Challenge Workouts

Question: Hey Shawna, I checked out that Bodyweight Flow program you posted earlier this week and I’m not sure how it is supposed to work. Can it really help me burn fat 21% faster? – Ashley Barnes

“A study done by the Journal of Sports Sciences has shown clear evidence that a movement based pre-workout routine just like the sequences contained in the Bodyweight Flow System can accelerate your oxygen consumption during your workout by an average of 21.4%. In addition, we know that oxygen consumption directly relates to the amount of calories burned during exercise thus the 21% increase in potential fat burned. The same journal also has shown an increase of 32% on upper body strength as measured through a pullup test and an increase in flexibility of 7% as shown through a reach test. Finally, recent research is now suggesting that the benefits of a movement based routine can last up to 24 hours making it unnecessary to perform movement routines simply before your workout, this may be because of the enhanced muscle signaling activity created from movement based routines but has yet to be confirmed through scientific research. We suggest 2-3 minutes in the morning 5 days a week to help accelerate the results you get from your workouts. One thing is clear… Using a movement routine throughout your week can do nothing but good for you :)” (Reference: Journal of Sports Sciences Volume 19, Issue 9, pages 693-700, 2001)

************************************************************

Question: I watched the video you sent out on Tuesday and I even tried to follow along to the flow or metabolic sequence or whatever it was called and it was way to hard for me to do. I like the idea of 2-3 minute bodyweight routines to loosen up my muscles and strengthen my body but I’m not sure I can do the whole program. – Jonathan Evans

Great question! Tyler and Sylvia the creators of the sequence you tried are good friends of mine and they gave me early access to the program for me to review. The video you watched was on of there more advanced sequences 🙁 The whole program contains 21 different Beginner, 21 Intermediate and 12 Advanced sequences to follow, so don’t feel defeated if you gave it a shot and couldn’t do it. In fact, if your a complete beginner this program will probably benefit you even more because of the emphasis on perfect form and movement. Hope that helps.

Tyler and Sylvia have created what they call  ‘metabolic ignition sequences’.

You’ll find follow along videos so all you have to do is press play, follow along, and in under 3 minutes you will activate unused muscles, increase your functional flexibility and build coordination. They have 63 of these metabolic ignition sequences ready for you in a cool program that will help you reach your fitness goals faster due to the fact that you’re able to train more intensely. When your muscles are warm, when you are more flexible, coordinated, when you can recruit more muscle fibers, then results will follow.

Great value here:

Check out the program here.

When you grab this program, send me your receipt and I want you to have this:

************************************************************

Question: I’m trying to figure out how to work your program into my current program. Would I use your programs instead of lifting? And if so how many days a week and would I need to take a break in between. Sorry for all the questions. I know where to put the finishers but the other ones I’m confused about. Kelli

Answer: Kelli, thanks for this! These are great questions. I’m a gym rat myself and I like to some weight training as well as my Challenge Fat Loss and Challenge Jump Rope workouts. Typically, I’ll do 3-4 weight workouts a week and then 2-3 of the full body Challenge workouts as well on my ‘day off’ from heavier lifting. Having said this, there have been weeks at a time when I’ll do ALL Challenge Fat Loss workouts like my successful ‘loser’ client Suzie (see her story here). The beauty of the Challenge Fat Loss and Challenge Jump Rope (and soon to be released Challenge Burpee) programs is that they can be used as a ‘stand alone’ workout or they can be added as a metabolic workout to enhance a lifting program.

************************************************************

Question: I am currently training for a half marathon, and I do have some belly fat, not a lot, but something I want to definitely get rid of. I’m 5foot6 and weight 141 lbs, 45 yrs old. My question is how to incorporate your jump rope challenge in with my runs, and I’m only doing 3 runs a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Sundays are long slow runs ) the distances vary, but nothing over 23 miles a week.
Thanks Shawna, Tina

Answer: Great question Tina. I’d do the jump rope challenges on the days OFF from your long runs. That gives you 4 days to do jump rope or other challenge fat loss workouts. These workouts are short and won’t hinder your runs. In fact, they’ll benefit you in that they will strengthen your full body, including your core. I’ve had many runners IMPROVE their runs when they do my workouts. This is because their upper body and core strength improves. As you tire when running, posture is everything. If you can maintain strength in your posture, your gait will not change. As well, anaerobic training benefits aerobic training (but not the reverse). Hope that helps!

