B Strong Greatest HIITs 2017: Plank March + KB Pull Through

DAY 7!

Get your shoulders and core burning and your heart pumping with this kettlebell exercise! Perform for intervals of 45-90 seconds with 15-30 seconds of rest, (or for 8-12 reps per side), for 3-5 sets.

FORM:
[Open from Plank to Side Plank]
- Start in a plank on your hands with your feet about 2 feet apart and shoulders pulled down your back to lengthen your neck.
- As you open your arm to the ceiling, let your heels fall to the floor so that you're resting on the inside of your front foot and outside of your back foot.
- Keep your top hip stacked directly over your bottom hip - avoid letting it rotate too far backward, this will disengage your core.
- Make sure you're still pulling your shoulders down away from your ears!
[Reaching from side plank to cross under]
- Rotate back onto your toes and square your hips up with the floor as you reach your arm underneath your ribcage to grab the handle of the KB.
- Make sure you're still pulling your shoulders down away from your ears!
- Squeeze your glutes and abs super tight to keep your lower back supported.
[Plank Pull Through]
- Grab the handle with an underhand grip (palm to the ceiling).
- Keep glutes and abs super tight and lats engaged, (pull shoulders down your back), as you pull the kettlebell, dragging it underneath your ribcage.
- Once the bell is on the other side, quickly flip it so that the handle is closest to your body.
[Plank March]
- As you march to your forearms & back up to your hands, avoid letting your hips twist, keep your glutes and abs squeezed so that your hips are square to the floor.
- Still, keep those lats engaged by keeping your shoulders pulled down your back to make your neck long.

Did you love or hate the burn during this killer core exercise?! Tell me on TW/FB/IG @cassiebstrong!

B Strong,

Cassie B.

B Strong Greatest HIITs 2017: Battle rope + Box Jump Drill

DAY 6!

Try this battle rope & box jump drill to train speed & power while improving your vertical, your running speed, & core strength & burning fat!

Here's what it is: an EMOM. "Every Minute On the Minute" you have a task to complete. Once you complete that task, you rest the remaining seconds in the minute. So, the harder you work & the faster you get it done, the more rest time you've earned yourself ;-)

Here are your tasks: ODD minutes = 50 battle rope waves (per arm = 100 total). EVEN minutes = 10-20 box jumps (The height of the box dictates your reps here). Complete for 8-12 minutes; 4-6 rounds per movement.

FORM:
[Battle Rope Waves]
- Act like you're beating a big drum with drumsticks!
[Box Jumps]
- Land your feet entirely on the step - not just your toes.
- Stand all the way up until your legs straighten once you land.
- Step your feet down one at a time, (jumping down is a lot of unnecessary impact on your knees).

How many rounds did you get through on your 1st attempt?! Tell me on IG/FB/TW @cassiebstrong!

B Strong,

Cassie B.

Momma B: Another New Year, Another Resolution

Every new year brings with it a host of feelings: excitement for the celebrations and anticipation of the future, sure, but many of us find ourselves struggling with negativity too. Feelings of failure because we didn't finish what we had planned to accomplish; feelings of disappointment because the year has flown by and we feel like we're still where we were a whole year ago. Yet, year after year, we create so much pressure on ourselves when we act as though we must make a grand New Year's Resolution.

Instead of feeling defeated, or torturing yourself with the pressure to "get it right this time!", make your goal to live and be more present. Each day, we actually accomplish so many great things. You owe it to yourself to celebrate those small victories! It's not about making one drastic change because it's the New Year; it's about each decision you make each day that eventually leads to a great change by the end of the year.

To keep myself present, I take time each day to reflect on 3 things I am grateful for. This took a lot of practice for me to be consistent, but once I got consistent it didn't take long for me to notice the benefits. When we take time to focus on what makes us happy and what we are grateful for, we don't have as much time available to focus on the things we think need to be different in order to achieve happiness. 

Throughout 2017, I challenge you to take time to focus on what is going right. Be present for, and celebrate all the positive changes you are making to create a healthier lifestyle. Regularly patting yourself on the back may be all you need to realize you are truly happy, even as you journey toward becoming healthier.

Wishing you a Simply Happy 2017!

Momma B

B Strong Greatest HIITs 2017: [At Home] Leg Burner

DAY 5!

Here's a KILLER equipment-free Leg Day finisher, or a great drill to do at home when you're pressed for time.

Here's the drill:
20sec/movement = 1min/round.
No rest between rounds.
A. Modified Prisoner Squats
B. Alternating Squat & Lunge Jumps
C. High Knees.
Perform 3-5 rounds; that's 3-5min of work!

Oh & fair warning... it's gonna burn  ;-)

Notes on form:
[A. Modified Prisoner Squats]
- Aim to keep a 90 degree angle in your knees at all times - you never stand up!
- When you step your foot back, aim to land it directly in line with your hip. Avoid crossing that foot back behind your other foot - that's a curtsy lunge - save it for another day ;-)
- When you step your foot forward and into the squat position, keep your weight loaded in the heels of both feet and evenly between your feet.
- Suck that lower belly in super tight the whole time to support your lower back.
[B. Alternating Squat & Lunge Jumps]
- The same notes about foot position and were your weight should land from A apply here!
- Now you CAN straighten your legs!! BUT only when your feet are off the floor. So, if you're not squatting or lunging, you're jumping... and if you're not jumping, you're squatting or lunging. Hurts just to read, huh? ;-)
- Land soft! It'll engage and challenge your core way more, AND your joints will love you for it.
[C. High Knees]
- Stay up on your toes.
- Get your knees as high as your belly button!
- SPRINT! Move as fast as you possibly can! (The faster you pump your arms, the faster your feet will follow).

How many rounds did you accomplish your 1st attempt?! Tell me on IG/TW/FB @cassiebstrong!

B Strong,

Cassie B.

B Limber: Hip & Thigh Stretch

To be "fit", you NEED to be mobile! Mobility is easily the most ignored aspect of physical fitness. Stretching reduces tension in muscles and joints, which relieves both physical and mental stress, alleviates aches and pains, and promotes efficient and maximal recovery from workouts.

The stretches in this video focus on loosening up the muscles that tend to create tension in the knees, hips and lower back. Slow, constant movement, like I'm doing in the beginning of the video, is a perfect, dynamic movement for a pre-workout warm-up. Holding these stretches will be more affective when your muscles are warm, post-workout.

FORM:
- Keep your feet flat & weight evenly distributed through your entire foot during the squat.
- When you straighten your legs, straighten your spine too - even if it means your head isn't as close to the floor!
- When you straighten your legs, press your chest as close to between your legs as possible - but don't forget the note above!!
- When you lunge to the side, keep the foot of your bent knee flat on the floor - don't let your heel lift, just reach your booty farther back.
- When you lunge to the side, you should feel a deep stretch in the inner thigh of your straight leg, your "adductors".

How much did your body love these stretches?! Tell me on IG/TW/FB @cassiebstrong!

B Strong,

Cassie B.