Active Recap: Quad II
2.
Welcome to Active Recap, where I talk/share/review the workout vids I did for the last four days. Please refer to this post to know a bit more about Active Recap and my workout format and sched.
Love,
S
DAY A
Circuit 1: BLOGILATES Fat Melter & Ab Trainer
Kicking this quad off with a Blogilates exercise routine. To be honest, I always find Blogilates exercise routines really challenging, which is a good thing because it pushes me to work harder! This routine wasn't that brutal compared to her other videos but it still made me sweat and pant real good. I suppose this routine is mainly low impact, with only 3 moves that involve jumping and can easily be modified. And since I'm the self-proclaimed queen of modifications, I did just that:
Burpees ⇾⇾ squat thrusts (LOVE)
Double pulse split jump ⇾⇾ double pulse split steps
Lunge squats ⇾⇾ step lunge squats
To be fair, I followed all the moves on the first round. I did my burpees and incorporated the jumps, the works. However, I'm just not a big fan of jumps, especially when combined with lunges, so I modified. I could've retained the burpees but honestly, I just find squat thrusts more fun. That and the fact that squat thrusts and my glutes are best friends.
I got a fantastic glute burn from this routine. The ab area, not so much (possibly because I wasn't consistent on keeping my core tight), but the glute area burn lasted for almost three days. Freaking awesome. 😋
This workout routine includes a warm up and a cool down but I think doing extra few minutes of warming up is needed before doing the circuit just because I found the warm up section a bit short and quick. The cool down was the right length, though.
Circuit 2: POPSUGAR 7-Minute Ab Workout From STRONG by Zumba
Oh, we're not done yet! Technically, the Blogilates workout routine is under 30 minutes if you exclude the warm up and cool down sections so to make Day A past 30 minutes in total, let's add in a quick core workout! This one is a 7-minute ab workout of Strong by Zumba. I LOVE STRONG BY ZUMBA even if it's challenging like heck. It's working out with rhythm, like Zumba but instead of dance moves you do bodyweight exercises. Zumba in steroids, as I lovingly call it. I remember doing a 20 minute Strong by Zumba routine and I remember having fun and regretting a variety of life choices at the same time. I hate it but I love it.
The 7 minute routines they did with PopSugar are great because I can take it more than the 20 minute one haha! It was still challenging, though. Not gonna lie, I just collapsed on my mat halfway and questioned some life choices but I pushed through because it was just a 7 minute circuit dammit. I can't quit a 7 minute circuit!! My core was happy when it ended, though.
Workout duration: around 38 minutes, including 1 minute rest in between circuits; cool down stretch not included.
DAY B
Circuit: FITNESS BLENDER Fat Burning Tank Top Arms Workout - Cardio Intervals + Upper Body Strength Training
Okay, I'll admit it- putting this workout after the Blogilates one was kind of a stupid move; I should've known I'd be real sore from that workout! In my defense, I thought this Fitness Blender workout was more weight-training focused and it is, don't get me wrong. I just didn't expect the cardio part in between superset (kind of my fault for skimming through the vid when I first saw it hehe).
Soreness aside, I actually enjoyed this workout. It was a nice blend of weight-training and cardio, and honestly the cardio parts weren't brutal at all. Cardio included basic moves like fly jacks, jumping jacks, and high knees and low impact moves like plank shoulder taps, downward dog + knee, and slow burpee. So in a nutshell, you'll be sweating but not dying, which is always nice. Warm up and cool down are included too.
I was feeling pretty strong when I did this workout so I went in for a second round, but this time I only did the second part of the video (11:12 - 28:30). I really enjoyed the second half so I didn't mind doing it again. My arms were dying when I reached the cool down part hahaha. Biceps and triceps got sore but worth it!
Workout Duration: around 52 minutes, including 1 minute rest in between circuits.
DAY C
Warm Up: MADFIT Billie Eilish - bad guy FULL BODY WORKOUT ROUTINE
MADFIT's song workouts are now officially my warm up routines. On Quad I, I used Side to Side. On this quad, it's Bad Guy, a fave Billie Eilish of mine (I prefer the version without JB hey hoooo). This workout woke up me quickly because it was fast-paced and totally not chill. The chorus has jumping and mountain climbers, what do you expect will happen throughout haha! I liked it though I think this routine's quite intense as a warm up. Still fun though!
Circuit 1: MADFIT 10 MIN Full Body Fat Burn
Before any toning exercise, I like doing a bit of cardio routine just to make my body really warmed up. I like this 10 minute routine because it was a good combo of plyo and low impact. There were jumping exercises followed non-jumping ones so in a way there's some rest periods but not really.
