9/21/15; What a Workout!

This morning’s Black Fire workout was a beast!  The video was only about 35 minutes long but it was intense.  This workout was called the Power of 10.

It started with a few minutes of warm-up and stretching exercises like squats and lunges.  The core of the workout was 4 rounds of 10 different exercises.  You do each exercise for 30 seconds with no rest in between, unless you finish the prescribed number of reps in less than 30 seconds.  For each of the 10 exercises in the set, you get one point for every exercise that you are able to complete the prescribed number of reps in 30 seconds.  

Each round went like this:

• Deep Dumbbell Thrusters: 10 reps – Start in a squat position with 15 pound weights in each hand.  As you rise from the squat, push dumbbells straight up until your arms are fully extended.  Lower back down into a squat position, lowering your arms as you go into the squat.
• Mountain Climbers: 30 reps – Start in a straight arm plank position with your hands on a box or stool about 18 inches off the ground.  Bring one foot all the way up so it is parallel to the side of the box, then switch feet, pushing the front foot back and the pulling the back foot up (at the same time – so both feet are off the ground at the same time) to be parallel to the other side of the box.  Repeat. 
• Box Jumps with Squat: 10 reps – jump onto your 18” box, both feet at the same time.  Lower yourself into a squat position, then stand straight up and step off the box.  I cannot do this exercise (well, I could do two during the first circuit and that was it) so I stepped onto the box and did the squat.  I didn’t get a point for this exercise.
• Jumping Jacks:  30 reps – this one is easy.  I always got a few second break at the end of the jumping jacks.
• Split Lunges:  10 reps – Step one foot forward and lower your body into a lunge position, keeping your front knee over your front foot.  With a fluid jumping motion, switch legs, moving the front foot back and the back foot forward.  With each squat your back knee should lower until it is barely touching the ground.
• Jump rope: 30 reps – pretend you are jumping rope.  Again, this is an easy one and it allows you several seconds of rest before the next exercise
• Renegade Rows: 10 reps – Start in a straight arm plank position, with a 15 pound dumbbell in each hand (so instead of your hands being on the floor, they are on the dumbbells).  Alternating sides, pull one dumbbell up to your side, as if you are doing a dumbbell row.  Keep your elbow close to your body. Lower that dumbbell back to the ground and repeat on the other side.
• Dumbbell Jump Overs: 30 reps – Place a dumbbell in front of you and jump from side to side with both feet at the same time, as if you are jumping over the dumbbell.  You don’t really jump over the dumbbell or you might get hurt.  You are using the dumbbell as a guide.
• Deep Squat Hold: 1 squat – held for 30 seconds – lower yourself into a fully engaged squat position and hold for 30 seconds.
• Elbow Plank: 1 plank – held for 30 seconds.

The maximum # of points is 40, the first time I did this workout I got 22 points.  This time I was able to get 36.  The only exercise I couldn’t complete was the Box Jump Squat.  That was a huge improvement over last time!!

The workout ended with about 3 - 4 minutes of stretches and cool down exercises.

I've been doing the Black Fire workouts for about 2 weeks and I already feel stronger and more fit.  I like the fact that you score yourself on all the workouts so you can see improvement from day to day and week to week.  I find it very motivating.