Happy Saturday Ladies and Gents! While I love you both equally, I designed this workout especially for the ladies. I think many of you can empathize with the how hard it is to find a challenging shoulder workout that isn’t catered towards bulking up (i.e. 4 set of 5 military press at 50 pounds). Come on, I don’t want to look like I can pick up my date, I just want to be able to rock a nice sleeveless blouse during my date. However, let me caveat my last statement by clarifying that even if we don’t want to bulk up, we must still lift a weight that challenges us. If it doesn’t challenge us, it doesn’t change us! Don’t be afraid to pick up a pair of 10-20 pound dumbbells when doing my “Sexy Shoulders” workout.
While I created this shoulder workout just for the ladies, it’s a great workout for men as well. Unlike my other arm workouts, this routine solely focuses on the shoulder muscles instead of the entire arm. It’s a great way to isolate the shoulders and really build some definition. For best results, do this workout 2 times per week along with 30 minutes of cardio for 4 weeks. Enjoy and let me know how it goes.
Hey Guys! Hope you had a great weekend. So my “fit friend” and fellow blogger Laura (author of http://www.50by25.com/) gave the great suggestion of creating a weekly resistance workout plan for my blog followers. The plan incorporates very targeted workouts that each focus on a specific muscle group. None of the workouts are full-body circuits (i.e. my infamous Tummy, Booty & Thighs circuit that you guys love so much).
So, the idea is that you need to complete the entire weekly plan in order to get a complete, total body workout. At the beginning of the week, you work the larger muscles groups and then later on in the week you work the smaller ones. This sequencing allows you to get some fierce fitness going on by really exhausting and fatiguing one muscle group at a time. Doing so requires greater muscle repair and consequently, the development of more lean muscle mass.
For best results, complete the following plan in addition to 2-3, 30 minute cardio workouts. Enjoy and let me know how it goes! Lots of luv, Brit
Hey hey GRIT gang! I hope you are enjoying a WONDERFUL weekend. I was just thinking, I’m so grateful that I discovered FIERCE fitness. Now I’m not talking about casually going to the gym or a nice easy jog every once in a while, I’m talking about sweat puddles, sucking air and shocking myself during workouts. Not only does fierce fitness improve my physical appearance, but it also makes me fabulous! By “fabulous,” I mean more confident, fun and optimistic about life.
If I can push through a tough workout, I can handle any curve ball that life throws my way – I’m sure of it. It’s amazing how the self-confidence, resilience and GRIT from overcoming a physical challenge spill over into all aspects of my life.
If you have been casually going through the motions, today I challenge you to take it up a notch! You are stronger than you think. Be FIERCE and be FABULOUS! Lots of luv, Brit
“It’s better to commit and go for the gold, rather just show up for practice everyday” #GRIT
Hey GRIT Gang! I hope that all is amazing in your world. Very sorry for my sporadic blog posting – I’ve been doing lots of traveling the past 2 weeks. On a positive note, last weekend I went to the Bryson City, North Carolina to a enjoy a weekend “ruffing” it with some of my best friends from business school.
In the midst of hiking the Great Smoky Mountains, cooking homemade meals, sitting by the camp fire and reminiscing on the good old days, I designed this “buddy bootcamp” workout. During our vacation, my friends and I did this super efficient HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) circuit to ensure we got some strength and anaerobic training in . Not only is the workout effective, it’s also very fun! So next time you are looking for some fierce, fun exercises to do with your fit friends, keep these 5 exercises in mind…
Before I leave you, I encourage you to not only enjoy the workout itself, but to more importantly enjoy and love the friend that you do the workout with. And on that note, I leave you with this quote that one of my dearest friends, Lakshmi (staring in the front row of the instructional video above) shared with me:
“A friend is one to whom one may pour out the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that gentle hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.” – George Eliott
ENJOY! Lots of luv, Brit
Enjoying a nice hike in Great Smoky Mountains – Nothing says true friendship like matching beaniesTakin’ it all in – life is good!A picture is worth a 1000 words #breathtakingGrateful for good times and great friends! #blessedI love you and hope you have a great week! -Brit 🙂
Showin’ of my “Babalyicous” Biceps. Hey, no shame in my game 🙂
What’s up GRIT GANG?! Hope your week is off to an AWESOME start – mine certainly is. This morning before work I did this bicep workout along with some cardio. I figured I’d share the workout with you guys since I got some requests after posting my Triceps Workout last week.
