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Have I ever mentioned that I intend to become certified in basic yoga in the near future? I think yoga is an excellent strength and conditioning exercise for everyone no matter your gender, age, fitness goals, or level of fitness.

Performing yoga challenges the entire body and teaches the muscular system to work together as a single unit. In addition, yoga also improves overall flexibility, teaches you the power of breathing, and increases your ability to relax.

The following video is a demonstration of arm balances. These are advanced yoga poses that challenge not only the arms, but the entire body as well.

 

Yoga isn’t just for old people and women. Even some of the strongest, most fit men I know have incorporated yoga into their repertoire to improve flexibility and strength. They saw the benefits of it as well. Their improved flexibility translated into a better golf swing and relieved painful, muscle related pressure that existed previously on the knee and hip joint.

I encourage all people, of all fitness levels to consider learning more about yoga and hopefully participating in a class or two. You’ll experience the rewards as you pursue a healthy & fit lifestyle for years to come.

Yesterday I performed a modified Spartan ‘300′ workout.  It was awesome!  I was challenged and by the end of the workout I felt great.  It was a lot of fun to do something new and challenging.  Here is a rundown of my modified ‘300′ workout:

25 Floor Sweepers — 70 lb. barbell
25 Box Jumps — 24″ platform
10 Pull-ups — assisted by 55lb counterweight
10 Push-up/Rows — using 15 lb. weights

I did each of these exercises in succession without rest.  After completing the set, I took a 30 sec. - 1 min water break and then repeated the set three times.

Once I completed that sequence, I went on to this set:

15 dead lifts — 70 lb barbell
20 push-ups — body weight
10 bicep curls — 45 lb straight bar
10 tricep extensions — using a rope handle

I repeated this set three times with approx. the same amount of rest between sets. 

I’m really happy I found the Spartan ‘300′ workout on YouTube.  It’s added some more variety into my workout routine and motivated me to learn more (which is always good!).  Let me know how it goes if you decide to try a similar workout.

Jess

My last post introduced a new exercise, called floor sweepers, that I hadn’t heard of before. I found this video on YouTube as I was surfing around looking for an interesting fitness video. What I didn’t last time was that this exercise is a part of a routine called the Spartan 300. Actors in the recent movie ‘300′
used this to prepare for their roles as the most fit warriors of their time.

The 300 workout includes 300 repetitions of 7 different exercises. Begin by doing 25 pull-ups, then move to 50 dead-lifts (135 lb. barbell), next are 50 push-ups, 50 box-jumps (using a 24″ platform), 50 floor sweepers, 50 clean & press (36 lb. kettle bell; 25 each arm), and finishing off by going back to 25 pull-ups. You can see each exercise demonstrated in the video below.

Is the ‘300′ workout just for guys?
No way! Sure us girls might not use the same weights, but we can use the same techniques and modify them to get a great workout. I was intrigued by the ‘300′ workout, especially because it’s the first I’ve heard of it. (You probably heard from the video that it was originally featured in Men’s Health magazine.) I’ll probably incorporate something like this into my workout plan in the near future, I’ll let you know how it goes .

What’s more amazing than the ‘300′ workout ?
As you well know, the internet is like a huge quagmire of quicksand. Once you find an interesting topic there are tons of related links, or in this case videos, just waiting to grab your attention and suck you in.

In this case, getting sucked in was a good thing, because I found another related video that featured something even more challenging than the ‘300′ video. Not only was it more challenging, but for those of us who have made fitness our lifestyle, it was truly inspiring. The following video features a 54 year old man performing some of the most difficult body weight exercises I know of. The video itself isn’t what I would call ‘all that’, but the mere fact that this man is 54 years old makes it worth your time.

Combine the intensity of the ‘300′ workout with the inspiration of Steve Maxwell’s video and you’re workouts will definitely move to the next level no matter what your age, sex, or fitness level. Steve is 54 year old living proof that you don’t have to get fat and become sedentary with age. I’m going to start using some of these techniques tomorrow!

p.s.

One of my favorite parts of fitness is staying current on new and more challenging exercises that push you harder and take you farther. I’m always looking for a new challenge to keep my workouts interesting and intense.

This exercise, called Floor Wipers, is one I’ve never heard of or seen before.  Check out the demo I found on YouTube…

Be aware, this exercise is being demonstrated by someone who is at a highly advanced fitness level. If you are just starting out in fitness, you’ll want to strengthen your core, lower abs, arms, and chest before even attempting this exercise.

For those of you in moderate conditioning level who would like to try this exercise, be careful and start out slowly. You can modify this exercise by choosing to substitute the 135 lb. barbell for a lighter barbell that is more comfortable. In addition, be mindful of the potential for your lower back to arch into an unnatural position as you become fatigued. Your lower back should be flat against the mat during the entire exercise movement. If you notice your lower back arching off the mat, you should stop the exercise.

If you are at an advanced conditioning level, this exercise should prove to be an awesome addition to your workout routine. Start with a barbell weighted to about 65% of your normal bench press workout weight and move up according to comfort level. Stay aware of your lower back at all times while lifting and lowering legs 10 times to each side (for a total of 20).

I’m going to try this tomorrow! If you guys try it, let me know how it goes!