Home Workout Routine & Video for Agility Drills

Hey Gang!  Here’s your workout for the week.  I wanted to change it up and incorporate some new moves that I don’t typically do so I designed this 20-25 agility drill circuit.  You can do this workout in your living room – no equipment required.  I promise you will be sweaty by the end and your legs and glutes will get a good burn.  For best results, move from one drill to the next without resting – only rest at the end of the circuit as instructed above. If you have knee issues, it’s probably best that you pass on this workout as it requires lots of jumping.

You guys seemed to like the instructional video from my Hardcore HIIT Workout last week, so I made another for this agility workout.  Feel free to watch me demonstrate the moves if they sound at all confusing.  Also, be sure to blast some of your favorite jamz while doing this workout (makes it so much more fun!)  Expect to burn ~250 – 350 calories.  ENJOY!

Luv, Brit

Here are some more of my sports drills & plyometric workouts:

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Sexy Shoulders Resistance Workout for Women

brit sexy shoulders workout

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.

sexy shoulder workout for women

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.

Lots of luv, Brit

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Reach for the Stars! Plyo Workout

jump into shape

Here’s your workout of the week! This workout is all about Plyometrics (jumping).  I love jumping exercises because they really get your heart rate up and strengthen your legs.  However, if you have knee problems, be careful as jumping is NOT advised for you.  This workout requires no equipment so it’s great to do during commercial breaks – enjoy;)

Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you’ll land among the stars!  Lots of luv, Brit

Reach for the stars

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Spice Up Your Running Routine

push ups during a run

Hey guys!  I hope you are enjoying some Super-duper Spring Sunshine and  taking your workouts outside like I recently recommended.   BUT in case your outdoor running routine starts to get stale, here’s a way to keep it spicy!  I’m happy to present my 3 Mile Tone Up Circuit!

What’s great about this workout is that is nicely combines long cardio endurance segments with body weight resistance training.  This means that you are burning fat + adding definition to your muscles!

The overall workout takes about 45 minutes to complete.  Expect to burn 400 – 600 calories!

Brit's 3 mile tone up circuit

As usual, workouts are ALWAYS more fun and more fierce when you do them with a friend.  So grab a buddy and hit the trails – you’ll feel awesome when it’s over!

Keep on truckin’!  xoxo, Brit

post 3 mile workout

(ABOVE – me and my workout buddy after completing my 3 mile toning circuit at Lake Norman, North Carolina)

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Les Mills GRIT Series – Inside Scoop!

logo_gritseries

Many of you have been asking me my thoughts about the new Les Mills GRIT Series.  Well, I finally got the inside scoop!  Last weekend I passed the official 2-day, super high intensity GRIT module training and will soon become certified Les Mills GRIT coach – holler!

GRIT DFW Coaches

(above – me & the 1st GRIT coaches of Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, USA)

What is it?

Long story short, it’s a small group “CrossFit-like” workout inside of big box gyms…

The GRIT series are 30 minutes HIIT training workouts.  There are 3 types of workouts: 1) Cardio 2) Strength 3) Plyo.   GRIT workout sessions will be offered at select clubs in the United States this year, but have been offered in other countries for a few years now. (see pic below of me getting critiqued while teaching the Plyo workout)picstitch(21)

Now, this isn’t just another group fitness format, this a is  fierce, scientifically proven , athletic training workout targeted to people with lots of mental GRIT or to those want to develop more GRIT – a workout after my own heart 🙂  The sessions are capped to about 15-20 participants and they are done in private sections of fitness clubs.  It’s more like group personal training rather than group fitness.

Why is it so special?

Besides the special combination of strength, plyo and cardio training, what makes the workout unique is the choreography, super fit GRIT coaches (like me – wink wink)  and the music – the base in the music tracks will PUMP you up – dubstep anyone?

What benefits can I expect to get?

The workout it designed to really challenge you and improve your athletic abilities (i.e. speed, strength, agility, power).  During our training class, we spent several hours learning the science behind the GRIT method and how the workout increases our anaerobic threshold (below – see pic of us studying hard). Because the workout is so hard, it just flat out makes you tough.  The small team environment is also really encouraging and uplifting.

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How many calories will I burn?

Assuming you give your max effort and really push yourself, I estimate that the average person will burn ~500 calories in a 30 min GRIT class. Pretty darn efficient.  In fact, the workout is so intense that only 2 GRIT workouts per week are recommended.

How much is it going to cost me?

Because this is a special workout there is an additional fee, on top of your monthly club fee.  You get what you pay for!