For best results, do this workout 1-2 times per week and combine it with a tricep workout – it’s important equally work opposite muscle groups. Use 2 medium dumbbells (about 5-10 pounds depending on your strength). Just like the tricep workout, this routine has a LOT of reps, so you don’t have worry about bulking up. Get ready to show off your sexy sculpted arms! #heygurlhey
Enjoy and lots of luv, Brit
Gym mirror #selfie after finishing my Bicep workout + 20 minute jog = great combo!
Hey hey Grit gang! I hope you had a good weekend. Mine weekend was okay… I had some fun times, but I’m feeling a little stressed due to work and lot’s personal things on my plate. In all honesty, today was one of those days that I really wanted to just sit at home and feel sorry for myself. In fact. I did. For a while… But then I started planning my blog posts for the next few days and perusing some blogs that I follow, and I came upon this post that gave me the “kick in the butt” that I needed.
I love that the title is simple – “Discipline.” In the end, discipline is what really matters. I have to have the discipline to get up off of my couch and not be a cry baby. I have to have the discipline to workout when I don’t feel like it. And most importantly, I have to have the discipline to CHOOSE to be happy when it would be so much easier to mope around. So, with that said, I just wanted to share this post with you as a little “Sunday inspiration.” I hope it motivates you as much as it motivated me.
As promised, here’s another 5 minute ab/core workout for you to enjoy. In case you missed my 5 minute Abs Vol. 1, you can CLICK HERE to check it out. Feel free to do the workout on your own or with me in real time via my YouTube video below. Lots of luv, Brit
Happy Friday everyone! As I was sitting at my desk, unwinding from a busy week and getting ready to enjoy my weekend, I came across this blog post that truly inspired me. I totally agree with these 5 tips (especially Tip #5). The time is now! Whatever dream has been sitting heavy on your heart, now is the time to pursue it! Tomorrow isn’t promised – so get up and go for it. Lots of luv, Brit 🙂
Every single person you meet will have some sort of advice for you. Unfortunately, I struggle to believe most of it or find it actionable in my daily life. It is difficult to learn a new trade, to think in the clouds, and generally to run out and change my life. How can I do that in the confines of my busy life while also gaining great value out of each activity? From an economics perspective, the opportunity cost of everything we do is quite high, especially nowadays as people become busier and busier. This is why I give 5 pieces of advice that I feel can drastically change the way you think and live while barely changing anything at all.
1. Give more than you receive. To me, this one is the most important. People that give are happier, more successful, and more fun to be around. If a person asks you for advice with your trade, give it to them over dinner or a drink. No favor will go unpunished and it is more than likely this will lead to them providing you with future opportunities or just a new friend or perspective. Many people argue with me that people should do charity for the sake of helping others and not have a selfish motive. To me, it doesn’t particularly concern me either way. Most people that do charity enjoy helping others but that does not indicate that you should feel guilty getting a benefit from your charity as well.
2. Network. The saying that I have found most true in my life is that it is not what you know but who you know. Networking can be as easy as meeting new people at work or as difficult as asking your job to pay for you to attend a conference or seminar. Networking will not take too much time out of your life and can even be attached to events like going out, work functions, and dinners. Whenever you can, get a business card and a contact. Again, you never know when it will come in handy.
3. Learn the Economy – it is very sad to me how few people understanding anything about the economy. Without this understanding, it will be very easy for people to get ahead of you. I do not care if your only connection to money is the paycheck you receive because that is a direct implication on the economy and the economy will still affect you. See my post about the economic machine in 30 minutes to get a pretty comprehensive understanding. If you have other questions, let me know.
4. Read + Write – this stands by itself but the greatest business minds, scholars, political figures of our time are well read and well written. You should join these ranks. Start a blog or a journal but reading and writing will improve your analytical thinking, your knowledge, and may even get a few more people to notice your skills.
5. Act Now. Do It. There is no better time than now to get started on what you want to do. Tomorrow is far too late.
That’s me, front and center, delivering the GRIT by Brit workout for BOOYA Fitness
Last weekend I filmed my 2nd official GRIT by Brit workout video! The video will drop on Thanksgiving Day as part of the launch of BOOYA Fitness. BOOYA is an revolutionary new fitness company that provides high-end workout videos to consumers on demand. Think NetFlix for workout videos. It features amazing fitness instructors mostly from the best boutique fitness studios in NYC. You can check out more details on their alpha site www.booyafitness.com but be on the lookout for the Thanksgiving Day launch of their new site and new workout videos – featuring yours truly!
Personally, I decided to support BOOYA and be a featured instructor on the platform because I love the idea of being able to connect with my students outside of the group fitness classroom. Also, the co-founder, Prita Kumar, is a fellow Harvard Business School MBA and Fitness Fanatic (like me). Prita and I met each other over Twitter and instantly connected. I’m so excited for her to transform the fitness industry through high-end video content. You can learn more about her journey to starting BOOYA Fitness on this cool start up documentary, CLICK HERE to watch.
