Training Archives - Page 4 of 20

The 12 Minute Athlete September Plyometrics Challenge

We’re super stoked to introduce you yet another community challenge — the September Plyometrics Challenge!

This month, we’re going to work on increasing our explosive power. That means doing a lot of plyometrics exercises.

Not sure what plyometrics are? If you’re doing 12 Minute Athlete workouts regularly, you’re actually doing plyometrics (or simply, plyos) quite frequently. Plyometric exercises are quick, powerful exercises that are performed in a short amount of time to help you to build speed and power. They’re an essential part of every athlete’s training – and you’re no different!

Box jumps, burpees, medicine ball slams, tuck jumps – these are all examples of plyometric exercises and in this coming month, we’re going to do a lot of them!

Looking for the Weekly Challenge posts? Go here:

Week 1

How to Make the Outdoors Your Gym

As you can probably tell from all the outdoor workouts I post online, I’m a big fan of making the outdoors my gym.

But it wasn’t always this way. Back when I first started working out consistently, I didn’t have a clue what to do when I didn’t have access to my regular gym.

But that’s one reason why bodyweight training is so awesome—you can do it wherever you are, even if you don’t have any regular workout equipment around.

Here’s how to make the outdoors your gym:

Get a Super Strong Core with Our June Core Challenge!

This June, we’re going to get serious about strengthening our core!

Having a strong core is actually the foundation of our overall strength. It allows us to stand up straight, balance our bodies, move well and even breath correctly.

We’re not going to get into nerdy anatomy details here but it’s important to know that your core is more than just your abs—it also includes your pelvic floor, diaphragm and multifidus (a thin muscle running along your spine), as well as your obliques.

Our goal with this challenge is improve your core strength so that you can move better, improve your posture, and have better functionality overall.

Improving your core strength will also help you work towards cool skills like handstands, pull ups, l-sits, and even front levers!

Also, this is not one of the 30-day challenges that promises you get flat belly in no time.

You may have very strong core but no visible abs, and as long as your focus is on strength, you shouldn’t worry about it.

Our goal is you make you stronger and healthier.

If you’re just getting started, here are the weekly posts for the June Core Challenge:

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3

Build a Core of Steel with Dragon Flags

I want to do something a little different today and show you something I’ve been working on: the dragon flag exercise.

If you don’t know what it is, here’s a demonstration of the awesomely strong Al Kavadlo showing just what it should look like:

It may not look super hard, but the dragon flag requires a TON of core strength and stability and will humble even the strongest of athletes. When I first tried it, I was pretty humbled – to say the least!

So today I want to take you through some of the progressions I’m using to get a full dragon flag. Try them out and you can work up to it too. Train hard, and have fun!

When To Take an Unplanned Rest Day (And When To Work Out Anyway)

If you want to get the best possible results from your workouts, you need to work out consistently.

And sure, it may be easy to skip a workout if you just don’t feel like it (or you’re too busy, too tired, etc.)… but if these types of excuses become a habit, you’re going to have a hard time actually accomplishing any of your health and fitness goals.

Yet although being consistent is crucial, rest and recovery are just as important as working out—and working out when you actually should be resting may actually set you back.

It’s important to learn how to recognize the difference between being lazy and having an actual reason to take a day off. In other words, there are excuses—and there are valid reasons for giving your body rest.

A Simple Effective Sprint Workout You Can Do Anywhere

This post is sponsored by ASICS.

There’s no doubt about it—December is one of the most challenging times of the year to keep up a fitness habit.

With all of the holiday parties, traveling, and chilly weather, it’s easy to get a bit more relaxed with your training and take more time off from your workouts than usual.

That’s one reason I love equipment-free workouts this time of year—they help you keep going after your goals without requiring a gym or a ton of complicated equipment. And sprints are one of the absolute best equipment-free exercises you can do, not only to stay fit, but also to manage the inevitable stress this time of year.

Adding sprints to your bodyweight workouts results in a killer full body workout you can do wherever you are, whether you’re at home, visiting family, at a nearby park, or are trying to fit a workout in while traveling.

So today I’m excited to bring you guys this 100% equipment-free workout along with ASICS and their brand new GEL-Nimbus 20 running shoes! ASICS have long been some of my favorite running shoes, and the GEL-Nimbus 20 shoes definitely do not disappoint. Read on below for a chance to win a $100 ASICS gift card and why these are some of the best running shoes for both longer runs and sprint-based workouts like this one.

And as usual, though you guys know I’m a big fan of working out outdoors, if it’s just too snowy or icy outside where you’re at right now you can of course feel free to transfer this workout indoors and use a treadmill instead.

12 Awesome Health and Fitness Gift Ideas for 2017

Do you have your Christmas gifts figured out for your health and fitness loving friends and family yet? If not, we have some awesome some gift ideas for you!

Luckily, there’s still three more weeks until Christmas, so you should have plenty of time to get everything ready. The great thing is that you can do most of the shopping online and avoid busy shopping malls!

Below you can find 12 fitness and healthy eating-related items that we absolutely love. We’re quite sure that if you get any of these items for a friend or a family member, they won’t be disappointed!

Getting Back to Working Out After a Long Break: What You Should Know

Note from Krista: This post is by our awesome 12MA team member, Kersten. I hope you find her story as interesting and relatable as I did. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments!

In today’s post, I’d like to share with you my recent experience with not being able to work out for a long time due to some health reasons, and how I started training again after I felt better again.

After being active for most of my life, I wasn’t allowed to work out for six months starting at the end of last year. I’ll tell you all about my story and why in the post, and while you may not have experienced the same thing I was struggling with, if you’ve been sidelined from working out for a while due to injury or illness, I believe this post will help you to get started again safely.

Fall Pull Up Challenge: Week 4

We’ve made it to the last week of the 12 Minute Athlete Fall Pull Up Challenge!

If you haven’t started yet or haven’t seen our announcement post for the challenge, be sure to go back and read it here, and make sure to check out Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3 of the challenge. This challenge is mostly meant for absolute beginners who can’t do pull ups yet—if you can already do a few and have plateaued or need ideas on how to keep progressing, you’ll find our pull up course helpful.

During the next four weeks, we’ll be focusing specifically on upper body and core strength. Both are crucial for getting your first pull up or chin up.

Work hard and have fun!

During week four, we’re going to work on activating the shoulder blades and continuing to build strength.

Fall Pull Up Challenge: Week 3

We’ve made it to the third week of the 12 Minute Athlete Fall Pull Up Challenge!

If you didn’t see our announcement post for the challenge, be sure to go back and read it here, and make sure to check out Week 1 and Week 2 of the challenge. This challenge is mostly meant for absolute beginners who can’t do pull ups yet—if you can already do a few and have plateaued or need ideas on how to keep progressing, you’ll find our pull up course helpful.

During the next four weeks, we’ll be focusing specifically on upper body and core strength. Both are crucial for getting your first pull up or chin up.

Work hard and have fun!