A New Workout Move Video – Weighted Squats!

Hello and happy Friday! I decided it has been WAY too long since I posted a nerdy fitness demonstration video. (The rest of my fitness videos and instructional workout posts can be found on my Strength & Ab Exercises page) Today’s video and photo instructions feature a favorite “compound” move, which is a move that works both your arms and your legs at the same time. When I strength train I try to do almost entirely compound moves — they’re more efficient AND a better workout (raising your heart rate to a cardio workout level).

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Weighted Squat

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Instructions: 1) You’ll need weights for this exercise — I hold two weights, one in each hand, that are each between 5 and 10 pounds, depending how hardcore I’m feeling 😉 2) Stand with your legs spread apart, preparing to do a squat. Lift your arms like so: 3) As you squat down (try to keep your knees from going in front of your toes — you should be leaning back vs. forward), raise your arms over your head in a press movement. 4) Repeat! I usually do about 10 to 12 reps, then move on to another exercise (see some of my other favorites below) and repeat this at least one more time later on in the workout.

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Here’s a video of me demonstrating the move!   I actually filmed this video almost a year ago and kept forgetting to post it! Silly me. I know it’s a really basic, simple move, but I still thought it would be helpful for some of you just getting into strength training to see how to incorporate both arms and legs at the same time! I will definitely be doing this move (and the ones listed below) a lot more now that I’m going to be ramping up my strength training again in preparation for my second half marathon in March! Previous exercise demonstration posts:

• Lateral Leg Exercises (with video!)
• The Eagle Ab
• Weighted Push Up with Arm Lift
• Weighted Push Up with Side Plank
• Weighted Triceps Lunge (with video!)

—————— Disclaimer: I am not a fitness expert — these are just the exercise/strength moves that I love and have found to be effective. Try them at your own risk 🙂 —————— So guess what? For the next 6 months, I’ll be serving alongside 11 other bloggers as an Attune Foods Brand Ambassador! As one of their ambassadors, I’ll be writing a monthly guest post for the Attune Foods blog, helping facilitate monthly Twitter chats with the other ambassadors, and generally helping to build awareness about their brand (which includes Uncle Sam and Erowhon cereals, Attune probiotic chocolate bars, and more). I am being compensated for my participation in the program, but as always, anything I say about them on here is my opinion and mine only, and I wouldn’t have signed up to help promote them if I didn’t think they were awesome. 🙂 Check out their site to see the other great bloggers participating, and check out my first guest post on their blog today about my 2011 Healthy Living Goals! In other news — we are on the brink of a 3 day weekend! I’m actually feeling kind of bummed out today that Matt won’t be here to enjoy the weekend with me (he’s still in Europe until the end of the month, sigh — it’s been AGES — months?! — since we’ve been here in NC together). It’s lonely in our cute little apartment! But the weather is supposed to be warmer and sunny and there’s talk with the girls of a hike on Sunday, plus we have our first longer-ish half marathon training run on Saturday! I will also be hitting up the mall to get my fashion on — gotta use some Christmas gift cards 😉 Have a wonderful Friday!