Pancake Butt Challenge

It all started in the eighth grade when I was wearing one of my favorite pairs of soffe shorts. I said to one of my friends that I thought my butt looked big. The response I got changed everything. She said "Adrianna, your butt is so flat" and from then on the way I saw my butt was completely different. I became self conscience that my derriere didn't measure up to my friends. I tried to hide the secret of flat butt with flattering jeans and exercises like donkey kicks and fire hydrants to shape my butt into perfection but they never seemed to work.

Two years ago, I injured my knee by doing too much cardio and that is the year that I started Crossfit. At first, I was nervous to join because I didn't think I could lift the heavy weights so I slowly eased myself into it. But before long I was hooked and by lifting the heavy weights my knees felt better. Even though I stopped doing Crossfit, I still lift religiously. My favorite day is leg day because I love squatting. But my squats haven't equaled to a bigger booty just strong and muscular legs. No matter how much weight I lift my butt has stayed the same so when I saw the "8 Moves to Get a Bangin' Booty" on Cosmopolitan's Snapchat Story I wanted to experiment to see if these exercises could change my flat butt for once and for all.

 1. The first move is squat jumps which I have done before in previous workouts.  It's safe to say this move tires me out but I liked how my legs felt strong while doing this move.

2. The second move that I actually used to do in my Jumping calories class was squat togethers but I called them jump squats. This is a really great move for speed and strength.

3. Alternating forward lunges is a fan favorite. Although I enjoy this move, I get bored of them easily.

4. Deadlifts are great for the back of your legs, butt, and back. You just lean forward at your hips bringing the bar to your feet squeezing your legs and butt when you come up.

5. Rainbow Toe Touches is when you raise right leg pointing toward back right hand corner of the mat into an arc that brings the foot to the other corner of the mat. After you finish with your right leg switch to the other side.

6. Weighted Donkey Kicks is when you put a 5-8 pound weight in the nook behind your knee. Bring that leg up with your foot facing the ceiling flexed. After you finish your reps switch to the other leg.

7. The next move is Step Up Deep Reverse Lunge. To do this move stand on a a slightly elevated bench and step back and down with one leg keeping all of your weight on the leg still standing on the bench. After completing the lunge squeeze your butt to bring your leg back to start. Repeat on opposite leg.

8. The last move is the Single Leg Glute Bridge. To do this move bend your knees and lift one leg off the ground and raise your hips so that your body is in a straight line. Lower that leg slowly then repeat. Continue on the opposite leg.

Now that you know how to do the moves I am going to tell you more about my experience of trying to make my pancake butt pop.

Day 1:

The squat jumps left me so winded that I had to do the alternating forward lunges instead of going right into the squat togethers. I didn't do the deadlifts in this series because I did them the day before and my back was kind of sore. Then came the rainbow toe touches and man those babies killed me....I could only do 18 on each side because of how hard they were. Next were the donkey kicks I liked adding the weights to make them feel more challenging because I always thought they were too easy. The other two moves went well and all in all I liked the workout because I got to do different things.

Day 3:

My butt kind of felt sore on Day 2 but like a 4 out of 10 so it wasn't that good. I did the series again today and the squat jumps still made me feel like I couldn't breathe....maybe I need to do more cardio. But anyway the rest was pretty simple but the workout is kind of time consuming.

Day 5:

My booty did not feel any different on Day 4 but I wanted to finish the big booty challenge. Third times the charm I guess because the squat jumps made me feel energized and I was able to go right into the squat togethers. I still hate the rainbow toe touches but I feel like they work hard to reach muscles.

So at the end of my butt building experience, I have come to the conclusion that my butt might not ever be big but I can keep working on it until it does. Although this workout was pretty good I didn't see any fast results but fast results don't really exist, only hard work does.

Architect Studios Part Two

Holy crap my legs hurt, I can barely walk up the stairs. Two days ago I went back to architect studios for another free class that I won in a raffle. I learned my lesson last time and didn't work out earlier in the day. I was surprised to see that the class attendance only included me and a man who was a newcomer to the studio.

