performance enhancingdrugs and blood doping, but I cant help but be curious about his true motivations to sit down with the O… Itfeels a bit premature if you ask me… Could he be looking for sympathy? Are hishopes clinging to the possibility of being reinstated? Is he looking for a pathto return to competition? Whatever his reasons may be, the layers of this story leave me without any clear answers yet. I will undoubtedly be watching Thursdays interview.

BOOTCAMP: Cant Stop Wont Stop

2013 is here and so is the 28^th session of Yardo’s Bootcamp Golds Gym Downtown LA and while I am not one of the relentless few, lucky enough to have been a part of this unique group since day one I am in my second year, which means I have attended 6 consecutive boot camp sessions at 6 weeks a session (w/ a one week break between each). I began during the last weeks of session 20 back in Dec 2011 and am now confident enough to invest some time to share with you our journey through session 28 of bootcamp ! For me, Ive known for a while that there is so much more to boot camp than the kick-A$$ early morning sweat… The camaraderie of bootcamp goes far past the actual 6AM meetup 3 days a week and it certainly starts with having a fearless and devoted leader… Adam/Yardo, please stand up! So for the next 6 weeks I intend to share with all of you our bootcamp journey as we each strive be the ideal walking business card for Adam (quote in quote) kidding but in all fairness we kinda are… right?! Nonetheless I hope our journey motivates, inspires, awwwes, scares and just plain informs those of you who don’t know about Yardo’s Bootcamp a group which is based on commitment, forged by good friendships  and undoubtedly bound in Camaraderie. And with that said...

Week One Day One:

Monday morning typically start out with a weigh in around 6:00 am. This can be a little brutal, especially right after the weekend, but for the most part I like to believe it keeps me in check (most of the time) This past Mondays weigh in was after 3 weeks off and facing the scale was like an exercise out of an episode of Fear Factor or something... And the work out (WOD seen in pic above) went a little something like this:

Welcome Back to Torture

• Weigh In

• Stairs 16 flights up and down as many times as possible in 15 min (I was able to cap at 4 x's up and down) this was followed by a 2 min break

• DLs (deadlifts) & Push Press - 15 x's each as many rounds as possible in 8 mins followed by a 2 min break 

• Squats (20) Tuck Jumps (15) Pushup Row (10) 8 mins as many rounds as possible followed by a 2 min rest

• Burpees 4 mins as many burpees as possible- DONE! 

Day Two: 

 I'm pretty sure day two kicked all of our As$es! Its a little difficult to see the deets of the WOD but the following is what made us sweat:

2 ROUNDS

• 100 Air Squats 
• 50 OH Lunges (25 lb plate held over your head)
• 50 DL's 
• 50 Curls 
• 50 Chest Press (lying on the mat with a 25 lb)
• 50 Burpees 
• 50 Bicycle Crunches 
• Stairs (up and dwn 16 flights)

And then do it all again! In the words of one of my nearest and dearest... "Aggressive!" 

Day Three:   

 

Here were all are killing it wearing our ankle weights. This mornings workout was a circuit based on exercises that incorporated the use of ankle weights. We did a lot of jumping around and kicking our legs (as seen above) We stared off on the treadmill for a warm up, I was only able to get in a mile and a half (not used to wearing ankle weights and they were making my ankles itch... higher socks are a must!) Once warmed up we headed into the room and our hour plus circuit went like this (not sure if I'm referencing all the exercise we did by the correct name but for the most part you will get the idea): 

10 Stations- 1 min or so at each- remember we have ankle weights on:

• Squat Jumps with 10 lb bar 
• Sumo Squats upright Row with Kettle bell (i just know thay s*#% was heavy)
• Mountain Climbers 
• Alternating Front Kicks (think Rockettes)
• Burpees 
• Ab Roller of Death (as Adam calls it)
• Step Up's w/ 15 or 17 lb weights
• Jump Rope 
• Hip Raises on the mat with the yoga block (squeezing the yoga block between your knees) 
• Leg Extensions

Overall our first week of boot-camp was a success! Great energy great effort and awesome workouts! More to come next week!

   

Skinny on the KLUTCH Club!

For the past several months I have enjoyed my Birchbox subscription. I didn't cancel due to lack of quality, I have actually been pleasantly surprised with the products throughout. but recently, unbeknownst to me trusty ol b-of-a canceled by credit card claiming some internal scandal which they were unable to elaborate on (complete toro poo) for canceling my my card without ANY notice (hello Whole Foods Cashier I cant pay for my $150 dollars worth of groceries at the moment... why... im not sure, but i will hopefully see you tomorrow)

Im pretty sure it had something to do with the smiling hello-kitty face that was still gracing the front of my Visa which they no longer offer and now I no longer behold- Anyway, as a result of this unfortunate scenario my subscription to birchbox will also be canceled and while I could easily call and update my card info I have instead decided to give my business elsewhere for a while... Welcome to the KLUTHC Club my dears! Speaking of Whole Foods... Whole Foods can leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed with its stash of healthy snacks and products. Want someone to take the hard work out of selecting new things to try? KLUTCH Club will do just that! This idea is even more brilliant than Birchbox if you ask me. I am pretty content with my "beauty" routine at the moment and the sample sized products have been quickly filling up my bathroom drawer. So for now on my monthly deliver to the office (such a great day when these little goodies are delivered) will now come from KLUTCH Club and will be a box packed full of health & wellness goodies with the occasional beauty which is right up my alley! Check it out for yourself and stay tuned for a later post all about what my very first KLUTCH club delievery includes!
Join the Club:

 

Reap the Benefits:

 

 

We Think. You Drink. BPC

We Think. You Drink. Thats the Blue Print Cleanse motto and for the next 5 days while I prepare for my 3 day juice cleanse I will be cutting out the following: coffee (which i have already cut out staring this past Sunday) carbs (oatmeal bread wheat thins... you name it) sugar and meat. And I couldn't be more excited to start my cleanse after preparing the right way this time! Starting Monday, I am jumping into the Renovation Cleanse so I’ll be living on fresh, raw juices sent directly to my front door from BPC. 6 16 ounce bottles of juice each day for 3 days and its designed to help turn your body from acidic to alkaline with raw juices. Why is this so important? On their website, they explain that their line of drinks will help you remove the build up of toxins in your system because “disease cannot live in a alkaline body.” The BPC juices are fashioned to supply you with “vitamins, minerals and enzymes that are quickly absorbed and easy to assimilate.” Stay tuned to hear details of my  process. From juice flavors, to my energy levels to weight loss and how hungry I feel at the end of each day...  I’m ready to let you in on all the details.

Every Life Deserves Hope: 28th Annual AIDS Walk LA

Less than one month from today, on October 14^th 2012 I have volunteered to lead our team with The Dr Phil Show and The Doctors in the 28^th annual AIDSWalk LA! AIDS Walk Los Angeles is a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) fundraising walkathon benefiting APLA and more than 26 other L.A. County AIDS service organizations. This year, The Dr. Phil Show/The Doctors is supporting the annual AIDS Walk and our team will join an estimated 30,000 walkers to raise millions for HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and advocacy programs. While our team is newly formed (and we are willing for 10 more staffers and/or family and friends of staffers to join us) not to mention we (both shows) are in full swing production we are looking forward to walking for a great cause and to an overall inspirational day filled with energy, excitement and hope.  If you would like to sponsor myself or a make general donation to our team head on over to one of the following donation pages and extend your efforts in supporting AIDS Walk LA!

Sponsor Me Here! 

Sponsor My Team Here!