Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Hard Core + Muesli Fusion Giveaway

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I’m sure my washboard abs are in there somewhere.

Too bad I can’t just go to the fridge for that 6-pack…

I’m in the homestretch for my next figure competition.  My abs have 5 weeks to make their appearance.  They are always, always fashionably late.  Today’s Work It Out is a quick overview of my new ab strategy (it’s working!!!).

sprint2table-workitout

Let me bring by giving you my top ab secret: abs are made in the kitchen.  There is no way around this.  You’re diet must be on point unless you are one of those naturally blessed people who I want to kill.  I was not blessed.  I have a short torso.  When I gain, it’s always in my stomach first.  Why can’t it go to my boobs quads?!

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We’ll come back to the kitchen in a bit.  First, let’s talk exercise.

I lack the patience to do a ton of dedicated core work back-to-back.  I also lack the patience to rest between sets (except on leg day when I’m begging to rest).  My solution is to combine them!

Every other day I work core moves into my upper body workouts.  Rather than stand around between each set, I drop to the ground and do 25 ab reps.  My arms rest while I do core, and my core rests while I do arms!  Yes, you do use each as a secondary muscle, but it’s not so much that you’re sacrificing quality.

Hard Core Workout

If I do 6 exercises, 4 sets each, I’ve done 600 core exercises by the end!

While I plan you workout, I select 4 core moves to perform.  After weight set 1, I do core exercise 1.  After weight set 2, I do core exercise 2, and so on.  Here’s a “how to” for the group of 4 that I’ve been loving lately:

Hard Core

Body Rocks (thanks to Heather for this idea)

In and Outs

Stability Ball Sit-Ups

Figure Eights

Note: Don’t do this every day.  Your abs need time to rest and recover just like any other body part!

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Back to the kitchen.  There are several foods that are particularly guilty of being junk food in healthy clothing.  Flavored yogurts (sugar bombs), deli meat (infested with preservatives and sodium), and granola (again with the sugar) are big ones.

For today’s “Favorite Things Anniversary Week Giveaway,” I want to share my favorite granola with you.  I was first introduced to Muesli Fusion at Blend last spring.  Always the skeptic, the first thing I did was read the label.  Lo and behold, it’s not a junk food in disguise!  Bonus: they have gluten-fee option!

muesli fusion

I love using it to top my post-workout protein smoothie bowls.  It gives my the carbs I need to refuel and adds some texture to my smoothie.

Athlete’s Fuel is my favorite – it has 7 grams of protein and only 3 grams of sugar per serving!

growing naturals green smoothie

Want to try it for yourself?  Muesli Fusion is offering a $50 gift code to one of you.*  With that much money, you can try a few flavors!

*Again, this is not a sponsored giveaway. I reached out to my favorite brands and begged asked nicely for a giveaway opportunity so you can try them out too.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Don’t forget – there’s still time to enter the NuNaturals giveaway!  And, speaking of birthdays, happy birthday to Lisa!!!

What is your favorite granola flavor?

Do you have the patience to do dedicated core work?  Which moves are your favorite?

Comments

  1. Yay!! Thank you for the shout out my love<3
    I am SO loving these core moves! I've been totally neglecting mine lately, so this is much appreciated!

  7. Yum! I am a huge fan of Muesli after I learned about it when I traveled through Asia earlier this year. I love all of the superfoods all packed into one! Love these giveaways thank you for hosting!

  8. Ohh good luck! I know you can do it 🙂
    Favorite granola flavor…vanilla almond. Yum. It had lots of almonds and walnuts in it, and was so cinnamon-y too 😛

  9. I’ll need to incorporate some of those ab moves- I get so lazy with my core and consider squats and deadlifts my ab workout 😛

    Favourite granola- anything chock full of nuts and no added sugar!

  11. Great core moves! Those figure eights look particularly killer! 😉

    As for the granola, my favorite flavor is usually anything vanilla, brown sugary, raisiny. Does that even make sense? lol That’s what I like though. 🙂

  15. i actually love hollow rocks, i know, weird! and you know i love the muesli fusion! but not as much as calee does (hehe, muesli man crush)

    I want the GF kind!

  19. Gotta admit that I’m a sucker for anything with chocolate, so the antioxidant blend is right up my alley. And woohoo! No pesky peanuts 😀

    As for core work, I go through phases where I’m dedicated for a while and then I start slacking. I’ve always liked (and hated) stability ball jacknives though. Those things just kill…

  22. I never do any ab exercises! I’m so lazy. But I honestly do think I get enough through farmers walks, bag carries, etc. I miss practicing my overhead holds for max time – that was a great ab workout!

