If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I love myself an obstacle race. When I was given a chance to take a workout class with J2Fit at the new Reebok FitHub USQ I was ecstatic and even woke up at 5:30 AM to get my booty there.

If a killer workout wasn’t incentive enough to get out of bed early, Reebok made it that much more enjoyable by providing me some with some great gear to workout in.

I got the Reebok ONE Series Running Bra, the Reebok ONE Series Running Graphic Tee, the Reebok ONE Series 3 Inch Woven Short and the  Reebok ZQuick Electrify. As much as I like all the gear, my fav are the ZQuicks and they are quickly becoming my favorite running shoe. I’ve worn them on two runs after the workout and they are very comfortable and have a great fit. There is a lot of science behind this shoe and they are actually inspired by Z-Rated tires. The shoe’s unique geometry and midsole foam delivers sports car handling for your feet, while the evolved NanoWeb upper technology makes sure you’re buckled up tight for a breathable and breathtaking ride. So basically they’re like strapping sports cars to your feet.

The workout was lead by Reebok Ambassadors J2Fit. They are a team of personal trainers that specialize in strength and conditioning training. Their trainings can increase strength, lean mass, power and can even prepare you for athletic competitions and obstacle races like the Spartan Race, Civilian Military Combine and Tough Mudders. It was really cool speaking to the trainers to hear about the different trainings they offer. One of the trainers told me he just finished his Certified Spartan Coaching while another talked about being on the USA Kettlebell Team.

To start off our workout, we did some active stretching including lunges and plank variations. After that we were split into groups of three to prepare for the first workout. The workout consisted of three stations and each station was done for 15 reps then immediately followed by the next station until we finished four round of all three stations.

The first station was push-ups. If push-ups were too easy, you did weighted push-up and if too difficult, knee push-ups were allowed. The next station was plank rows. Again there were variations to make the workout work no matter your fitness level and finally there were kettlebell squats. My arms were killing me going into the final set and you can see me (not so gracefully) struggling to get through my pushups here.

The last workout was a follow the leader style workout where the first person had to finish their first station before the second could start. It consisted of 40 mountain climbers, 30 jump squats, 20 ball slams and 10 burpees followed by a run through Union Square where we did 15 kettlebell swings and ran back to the store to finish. After a quick cool down and some group photos, I was on my way home, sweaty, tired and happy to be finished with my workout by 8 AM.

The Union Square Fithub offers a ton of really cool FREE fitness classes. You can check out the schedule to sign up to try something new. They have everything from yoga to Les Mills to Crossfit, definitely something for everyone. You can also take classes at the other 4 fithub locations in Westchester, Garden State, Upper East and 5th Ave.

I can’t wait to go back for more!

Have you ever attended a Reebok FitHub class? How badly do you want a pair of the ZQuicks?

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When I walked into my new gym, it was like a whole new world – machines, cardio equipment and people doing endless bicep curls in the mirror. I didn’t think I was going to join at all, but with some extra searching I found my place. I found the squat racks, the kettlebells, the plyo boxes and the rowing machine. I started to feel at home.

Now, a month later I am happy with my choice. Workouts have become more than just an automatic action. I now think about what I’m going to do and have a lot of fun planning my workouts. My current favorite workout is a kettlebell circuit. In the morning I only have about 30 minutes to workout between dropping off the little man at school and having to be at work. This is quick, but challenging.

I usually use three different kettlebells for the workout. A heavier one (around 50lbs) for the high pulls and a lighter one (around 30lbs) for the swings and even lighter for Russian twists (around 20lbs). I think that Crossfit has taught me to always challenge myself. If a weight feels to easy after a few reps, I put it back and get a heavier one until the workout is a challenge.

This can also be done with regular dumbbells if your don’t have any kettlebells on hand.

How do you plan your workouts? How much time do you usually spend at the gym?

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First, I looked into at home pull-up bars. Luckily, while we were in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago, Tommy found his old over the door pull-up bar that he bought in college, so I was able to save myself my money there. Next I needed to find something that would help me actually do a pull-up. I saw that Corrie Anne bought the Rage Pull-up Assist Bands, and they were the closest thing to the bands we use at Crossfit, and weren’t ridiculously expensive. The bands give me 90 pounds of resistance and so far I need to use all of them, but I can get about 10 pull-ups out at a time.

I set up my little station in my basement and I’ve been practicing my pull-ups on the days that I don’t go to Crossfit. I’ve also taken the pull-up assistance bands to the park where there are pull-up and dip bars, and they work great! Overall I feel myself getting stronger and my pull-ups getting easier. My Crossfit coach always told me that the only way to get better at pull-ups is to practice them and he was so right. It is really amazing how quickly out bodies adapt and how much easier a move gets when you do it on a regular basis.

