If there’s one piece of workout equipment almost everyone is comfortable with, it’s the treadmill. It seems like there’s always a treadmill open at the gym and it’s a really great way to get in a quick workout. However, it can be easy to fall into a treadmill rut. If every afternoon you come in and walk for 30 minutes while watching TV, it can be easy to stop really challenging yourself while still feeling like you got something done. We don’t want you to fall into that trap! We’ve come up with a bunch of ways to change up your treadmill workout, with options for beginners and more advanced gym-goers.

 

• Add hills to your walks.

If you love your treadmill walking routine, consider adding a few hills to your daily routine. Every 3 minutes, crank that incline up to a 5 or 6 and maintain your pace for at least 30 seconds. That will give you plenty of time to cool down and reset before taking on the hill again. This is a great way to get your heart rate up a little bit higher without adding running.

 

• Give the run/walk a try.

If you’re ready to take on some jogging, the treadmill is a great tool to get started! Like the hill workout above, every 3 minutes you’ll instead increase your pace to a slow jog for 30 seconds, then bring it back down until the next 3 minute marker. Be sure to warm up thoroughly for this one. As the running intervals get easier, start increasing their duration. Go up to 45 seconds for a week or two, then a full minute, then 90 seconds. Eventually you’ll be running for the whole duration and you’ll be ready for one of the next few workouts!

 

• Already an experienced treadmill runner? Add some sprints.

If you get your steady state work in on the treadmill but want to change it up a little bit, try treadmill sprints. After warming up, set the treadmill to a very fast pace for you. Every minute on the minute, you’ll hop on to sprint for 15-20 seconds. Jump off and rest for the duration of that minute. Start with just 4 minutes once per week. Increase by 1 minute every other week until you hit a full 10 minute workout.

 

• Still need a challenge? Try pyramids.

If you’re a runner looking for a longer treadmill workout that really maximizes results in a limited amount of time, try a pyramid workout. We use these a lot in our Fatbell classes, but it can easily be applied to running. You can choose to build your pyramid with speed or with incline, but don’t start with both! You’ll get in a good, easy warm-up, then every minute on the minute for 10 minutes, you’ll increase your speed or incline by 2. Once you hit the top of that pyramid, we’re going to work right back down in the same exact way, taking the incline or speed down by 2 each minute. Get a little cool down in at the end and you’ve done a really challenging workout in just 30 minutes!

 

• BONUS: Get a friend to surprise you!

If you really want to go all out, get a friend on the treadmill next to you and have them adjust your speed or incline (whichever set of controls is closer to them) without you knowing! Cover up your screen and enjoy.

 

 

With a busy lifestyle, early meetings, or morning workouts, its easy to opt for just coffee or skip breakfast entirely. Often referred to as the most important meal of the day, eating breakfast can have a noticeable impact on your performance throughout your day.

 

Mental Performance

Because breakfast helps to restore and boost glucose—a carbohydrate essential to healthy brain function—eating in the morning can contribute to better memory and concentration levels, as well as improve your mood and lower your stress levels.

 

Weight Loss & Management

When you go to sleep at night, your metabolism naturally slows; one of the best ways to jumpstart your metabolism and get things kicking again is by eating breakfast. If you skip breakfast, not only do you put off starting up your metabolism, but you also risk overeating later in the day.

 

I know what you’re thinking, that’s great, but I still don’t have time for breakfast, or at least not a healthy one. So, we’ve come up with some quick and easy solutions to get you on track before you start your day!

 

Overnight Oats

Unlike regular oatmeal, overnight oats use rolled oats and liquid, followed by a resting period in the fridge, to create a porridge-like alternative. No need to waste time cooking on the stove or in the microwave; instead, simply prep the night before, leave in the fridge overnight, and wake up to a delicious, healthy, ready-to-go breakfast. Try these 8 classic recipes to get started on your new favorite oatmeal!

 

Premade Smoothie Packs

We all love smoothies, but no one wants to spend their morning gathering ingredients, measuring yogurt, or chopping fruit. Smoothie packs are the best way to prep ahead and make later. Spend the weekend before chopping and packing your ingredients, freeze in plastic bags or jars—when you’re ready, simply dump into the blender with your liquid of choice, and off you go! Not only are smoothies easy to pack with fruit for antioxidants and other essential vitamins, but they are also an easy way to sneak in vegetables. Try this yummy Mango Ginger recipe for when you need to break away from your usual berry and banana combination!