  23. YUM!!!! I love the look of that athlete one too but cinnamon is a fav flavor to me! 🙂

    BTW, I have a nutrition is key for abs post for tomorrow – great minds think alike! I also do core work in between things on certain days.. 🙂

  24. I’ve always been impatient when it comes to core work – good thing a lot of the workout classes that I’m taking right now include it, otherwise I’ll only do it maybe once a week (and usually just a couple of planks and I call it good).

    My sweet tooth begs for sweet granola – I used to make a peanut butter and dark chocolate one all that time that was pretty fabulous!

    • Feel free to make that granola again and send it all to me. You know…. for quality control. 😉

  25. Ooh…the gluten free one sounds amazing! Anything with raisins, cranberries etc. is always the first one I go for:)

  27. Choosing a favourite granola flavour is pretty tough, but I’ve had carrot cake granola before that was out-of-this-world, and I currently have a jar of homemade pumpkin granola and apple cinnamon granola (hello, Fall!) in my cupboard that could also be my top pick…

  29. right now i’m on a pumpkin everything kick, including granola. My normal granola is sweetened with a bit of honey with whatever nuts I have around. My granola is not sweet at all but since I always pair with something sweet, like yogurt, I just need the crunch.

    • That’s how I like mine too! A crunchy accent to a creamy bowl of something sweet. Like ice cream. 😉

  32. I like to do weighted crunches on the ball too. Figure 8’s – need to add those into my life! I’m weird and I kind of like working abs. I will do standing ab “stuff” in between sets. Multi-tasking right? And favorite granola flavors? Anything with cranberries and almonds.

    • I like them, but not all at once. I’m a between set person too – I get bored just resting! It’s a wonder I was never diagnosed with ADD…

  34. I’m TERRIBLE at ab work! :/ I just think that most of the stuff I do works my core/abs in some way so they tend to get forgotten! Whoopsie! Such a good idea to squeeze them in between lifting sets, though! Will be trying that out next time I hit the weights room!

    • I need to bring back your plank rotation my that my chest has been cleared for action. Hee hee. 😉

  37. I like granola with a little crunch and a little sweetness. Pumpkin seeds, dates, and cinnamon are some of my go-to items when making my own!

  40. I like preeetttyy much ANY granola flavor. It’s ALL good to me!

    I totally agree with you about abs–they’re definitely made in the kitchen, but it’s also great to make them stronger with exercises. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re 5 weeks out from your next competition, now! I’m so excited for you! I can’t wait to hear all about it. I know you will rock it–you’re a pro now 😀

  41. I love any granola with vanilla or cinnamon flavoring and almonds! Oh, and Peanut Butter granola is delish as well 🙂

  44. I LOVE granola, but like you I’m always so skeptic of all the sugars and extra junk in them. I’ve never tried them before, but after looking at the site, I’d choose the Athlete one too. Oh those are some good core moves and yes abs are made in the darn kitchen. i can keep telling this to clients until I’m blue in the face. HAHA!

    • People don’t listen… they still want a magic pill. So do I… but in the meantime I’m working it out in the kitchen. 😉

  50. Any granola in a good flavored yogurt. Favorite ab exercise, 12oz curls. LMAO. No really, breathing crunches, but you knew that already.

  52. Love the hard core workout!!! Can’t wait to try it – I’m sure I won’t be so eager by the time I’m done!

  53. Haha – wish I could gain in my “quads” too 😉
    This is one heck of a core workout – Thanks for sharing it!
    I have been neglecting core work recently…but I love pikes on a stab ball – fun 🙂
    Good luck training and eating for your figure competition!

  54. This granola looks Delicious! I typically go for anything flavoured with cinnamon, maple or vanilla 🙂

  56. I love granola! I usually make my own because the one’s i have seen in the store are either full of sugar or a bit out of my price range. I also love the look of this ab workout, might be another one of your workouts that I incorporate into my workout…. I think i’ll try it tonight.

  57. I think it’s impossible to choose one delicious flavor of granola – totally mood dependent! But I am an absolute sucker for anything that involves copious amounts of cinnamon. Maybe throw in some peanut and or walnut flavor. And Vanilla. And Maple. Oh man .. pumpkin spice granola? Hello.

  64. right now I have an obsession with my paleo crunch-or basically any granola! Im pretty sure I eat it twice a day! The antioxidant muesli sounds yummy to me

  67. I love pumpkin spice granola! The Kind vanilla blueberry granola clusters are good, too. I’ve been dying to try Muesli Fusion.

  70. I actually love core work. It’s one of my favorite areas to focus on.

    As for the granola, I make my own every week with maple syrup as my sweetener of choice. Lately, I’ve been perfecting my Lemon Blueberry Granola, although I’ve got an Orange Cranberry recipe coming soon.

  77. Honestly, I love any granola… SO GOOD. Prob chocolate or peanut butter though if i had to pick

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