Tag Archives: weights

Lift. Dead.

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I love doing dead lifts in the gym whenever I do weights. I worked my way from 40lbs to start, doing 5 sets of 10 reps; now I’m at 80lbs, 90 on a good day. For the first time ever I was challenged to dead lift a much heavier weight. Challenge accepted! I put 70lbs on each side of the bar–mind you, the bar is 45lbs by itself–meaning I lifted 180lbs! I had to document this feat, win or fail.

You have no idea how proud and accomplished I felt after I finished. Will I do this all of the time? No. However, it’s good to test myself every now and then.

Next up, 200lbs!

*Music credit: “Black Card,” by Pusha T

Ringing the Bells

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Ever since I discovered the life-changing awesomeness of kettlebells, I’ve incorporated them into my workouts when I’m not taking a class, or when I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the gym but want a total body workout (legs, arms, core, cardio). I neglected them for a while and picked them back up again last summer and haven’t looked back. A lot of people have asked what kinds of exercises I do with them and why, so I figured I’d post my initial kettlebell routine (adapted from Onnit Academy), and the descriptions of each exercise.

Full Body Kettlebell Circuit Workout
Perform as many reps as possible in 30 seconds before moving to the next exercise. Move through each movement as quickly as possible without rest. Once one round is completed, rest as needed and repeat for a total of 5 rounds. Again: one round=exercises 1 through 5 just like the name dictates —> it’s a circuit.
1: Kettlebell Goblet Squat to Curl
2: Around The Body To Hold
3: 2-Hand Lunge To Press
4: Around The Body – 30 sec each direction
5: Tactical Lunge

Due to the fact that you must repeat the Around the Body exercise to make sure you train both sides, it feels like you’re doing 6 exercises.

Below is a video of my first time trying this workout last year; you’ll be able to tell because my squats and lunges aren’t as deep as they should be. (They’re a LOT better now, especially after seeing how I looked while doing them—plus, I’m stronger! Videos are a great way to critique your form and to see where you need improvement. I’m a stickler for form and technique, so I make sure I change quickly. Besides, injuries from improper form suck!)

The first time I tried this workout, I used an 8 kg kettlebell and rested 30 seconds to one full minute between exercises. It took me about 40 minutes to complete. Over the course of one month, I gradually increased my weight and decreased my rest periods. By the time I was ready to change my workout routine (every 4-6 weeks to keep the body on its toes), I was using a 14kg kettlebell and resting only 10 seconds between exercises and rounds. That means I was in and out of the gym in 30 minutes with an insane HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout complete! Heart pounding, muscles pumped, sweat dripping = mission accomplished. By the way, I did this routine about 2 to 3 times per week, doing different workouts on other days.

I’ve gone through several adaptations of this workout since I filmed this video, but since so many people asked for it, I felt it only right to post this one first so you could see where and how I started. I’ll post my most recent variation soon, because I’ve already been asked for that as well. You all are proving to be real task masters when it comes to workout videos and pictures! I love it!

What I would love even more is for you to share your journey with me, and to ask me any questions you might have regarding any of my posts or their content. Also, please feel free to propose ideas in my virtual “Suggestion Box,” a.k.a. my email: thevickylicious@gmail.com. I really enjoy hearing from you, whether it’s via email, comments on this site, Twitter, Instagram (both @TheVickylicious in case you didn’t know), and even in person.

***I didn’t want to bore you with the full-length video of me completing one entire round, but if you’re interested in seeing it, please let me know and I’ll be sure to post it for you.***

Ring My Bell

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For those that have been following my blog and/or my workout journey, you’ll know that I’m quite fond of kettlebells. I get a fantastic total body workout that encompasses everything I need to strength train each muscle group and to provide intense cardio without having to spend too much time in the gym. Saturday was my first day getting back into my routine since I broke my ankle in August and it hurt so good! I worked my arms, legs, back, chest, trunk/core and heart in 30 minutes and didn’t stop sweating till long afterward. Knowing that my body kept burning calories like a furnace throughout the day as a result was an added bonus.

A few months ago, I recorded my entire kettlebell routine, but never posted it. I’ve been asked by several people to do so and I promise I will in the very near future. In the meantime, here’s a small clip of two ab exercises I did on Saturday, using an 8kg kettlebell to engage my arms and back in order to make each move a compound exercise.

By keeping my legs flat on the ground as dead weight the entire time, my abs stay engaged for each exercise and makes my abs work harder. The first part of the video clip, you see that I’m starting with the weight above my body, bringing it overhead to navel-level, then raising the weight over my head again before I repeat the compound movement on the  way back to my starting position. In the approximate two seconds it took for me to lift my upper body up and go back down to resting position, I engaged my arm/shoulder, back, and ab muscles together. In the second part, I keep the weight over my head the entire time and only use one arm, keeping my entire upper body engaged in the movement the entire time; I repeated this move with the other arm as well by doing 20 reps on each side. Since it was my first day back, I completed 3 sets of 20 reps of both exercises (among others) after finishing my total body routine. These are two efficient core exercises that are very effective yet simple and I highly recommend that you give them a try, using a weight that is suitable for your strength/fitness level.

Let me know how you like them and share your exercise tips and workouts with me! It’s always nice to have company on a journey.

From Ab to Fab: Part Deux

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So, on to the second portion of our workout.

I didn’t do legs this time around because they were already given a good going-over during JAB. So we finished the evening with abs. WordPress won’t let me upload my abs video, so here I am after my first set on the incline bench:

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After two more grueling sets, we were finished and famished.

It’s great having a workout partner; you motivate each other, challenge and push one another and make the time pass quicker. Your partner’s energy feeds you and vice versa. Not only that, it creates an even stronger bond than the one you may already share; it gives you something else in common and you are able to help each other reach your health and fitness goals.

Stay inspired and keep inspiring!