No Excuse Workouts

To live a healthy lifestyle, your fitness routine is just as important as the foods you eat. It doesn't have to be complicated or cost a lot of money. The Chicks' Fitness program was developed out of 4 requirements:

1. Low cost - we were tired of paying monthly dues, rather spend money on vacations!
2. Save time - we are busy moms, with better things to do . . . like taking a shower!
3. Workout anywhere - workouts you can do on vacation or at home, even if the kids are home!
4. Something we could maintain for the rest of our lives - we are not training for the Olympics, our
    goal is to feel good and look good naked or at least look good in our swim suits!

Now there are no excuses to get in shape, feel good, manage stress, increase your energy, be stonger!

We have come up with a fitness program (that we actually do every week!) that you can do with minimal equipment and in a short amount of time, usually only 10 minutes. The program is designed with 5 days worth of exercise each week so that we can have time for all our family activities on the weekends. If we miss a day of exercise during the week we can do it on the weekend. If we want to go try a yoga class one day or paddle boarding another day, then we feel free to go.

The weekly workouts are just a framework (influenced by Mark Sisson, author of Primal Blueprint), which include: 2 days of heavy lifting, 1 day of sprints, and 2 days of walking/hiking.  We enjoy hiking on our cardio days, but if all you have time for is a walk down the block or taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator, that is fine too. The key is to make a conscious effort to move every day. Again, no excuses, just move your butt!

Scroll down for some of our favorite workouts.  If there is a move listed that you do not know how to do we suggest googling that move with the word crossfit added to your search.  There are some great YouTube videos out there.  Do the move correctly and you won't get hurt!

*Disclaimer - Chicks in a Food Fight are not personal trainers. Please consult your doctor before starting any physical activity or workout program.

THE WORKOUTS

These are some of the workouts that we do and they usually only take about 10 minutes.  If a workout has 21-15-9 (or other similar number combinations) at the top that means you do 21 reps of each movement, then 15, then 9 and stop.  If it says AMRAP, that means as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes.  If it says TABATA, that means you work for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds.  For a ten minute workout you would do the first move for 2 minutes (4 cycles or work/rest), the next move for 2 minutes, etc.  There are some great Tabata timer apps for you smartphones to make the countdown easier.  Be creative and make up your own workouts using some of these as your influence.  If it is fun, you will stick with it!

We don't use a lot of equipment for our workouts.  Some tools that we use can be found on our SHOP tab.

BODY WEIGHT WORKOUTS

1.  21-15-9 as long as it takes to complete

Handstand Push Ups (See link for adaptations - we used knees on a box/chair)
Triceps Dips
Push Ups

2.  Experience Life Magazine 10 min. AMRAP Workout

5 Alternating Reverse Lunges
4 Mountain Climbers
3 T-Roll Pushups
2 Modified Burpees
1 Pull-Up

3.  10 min. AMRAP

5 Tuck and Pikes with Exercise Ball
10 Burpees
15 Lunges

4.  10 min. TABATA

Jump Squats
Sit-Ups
Triceps Dips
Jumping Lunges
Push Ups

5.  40-30-20-10

Double Unders or 2 x reps of single jumps with jump rope
Sit-Ups

6.  10 min. AMRAP

5 Pull Ups or Modified Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats

7.  10 min. TABATA

Lunges
Box Jumps
Sit-Ups
Push Ups
Squats

8.  10 min. AMRAP

10 Sit-Ups
2 Pull Ups or Modified Pull Ups
10 Broad Jumps

9.  10 min. AMRAP

5 Burpees
Plank hold 30 seconds
10 Toes to Bar or Modified by lying on your back on the floor and bringing your toes over your head

10.  MAX - do as many as you possibly can of each movement, or hold the plank as long as you can.  Each time you do this workout try to increase your reps/time.

Pull Ups or Modified Pull Ups
Push Ups
Squats
Plank hold


WEIGHTED WORKOUTS

1.  10 min. AMRAP

12 Kettlebell Side Steps (being careful not to round your back)

10 Handstand Push Ups (See link for adaptations - we used knees on a box/chair)

8 Dumbbell Step Ups (make sure to fully open up your hips at the top of the box and do not round your back) 

2.   10 min. AMRAP

10 Kettlebell Swings
5 Pull Ups or Modified Pull Ups
10 Box Jumps
10 Squats
10 Triceps Dips

3.  21-15-9 as long as it takes to complete

Box Jumps
Push Press w/Dumbbells or Barbell
Pull Ups or Modified Pull Ups

4.  10 min. AMRAP

10 Front Squats w/Dumbbells
20 Sit-Ups
10 Hang Power Cleans w/Dumbbells (with Press if you wish)

5.  21-15-9 as long as it takes to complete

Thrusters w/Dumbbells
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls w/Kettlebell
Burpees

6.  10 min. AMRAP

6 Hang Power Clean and Presses w/Dumbbells
6 Front Squats w/Dumbbells
6 Bent over rows w/Dumbbells

7.  10 min. AMRAP

10 Push Press w/Dumbbells
20 Front Squats w/Dumbbells
10 Hang Power Cleans w/Dumbbells (with Press if you wish)
20 Lunges w/Dumbbells
10 Box Step ups w/Dumbbells

8.  10 min. AMRAP

10 Kettlebell Swings
2 Pull Ups or Modified Pull Ups
10 Push Ups with feet on Exercise Ball