Tuesday, December 9, 2014

BR Lean Day #3, Is Yoga Enough? Booty Results! Which Pictures are the most motivating?

BR Lean Day #3 with Kelsey is now posted. It is a full-body cardio workout. I like her strength workouts better, but that's just my personal preference. For the cardio junkies out there you will love this. It is more lower body based which is a change from Lisa's often upper body dominant workouts. You could certainly add in another upper body exercise like T-push-ups, competition burpees, mat jumps, tricep dips, etc.
I love the work with the STEP. You can often find one on craigslist, but if you want a new one, you can get them for home use for under $50: The Step. Kelsey jumps with such ease and soft landings - like she's floating. Anyone else notice that? I'm like a heard of elephants! Ha, ha. I did notice that she was a bit knocked knee-ed when doing the prisoner jumps. I would want her to press her knees open more. I thought she also seemed much more at ease on camera this time around. She is VERY likable.

Is Yoga Enough to keep you in shape? Someone asked Zuzka if she thought yoga was enough to do as your only workout, and this was her response:

Zuzka Light I guess it depends what type of yoga. If it's a mix of cardio, yoga and strength training, then it might be enough to keep you at least somewhat fit and healthy. Traditional or regular daily yoga can keep you healthy, improve your mobility and flexibility and even strength and balance, however it won't make you a strong athlete. I personally look at yoga as a great addition to my high intensity workouts - kind of like an active rest day.

I used to do only yoga. I started adding in weight training because I DID feel like I personally needed more, but now I want to go back to more yoga. It makes you feel so much better overall. The yoga truly helps your strength training and vice versa. It is a nice compliment to one another. It really does. It trumps a six pack of abs any day. But it does take a lot of practice and commitment if you want to get any good at it. It can be very gymnastics like it you want it to be - and that IS enough of a workout for most people: handstands, headstands, arm balances, every kind of planks you can imagine, backbends, chair squats, static lunges, push -ups. It just depends on the class and teacher you get. NOT an active rest day in my opinion!
I'm friends with several local yoga instructors, one of which has lived in Boston, NYC, and Costa Rica. She said there is nothing like the intensity of the yoga workouts in the Boston area. Not even Manhattan had anything that compared. So I guess it really does depend.

What do you guys use for yoga mats? I see Lisa's is a Lululemon one. Zuzka's is Lorna Jane. I get ANAL about my mats because if I slip on it, or it slips on the floor it aggravates me to no end. I have some cheap ones and now I let my kids use them for play because I cannot stand the slipperiness of them. I love JADE yoga mats - they smell a little funny at first, but it goes away. Actually almost ALL yoga mats smell funny at first. These Jade mats stay put and so do you. Makes a huge difference when practicing. I let someone try my mat out the other day and she couldn't believe what a change it made in her overall practice. I won't lie, they are expensive, but last a long time, and are not too heavy (like some expensive mats are). Kinda like Lululemon pants. I know people who swear they would never spend $100 on their workout pants. I wore a pair of Lulu's today that are 10 years old. I stopped buying cheap pairs because I would throw them away after a few washes - they'd pill, stretch out and fade. I figured I spent as much on several pairs throughout the year and might as well suck it up and buy ones that last. Same with my yoga mat. I went through 4 or 5 of them, when I should have just bought a decent one in the first place. Sigh.... live and learn.

BOOTY TIME! I've always said there is not enough back or booty work included in most workouts. Bret is here to show us what it can do when you add in that glute development work.
Check out these results:
http://bretcontreras.com/serious-glute-development-serious-lifters/
I hope my booty gets a lift like that! :)

What pictures do you guys find motivating? BR has done a great job lately of keeping their pics a bit more tame than they used to - and I find these kinds of pics much more motivating and less obnoxious. They do still keep up their reputation with some raunchier pictures, and I don't find those as inspiring. I don't need to see Lisa in workout poses in her underwear.

I don't find these below as inspiring, but a bit obnoxious. Maybe I'm just too prudish! :) .



I've never liked this butt in your face pic of Lisa. There are lots of great shots of her - athletic ones that make me want to workout. This ones just makes me want to look away. LOL.

I like these types MUCH better.


There are some great pics of Kelsey too I think. Very motivating.

11 comments:

  1. Spread legs, ass in face... It drives me insane and it is obnoxious. Boobs in my face is annoying too. I'm a RN, so I've seen every shape/type of body part you can imagine and I just find images like the first two very tacky. There is no display of physique there. The promotional pic for hiit lean with Kelsey, I LOVE. I want to see fit bodies and even more so if they're working hard - lifting weights, flipping tires, Pullups, etc. That's motivating to me.
    That booty article was fantastic! I always enjoy the articles by Bret that you share. I may try what he suggests and see what happens!
    Thanks for the yoga mat suggestions. I've been putting off buying one for a long time now. I had a lululemon one before I moved, but I think I'll try the brand you suggested. Using the carpet is getting old!

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    1. I love the pics of fit bodies working out too. It makes me WANT to workout!

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  2. On the subject of yoga as your only workout, for the last few months I've been doing only Buti yoga. It's a mix of yoga, plyometrics, and tribal dance and it's a great workout! I've gotten so much stronger just from doing that, I can't believe it. You should check it out - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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    1. I have seen Buti yoga and it is a great workout. I couldn't get past some of the girating dance moves though. Lol!

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  3. I honestly don't have the Rythum lol though :-)

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  4. I forgot to comment on zuzka's comment on yoga. It really depends on what your goals are, I think. If you enjoy it and that's how you wish to stay active, then yeah, you can only do yoga and be 'fit'. And you can become quite strong doing it. Personally I think someone can build more strength doing an hour of yoga a day, than 12 minutes of exercise :)

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  5. I did a 30 day yoga challenge earlier this year and am thinking of starting one on Monday to end 2014 and ring in 2015. It was definitely a challenge since I'm used to running or strength training - but it centered me so much as well as built my upper body and flexibility. I prefer to do a vinyasa style of yoga; hatha is a bit too "tame" for me... I agree somewhat with Zuzka that yoga is a good active rest workout, but it can also be a good "regular" workout as well. It just depends on one's goals, I suppose. I don't know that I could do it on its own; I'd probably work it into a schedule that is primarily yoga and cardio/strength 2-3 days a week for 20-30 minutes.

    I DO, however, disagree in that Zuzka says "it won't make you a strong athlete", though. Those arm balances are effing killer. Different styles of workouts work different parts of the body as well as the brain. I could lift heavy heavy heavy weights and probably still not do a lot of arm/body balances. Hell, I can barely do crow pose, let alone pushing/jumping back into plank position from there.

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    1. I got away from yoga for a while when I first got into KB's and haven't made the time to do enough of it again. There's only so many hours in the day! Most of the yoga I do is when I teach, but it doesn't allow me to do my own practice. When I was doing only yoga I never felt better. Never stiff or sore or tight. I could twist myself up in some pretty cool poses. I love any kind of inversions, arm balances, etc. I truly believe from being able to do forearm balance and support my body weight with my back and shoulders is why I can do pull ups. My old business partner from owning a yoga studio has a body EXACTLY like Zuzka and does only yoga and running.

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  6. Sometimes I feel "all wound up" after my workouts I would really love to do a yoga challenge n see if it makes me feel balanced :-)

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