So what’s the real deal, Brit – YAY or NAY?

To keep things 100% honest, I’m not a huge Les Mills fan.  I think the music is usually outdated and the moves are super corny.  I mean have you done that “super man” side skip in Body Attack?  I seriously left the class when we started doing that.  Different strokes for different folks – but just not my style.

HOWEVER!  GRIT is much different.  For 1 the music is MUCH MUCH MUCH better.  Primarily because there’s no 2010 top 40 tracks.  Instead, it’s mostly hard core hip hop and electronic beats that make you feel fierce and strong!  Also, there’s no corny choreography.  All of the moves are athletic drills and power lifting moves set to the strong base beat of the music.  Last but not least, the workout is freaking hard!  You guys know I’m always up for a challenge.  Well this workout actually kicked my butt and took me back to my old college basketball days.  Also, MEN will enjoy this workout because of the sports conditioning, athletic coaches and the tenacity engrained in the workout.

GRIT by Brit verdict = YAY!  Get involved with Les Mills GRIT!

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5 Tips to Spice Up Your Workout Routine: Variety is the SPICE of life and the FUEL for fitness

NOT this kind of variety 😉

Hopefully you’ve found a workout that you absolutely LOVE , which is GREAT!  I’m a firm believer that you’ll never consistently exercise until you find a workout that you TRULY enjoy and that makes you FEEL GOOD about your body!  However, it’s critical that we constantly change up our workout routines.  This doesn’t mean we have to give up the exercises we love, but we DO have to SPICE things up.  So you are probably wondering…

WHY SHOULD I VARY MY WORKOUTS? 
  • Avoid the plateau – Our bodies are super efficient –  WE ARE STRONGER THAN WE THINK WE ARE!  Once our bodies  get use to a certain workout, they don’t require the same amount of energy (calories or strength) to get it done.
  • Prevent injury – If we do the same workouts all of the time, we run a significantly greater risk of chronic injuries (shin splints, etc.)  Changing it up makes us work a variety of muscles and develop balanced strength and endurance.
  • Stay interested – New workouts keep us engaged in exercise.  High mental and emotional engagement makes us more energized meaning we work harder and reach greater fitness levels.

BRIT’S 5 TIPS TO SPICE UP YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE

Burn up to 1,000 calories in 1 hour of Title Boxing!

  1. Do 3 DIFFERENT types of cardio exercises every week – At a minimum, its most important to ensure that you get 3-30 minute cardio workouts in each week.  However, you can maximize results by doing a variety of cardio workouts.  For example: Monday – Treadmill, Wednesday –  Elliptical, Friday – Boxing class.  
  2. Add Intervals – Intervals in terms of speed and incline/resistance are a great way to keep your body in the “cardio zone” and make sure you don’t get complacent.  For example: when on the elliptical, ride at level 5 resistance for 3 min then level 10 resistance for 1 min, continue alternating for 30 min to 1 hr.
  3. Power walk instead of running/jogging – Power walking is not as natural of a movement as jogging/running which means you have to engage more muscles.  This is a great way to shock your body and even burn more calories – add light hand weights for an extra burn!

    TRX Suspension Resistance Training
  4. Switch up your resistance regimen – Instead of your usual back/biceps and chest/triceps workouts that you have been doing for years, change it up!  Try the new TRX suspension training or an endurance body weight routine (like several posted on this site).  Remember, if you do what you always done, you’ll get what you always got!
  5. Get moving with a group – Working out with a group makes you push harder and leverage the energy of those around you.  I encourage you to try some of my favorite group exercise classes: Title Boxing Club, Boot Camps (any one), Bar Method, Cycle classes and TurboKick.
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Track Workout: Shout out to my former athletes – still got it?

  • Name: Former Athlete Fix by Brit
  • Duration: 45 min – 1 hour
  • Calories Burned: 500-700
  • Focus: Cardiovascular endurance, athletic conditioning, speed, plyometrics
  • Commentary: It’s Spring!  So you know what that means, let’s get outside and hit that track – what what!  I’ve been hanging and chatting with a lot of my old college bball teammates this week in NYC, which inspired me to put a workout together for all of the former athletes out there.  Sometimes, it’s fun to prove that we’ve “still got it.” Even if you’ve never played sports, this workout is a great way to SHOCK your body.  So grab a buddy, head to the track and go get it in!  Make sure to do the full warm up before you start – don’t want you pulling a hammy.  Enjoy 🙂

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