Active Recap: Quad XVI
16.
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
This is it. This is karma's way of telling me I can't escape her, her telling me no matter how much I plan my workout, I can't escape the inevitable: plyometrics in a cardio workout. When I first saw this Standing Cardio workout in my YT subscription page, I thought it was cool and exciting and I couldn't wait to do it. For some reason a part of my brain thought it was more of a low impact workout but my gut feeling says otherwise. Well, gut was right- this was NOT a low impact workout.
As expected with a standing cardio workout, there were a LOT of jumping, skipping, squatting, and lunging in this workout. This workout will really test your endurance and lower body strength. I tend to stay away from workouts with lots of jumping but surprisingly, I really, REALLY enjoyed this workout! I absolutely loved the burn on my legs and the sky high heart rate this workout gave me. It didn't feel too overwhelming because there were short breaks in between, giving me enough time to catch my breath and reset. I really thought I wouldn't enjoy this workout given the number of plyos here but whaddya know, I freaking love this workout and if you want a routine that will spike up your heart rate in no time, this is the one to do. 10/10 would recommend!
PS. This workout gave me sore calves for three (3!!) freaking days.
Let's take it down on the mat, shall we? This routine is the perfect ender/workout burner because its more of a toning routine where you have to do things slowly for maximum burn. Pilates is always good for toning and lengthening so I always partner it with cardio workouts so in a way, it's like an active rest kinda workout. I particularly loved the leg series in this routine. The exercises were so simple yet so effective and burning! I particularly loved the booty swivel because it really targets the glutes, as well as the thighs. I also loved the short but brutal arm series.
I did this workout twice and it was absolutely perfect.
Workout duration: around 59 minutes, with 1 minute rest in between circuits; brief warm up and 5-minute cool down included.
Taking a break with cardio and focusing more on toning and LI lower body exercises for Day B. This routine included a number of squat and lunge variations that surely did a number on my muscles. Not gonna lie, doing this routine was painful, mainly because of my very sore calves but overall, this was a great leg routine. The moves were simple but burned my muscles good. Also, yay no jumping!
Back to the mat we go for the last leg day exercise! Today I decided to target a specific part of the lower body I sometimes neglect: the inner thighs. My leg days always work my glutes, quads, and hammies but never my inner thighs so now, I included it in my routine! This 20-minute inner thigh routine took me by surprise because it looked so easy but when you're actually doing it? It freaking burns! I loved that most of the exercises in this routine were new to me so I had a great time doing them. I swear Robin made the whole routine look so easy- I had to take a quick break every now and then! Perfect ender for today.
Workout duration: around 41 minutes, with 1 minute rest in between circuits; warm up not included, 5-minute leg stretch included.
Okay, back to my usual short cardio routines haha! For today's opener, I did a quick kickboxing-inspired routine to get my heart rate up, my body and muscles warmer, and to get some upper body work. I like punching so this was perfect for me! I like that this routine is simple but instantly got my heart rate up. The moves were easy to follow unlike kickboxing videos I did before that requires a whole lotta mind-body coordination. This routine can be done twice for a quick 25-minute workout.
The main workout for today involves free weights, of course. This routine feels like a total body routine in a way but I felt like it targeted the upper body more- arms, back, core, the works. With the exercises that involved weights, I did drop sets whenever I felt the need to so that I retained good form and so that I don't strain any muscles. The majority of the moves were LI but they still made me huff and puff and sweat all over. I did this routine twice through to get a 30-minute workout. Not bad!
Workout duration: around 45 minutes, with 1 minute rest in between circuits; quick warm up and cool down included.
Since I didn't do a core routine in Day C, I figured I'd put it in here, day 2 of upper body day and yoga day. I picked this routine because it's a core-focused yoga flow so in a way, I expected it to be a bit mild and more flowy. Well, you know what? I was kinda sorta wrong. This routine gave me a serious core workout. Like, legit deep core targeted and fired at. The funny thing is, this routine's core workout was only half the routine while the rest was more of a vinyasa flow and yet that short but sweet core series definitely did a number on my core, proved by the really felt soreness on my abs the next few days after. Seriously, I couldn't do a cobra stretch without wincing. Like, daaaamn, didn't expect that at all!!
Sometimes all you need is a proper stretch routine for all the sore muscles and tight spots in your body. I honestly needed this! This routine gave me the lower body and upper body stretching I needed and I particularly loved the lower body stretches. Yes, this is more stretching and less yoga but my whole body thanked me for it, especially my sore calves!
Workout duration: around 43 minutes
MY TOP WORKOUT IN THIS QUAD:
Surprise win even for me but I gotta hand it to the POPSUGAR FITNESS 30-Minute Standing Cardio Workout! That was a killer but a winner! Also special mention to YOGA WITH ADRIENE Total Body Yoga - Deep Core for giving me an unexpected sore core! Highly recommend these routines!
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