First Round:

This class we had three rounds doing each move for 60 seconds. The first round we did this move called Manmakers. You hold two weights by your shoulders palms facing each other and squat down. Then you place the weights on the floor and jump your feet back. Next you bring your right elbow back into a row then go back to a push up. After you complete the row on the left side you do another push up. You then jump your feet back in and position yourself in the squat rising up to end in a shoulder press. Do as many sets as you can in 1 minute.

This move killed me from all the push ups. Until recently, I have been doing push ups with my elbows out to the side not behind me like the person shown in the picture below. In one minute I probably got two complete sets of the manmakers while trying to to half complete the third set.

Next move was reverse lunges with your weights on each side of you. Make sure to stay balanced and to keep your legs strong. Each leg gets 30 seconds and then you switch legs.

The third move in the first round was a simple squat with a curl when you come up. Make sure your knees aren't over your toes while squatting and try to get your butt as low as you go.

The final move in round one was a back row. You lean slightly forward with knees bent a little. You bring your shoulders back, squeezing those muscles holding your elbows close to your body. Don't forget abs tight.

The mapmakers tired me so much I was relieved to do the other simple three moves that I have practiced in workouts before.

Second Round:

The second round always seems to be the cardio round so I wasn't surprised when I saw our first move was jumping jacks. Basically you just try to bang out as many jacks as you can in those 60 seconds. It's one of my favorites because I love to go really fast.

The next move was burpees, which I hate because it takes so much out of me. Also I was absolutely tired of doing pushups.

The final move in the second round was lunge swings which is when you bring your left leg forward into a front lunge then bring it back to a back lunge. Each side gets 30 seconds then switch.

Third and Final Round: (yippee)

The first move was kettle bell swings. So place your feet shoulder width apart hold the kettle bell with two hands and use your pelvic muscles you swing the kettle bell not your arms. Make sure to raise the kettle bell up to you shoulders for this workouts purpose.

The second move was a reverse lunge (I know, too many lunges) with a overhead press with your kettle bell. Hold the kettle bell in your right arm like you would hold your purse in the crook of your elbow. Do a reverse lunge with your left leg and return to the starting position for an overhead press. Do 30 seconds on that side and then switch to your left arm right leg for the rest of the time.

The third move was mountain climbers. This is when you get into a plank position and bring one leg in at a time really fast. Even though I have done mountain climbers before this move was really difficult for me because I think I was so fatigued from all the weight I was lifted that I didn't want to do anymore cardio. I also have the tendency to keep my head down or to look downward but that's wrong because you should always be looking up.

The last move in the series was flutter kicks using the kettle bell. Hold the kettle bell with both hands, with your legs in the air. Feet should be flexed. Then you slowly drop one leg down at a time while keeping the kettle bell overhead arms straightened.

That's the end of the workout!! I was so happy that I didn't feel like I was having a heart attack and going to die before this workout. 45 minutes isn't that much time but I truly believe you get an amazing workout by using HIIT because you are constantly moving without breaks while doing intense exercises. But I still hope I can feel my legs before the weekend!!

Architect Studios- Montclair

As you may know, I love Lululemon and also love free stuff. Last Thursday Lululemon held an outdoor class at their store with Architect Studios. The class is HIT which means high intensity training that is supposed to condition clients while using minimal equipment. I instantly fell in love with Adrienne who hugged me immediately after meeting me. She has this infectious energy and personality that wants you to keep going.

The class included simple moves everyone has heard of before like burpees, high knees, mountain climbers and jumping jacks while adding some new moves into the mix like butterfly crunches and shoulder taps. There were three rounds with three sets in each round of different exercises to target the entire body. The sets were only 45 seconds which is meant to push yourself to the limit in that short amount of time. By the end of the class I felt energized from the amazing music the DJ played and felt like I got a good workout.

My night got better when I got a free Lululemon headband, a coupon for free pants at the store, and a free class at Architect Studios! I made out like a bandit.

So I went to the GRITT which stands for Group Intense Interval Training and intense it was. We started with an ab roller and my knees were throbbing but then we switched to elbows to opposite knee which was easy for me. Then our first set included kettle bell swings, burpee to bringing the kettle bell up to our chest, and back lunge to tricep extension. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack because my heart hurt so bad. I also think it wasn't the best idea to workout this morning and do arms. Then came the cardio round which included high knees, burpees, and quick jacks. I would go all out in high knees then when it came time for the burpees I felt like I wanted to throw up. Finally the last round included this strange move I couldn't do for the life of me. You had to swing the kettle bell around then let it fall....I felt like an idiot I couldn't get this. Then we did lunges with a twist and Russian twists. I was soo glad the class was over, my legs were dripping and I felt like I needed to lie down and do nothing forever. But I have two more free classes left and you bet I'm going to go back there!