 

Spinach and Prosciutto Frittata Muffins

 Who says weekday breakfasts have to be boring? These protein packed frittata muffins require just six ingredients and can be prepped and cooked in under an hour. Save yourself even more time and cook them on Sunday night to enjoy all week long!

 

Breakfast isn’t always easy to pull together most mornings when we’re busy, but try these super quick and easy recipes to jumpstart your day and your fitness!

 

Time is something most of us wish we had more of. If you’ve got a busy schedule like most people, HIIT (high intensity interval training) provides a great bang for your buck! Not only does HIIT allow you to maximize your time in the gym, but there are endless forms of HIIT that keep you motivated and having fun. Hill sprints, box jumps, burpee’s, jump roping, and medicine ball slams are all simple yet effective exercises you can do in a HIIT fashion, requiring minimal to no equipment.

 

HIIT is considered anaerobic exercise, which demands more energy and increases oxygen consumption. Think of the love-hate unable to catch your breath feeling when you do a full out sprint. The benefits of that feeling really pay off! Because your body has to catch up to intake more oxygen, EPOC (excess post- exercise oxygen consumption) occurs to compensate for the oxygen debt that must be paid after the exercise has ended. For minutes to hours after the exercise is over, your metabolism boosting hormones remain elevated, your heart and respiratory muscle activity remains increased, and your body temperature remains elevated.

 

The best workout is going to be one that makes you feel, move, and look better. HIIT workouts are not everyone’s cup of tea, so it you hate them, don’t force yourself to do them! Getting sweaty, feeling your chest burn, and being out of breath doesn’t necessarily make your workout smarter, better, or more effective. It can be a great addition to a training regimen, but training smart, rather than training hard is the most important factor. Performing exercise that actually makes you happy is what will keep you consistent. Being active in some way each day is so important, so don’t skip the gym or a workout just because you don’t have enough time to sweat.

 

Other ways of maximizing time would be to incorporate:

1. Dense circuits- Pick 3-5 exercises and complete as many rounds as possible in a range of 5- 20 minutes
2. Supersets- Pick 2 exercises and do one set of each exercise before taking a rest
3. Time your rest periods
4. Stop texting during your workout

 

LISS (low intensity steady state) exercise, such as walking, also has its time and place. Although LISS isn’t as quick and don’t burn calories long after the workout is over, it does have great benefits:

• Doesn’t tax the CNS
• Improves mood
• Lowers cortisol
• Reduces stress
• Increases NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis- energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating, or intense exercise)
• Aids in recovery
• Sensitizes the body to insulin
• Doesn’t increase hunger like HIIT

 

On Sunday night, we had the privilege of cohosting a very special event with the Lululemon team right here at the gym. We were joined by other fitness instructors from all over the Pittsburgh region for a couple of group classes, some delicious Pittsburgh Fresh food, and drinks courtesy of Wigle Whiskey!

 

After getting acquainted with our space and checking in with the Lulu team, our visiting instructors braved a full-on Fatbell class with Beth and Lindsey. While the warm-up included a lot of familiar moves like Mountain Climbers and Wall Sits, the real work came when we started teaching the Fatbell Swing and later, the Turkish Get-up. These moves require strength, stability, and a LOT of coordination, and we all had fun figuring them out together! We finished that class off with one of our favorite (and most challenging) finishers: a medley of swings, burpees, and straight-up sprinting.

 

 

Since that workout was exhausting, we moved everyone on to a short restorative yoga class with Alison to cool-down and get ready for the rest of the night. With her guidance and teaching, our instructors went from amped up to chilled out in just under 30 minutes.

 

We were lucky enough to get to use the Alloy 26 space to get together and talk over dinner catered by Pittsburgh Fresh and a whiskey tasting by Wigle. We shared our experiences working in various fitness disciplines – we had barre instructors, rowing instructors, boxing instructors, personal trainers and dietitians all sharing their viewpoints and stories on the sweat life.

 

 

It was a beautiful evening and we hope to host more events like it soon!

 

What most people think when they hear “pushup” is the standard variety of this move. It’s easy to execute, but proper form is crucial.  Maintain your focus through each movement and start to set good habits!