************************************************************

Question: Hi Shawna,  I am wondering what kind of rope you use EXACTLY? I just bought your challenge and started researching ropes, GOOD GRIEF, there are soooo many to chose from and reviews are all over the place depending on the uses. I am only 5 ft. tall so by your chart, I would get an 8 foot one?  I am thinking that with the amount of rope jumping you do that by now you must have found the perfect rope? I would really appreciate your feedback before I start or purchase one. It has been since grade school since I have jumped rope, though I do a weight training 5 days a week with HIIT in between on most days.Thanks very much, -Shelley

Answer: Shelly, this is a great question that I get all the time, I put this picture up on Facebook but I really should have it here (and I should get a nickel for every time I sell one of these ;)) On Facebook, people kindly pointed out that this dude needs a jump rope lesson to stop the ‘swimmin’ action’ with his arms. Agreed on that, but even with a bad photo, the rope inside is a good one and I’m 5’2″. Hope that helps!

************************************************************

Question: Is it a ‘rumor’ or a ‘trumor’ that Hollywood has scooped you up?

Answer: Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that Hollywood has ‘scooped’ me up, but I did just sign a contract to be a fitness expert for ONE episode on a big network reality show. I can’t say too much more than that due to the ironclad non-disclosure agreement. The show is slated to air in early 2014 and I’ll keep you posted on all that I can. I’m pretty excited about it, should be an interesting experience!

************************************************************

Question: What happened to the cookies Sev?

Answer: It’s a mystery to mischievous Sev, our rescue ‘guard’ dog who coincidentally fell into an insulin induced coma and had the poops later that day…

Question: How much cardio should I be doing a week? John

Answer: John, I’m going to turn this over to my friend, Kate since we’ve been talking about cardio this week (check this post out). Here’s Kate’s answer:

In late November 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported on the harmful effects of excessive cardio on your heart. According to the WSJ, research to be published in the British journal “Heart”: Running 20-25 miles or more per week eliminates the benefit of the exercise as you grow older and causes excessive wear and tear on the heart.

Damn, that’s bad news if you’re an exercise ADDICT. The sad thing is, most of these folks will ignore this blatant fact and continue on their merry way.

But the truth about cardio is this:

1. You can get more effective fat burning workout in less time
2. Spending less time exercising means less wear and tear on your heart, joints and muscles
3. You can free up a TON of time, at least 200-250 minutes/week if you’re running a 10 minute mile, and spend it doing more important things

Even Dr. Kenneth Cooper agrees. The father of ‘aerobics’ has said, “If you are running more than 15 miles a week, you are doing it for some reason other than health.”

So is a grizzly bear chasing you? There’s a valid reason to get your run on. But in all seriousness, there are no bears where I live in New York City (just other scary people) and as you can see, the fat loss benefits of “cardio confessional time” are minimal.

As an avid marathon runner, plenty of my friends pointed out this fact to me. The thing is, my marathon training programs no longer involve running more than 12-15 miles/week, or even longer than 60 minutes continuously in a session. Instead, the workouts include training with total body movements and lifting heavy to get stronger, metabolic resistance training and tortuous high intensity intervals. Each workout typically lasts no more than 20-35 minutes.

The shocking thing is this works. No overuse injuries, no carb loading and it helped me shave 54 minutes off my marathon time. So listen, if you want to exercise for health, fat loss while increasing your energy and vitality, you need to train with bursts of intensity in shorter workouts.

That’s why I created Fat Loss Accelerators <– Get 31 workouts here

***************************************************

Question: I noticed that Kate has a lot of high pulls in her Fat Loss Accelerators program. My shoulder gets a little tender, what’s a good alternative?

Answer: I asked Kate about this. She suggests bent over BB rows, DB rev flies in place of the high pull.  She also says (and I agree) that if the high pull is too much on the shoulder, eliminate it. There’s enough work in her circuits that you’ll still benefit. Her Fat Loss Accelerators are really a ton of fun, a great alternative to long slow boring cardio, and guess what? It’s always great to get results too. Check out HER transformation HERE.

***************************************************

Question: I can’t seem to get or keep up a jump rope rhythm unless I do “double hops” every time the rope goes around. I know that this is really inefficient but when I try to just do a single hop, it becomes hopeless. Will the double hops just stop on their own as I get more practice? Should I make more of an effort to stop that habit, even though I can’t get in more than a few jumps when I do that? Delany

Answer: I’m thrilled that I’ve been an influence on your fitness, that’s so great to hear. As far as the jump rope goes, keep at it. You WILL improve as you feel more coordinated and fit, you’ll be able to move from the double hop to the single hop. Try the single hop jumps when you are fresh and as you tire, it’s totally fine to go to the double hop. It’s frustrating if you keep missing the rope, and your intensity will drop, so when that starts to happen, go back to the double hops. Every day challenge yourself to get MORE single hop jumps. Soon you’ll be doing single hops all the time. Keep us posted okay? (Grab the Jump Rope program HERE)

***************************************************

Question: So I have the Challenge Jump Rope program, how do you organize it into a system? The challenge workouts had which ones to do and the number of days per week. How often and which order should these jump rope workouts be done?

Answer: The Challenge Jump Rope workouts can be done in ANY order you please. You can do a workout a day (7 days a week) if you want since the workouts are body weight and very short. For best results try to do a minimum of 4 workouts per week.

***************************************************

Mom’s get to brag right? Instead of hanging my son’s painting on the fridge, I get to post it to my blog. Sam is 16 and saw a 30 second commercial using this painting technique and wanted to try it. He ran out and bought some paints and was done in about two hours. I’m stupified by his talent, he clearly did not get it from his maternal side.

If you’ve been getting my emails this week, you know that I’ve introduced you to a friend, Ryan Faehnle.He’s a fat loss expert and has provided a ton of amazing content for us. His fat loss tips include practical things like:

1. Eliminate carbohydrates other than veggies from your diet except for a one-hour window after intense weight training workouts. And indulge in a single Cheat Meal once every 5-7 days.
2. Probiotics will help immensely with belly fat, love handle fat, AND fat legs.  It’s just too versatile to NOT have in your cabinet.
3. If you’ve got loads of fat around your belly button, I recommend keeping your workouts to 30 minutes or less!
4. In the big scheme of things, calories do matter. BUT, the hormonal effect of the foods you eat is far more important. To optimize your hormonal response to food, eat plenty of protein & tons of vegetables. Load up on healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil, and organic full-fat butter. And reserve “starchy” carbohydrate intake to the hour immediately after your hardest weight training workouts.
5. To re-set the thermostat to burn hotter and longer, you simply indulge in a pig-out session with your favorite foods once per week, for an hour or so.
6. Do a low calorie / high nutrient power cleanse for one day every 10 days.
7. One of my best secrets to helping people get ripped is to load up on iodine.

He’s got lots more tips HERE on this page.

Worthwhile checking out 🙂

***************************************************************

Question: I used to be a jump rope enthusiast when I was younger, in my teens, twenties and thirties. But now due to injuries, a slip disk and Acl on my right knee. I cannot jump rope any more. Do you have an alternative? I also live on the top floor of a building…I heard rebounding was a good one. Any advice on how I could adapt your workout for similar results. thank you, Josée

Answer: The best alternative to jumping rope is a ‘phantom’ skip. This is when you simulate jumping rope, but your feet don’t actually leave the ground completely. A re-bounder is another option. You could easily do my workout with the exercises and a phantom or re-bounder skip in place of ANY jump rope step. For you Josee, you could do a phantom skip (pretend) or use burpees or mountain climbers or something more intense for some of the sets.