New Fitness Trend: POUND

When I saw on Instagram that one of friends was being certified for a new fitness class that uses drum sticks as workout equipment left me intrigued and curious to try this new trend. As I researched about POUND a little bit more, I found out it was created by two women drummers and is a full body exercise that combines cardio, pilates, isometric movements, plyometrics and isometric poses in one class. The class uses specific poses that targets problem areas like butt, outer and inner thighs, and abs. It also interested me because you can use drum sticks to have a workout and have fun.

I took the class at Retro Fitness in Fairfield with Sharon, I've taken classes with Sharon before and I have been dying to try POUND with her because I wanted to see what she would do with those drum sticks. Before the class I didn't know what to expect, but I was disappointed that the class wasn't as challenging as I hoped it would be. During class we were constantly moving whether it was jumping up and down but the majority of the moves were performed in a squat position with some challenging hip raises and ab twists, which killed but other than that I felt I wasn't getting enough for my money. The hour class flew by which was good in one sense but not good enough that I felt like I got my sweat on, so I did a quick kettle bell circuit right after the class. My friend and I sweated more in those 6 minutes than we did in the entire hour class. Even though some people may enjoy POUND and I enjoyed hitting my sticks to the beat it wasn't enough of a challenge for me to continue doing the class.

Cycle Barre, LLC Fitness Center

Cycle Barre, LLC Fitness Center is located in Little Falls, New Jersey. The studio is on the second floor of the building next to a physical therapy center. I got there 15 minutes earlier then the 9 a.m class and was surprised to see that the door was locked when class was about to start so soon. I was nervous the instructor wasn't going to show up but finally she came with ten minutes to spare before class. The studio was a medium sized room with about 25 stationary cycling bikes in one corner and the rest of the floor is used for the barre portion. 

I've been to other cycling classes before, which prepared me for the intense workout. I would have liked a better music selection personally because I find it hard to push through the work load when I am listening to "Earned It" from "Fifty Shades of Grey." I would rather not think about how you "Earned It" and listen to loud, fast paced music that would belong in a club. In addition, I would have liked to be pushed harder, I know each instructor is different but I needed a louder more commanding presence.

Barre came next and I did not know what to expect because I have only heard that it is similar to ballet where it uses the small muscles in your body. We used 4 pound weights, things I haven't used since middle school and a little red ball that resembled a bender ball. We had to put the ball between our legs and do various exercise moves like different types of arm curls and rows. My arms were quickly starting to fatigue but I didn't like that ball, I had no clue if I was holding it right in between my legs. We then did so many calf raises using the bar attached to the wall, I was hoping we would do some plies but we sadly did not. 

All in all, I got in a good sweat and I was happy I got to try a barre class but I'm not sure I enjoyed it. I don't think I would go back again because the studio was too small for my liking and the barre portion of the class was kind of boring. Definitely check out the class if you want a good cardio session followed up by light weights. 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend! Namaste. 

Yoga Montclair

I apologize that I took a break from blogging for awhile but I was recently inspired by an idea I had about writing reviews on gyms and studio's around Jersey. I think this is beneficial because sometimes when we sign up for a gym we don't know what else is out there and could be missing out on something great.

My first review is for Yoga Montclair on 107 Forest Street. I stumbled on this studio by accident while I was at Lululemon attending the free yoga class they have in the store every saturday. I have never belonged to a yoga studio and in the past I have taken hot and regular yoga but I never stuck with it. But while I was sitting on my mat waiting for the class to start, one of the workers gave me a pass for a free week to Yoga Montclair. I was excited because I feel like I get into workout ruts so easily because I do similar workouts each week. Another part of me wanted to get better at yoga because I really suck.