 

Here’s how to get set up to do a push up:

• Start in plank position with the hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
  • Angle your hands in the most comfortable position for you, straight forward, slightly turned inward if it’s less stressful on your wrists, or on your knuckles on a semi-soft surface like grass or carpet.
• Your feet should be in the most comfortable position for you. For some, that might be shoulder width apart. For others, it might be that the feet are touching. Generally speaking, the wider apart your feet, the more stable you’ll be.
• Picture a metal rod running from the top of your head down through your heels. Keep your body in line throughout the movement. Your butt shouldn’t be sticking way up in the air or sagging.
  • If you have a problem getting the proper form with your body, try clenching your butt and then tighten your abs to engage the core. If you’ve been doing push ups incorrectly, this might be a big change for you.
• Your head should be looking slightly ahead of you in a neutral position. If you’re doing them right, your chin should be the first part of your head to touch the floor, not your nose.
• Steadily lower yourself until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle or smaller, keep your elbows back, pause slightly and then explode back up until you’re back in the same position.

 

If you’re not quite strong enough to complete a standard pushup with proper form, work on a modified stance until you can. You can also try doing a pushup off of a wall while standing if this modified pushup is too much at first.

 

If you’re looking for more of a challenge, here are other push up variations!

• Wide– Place the hands farther out to the side of the body than in a standard push up for more chest and shoulder activation.
• Narrow– Place the hands closer to the body than in a standard push up for more chest and tricep activation.
• Decline– Elevate the feet on a bench or box to get more upper chest and shoulder activation.
• Diamond– Put the hands together so that the thumbs and index fingers form a diamond, place the hands below the center of the chest to isolate the triceps.
• Pike– Raise the butt into the air so the body forms a triangle with the ground. It looks a little like the downward dog, but the arms are more perpendicular to the ground. This is a fantastic way to work up to a handstand push-up, just gradually elevate the legs for more shoulder activation.
• Staggered– Place one hand farther forward than the other to emphasize one side of the chest. This may be useful for someone whose strength is lagging on their non-dominant side.
• Negative– Lower the body slowly, but keep the “up” part of the movement fast. This is a great way to build size and strength in any exercise.

 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that exercise is good for you.  One thing you may not be aware of though is this scary sounding thing called “sarcopenia”.  Sarcopenia is actually the fancy, scientific term for how we lose muscle mass as we age.  Ehh, not so big of a deal, right? WRONG! Between the ages of 30-80, men and women can lose anywhere from 30%-50% of their muscle strength.  The loss of muscle mass doesn’t just mean it’ll take you a little bit longer to open the pickle jar either, but some real, scary consequences like heart disease, bone loss, obesity, and cancer to name just a few.  There’s some good news though: it’s never too late to start your fitness journey.

 

There is no age limit on fitness! Yet we understand that it can be a scary thing to step into a realm you’re unaccustomed to. This holds true for adults and teens and toddlers alike! My five year olds just started kindergarten a couple weeks ago. For weeks leading up to the start, they would have nightmares about people not being nice to them, being unable to make new friends, and simply being unable to find their way to the classroom.  Walking them into their new school on that first day, I held their trembling little hands and wiped away their tears as I said goodbye. Fast forward just a couple hours later to pick up time, those previously frightened little girls had the biggest smiles on their faces and couldn’t stop talking about how much fun they had.  Now they willingly hop out of bed, jumping for joy at the thought of going back to kindergarten each day.

 

You see, it’s normal to be fearful.  It’s normal to have those feelings that something will go wrong. When you’re starting a new fitness routine, it’s not quite unlike starting kindergarten. Will people be nice to you? How will you know what to do? Will you know all the exercise movements or know how to work the equipment? You ask yourself, “BUT WHAT IF I FART IN YOGA CLASS?!?!” (For the record, it happens and no one cares!)

 

Luckily for you, once you start your new fitness adventure, whether it be a spin class, yoga class or strength training, you will be jumping for joy to go back too. And although you most likely won’t have your mom there to hold your hand, we do have fitness trainers and coaches available to guide you every step of the way (and yes, we are qualified to wipe away tears too!)

 

We dare you to be brave! Take that class, lift those weights, let go of those fears! We promise, you won’t be sorry you did.