I’m glad that you’re not giving up and you’re looking for pain free ways to move versus sitting on the couch 😉

NOTE: For Challenge Jump Rope – Don’t get too bogged down with the actual ‘steps’ in the workout. I’ve added those in for variety. Basically if you’re getting the rope over your head and under your feet consistently, you’re doing well. If you can increase intensity by doing double unders or high knees, all the better. In truth, once you become a proficient skipper, you can do an easy skip and not even get winded, so it’s important to have these higher intensity options or challenges to keep the workouts tough. But, especially if you’re new to the jump rope, just get as many continuous skips as you can.

*************************************************************

Question: Hi, I purchased Challenge Jump Rope workouts. I love them both as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer. Thank you!
Also I love the workouts to use myself since I’m always switching it up and hardly ever repeat the same workouts. In the rope workouts, when it says skipping sprint, would that mean jump rope? What is a Phantom skip? Thx again for some great ideas! Karen :0)

Answer: If you watch the 1-2 min coaching videos, all the exercises are explained. As well there is an exercise library. The ‘sprint’ is with the rope. The term ‘phantom’ skip, freestyle and pepper are explained in the document. The phantom skip is a ‘pretend skip’ (mimic), pepper is fast skipping, freestyle is ANY type of skipping.

I hope this helps, please look at the coaching videos.

***************************************************************

Shout out for Challenge Jump Rope!

I received this email from Jamie (thanks for sharing girl, even if you’re too shy to send me a picture yet):

Since I’m a girl who doesn’t actually need to lose weight (I just have the fitness goals to MOVE, to FEEL BETTER, to have FUN, and to SHOW some nice muscle) I feel like I’m qualified to give a testimonial for challenge jump rope, even though I’m only a few workouts into the program.
So my goals are —>

To MOVE – Yep, challenge jump rope gets me moving for sure!

To FEEL BETTER – Check on that goal, too – moving feels good, jump rope feels happy, and something about jumping around actually ends up feeling quite mentally calming and clearing. I certainly feel better since starting 🙂

To HAVE FUN – Yes-siree. it’s fun BEFORE you even start ! – It’s JUMP ROPE, how can you not smile just knowing that ! – Even using a ‘phantom rope’ is fun – it’s imagination! Challenge jump rope turns you into a happy-go-lucky kid all over again 😀

And finally to DEVELOP SOME MUSCLE – okay, so I haven’t been using this program for very long, but I can feel what muscles I’m using (EVERYTHING!) and I can tell by the intensity that I am going to be looking good in no time.

… and for those who ARE looking to lose weight – you will certainly be working yourself, and having an absolute blast doing it. fun fun fun!

I vote two thumbs up to challenge jump rope and thank you Shawna K for creating it 🙂

Jamie (another Alberta girl)

***************************************************************

You can’t go wrong with my Challenge Jump Rope program. You’ll get 31 workouts and coaching videos to show you ‘how to’. With the price of the program at $19, it  works out to about 60 cents a workout, not including the 4 weeks of bodyweight training you get as a bonus on top of that. Tell me what value you can get for 60 cents anywhere?

***************************************************************

As you may or may not know, Challenge Burpee is on the way! I’m filming coaching videos and there will be follow along videos too.. This is a screenshot of one of the videos, see the red arrow in the picture? This is what you get when you have your 16 year old son help with video taping…any idea what’s in the bag here? Let’s just say ‘no jelly beans on the set’ for the next filming session…;)

Question: My knees get sore with impact exercises like running and jumping jacks, will I be able to jump rope pain free?
Answer: Remarkably jumping rope is easier on your joints that you’d think. You need only jump about one half inch off the ground and when you do a double jump, you distribute your weight over BOTH feet as opposed to only one foot when running. This makes a tremendous difference. Take a look at this video:

*******************************************************************************

Question: Is your Challenge Jump Rope program all bodyweight?

Answer: Yep. That’s why this is the perfect summer program. Grab your jump rope and head to the beach, your backyard, where ever you find yourself. All you need is your bodyweight, a rope and a bit of space. Some workouts have pull ups, but I have an alternative for those exercises. Workouts are under 15 minutes so there’s no excuse: everyone has 15 minutes to help themselves get more fit and lean.

*******************************************************************************

Question: What’s your favorite jump rope?