There are 7 moves to go through done for two rounds. You can totally repeat the whole video for a total of 4 rounds and have a 20 minute session. I easily get bored with repetitive routines so I just settled for the 10 minute version. Solid routine and quite beginner friendly.
Circuit 2: SPEIR PILATES TV Full Body Chair (x2)
Now onto a full body pilates routine. Speir Pilates TV is a great channel for your pilates needs and they have workouts for beginners and advanced. I find most of their workouts advanced, though, haha! Pilates is quite tricky and the intensity creeps up on you but the instructors in this channel make everything look like a piece of cake. Meanwhile, my limbs are dying. I'll get there, I promise!
Not gonna lie- this routine was something, especially the leg section. Pilates and muscle soreness do not mix well, I discovered. The leg exercises were simple yet oh so brutal- really felt my glutes, quads, and hamstrings work. The other two sections were a breeze, though. Love the core section and the arm section which focused on the triceps.
Because I was a masochist, I decided to do one more round of this routine. Totally suffered through the leg section, totally smashed the core and arm sections. Felt amazing afterwards, not gonna lie.
Workout duration: around 45 minutes, including 1 minute rest in between circuits. Cool down not included.
DAY D
Circuit: YOGA WITH ADRIENE Yoga for Weight Loss | Balance Practice
I usually go for 30-40 minute yoga flows but I decided to try an almost hour long practice just to kind of test the waters, to see if I'll get bored easily or not. This video was just the perfect video because not only is it almost an hour, it was a really nice flow to do after 3 days of quite intense workouts. This practice isn't exactly a relaxing flow as it still makes your muscles work but in a good way. I actually enjoyed this flow and welcomed some of the challenging stances- I really forgot it was an hour long practice haha! I got a good sweat out of it and a nice, much needed stretch. Now I know I can do a long flow. Maybe I'll try it out again on upcoming quads. Hmm...
Workout Duration: around 57 minutes
CONCLUSION:
I feel like this quad was abundant on cardio and strength-training, no?
MY TOP WORKOUT IN THIS QUAD:
Ooh, hard to pick just one! I say it's a toss between Yoga With Adriene's Balance Practice and MadFit's 10 Minute Full Body Fat Burn.
DAY A
Circuit 1: BLOGILATES Fat Melter & Ab Trainer
Kicking this quad off with a Blogilates exercise routine. To be honest, I always find Blogilates exercise routines really challenging, which is a good thing because it pushes me to work harder! This routine wasn't that brutal compared to her other videos but it still made me sweat and pant real good. I suppose this routine is mainly low impact, with only 3 moves that involve jumping and can easily be modified. And since I'm the self-proclaimed queen of modifications, I did just that:
Burpees ⇾⇾ squat thrusts (LOVE)
Double pulse split jump ⇾⇾ double pulse split steps
Lunge squats ⇾⇾ step lunge squats
To be fair, I followed all the moves on the first round. I did my burpees and incorporated the jumps, the works. However, I'm just not a big fan of jumps, especially when combined with lunges, so I modified. I could've retained the burpees but honestly, I just find squat thrusts more fun. That and the fact that squat thrusts and my glutes are best friends.
I got a fantastic glute burn from this routine. The ab area, not so much (possibly because I wasn't consistent on keeping my core tight), but the glute area burn lasted for almost three days. Freaking awesome. 😋
This workout routine includes a warm up and a cool down but I think doing extra few minutes of warming up is needed before doing the circuit just because I found the warm up section a bit short and quick. The cool down was the right length, though.
Circuit 2: POPSUGAR 7-Minute Ab Workout From STRONG by Zumba
Oh, we're not done yet! Technically, the Blogilates workout routine is under 30 minutes if you exclude the warm up and cool down sections so to make Day A past 30 minutes in total, let's add in a quick core workout! This one is a 7-minute ab workout of Strong by Zumba. I LOVE STRONG BY ZUMBA even if it's challenging like heck. It's working out with rhythm, like Zumba but instead of dance moves you do bodyweight exercises. Zumba in steroids, as I lovingly call it. I remember doing a 20 minute Strong by Zumba routine and I remember having fun and regretting a variety of life choices at the same time. I hate it but I love it.