My goal is to be able to do an unassisted pull-up by the end of the year and I’ve got a bit less than 5 months to accomplish it. I think I’ve got this!

What’s your “weakness” in the gym? Can you do pull-ups?

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My Saturday began at Pedal NYC for a 30/30 class – 30 minutes spin followed by 30 minutes of TRX. It was my first time trying both spin and TRX, so I was a bit nervous. The event was hosted by my fellow Fitfluential Ambassador, Talia of Bite Size Wellness.

After getting a bit lost, I got to Pedal just in time for the spin warmup. After this spin class, I can’t wait to get to another one soon. The room was dark, the music loud and I was able to get in the zone and just follow Mr. Ray’s voice to push myself. My legs felt a bit like jello after we finished, but it was only the first half of the class.

We moved over to the TRX room where we split into two groups. While one group did the move on the TRX the other group did a move off to the side. On the TRX we did squat pulls, bicep curls and star jumps, while the people on the side did clap squats, held planks and mountain climbers.

After we were done with the TRX we went outdoors to do a few laps in the courtyard before posing for some group shots.

After the class, I rushed home, showered, grabbed some sushi and headed to the salon to get my hair cut. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that it had been almost a year since my last haircut, but I’ve been so busy that I couldn’t find the time to get to the salon. I love my stylist and she always does an awesome job cutting my hair. I’ve never been disappointed.

After my haircut, I rushed back home to get changed and ready for the party that Tommy and I were attending that night. The party was a work function with Tommy’s coworkers, and it was held on Ellis Island! I didn’t even know that the island could be rented for events before hearing about this party. The weather was perfect for a night on the island, and we had amazing, clear views of the city all night long.

The party was a blast and it was nice getting all dressed up. Especially since the next day I would be rolling around in the mud!

How often do you get your hair cut? Where’s the coolest place you’ve been to a party?

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Speaking of training, I wanted to share the WODs that I have done so far. I think this will serve as a good way for me to look back and see how far I’ve come.

The Friday before last, I got to the box for 7pm class to find that there were only 3 of us there for the WOD. After our 1 mile run warmup, we practiced our snatches before taking on Isabel. I finished in 4:42, but I did the WOD with only the bar. It had been months since I last did snatches and I really want to focus on form before loading on the weight.

Last Tuesday, it was squat day. We started out with a warmup of 25 burpees and 50 situps before working on out 1 rep max of front squats. I only got up to 50 pounds because my form was a bit shaky and my wrists were killing me! I think I need to look into getting some wrist wraps, or maybe my wrists need to get used to the movement. The WOD was 5 rounds of 9 squat cleans and 6 hand stand push ups. I once again only used the bar and did the HSPU modified, as well. Even with the modifications, it still kicked my butt, and that is why I love Crossfit. No matter your fitness level, you will get a workout that works towards being able to do the RX WOD.

I almost didn’t make it to the box on Friday between complications with the seminar I was supposed to be attending at school and the 8PM WOD, I had planned on attending, being full. Luckily, Tommy, amazing as always, made it work and I was shocked to see 13.1 on the whiteboard when I arrived. As much as I wanted to sign up for the open, I knew I just wasn’t ready for it this year. I got through 142 rounds with just using the bar for the snatches. It was also an awesome experience to see the real competitors kill the WOD! So very humbling too.

I am falling into a routine with my Tuesday and Friday WODs and I look forward to them all week long. Right now, two times a week is the perfect schedule for me, between work, school and my two men, who have “guys’ nights” every time I go. Munchkin has even told me to go to the gym so he can have “guys’ night” with Tommy. Hearing those words come out of the little man’s mouth reassure me that I am doing the right thing for myself and for him!

What was your favorite workout of the past week?

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I was super nervous getting back to Crossfit, but I was also incredibly nervous. I hadn’t been in three months, would anyone remember me, would the coaches remember me, would I be the new girl again, would I totally suck at everything?  There are all things that swirled around in my head as I drove over to the box after leaving Tommy and Munchkin to have their boy’s night.

I walked in and saw some familiar faces and immediately started chatting with the other people waiting for the 7pm WOD. The coaches remembered me too, and said they were happy to see me back. It felt good just to be back in the box.

We started with double unders as the warmup and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I still had it..well, kind of. The last time I practiced I was able to string together a double under, single, double under, single, and I was still able to do it. Our strength was a one rep max for strict press and I was able to get up to 50lbs! Not too shabby.