Answer: I get this all the time, so I thought I’d mention it again. My rope isn’t anything special. It’s an Everlast rope. I got it from Walmart for $12.97. It’s plastic and it has large foam handles. It’s just the right weight and length for me.

You can grab Challenge Jump Rope here.

The price more than doubles tomorrow, so grab this and get jumpin now 😉

*******************************************************************************

Question: Will my dog Sev ever learn that porcupines are NOT to be played with?

Answer: Probably not… but  see how he’s still smiling? Maybe he thought he got closer to winning the ‘battle of the porcupine’ this time. $600 and 200 quills later, Sev is up to his same shenanigans of hoarding shoes (he doesn’t chew them, he just surrounds himself with them ;)). For those of you new to my ongoing stories about Sev, he’s our rescue dog that was found in a ditch full of porcupine quills. You’ll notice he lost an eye, but not his will to beat the dang porcupine! Fingers crossed that there won’t be a re-match anytime soon.

Question: I’m trying to eat well and lose a bit of weight. My focus is more on the health side of things with the hopes that healthy eating will provide the energy I need to train hard and both will lead to dropping a few pounds. Here’s my question: are there any  special products or super foods that I should be eating that will help to this end? Ana

Answer: Ana, I’m really glad your focus is on health first and healthy and sustainable weight loss second. Too often weight loss is the ‘be all end all’ and health and performance are forgotten. People get lighter but they don’t look different, only a skinnier/softer version of themselves. I think this is the big disappointment with many that want to lose weight. Their shape doesn’t change, they get discouraged, they feel crappy and weak and give up. I found a little info for you and a good resource as well.

Don’t get hung up on the details. The miniscule difference the time of day of your workout isn’t enough to matter. The key is to train at the time of day when you have the energy and intensity to put out your best effort. You need INTENSITY to see results. If the best time for you to train is at midnight and any other time of day you feel lethargic, then midnight is YOUR best training time.

********************************************************

Question: Is it okay to eat popcorn? Are there ANY banned foods? William

Answer: Guess what? ALMOST anything is okay to eat – in moderation. You could do a whole lot worse than popcorn. But you can make some better choices by reading labels and avoiding extra salt and butter. The lethal combination of fat and carbs, especially late at night while you’re sedentary is a recipe for belly fat.

Making a solid diet of food that is NOT nutritionally dense will do nothing for your physique or performance. This goes without saying. But an occasional indulgence is not only ‘okay’, it’s a healthy way to maintain a fitness lifestyle. MODERATION in all things food related is your best advice.

I’ve been getting lots of nutrition related questions, and again, I defer to the ‘Nutrition Nerd Nick‘. He’s got study after study to back up his advice on simple things like what oil to buy, what honey to eat, what meat is best, what supplements are worth it, and so MUCH more.

You can check it out HERE, highly recommended 🙂

***********************************************************

Question: How is Sev? (asked by no one) This is my attempt at pretending that you’re interested in my dog so that I can tell you 😉

Answer: Sev is feeling pretty comfortable and is starting to act like a puppy. He was so quiet and reserved when we first got him. He didn’t want to go for a walk, probably because he didn’t know if he’d come back to our house. He HATED the car, but now will jump in. He despised his kennel, but now has the run of the house because he proved himself trustworthy (and I didn’t have the heart to try to push him in one only to have him Houdini his way out…)

As you can see, Sev needs to learn some manners. He jumped up on this chair when I sat on the couch with my laptop. He looked over at me like we were going to have a civilized conversation. He was quite confused when I tried to tell him to get off. I pulled his pillow up beside me instead and he settled at my feet but I’m sure would have rathered the chair.

Sev and I have to keep it on the down low how much fun we have with each other. I’ve taught him to ‘get his duck’ in which case he prowls the house looking for his toy and then he’ll shake the living daylights out of it. Hannah (my daughter) took off for the weekend and it’s just us. I act like I don’t like him and I try to tell her that he’s pining for her. She’s mentioned that she thinks Sev is confused as to whom he loves more. I tell her that where puppy love is concerned, there’s always lots to go around 🙂

Now, if only I actually DID like this beast…time for a walk.