The 7 minute routines they did with PopSugar are great because I can take it more than the 20 minute one haha! It was still challenging, though. Not gonna lie, I just collapsed on my mat halfway and questioned some life choices but I pushed through because it was just a 7 minute circuit dammit. I can't quit a 7 minute circuit!! My core was happy when it ended, though.
Workout duration: around 38 minutes, including 1 minute rest in between circuits; cool down stretch not included.
DAY B
Circuit: FITNESS BLENDER Fat Burning Tank Top Arms Workout - Cardio Intervals + Upper Body Strength Training
Okay, I'll admit it- putting this workout after the Blogilates one was kind of a stupid move; I should've known I'd be real sore from that workout! In my defense, I thought this Fitness Blender workout was more weight-training focused and it is, don't get me wrong. I just didn't expect the cardio part in between superset (kind of my fault for skimming through the vid when I first saw it hehe).
Soreness aside, I actually enjoyed this workout. It was a nice blend of weight-training and cardio, and honestly the cardio parts weren't brutal at all. Cardio included basic moves like fly jacks, jumping jacks, and high knees and low impact moves like plank shoulder taps, downward dog + knee, and slow burpee. So in a nutshell, you'll be sweating but not dying, which is always nice. Warm up and cool down are included too.
I was feeling pretty strong when I did this workout so I went in for a second round, but this time I only did the second part of the video (11:12 - 28:30). I really enjoyed the second half so I didn't mind doing it again. My arms were dying when I reached the cool down part hahaha. Biceps and triceps got sore but worth it!
Workout Duration: around 52 minutes, including 1 minute rest in between circuits.
DAY C
Warm Up: MADFIT Billie Eilish - bad guy FULL BODY WORKOUT ROUTINE
MADFIT's song workouts are now officially my warm up routines. On Quad I, I used Side to Side. On this quad, it's Bad Guy, a fave Billie Eilish of mine (I prefer the version without JB hey hoooo). This workout woke up me quickly because it was fast-paced and totally not chill. The chorus has jumping and mountain climbers, what do you expect will happen throughout haha! I liked it though I think this routine's quite intense as a warm up. Still fun though!
Circuit 1: MADFIT 10 MIN Full Body Fat Burn
Before any toning exercise, I like doing a bit of cardio routine just to make my body really warmed up. I like this 10 minute routine because it was a good combo of plyo and low impact. There were jumping exercises followed non-jumping ones so in a way there's some rest periods but not really.
There are 7 moves to go through done for two rounds. You can totally repeat the whole video for a total of 4 rounds and have a 20 minute session. I easily get bored with repetitive routines so I just settled for the 10 minute version. Solid routine and quite beginner friendly.
Circuit 2: SPEIR PILATES TV Full Body Chair (x2)
Now onto a full body pilates routine. Speir Pilates TV is a great channel for your pilates needs and they have workouts for beginners and advanced. I find most of their workouts advanced, though, haha! Pilates is quite tricky and the intensity creeps up on you but the instructors in this channel make everything look like a piece of cake. Meanwhile, my limbs are dying. I'll get there, I promise!
Not gonna lie- this routine was something, especially the leg section. Pilates and muscle soreness do not mix well, I discovered. The leg exercises were simple yet oh so brutal- really felt my glutes, quads, and hamstrings work. The other two sections were a breeze, though. Love the core section and the arm section which focused on the triceps.
Because I was a masochist, I decided to do one more round of this routine. Totally suffered through the leg section, totally smashed the core and arm sections. Felt amazing afterwards, not gonna lie.
Workout duration: around 45 minutes, including 1 minute rest in between circuits. Cool down not included.
DAY D
Circuit: YOGA WITH ADRIENE Yoga for Weight Loss | Balance Practice
I usually go for 30-40 minute yoga flows but I decided to try an almost hour long practice just to kind of test the waters, to see if I'll get bored easily or not. This video was just the perfect video because not only is it almost an hour, it was a really nice flow to do after 3 days of quite intense workouts. This practice isn't exactly a relaxing flow as it still makes your muscles work but in a good way. I actually enjoyed this flow and welcomed some of the challenging stances- I really forgot it was an hour long practice haha! I got a good sweat out of it and a nice, much needed stretch. Now I know I can do a long flow. Maybe I'll try it out again on upcoming quads. Hmm...
Workout Duration: around 57 minutes
CONCLUSION:
I feel like this quad was abundant on cardio and strength-training, no?
MY TOP WORKOUT IN THIS QUAD:
Ooh, hard to pick just one! I say it's a toss between Yoga With Adriene's Balance Practice and MadFit's 10 Minute Full Body Fat Burn.
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