The WOD was a killer. Helen herself is a killer, but this was Helen on Crack and it kicked my butt. We had a 25 minute cap, and I wasn’t able to finish all five rounds. I got through four minus a few pull-ups, and the pull-ups where what killed me. I just couldn’t finish them, even with a green and red band.

Even though I didn’t finish, I still felt great that I got back there and pushed myself. I’m going back Friday morning and I can’t wait!

What’s the last great workout you had?

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First of all, the workouts are split into different categories and you can choose a workout by style, teacher, level and duration. My favorite way to make sure that I get a workout in the little time that I have most morning is by clicking on the duration tab. The workouts range from 5 to 45 minute, and you can create a playlist to combine workouts, without having to stop and fiddle with your computer. FitnessGlo was created by women with busy women in mind and I think they were spot on in regards to this feature.

There is a good variety of workouts too. It’s not just all cardio either, there are strength training, step and click and go classes and even my new favorite – barre.  The first barre classes appeared on FitnessGlo about two weeks after I started using it, and they have been my go to classes. They also add new classes three times a week, so there is basically an endless supply of new workouts. You can’t get bored! I also really like the stretching. I sit behind a desk for basically 10+ hours a day, and I come home feeling really tight and achy. The stretches work wonders.

The best part about FitnessGlo is that I can do my workout in my pjs and no one gives me dirty looks. I roll out of bed and get my workout done. I can also put on a class at anytime during the day. When I get bored with chores and laundry – relax with a quick FitnessGlo class. I also love that for most of the classes, you don’t need much more that some weights and a mat. You can also control your intensity level by using heavier weights. I did the Hit Every Major Muscle Group in 20 twice – once with five pound weights and once with eights and you could feel the difference, even with only three extra pounds.

Aside from just the classes, the FitnessGlo website has a lot of cool features to track your fitness. You can favorite classes, so that when you fall in love with a class, you don’t have to search through classes to find it. They also track which classes you have done, so if you’re like me and like to do new classes, you will know which ones you have under your belt already. There is also a balance tracker that tracks the percentages of cardio, strength and stretching that you do each week in order to ensure that you aren’t focusing on one area too much. You can also create your schedule for the week and have e-mail or iCal reminders sent to so you don’t forget.

FitnessGlo is offering a 15 day free trial to everyone so that you can see if you love the classes before you sign up for the $12/month fee based subscription. They were also kind enough to offer one of my readers a free 90-day subscription, and all you have to do it hit up the Rafflecopeter below! Happy sweating!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own.

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I tell myself every night that I will get up as soon as my alarm rings, but I press snooze instead and end up sleeping in. And I don’t even have to be getting up at the crack of dawn either, but I just can’t bring myself to get up! Ugh!

I did get a workout in this morning, but that’s only because I didn’t have to be up for work, but better than nothing, right? Speaking of this morning’s workout, I tried out FitnessGlo for the first time and did a 30 minutes Click & Go class. FitnessGlo is an online fitness class service with classes ranging from 5-45 minutes. I love doing workout videos, so this is like having 100 different workout DVDs to choose from. Maybe that will motivate me to wake up in the morning?

I need some tips and tricks! How do you get yourself up in the morning? I think I’m going to start putting my phone on the other side of my room so I actually have to get out of bed to turn off the alarm. I figure once I’m out of bed, I’ll stay out…hopefully.

Do you workout in the morning? What time do you get up?

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So first off..it’s cold, what the heck do I wear? The general rule of thumb of running in cold weather is to wear one layer less than you think is necessary or for a temperature that 15-20 degrees warmer. Runner’s World has a great guide of what to wear depending on the temperature. Gloves and a hat or beanie are recommended when the temperature dips below zero, and you want clothes that will wick the moisture away from your body to keep you dry.

When you start your run, run into the wind. You don’t want to be returning sweaty against the wind because you will freeze your bootie off, especially if you’re cooling down.

If you’ve ever gone running in the cold you know the burn…the burn in your lungs, that is. The first couple of times that you run in the cold, your lungs will burn trying to adjust to the cold temperature of the air. This will go away after a few runs, when your body gets acclimated to the lower temps. You can try breathing through your nose to add moisture to the air your breathing in, or if it’s really bothering you, you can cover your mouth with a thin scarf.

Even though its cold outside, you still need to HYDRATE! Just because you might not be as thirsty as you would be running in the heat, it is important to stay hydrated.

Since the probability that you will be running in the dark is much higher in the winter, be sure to wear something reflective that will make you visible in the dark.

The most important tip of all is to use your best judgment. If there is a lot of snow or ice on the ground, you’re probably better off staying indoors. You don’t want a slip or fall to put you out of commission!

Hope these tips keep your running through the cold of the winter!

Do you move your runs to the treadmill during the winter, or do you run outdoors?

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