The No Excuses Workout - Day 18

Phase One of the workout ends Sunday.  I jokingly refer to Phase One as the "Get In Shape" phase, Phase Two as the "Bikini Workout," and Phase Three as "I Want To Be A Cover Model."  Where Phase One is an every day workout, toward the middle part of Phase Two "skip days" begin to be built in to compensate for my body's ramped up fat burning capability.  When my goals are met, I'll actually shift the workout to once a day and take weekends off to compensate for how quickly my body burns fat and builds lean muscle. (Phase Three is structured accordingly.)

Which, after the "twice a day, every day" journey to get there, perhaps Phase Three should be called the, "Taking It Easy Workout." ;)

AM Workout


Featuring a jump in repetitions for Pushup and the Crunches - as well as a new exercise.

Table Top - three times (from Day One)
Hug and Release - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Three)
Elevation - three times (from Day Four)
Lift - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Five)
Tic Toc - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Six)
Plank - three times (from Day Eight)
Tiny - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Nine)
Hang - three times (from Day Ten)
Bend - three times (from Day Eleven)
Reach - three times (from Day Thirteen)
Pushup - one time, fourteen repetitions (from Day Thirteen)
Frog Crunch - one time, fourteen repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Alternating Crunch - one time, fourteen repetitions (from Day Seventeen)

New Exercise: Reverse Crunch

The Reverse Crunch is tricky to do correctly as it's a very small movement.  That said, when I do it right I can FEEL that I'm doing it right.  The muscles simply aren't called upon to perform this movement in daily life.

I start on my back with my navel pulled toward my spine.  With my knees and feet together, I draw my legs up toward my body so that my torso and my thighs create a 90 degree angle.  My hands are by my hips and are flat (palms down) and pressed into the floor, mat, or mattress.  Imagining that there is a string attached to my pubic bone, I gently lift my hips while pulling on that string.  My navel is pulled toward my spine the entire time and the movement doesn't go very far but is still performed and/or held for a total count of four.  I then lower my hips and relax into the starting position.  That's one repetition.  To mirror the other abdominal exercises in today's workout, I performed fourteen repetitions of this movement.

Cardio


It's Thursday - which is enough of a reason to Walk With Purpose for thirty minutes rather than the normal twenty.  Mostly the increase in walking gives me the chance to see new scenery.

PM Workout

Twist (No Shout) - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Two)
Bobble Head - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Three)
Too Sexy - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Four)
Popeye - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Five)
Kick Back - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eight)
Flight - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Nine)
Pump - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Ten)
Chair one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eleven)
Good Morning - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Fourteen)
Lower - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Fifteen)
Side Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Front Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Cross Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Seventeen)

New Exercise - Elbow Strike

This movement starts in the same starting position as Side Punch.  Keeping my hand in the same general vicinity, I raise my elbow so that it's level with my shoulder.  I then arc my elbow across my body (never allowing it to lower) while I move my fist to the opposite shoulder.  I then return to the starting position.  Alternating this movement on both the right and left sides counts for one repetition.  Tonight I'll do twenty.