Monday I started my free week with Sharon as my instructor, she had infectious energy and a huge smile that never went away. In the beginning I had to hold in my laughter when everyone started chanting om because I thought it was so funny.....I know I'm weird. The class was a struggle, I found it difficult to hold the poses and I was sweating so much that my feet felt like I walked into a puddle. Maybe it was really hot in there or I may have a sweating problem but that doesn't matter. During the entire class I could not wait for savansana which is basically when you lay down and fall asleep. I was so happy that the class was over, it wasn't a bad class I just think that I had the attitude that I wasn't made to do this.

Tuesday I had Julie, I was so intrigued with the people who practiced yoga in the classes I went to because they were all so different. If I saw some of these people on the street I would have never thought they would do yoga, but I suppose that is the beauty of it. The class started with Julie reading a great passage about how you have to stay in the drivers seat in your life even when you have other responsibilities you have the choice in your life. I love a good inspirational story or quote. This got me to thinking I wish the teacher talked the entire time about life and it's meaning. Then I wondered if I would like meditation, but then I realized it was at 8 in the morning and I haven't woken up that early since last summer at my job at a day camp. I felt a little bit more flexible during class and I was happy we used a lot of core. Gotta get those abs.

Wednesday I got my hair done and I didn't feel like getting sweaty and ruining my locks so I scheduled my next class for thursday with Donna. I loved her story about how a judge on "Dancing With The Stars" told a contestant that everyone has a light and your light is one. She elaborated saying there are things and people in your life that make you feel filled with light and you have to take time to do that for yourself. I have this problem that whenever people are giving me advice I want to apply their knowledge to a specific situation but I also want to absorb the information. I did more absorbing than thinking but that was okay because when I went back saturday for my next class with Donna it was the same lesson. These two classes focused on pushing our chests out and shoulders back to shine the light through ourselves. Since I already had the muscle memory of some of the poses, I felt like I was getting the hang of yoga. I enjoyed saturday because I realized one of the things that brings brightness to my life is doing handstands, which we practiced in class. Whenever I'm in a handstand I feel proud and capable of how strong I am to accomplish this skill. This time I didn't savansana to come because the class seemed to have flown by.

On International Yoga Day, was my final class with Omni, if that doesn't sound like a yoga instructor's name I don't know what does. Her purpose for the class was that we are capable of achieving anything and there is always more. I never felt like a real yogi until a girl about my age came up to me asking what she needed and why did we have blankets. I was thinking to myself I am finally one of them. From the start I decided I really liked Omni and felt like she was a really cool person. She also pushed me harder than all of the other instructors, she forced us to extend and lengthen our bodies to the extreme because she said we are capable of doing this. We got to do handstands, I was like woo two days in a row. This technique was harder, instead of arms extended long, our forearms were the base of this handstand. Today's class was my favorite and although the other instructors were great I enjoyed this class the most. The message was what I needed to push me into the unknown that is my life and career.

I came into this deal thinking I just wanted to use a freebie to try something different, but now after this week I know I enjoyed the challenges yoga teaches us to overcome. Yoga is great to make you feel energized and to help you get in tune with your mind and body. Even though the studio is too hot for me I currently am looking for cheapish packages so I do yoga more often. Sometimes people discount things they"think" they won't be good at but if your keep an open mind you never know what can happen whether it is an exercise program or something else in your life you should always try.

Jumping Calories

This holiday season has come and gone and you may be feeling bloated and chubby from all the amazing foods you consumed. Slowly get yourself back on track by eating clean and working out. One exercise to try is jump roping, this grade school classic is not just for kids it's beneficial in so many ways.

Jump roping for 10 minutes is equivalent to running a 12 minute mile and you get all of the benefits runners do. Also jump rope is a full body workout, it works your legs, core, and your arms. It helps increase bone density and you can do this workout anywhere there is no limitations.

You may have not know that skipping rope makes you smarter as well, according to the Jump Rope Institute jumping aids in developing the left and right side of your brain. Incorporating jump rope into your daily workout will increase cardiovascular fitness and there are always new tricks to new so you will never be bored.

I've been jump roping for five years and when I started I could barely jump once without getting hit with the rope. But after practicing and practicing I can do double unders, cross overs, and I teach a class called Jumping Calories at my school. My class combines jump roping, weights, and abs for a full body workout that is changeling but rewarding.

Check out this video that shows a glimpse to my class: