Light Handweight Cardio Crush is yet another workout in AngieFitnessTV‘s 15 Minutes to Fit Series. I am loving Angie’s 15 Minutes to Fit series. I will be reviewing all of the ones I am currently capable of doing (shoulder surgery restrictions). Her 15 Minutes to Fit workouts are created as finishers–something to add on to the end of a longer workout to give you at extra bit of cardio or strength or whatever the focus of the workout. This morning was upper body strength day for me. I did Cathe‘s Pyramid Pump Upper and I used this as a finisher since you are getting some high rep light weight toning while cardio walking. I am now 6 weeks post surgery and I can move my left arm through most (not all) ranges of motion. So now when I do any upper body strength movements I also do the move with my left arm sans weights. However, workouts like this (cardio based) the moves are done too fast and I am not there yet, so many of these moves in this workout I did with just my right arm.
Anyway, this is a low impact cardio walk with lots of upper body strength moves. You are doing each move for 60 seconds and at a brisk pace, so for many of them it will be high rep. To increase the cardio intensity I wore a 10 pound weighted belt, an 8 pound weighted vest, 1 pound ankle weights and a 1 pound weighted glove on my right hand. I also used 2, 3 and 5 pound hand weights with my right hand. Some of the moves–like the ones I used the 5 pound dumbbell on (#9-12), I was able to go through the motions with my left arm without holding any hand weights. So bonus–PT work for my left arm/shoulder! Anyway, I really liked this and it’s a great finisher for any upper body workout. Gives you a cardio push and a bit more work for your arms. Plus, she ends the workout with a stretch so it truly is a great way to “finish” any workout.
Light Handweight Cardio Crush is 18:53 minutes; 30 second intro; 3 minute warm up and 2:45 minute stretch. Equipment: light hand weights. Angie recommends 1, 2 or 3 pounds. I used 2, 3 and 5 pound dumbbells, depending on the move.
- Hamstring curl with bicep curls
- Raise one knee while doing a double arm front raise then tap other leg out to side while doing a straight arm side raise
- Hamstring curls with upright rows
- Repeat #2 on other side of body but arms change to single arm front raise during knee raise and single arm side raise during side tap
- Step out wide then narrow (out-out-in-in), alternate upright rows with front raises
- Lift one leg out straight to side then do a cross body punch while tapping out to side with other foot
- Repeat #5 but this time alternate an upright row with side lateral raise
- Repeat #6 on other side of body
- Tap one leg/foot to the front then to the back, keep leg back and do 3 fast alternating back rows
- Tap one foot out to side 2x then do one double arm tricep kickback
- Repeat #9 on other side of body
- Repeat #10 tapping with other foot
For more info on AngieFitnessTV and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
“I am now 6 weeks post surgery and I can move my left arm through most (not all) ranges of motion. So now when I do any upper body strength movements I also do the move with my left arm sans weights.”
That’s great to hear that all your physical therapy is helping you heal. And it sounds like you’ve gotten the all clear to actually use your left arm when you workout, just without weights. Congrats. I assume for the next 6 weeks you will still not be using weights in your left arm?
I don’t mean to ask such a possible nosey and personal and sensitive question, but have you lost some muscle definition in your left arm since you aren’t able to lift weights? I was wondering about that because, for the most part, you do seem to be staying quite active and I wondered if that would help your left arm maintain it’s appearance and muscle look.
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I have noticed some things. First, I am not a low body fat person. I am not overweight but in order to look ripped I would need to lose 10-15 pounds of fat and eat a low carb diet to get rid of any water weight. I like to eat and I love carbs so that is never going to happen. With that said, I can always see muscle definition in my arms. It takes me flexing of course, I don’t look ripped at rest, but my biceps and triceps are obvious when I flex them. I can still see my triceps in my left arm but it definitely isn’t as obvious as in my right. Same goes for my bicep. I have only recently (in the past few days) been able to hold my arm in a way that I can flex my bicep and the muscle is still there but I no longer have the strength to flex it into a hard ball like I can on my right and it also seems like it is hiding in some new fat. )o: But I can still vaguely see it when I do my weak flex. Sadly I am still 6 weeks away from being able to start lifting weights the way I used to on my left. Even then it will not be “like I used to”–I will be able to use dumbbells for that arm but they will be much lighter than what my right arm can lift. So I will have to rebuild my left arm. I think next week I get to start using resistance bands for PT exercises. I am excited about that. Anyway, I have lost some and will likely lose some more, but I will get it back.
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Is that how some personal trainers (Jackie Warner comes to mind) look ripped at rest? (But who knows, maybe there was some photoshopping and airbrushing going on for the DVD’s cover/photo art.) Are they losing weight that they technically don’t need to lose and just eating really lean, or high protein low carb?
I don’t look ripped at rest and that’s not a goal of mine, but my shoulders and biceps do look nice at rest. My triceps, sigh, someday they’ll be tighter and toned. I’m not overweight (and I have a bunch of food allergies that restricts what I can safely eat) so I don’t understand why I have this stubborn trouble zone.
That’s great that you are continuing to make progress with PT and will be getting to use resistance bands for your PT exercises. Being really fit and active prior to your surgery and recover is probably helping your rehab go more smoothly than say someone who’s been inactive.
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Yes, here is an article about what fitness models have to do to prepare for a photo shoot: https://greatist.com/connect/truth-behind-fitness-photo-shoots#3
I have read the same thing about all kinds of people (actors/actresses, models, trainers) who have to get their bodies in shape for an event–a movie, shooting a workout DVD/program, getting ready for a body building competition. It is not how they look normally. They are lean and fit every day but maintaining the look they have in their photo shoot/movie/DVD is hard to maintain long term. And it’s not healthy.
Not all trainers are like that btw. They might have been once when they are younger but a lot of trainers embrace normal now–Jessica Smith and Chalene Johnson are two I can think of. Both have great bodies, but they don’t do crazy $hit to look ripped for video shoots. Then you have the genetically gifted–Cathe falls in that category. She does her live workouts every week and looks fabulous in her 50s!
I don’t think anyone looking at me would ever guess I workout as much as I do. Even when I was 10 pounds lighter. I used to care but I don’t anymore. I am not genetically gifted for one! I do think the fact I exercise religiously and have done so for 20+ years is what has helped me be so resilient to all of the health scares and accidents and surgeries life has thrown at me. I wish I could get my husband to exercise just a fraction as much as I do so he doesn’t leave me a widow. I say that and another drunk driver could end it all for me tomorrow. Who knows?
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OMG — am reading article right now. That photo of the guy who I assume is named Gale, right under the heading of ‘Four Days to Shoot,’ he looks so un-hot. Even if this photo wasn’t part of this article, he looks so unhealthy, his skin texture looks odd and way too much veins are popping out.
….Finished reading… Am bookmarking article so I can read it again. I needed this kind of information and reality check. I’ve been pushing myself hard lately, working out longer, obsessing over my triceps (which is a true trouble zone for me) and other “perceived” trouble zones that probably aren’t.
My husband has said that I’ve been overly concerned about how I look lately (muscle vs. trouble zone) and I actually said it’s because I’m staring at perfect bodies while I’m working out. This article has helped me understand/realize that yes Jillian and her back-up exercisers are in great shape but they don’t always have the awesome muscle definition and cuts and super duper flat abs.
I think Jillian is genetically gifted too, she looks hot in all her workouts and in her recent videos on youtube…..She’s 46…..
Another nosey question, I know you were injured greatly from that drunk driver and the recovery/rehab process was long…. Did you ever find out (or even care or want to know) if the drunk person that hit you also had serious injuries?
Well I’ve lost my train of thought and I’m all over the place so I’ll end things here…..
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Yes, he was convicted of a felony for what he did to me so I saw him in the courtroom when I was still in a wheelchair. He was fine. I have no memories of my time in the trauma unit because I also had hematomas but the nurses and doctors told my husband plenty. He in the ER until someone came and picked him up. He hurt his leg–no breaks or fractures. He left the ER when someone came to drive him him home. He was drunk (3x the legal limit) and hitting on all the nurses.
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I am absolutely shocked that that guy just got to go home after the ER and wasn’t taken into police custody. From the little bit of googling I did it sounds like if he was convicted of a DUI felony that this wasn’t his first DUI 😦 I hope for his sake that this was a humongous wake-up call (it’s terrifying that things could have been so much worse) and that he got help so that he wouldn’t drink again.
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