So, let me move on and tell you a little about the cool experience I had at the BOOYA shoot and what you can expect from the new and improved GRIT by Brit workout…
Headed to the studio with my cue cards in hand!
So if you have a copy of my DVD (if you don’t buy one on Amazon – PLEASE) you’ll notice that the workout I designed for BOOYA is very similar. However, I really tried to take my game to the next level. In addition to the jammin’ music, I incorporated new techniques I’ve learned to over the past year to enhance my workout. Specifically:
More FUN – I incorporated some “dance-like” moves into the cardio sections and into the choreography overall
More FIERECE – After each cardio round I have a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) section
More FITNESS – Through the workout I really focused on focus on toning the legs and core. Also I only use of body weight resistance training – no hand weights this time
I feel a HUGE sense of accomplishment after this shoot because I can look back on my progress over the past year and see how I’ve really grown as a fitness instructor and personal coach. It feels good knowing that I’m better able to help people reach their fitness goals. I’m VERY confident that my new workout video will inspire and motivate tons of people to have fun, get fit and show their GRIT 😉
I’m clearly very excited to explain the GRIT by Brit workout during my BOOYA fitness interview 🙂
For the BOOYA shoot, I was fortunate to have a rock star group of participants, Minal and Lateefah. Minal, is another HBS MBA / Fitness Guru – she is the founder of BollyX and did me the honor of being in my video. “BOLLYX is a Bollywood-inspired dance-fitness program that combines dynamic choreography and intensive workouts with upbeat music from around the world. The workouts are fun and invigorating but, more importantly, designed to drive fitness results through cardio and muscle-building exercises. ” Lateefah, is the founder of EmpowerFit. “Empowerfit is empowerment through fitness.” Lateefah and I met the day of the shoot, but we instantly connected – it was like we had known each other for years. She brings a solid dance cardio background to the video which complimented the GRIT by Brit signature moves very well.
Both of these lovely ladies ROCKED IT OUT and brought some serious energy and enthusiasm on shoot day – I’m super grateful for them both!
Lateefah, me and Minal after a successful shoot!
Overall, I cannot wait for the official video to drop on Thanksgiving Day! I’ll keep you guys posted on the details. In the meanwhile, keep grinding, keeping shinning and keep showing you GRIT. I’ve got a new ab workout coming this week, so stayed tuned for that as well. All the best to you!
I am down another 2 pounds on Brit’s September Shape Up Plan (woo hoo). The most important part of this process has been the ability to focus on my diet and exercise (even though the later has been waylaid due to illness). As I mentioned in my week two review, I have a lot of personal things going on: renovating our new house, getting ready to move, and preparing to start a new job (all while finishing up at the old one)! Having this challenge has actually been a blessing since I tend to stress eat! So, here’s how I did last week…
Diet:
I managed to get in three smoothies for dinner and subbed for 2 other meals on other days. I am actually really enjoying having the smoothies and utilizing unique ingredients for them. I think when everything is said and done with this challenge that I might actually keep this practice around. I don’t know about you but usually my Achilles heel when dieting is dinner. I tend to eat pretty well through out the day and then get home and my diet goes quickly down the tubes. Having to record my food and having smoothies has definitely helped with this! I’ve also started experimenting with some new to me foods including coconut water and almond milk. Hooray for new food items!
Hydration:
Being sick has really focused me on making sure I am drinking way more than I usually do. Hooray for checking off this box!
Blake (in the pink pants) and Friends after a sweet 3 mile run!
Thursday: Assisted with tiling at the house – this entailed lifting hundreds of pounds of tile up and down the stairs in my house for about three hours – talk about some power lifting – marble is HEAVY.
Friday: More tiling in the house.
Saturday: Attempted to help with the tiling in the house. Instead I was so sick that I sat on the floor pretty useless.
Sunday: Definitely really sick 🙁
Brit’s Tips for Blake:
Stay strong to the finish! You are doing an amazing job and already seeing great progress – down over 4 pounds! Also, be sure to stay hydrated when you’re sick. However, I believe that it’s still important to stay active when are you aren’t feeling well – physically and mentally exercise can help you get back to feeling normal. If you feel sick, do some resistance training or yoga. If you aren’t able to workout, be very conscious of your calorie intake – lots of low-calorie fluids, water and nutritious smoothies instead of heavy meals. You’ve already done so much hard work, so keep on truckin’ – you’re almost there. GO BLAKE 🙂
