Resistance Band Workouts

One of my new absolute favorite workouts has been anything with resistance bands. They are so great for toning  and do a serious number on those hard to work muscles. They also do not create bulky muscles, but instead, help to elongate the muscle we are building. Seriously, they are the best thing ever. 

The Pilates reformer works in a similar way (except about a billion times better), but not all of us have Pilates reformers available on a moment's whim. I am still trying to find a good studio near me with quality reformers and great teachers. So far, the YMCA seems like one of the best options. Why must the Y be so great and also soooo expensive? One day, one day. 

For now though, here are some great resistance band exercises via YouTube! I would recommend a resistance band that has no handles and is simply a long piece of rubber but not a tube. The tube resistance bands with handles are great for certain activities, but not all. This one is a great option. 

Beginner Pilates Workout

This one is great for beginners in the Pilates world. It goes over how to hold resistance bands and starts pretty slow for any not-too-sure about what is going on. Don;t get me wrong though, it is still a super great workout for anyone who wants a resistance band workout. For the more advanced, this could be a great option after a cardio session! 

Upside Down Pilates has lots of other great Pilates workouts for anyone interested :)

Resistance Band Cardio Workout

Who does not love Pop Sugar, right?! This one is quite short being about 10-minutes long. The workout, however, is a great combination of cardio, Pilates, and ballet. This is just a super fun, effective, and quick workout with resistance bands. 

Denise Austen Lower Body Workout

This Denise Austen Lower body workout is simple wonderful. I have been a fan of Denise for a long time, and this workout is no exception. Like the Pop Sugar workout, this one is only 10-minutes long. Both the Pop Sugar and the Denise Austen workout could be done together to make a slightly longer and way more intense resistance band sequence. Just get ready, your everywhere will be feeling it tomorrow! 

Three YouTube Workouts to Do This Weekend

Happy Friday! To all those who came to the blog yesterday and found no new post, I am sorry. My day started early and I did not even think about a post until it was far too late to write. Usually, there are a few extra posts laying around for the uploading in case of a situation like that, but after Greece, I am all tapped out. I guess we all know what my next week will be full of ;)

Anyway, to make up for it, I will be writing a special post on Sunday all about my first GRIIT class. It was so fun and there will be plenty of calorie counting and heart rate monitoring along with a run down of why (or why not) to try it out! For now though, we have a few YouTube videos that I found this week and have either been dying to try or just plain love.

A Capoeira Workout!

Ok, we have all seen those crazy Brazilian fight/dancers. They have incredible muscle tone and now we can too! This is a great online intro video to Capoiera that is sure to get your heart pounding! It also just looks like fun. Like A LOT of fun!

Look Good Naked Workout

This is a ballet workout but I just get a kick out of the name. Hehehe. If you are wanting to work the upper thighs, inner thighs, and bum, you should try this. Ballet is a great workout for your core and arms as well. This one is a bit of a ballet mix so you will get some non-ballet elements to kick-up that muscle growth. This is one I would recommend to people who maybe have a harder time building muscle and do not want a major cardio sequence.

10-Minute Bum Workout

The bum is my absolute favorite area to work and, also, the one of my biggest problem spots. Do you remember when you were young and gravity had no impact on your body? Yea, me too. Ha! However, in this bod's defense, there is also waaayyyy less ballet going on and that seemed to give me the best bum ever.

Thankfully, we have workouts like these that bring in elements from dance and cardio workouts so you get the best benefits. It is also by Kelly Ripa and Sarah Jessica Parker's trainer. Not too bad.

Workouts, Shows, and Being Sick

Good morning! It seems that cold that is going around may have found its way to me. Man, with how many times I have gotten sick this year, it is a wonder that I ever feel healthy at all. Hopefully, 2015 will be a year of super human health and an immune system that can rival the Hulk in strength. For now though, I will give you this super effective workout for ballet beautiful arms and legs and call it a day.

Be on the lookout though because I am super excited about the next four articles coming up on P+K this week and next. There will be some tips for loosing more weight when on a slim down, a Maria Menounos workout, some pretty great inspiration, and a bum workout that will rival any you have seen yet.

Yea, it is going to be pretty great! And, you know what else will be great? The new season of Once Upon a Time! It airs this Sunday night, so set your DVR's and get on Hulu next day :) I have become so addicted to this show over the years and cannot wait to see how they bring Frozen into the world. Although it is not my favorite Disney movie, I do LOVE Ana and Christoph and Sven and Olaf- oh, and a little cheese in my show is never a bad thing ;) If you are on the fence about watching, I have added the trailer below for your deciding entertainment.

Also, has anyone been watching Outlander? It may have been my sick day marathoned show last night....

A Great Treadmill Interval Workout

Ok, so I cannot take any credit for this 30-minute interval workout that will feel like death while doing it, and ike you have conquered the world when it is over. This was the treadmill portion of my workout at Orange Theory yesterday and I simply had to share. Seriously, so good! The workout includes a 3-minute warm-up and 3-minute cool down. I completed it before going on to do floor work, but you can do it all on it's own as well.

If, however, you are wanting to get some major calorie burning, the floor work we did was pretty great too! There were four total sets, the first being six reps of squat rows and six reps of push-ups. Then came six reps of jumping lunges (per side) with six reps of tricep dips. A lot of other things happened with the rowing machines, but doing these two sets twice each would be a killed workout all the same!

I like to keep each pace the same or higher than the time before. For a killer workout, try increasing the sprints by 0.1-0.3 for each interval... Including the last one! Increasing the sprints really helps work my glutes as much as my lower abs. It also get a way higher calorie burn since my heart rate is going through the ringer.

What are some of your favorite ways to get a massive calorie burn?